Jennifer Laing

When it comes to decorating, sometimes less is more. Take, for example, this Jersey City two-bedroom brownstone condo. The owners—a web designer and a professor—had lived there for 30 years and were looking to sell. They contacted Decor Aid, a New York City-based interior design firm with experts paid by the hour, not the project, to help them whip their place into market-ready shape.

Marriages aside, few New York City relationships are as fraught as neighbors—especially when they include a quiet lone ranger or a couple living adjacent to a rambunctious family. In a perfect world, everyone would just magically get along, but that’s hardly possible—we humans are notoriously prickly and emotional—and landlords and managing agents are loath to get involved in tenant conflicts. So how to live in harmony then? It's up to you.

With their limited space, New York City kitchens are challenging to cook in at the best of times. But if you aren’t a professional chef with excellent knife skills, the lack of elbow room can prove not only difficult but also downright dangerous.