City Dwelling
Part I: Design Challenges and Solutions
Nothing is quite as energizing or as fun as big city dwelling! I spent twelve years living in a downtown Chicago high-rise condo. Chicago, like New York and other big cities provides design benefits and challenges not usually common to the typical suburban home.
For example, the high-rise elevator swoops you rapidly upward, even to the 100th floor of your building, but it provides size limitations on the furniture you can place in your condo, co-op or apartment. It saves a lot of time and frustration if you know the width, depth, and height of your freight elevator before you select specific pieces of furniture. Also, find out if the elevator’s ceiling can be raised to create more height. I once had a client who had to ride up the elevator shaft on the roof of his freight elevator with sectional pieces, because he had not measured the elevator size correctly!
It is important to tell your Design Consultant if you have a doorman or a receiving room, and who is in charge of receiving furniture trucks. There are probably defined time limits during which furniture deliveries can be made. You need to be aware of what these times are, and communicate them to the delivery team. These sound like minor details, but you don’t want to incur an extra charge because the drivers arrived at a time when your building wasn’t accepting deliveries. Buildings sometimes like to pad elevator walls to protect them from damage when furniture is moved in and out.
It is vital that you be present to receive your furniture. You are responsible for inspecting your furniture and reporting any damage. Be sure to tell your Design Consultant if you have narrow hallways and interior doors. This will enable them to help you select pieces that are a proper scale. The average front door is 36 inches wide, and the average interior door is 32 inches wide. In vintage buildings, hallways and doors may be smaller than normal. Sectional sofas with wedge corners can be a real challenge to get into elevators. Look for sofas that have legs that unscrew to give you room to play with when moving the furniture in and out of your space.
Getting Started
Bring your blue prints or detailed floor plans at 1/4 inch scale with you on your first appointment with your Design Consultant. This will facilitate the drawing of functional furniture floor plans. FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION is especially appropriate to smaller spaces. Always start your project with a good working furniture floor plan. This will save you time and money in costly mistakes!
Storage can be a great hurdle for city dwellers. This means that you need to consider pieces that are multi-functional, and can serve more than one purpose - preferably extra storage. Learn to spot those pieces that make the best use of height, as your rooms may be limited in horizontal wall space. I once lived a unit so petite that I used only skirted pieces so that I could hide all my "stuff" under the skirts.
Now comes the fun part, selecting your furniture! Being at Furnitureland South is like dying and going to furniture heaven. There are so many lines and items to choose from that the possibilities seem endless. You will find all the styles and price ranges available. Your Design Consultant can navigate you through the maze of choices to find the look you want to achieve at the price that works best for your budget. Your furniture is an expression of your personality. Your home should make you feel happy each time you walk through the door. You have chosen to live in the fast-paced, electric environment of the city, but home should be the haven, the island of respite from the stress!
Click here to read Part II of this article.
Diana Henry is a graduate of the University of Illinois and of Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. She is a professional member of A.S.I.D. (American Society of Interior Designers). A designer for more than 20 years, she has clients all over the US and overseas. She specializes in floor planning and prefers eclectic style. Diana has done historic preservation homes, corporate headquarters, doctors' offices, city and suburban residences of all sizes and styles. Her philosophy of design is to create the most beautiful functional space possible that reflects the personality of each client.
To contact Diana, call 866.436.8056 ext. 2606, or email dianahenry@furniturelandsouth.com.