Color affects human behavior—for better, or worse. Research indicates that practical and aesthetic applications of color in both public and private spaces can manipulate the mood and perception of the people using those spaces. A board plan…
There’s a riddle in a popular children’s book that asks, ‘What’s the largest room in the world?’ After much consideration and many incorrect guesses, one of the characters in the book has the answer: “Why, the largest room in the world is r…
Do you remember when you were a kid and the closest thing you had to a cell phone at the time was two cups with a string attached between them? You pulled the string taut, spoke into one cup, and hoped your friend holding the other would he…
As Budgeting Season approaches for co-op and condo communities, it’s time for the boards of associations and corporations to consider how they will cover expenses and fund projects in the coming year and beyond. While recurring operating ex…
“It looks like a photo from a magazine!” is the exclamation many a manager, broker, potential buyer and board president have made upon stepping into an otherwise generic lobby and seeing a new, eye-popping floral arrangement brightening up …
Design is what makes the difference between a space looking like a seductive boudoir… or the interior of a cardboard box. Neither may be appropriate for a co-op or condo lobby, but somewhere in between lies the comforting, welcoming common …
As the biggest global health crisis of modern times continues to impact the world, it leaves a wake of changes to the way we live, eat, work, play, learn, plan, and even how we dream. Humans — a species well-known for our adaptability — are…
The idea that ‘form follows function’ is one of the basic concepts underlying nearly every design discipline—but function for whom? For many people living with disabilities, it often seems that ‘function’ covers a very narrow range of abili…
Of all the shared amenities common to co-ops and condos, what’s more representative of gracious New York apartment living than the grand lobby? Think of how often movie depictions of New York life feature these rarified spaces, complete wit…
As winter approaches, we make changes to our environments for both aesthetic and practical reasons. With less sunlight, cooler temperatures, and messier weather, lobbies, hallways and other public areas require extra attention to keep them …