From the bustling boroughs of NYC to the serene suburbs of Westchester County and beyond, one theme remains consistent in the world I live in: achieving consensus is a Herculean task. However, with more than 30 years in business and hundreds of successful projects, my firm, Sygrove Associates Design Group, has unlocked the keys to gaining that elusive agreement.

As an interior designer who has re-designed hundreds of apartment building hallways and lobbies, I’m often asked this question: “Should we opt for paint instead of wallcovering for our building’s hallways?” To provide some clarity, I’d like to dive into this matter.

Have you ever paused at a street corner to think to yourself, “why does a stop sign look like that?” This may come across as a weird question at first. After all, we follow stop signs every day, what’s more, to know?

Covid-19 has exacerbated concerns about residents and guests sitting in apartment lobbies, but there are still many ways to make a lobby shine without chairs or sofas. A lobby can still appear warm, elegant, and appealing with the right materials and design. As I always say, if you must do less, you must maximize the quality of what you do—and this philosophy most certainly appeals to designing a lobby sans seating. 

As the head of the New York City lobby design firm Sygrove Associates Design Group, we confront many common lobby design problems on every project. The most common ones include how to increase storage space when space is already tight, create a more convenient and efficient doorman station, and control the interior air temperature when exterior doors are opening and closing all the time.

Lobby renovations can be a long and arduous process, even when things go smoothly. As a building property manager, you play a crucial role in ensuring the project goes smoothly and efficiently – with minimal disruptions to the residents.

How do we choose the perfect art pieces for the design of this space? I get this question a lot. With my residential clients choosing art is a piece of cake because most of them already own art they love. When more is needed I help them find pieces that fit perfectly into the spaces I’m creating for them.

When you live in New York City you constantly interact with doormen and concierges as you go through your day. So, when the lobby of the building you live in is inefficient, out of date, or downright drab, it has a less than joyful impact on your life.

As a hallway interior designer for the past 40 years, I have definitely witnessed a wide variety of trends taking shape. But I haven’t solely noticed shifts in popular colors and patterns over the years—I’ve also seen building Boards change their outlook on the improvements they’re willing to make in order to enhance a property’s value altogether. 

Ideas to transform unused space into value-adding amenity spaces for condos and co-ops… As everyone knows, New York City real estate is one of the most competitive markets in the world. There was a time when the majority of city residents rented their apartments.

Hiring a construction company to implement the design of your project can be a daunting experience and a tremendous responsibility.

As a creative, I am always eager to learn how others stay inspired, but today, I’m here to share what is inspiring me at the moment. Truthfully, I find that I am inspired almost everywhere I look. 

As a New York City lobby and hallway designer, I am often called in to evaluate not only the functional needs of a lobby but also ways to make a lobby appear outstanding and memorable in order to distinguish a given building from others.  

As an experienced New York City based hallway and lobby designer, I am often asked about ways to make hallways appear wider. Today, I’m here to share five key tips to keep in mind when designing your building so that hallways appear as spacious as possible.

Living in a prewar building is quite appealing to many young buyers for a slew of reasons. A pre-war apartment refers to a unit built before World War II, generally during the time period between 1900 and 1939. Pre-war buildings are known for the generous size of their apartments and beautiful 20th century architecture. Pre-war buildings often include features such as marble slab walls, mosaic flooring, elaborate plasterwork ceilings, and moldings.

It’s safe to say that as a professional who designs New York City apartment building hallways, I witness a number of mistakes that need remedying. I wanted to share the TK most common hallway design mistakes below—make sure your building is not guilty of any of these!