Penny Fallmann May

The Situation  

You can’t live another day with the hospital green tiles (circa 1970) or the faux marble vinyl tiles that match in your current bathroom. But unlike the hedge fund lawyer down the hall, you can’t spend $45,000 flushing away the aesthetic crimes visited upon your washroom in an earlier era.  

So what are your options?

The Situation 

With New York City kitchens tending toward the smallish side, every design and product decision becomes that much more important. The right (or wrong) refrigerator can make or break a kitchen.  

The Deal

Built-in vs counter-depth

For years, the only “right” refrigerator was the Sub-Zero. It was the only product on the market that was shallow enough to work seamlessly with adjacent counters and cabinets that were a standard depth of 24 – 25 inches.

The Situation

In the current economic client, most New York City contractors are willing to negotiate on big and small jobs. But unless your contractor knows he is in a competitive situation, he has no incentive to give you a good price.

Whether you are just painting or renovating your entire apartment, it is worth the time and effort to send your project out for competitive bidding. Like it or not, it is the only way to get the “right” price.

Here's the Deal

The Situation

Most wood floors can be refinished at least 5 times, and depending on wear or tear, can go 15 to 20 years between facelifts.

But when nail heads start to surface or the wood begins to flake, your floor has reached the end of its journey: It’s time to start from scratch.

Here’s the deal

1. Prefinished vs unfinished: My first choice for wood floors is unfinished, as many prefinished floors have the look of a glossy factory finish.

The Situation

If you have real (versus prefinished) hardwood floors in your house or apartment, you may not have to refinish them more than once every 15-20 years. But if they’re looking worn, stained, uneven, or just very old and tired, you may want to do it sooner.

The good news is that a refinishing job can transform your apartment as completely as a fresh coat of paint, and for a third of the price of a new floor.

The Situation

Allison and Peter were a young couple who had just bought a small two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment on the Upper West Side.

They arrived at our first official meeting with the design magazine images they had been collecting for years. There was the perfect kitchen, the most beautiful entry gallery, the very restrained white bathroom, the airy, open living room, etc., etc. They hoped that we would be able to incorporate some or all of these ideas into their “dream” apartment renovation.