Room For Improvement: A separate home office, a dumbwaiter-turned-powder-room and more
Space, space, and more space! New Yorkers know how to stretch a square foot better than anybody. Six city dwellers share their space woes--and the creative ways they'd like work around them!
A home office that's not part of another room I’d love a real office space! A room in the apartment I can work in, and then leave at the end of the day. Right now, my office is in a portion of the kitchen that makes up the “eat-in” part. So I would also love to get that space back and make the kitchen work and flow the way it should. -Catherine, Upper West Side
Smart use of a Dumbwaiter I heard a rumor that somebody in my building is trying to rally everybody in her line to petition the building to allow them to build a second bathroom! The idea is to use the space taken up by the dumbwaiter. With some clever re-working, there would be enough space for a powder room! I would absolutely put one in that space.-Kevin, Upper West Side
Bursting at the seams The bedrooms in my two-bedroom apartment are so small that even if they were to be combined to make one room, it would still only be a moderately sized bedroom. I would love more storage. Currently, my dining room acts as the office and storage room where I occassionally have to use the desk as a serving buffet because my dining table is so small. I would love to reclaim it as a dining room but I don’t know where to put any of our stuff! There is only me and my son, a cat and a dog here, but there isn’t room for any of us! - Marina, Harlem
A better looking kitchen I’d love a nicer kitchen space. The kitchen in this rental is so dreary. We have the basics, but they’re so ill-suited to the space. The fridge is too big and actually has to sit in the dining area. The light is horrible and there is no window. The storage wasn’t really planned out well at all. The landlord just took a few standard-sized cabinets and stuck them on the wall without considering all the deadspace and awkward corners and opening he was creating. So typical of cheapskate landlords. - Kathy, Clinton
A no-pets policy Our apartment is great for the rent and location. But I’m so tired of living with two roommates and a cat. The roommates I can take, but the cat thinks it owns the whole apartment! -Beth, Morningside
A second bedroom, more storage If there is one thing I need in this apartment it’s more storage space. If there are two things, then it’s more storage and a second bedroom. Basically, I need more space! I have an entry, and then a pretty big (“gracious," as realtors call it) foyer. I keep trying to figure out what I can do with that area, since right now, it’s nothing but a gracious space to take off and hang up your coat. - Lea, Bronx
