When I founded my interior design firm over 35 years ago, I couldn't have imagined the quantity and scale of new residential development in New York City today.

Since the day I hung out my shingle over thirty years ago, any notion that design meetings and presentations could be conducted other than in-person would have sounded ridiculous. But, Covid taught me something about my interior design business that I never saw coming: design meetings can be conducted virtually!

Interior design is the key to creating a warm and welcoming space that you love coming home to. Interior designers employ three critical elements to create that feeling – color, light and texture. I’m best known for my work redecorating lobbies and hallways for condo and coop communities in the New York metropolitan area.

As an interior designer specializing in lobby and hallway makeovers, my clients are mostly coop/condo communities and management companies in the New York City metropolitan area. The selection of paint would seem to be one of the less challenging aspects of lobby and hallway renovation to the untrained eye...

Finally, the worst seems to be behind us. Our clients, coops and condos, are getting geared up make the improvements they put on hold for the past year. While the pandemic will be a memory at some point (I hope), there’s no question that lobby and hallway interior design has been changed forever.

During bad weather your coop or condo lobby and hallways need a bit of extra attention to keep them looking and feeling fresh. Wet conditions such as rain, sleet, snow and New York City’s famously annoying slush can wreak havoc on the public areas of your building.

It may be counterintuitive, but my firm has received a large increase in lobby renovation proposal requests during the pandemic. Why now? Well, if you’re a New Yorker you’ve probably been stuck at home for months in your apartment, coop, or condo.

The other day during the monthly meeting I have with my marketing director, we tossed around ideas for my next blog post. I have a lot to say about lobby interior design so, for me, coming up with blog ideas is usually lot of fun.

Recently, I’ve introduced you to the donkeys, Pete and Jake. And, many of you remember the beloved, dearly-departed design dog, Hershey, who graced the design studio with her beauty and cheerful disposition until she passed away five years ago.

Here we are, weeks into the surreal atmosphere that is New York City right now. It's difficult to remember how things were when life was normal (as if normal could ever describe our city). Nevertheless, life does go on.

While working remotely in the comfort of my own home, I’ve had the time to breathe and think – there are always “positives” in our lives no matter what is going on around us (and we sure do have some deadly serious stuff going on around all of us).

I can’t believe how many compliments we received when we posted a few photos from a recently completed a hallway redesign project. It took me by surprise! As interior designers who are frequently hired for hallways and lobby projects in NYC coop and condo buildings, our work is complex.

As New Yorkers, we got used to seeing restaurant letter grades pretty quickly. At first, it seemed weird (and upsetting when you discovered that your favorite restaurant got a C). Well, soon, you will see a letter grade posted in the lobby window of most residential buildings. This rating has nothing to do with cleanliness or hygiene, however. It is a rating of energy efficiency.

A big challenge in my line of work as a hallway and lobby interior designer in New York is the city’s ever-expanding safety code regulations. I’m proud of how my firm manages to find a balance between the aesthetic sensibilities of the spaces we create while we carefully follow every rule.

Which wall sconces can be used? If your residential building is planning a lobby or hallway renovation, there are a lot of decisions to make. One of the most challenging decision is selecting the right light fixtures because the wrong lighting can derail even the most well-thought-out design scheme.

If you own a coop or condo in a vintage New York City building, you may be wondering how the value of your property is holding up in the face of the vast residential construction of the past few years.