The world of interior design is almost as fickle as the world of fashion, no more so than in New York City. Developers who pick their wall colors, furnishings and flooring too far in advance may find themselves undergoing costly re-dos down the road. Glossy magazines, TV shows and designers have to walk a thin line. Unique and cutting edge is fine but too far to the left and buyers will walk. So, for those who want to be bang in the center of the design zeitgeist, here are the some of the biggest trends in NYC at the moment:
Tile to stay a while
When it comes to reinvention, tile could teach Madonna a thing or two. It’s been around as long as time itself but has kept abreast with the latest fashions by proving a more durable, maintenance free alternative to hardwood floors says StreetEasy. It’s also not afraid to go old school with subway tiles, hexagons and tiny penny tiles ubiquitous throughout glam NYC cribs. Let’s hope retro pink and black and avocado tiles from the ’70’s don’t make a comeback.
Wide-plank runs the show
When it comes to trousers or waistlines, wide isn’t good. Flooring, however, is a different story. Was a time when thin was in. No more. Wide-plank is currently running the show over the light colored thin strips which every NY photography studio cool condo used to have a few years back.
What’s old is new
Although many of the new condos in Manhattan are in modern, glassy towers that reach into the clouds, there’s an undeniable fondness for repurposing old buildings to make cosy exposed brick apartments. It seems that everything is game — from churches to stables, factories and warehouses. It’s not just brick that’s proving a hit with buyers. By utilizing some of the original elements from older buildings, buyers can truly own one of a kind apartments. The NY Post reports that Tribeca’s Six Cortland Alley ($6 million to $9 million), “a five-unit condo conversion of a former corset factory and furniture showroom uncovered original details like granite archways, and stone walls and timber that they’ve incorporated into the new building.”
Similarly the Woolworth Tower residences ($4.6 million to $110 million) utilizes and upgrades Frank Woolworth’s original private lap pool and as part of the amenity package for the 33 condos.
Open floor plans are here to stay
Converting factories and warehouses into condos and lofts has coincided with home owners’ preferences for open floor plans — a handy coincidence, meaning developers don’t have to worry about putting up walls. However, for those that can’t afford a Tribeca loft, the open floor plan makes more sense in suburbia than in the Big Apple where space is a premium and galley kitchens still dominant in older buildings. Plus New Yorkers are spoilt for choice when it come to the 10,000 restaurants they have to choose from. Why spend their precious time in the kitchen when quality nosh is a stone’s throw away?
Chandeliers are bringing sexy back
Recessed lighting is becoming as old school as landlines and steam radiators. Okay, not that old but in dining and living rooms chandeliers are bringing sexy back in a big way.
Recessed lighting still makes sense on upper floors (should you be so lucky) or kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms but many new condos are going outlet only. Now there’s a shock to the system.
Heavy metal
When a designer mentions heavy metal to you, don’t think they’re having an ’80’s throwback moment. Rather, they are referring to the use of brass and chrome, silver and polished nickel, antique brass and oil-rubbed bronze in modern apartments. Apparently it’s all the rage.
“The resurgence of mixed metals signals the popularity of both industrial and minimalist design, and people’s unabashed mixing of the two,” Amelia Ohm of LuxeDecor told Mansion Global.
So now you know.