For New Yorkers, dishwashers and extra TVs are the most romantic Valentine's Day gifts of all
Forget chocolates and roses: If you really want to kick-start a relationship in New York City, bring the contractor in to talk about installing a new dishwasher. We asked coupled-up New Yorkers to tell us what apartment tweak would help (or has helped) their relationships run more smoothly. Unsuprisingly, an extra bathroom was the most common request. Here's a sampling of other real-estate-related relationship fixes locals are dreaming about this Valentine's Day.
Cleanliness (and organization) is next to romance
"Two dishwashers, so dishes wouldn't pile up daily." —Lauren
"Maybe a few sister wives to share some of the household duties." —Beth
"A robot that picks socks up off the floor!" —Danielle
"A hamper near the hamper to catch clothes thrown on the floor right next to the hamper." —Marina
"A home organizer. My husband is great at the cleaning, but can't 'organize' a closet or drawer to save his life. He actually cleans AROUND things instead of just putting them away. Even when I do organize the closet...it gets disorganized so fast because stuff is just haphazardly thrown in. YA GOTTA FOLLOW THE SYSTEM!!!" —Nicole
Man cave (or a dedicated fridge)
"A man cave—so I don't have to trip over guitars, weights, cross country skis, regular skis, an assortment of electronics, work documents, etc. (Like a playroom for the kids, but for him)." —Rachel
"A storage area for weights, juggling clubs (true story), sports paraphernalia, hiking gear and other toys he can't live without but never uses." —Nico
"I actually did make a recent tweak to our apartment that has improved our relationship. [My husband] is a beer connoisseur and it was driving me crazy to have the fridge packed to the gills with beer with no room for milk or the Brita or anything else. So, for Christmas I surprised him with a small beer fridge (the size of one of the ones that people kept in their dorm rooms in college) and we squeezed it in next to a shelf and relocated most of the beer to the fridge and life has been good." —Rebecca
Closet space for all
"My husband would not consider any apartment that didn't have two closets in the master bedroom. Sharing a closet with me would not go well, apparently." —Ivy
"Me having a wardrobe to fit a good amount of my clothes helps with us sharing the closet. Also, we have a storage unit in Yonkers, which helps with storing off-season clothes." —Kim
All about bathrooms
"My ideal apartment is one-bedroom, three-bathroom. The kids wind up in my bed anyway, so there's no need for bedrooms. But a bathroom for each of us and one for the kids. Jackpot." —Koby
"If not two bathrooms, two sinks in the bathroom." —Hannah
Bigger bedrooms... or just an extra blanket
"Room for a king bed. I like to spread out and [my mate] only gets a square of the mattress." —Leslie
"Separate king-sized blankets." —Michelle
New electronics, new spark ignited
"After 20 years I finally agreed to a big flat screen TV in the living room—it's not like we entertain anyway." —Gillian
"Remote control light in the master so we can turn off the lights from bed and not argue about who was going to get up. Small, but a game changer. (Did wonders).... separate computers are also major big." —Alisa
"Two TVS and two DVRs." —Danielle
More space, generally
"A library for me and a full-workshop for him. And a house elf to pick up the damn laundry!" —Jessica
"Space. Just space. Not even a whole lot, just a little more than we have now. Preferably in the form of closets, but I'd take bigger rooms too." —Cindy
"It would be nice for both of us to be able to be in our kitchen at the same time." —Magdalena
Finding the right temperature
"Temperature controlled heat/AC. Every night there is a 'discussion' about turning the heat on, keeping it off, will the baby be too cold, too hot, put her in warm Jammies and keep it off, put her in light Jammies and turn it on and keep the door open, and on and on goes the debate. Every. Night." —Lori
Another resident... believe it or not
"A live-in housekeeper. I like the apartment cleaner than he does, which either leads to me nagging him to clean more or me cleaning more and resenting the fact that I do more housework. Lose lose." —Lauren
Sometimes it's the smallest things ...
"TV headphones." —Lisa
Or in other cases, the biggest things
"Apartment next door for [my] husband." —Kirsty
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