Page 8 - NY Cooperator May 2019

8 THE COOPERATOR — MAY 2019 COOPERATOR.COM DESIGN Design by Committee Using Design Committees for Common Area Projects BY MIKE ODENTHAL E very member of a community associa- tion has a vested interest in the appear- ance of their property, both inside and out. Residents see the inside of their building tude when making decisions, separate com- every day, so it matters that it’s visually appeal- ing. Equally importantly, they have a large fi- nancial stake in their unit, and the aesthetic ment. As such, managers can help steer a recommendations.” quality of the surrounding common spaces committee in the right direction, and jump in adds value to the unit itself. But when it comes to making decisions of bounds. about how those shared common spaces are to be decorated, there is such a thing as too they’re often referred to in Chicago – is a very or replacing furniture, those recommenda- many cooks spoiling the broth. For this rea- son – and to keep remodeling and renovation ing recommendations and holiday decora- projects focused on time and within bud- get – some associations choose to establish a with Lieberman Management Services, which remodel, then the committee should engage separate design committee to helm projects has offices in Chicago and Elk Grove Village, several designers and recommend their best relevant professionals have all dealt with their and guide them through completion. Design Illinois. “It’s a great way to engage a small options to the board. Unfortunately, there is fair share of community association design committees usually consist of members with amount of owners to make recommendations no clear threshold as to when one should hire committees, for better or worse. As such, some experience in the field, or who just have outside of the board.” a keen eye for color, décor, and what makes a space appeal to a broad array of tastes. These support groups ‘committees,’ but in reality committees work with the board, manage- ment, residents and outside vendors to make ity to disburse funds,” adds Claudia Oberthier, that you cannot please everyone,” Hiles con- the design choices for the building, and can Regional Director with Associa Chicagoland tinues. “Someone is going to hate whatever it says Wayne Turett, Principal of The Turett occasionally command a portion of the asso- ciation budget. So it makes sense to establish meets with vendors, basically doing all of the recommendations to the board, and the board you with respect, and some assume that you a transparent process by which decisions are research, and then presents any proposals to should make the final decision. That being are out to ruin their lives. Admittedly archi- made, resources allocated, and experts con- sulted. Managing a Committee While they may have a fair amount of lati- mittees within an association are still under should there be a designer on hand, the board of the things the vendor was going to do. the supervision of the board and manage- to pump the brakes if things start to drift out eates a design committee’s scope of responsi- “Using a committee – or a commission, as approved scope is only carpet, paint, or adding on the type of fire systems we have in this par- common way of considering interior decorat- tions,” says Richard Hiles, Regional Director work involves an entirely new aesthetic or a “In my experience, the board may call their before making that choice. they are commissions, which have no author- in Schaumburg, Illinois. “The commission is that you do! A committee should offer its Collaborative in New York City. “Some treat the board for approval during a board meet- ing. The manager is the liaison between the had a meeting of all the residents in which we commission and the board. I always recom- mend that the fewer people involved with them an opportunity to offer feedback and in- choosing colors and themes, the better. And, put, which actually had a clear effect on some should absolutely listen to that professional’s It helps to have a specific charter that delin- bility as approved by the board. “If the board- tions can usually be handled internally with- out outside help,” notes Hiles. “If the scope of local and national ordinances.” a designer. Several factors must be considered they’ve developed best practices for how to “Interior design is an aspect of our indus- try where you must start off with the mindset said, mock-up designs are often displayed to tects at large are not a homogeneous group; owners at annual meetings and other special gatherings for public comment. While ulti- mately the decision belongs to the board, it is always good to get a general feeling from the membership.” Committees in Collaboration Hugh Shaffer, General Manager at Harbor Towers in Boston, is currently finishing up a lobby renovation project that involved the in- put of a commercial architectural firm work- ing alongside the association’s design commit- tee. “\[The architectural firm\] met with our trustees and came up with various sugges- tions,” Shaffer recalls. “For this project, we went down to a design center and looked through their facility, sat on couches, put our feet up on ottomans... just tested things for comfort. Based on that experience, the archi- tects suggested types of furniture that might be appropriate for our lobby. They also put to- gether plans and specs for wall coverings – we eventually went with Italian marble. But the firm basically led all of the discussions. “We asked them, as a committee and man- aging agent, to prepare presentation boards for the residents,” he continues. “We then discussed the planned renovations and gave “One issue that we did have – if there’s one learning curve aspect of this that I can impart – is that we found out a good way into the project that some of the furniture we’d picked out was not up to the standard fire code, based ticular property,” Shaffer adds. “So you have to make sure that everything you acquire is up to The Design Side Architects, interior designers, and other collaborate with an association’s internal team most effectively. “I’ve worked with numerous community association boards, and it’s been a mixed bag,” ISTOCKPHOTO.COM