apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

How important is having a view? What are some good ways to deal with apartment windows that face ... brick walls?

I'm apt hunting, and have found a 1BR that I love, but it has NO view. I'm someone who really likes a nice view and lots of light. I'm looking for tips and tactics and suggestions for further reading. Thanks!

I have lived in apartments w/the brick wall view and poor natural light. Now, I live in a much smaller apartment with great light. I will take small/great light over big/no light any day.

agreed. i require great light...though i really want a view (of the brooklyn bridge, preferably! haha) i love watching the light play throughout the day. it feels healthy, all this light. a view is a view is a view. if i lean far enough out my window, i can see *a* bridge...the verrazano bridge! :)

I'd second Mason's comment. I recently moved from a tiny south-facing flat which was flooded with sunlight all year, frying me in summer but allowing me to bask on bright winter days. My new place has a nicer view, but it faces north-west: nice and cool in summer, allows me to admire the sunny weather from the safety of my own flat, but boy does it feel sadly chilly sometimes. The tiny corner of direct sun I get for a couple of hours around four in the afternoon is scant compensation. If the no-sun thing was compounded by no view...

I once lived in a 1st floor apt with no light and a view of my landlords trash. I survived, but my next apartment had much more light (and my current one has even more). The sunlight makes such a difference in my mental health, and I really love that the sunlight is enough during the day.

As for a view, I think it's less important than sun. We also have a "view" of the Verrazano, but it's really just a speck in the distance. Seeing the sky is enough for me!

Any ideas for where to get this cheaper?

http://www.pbteen.com/products/p1000/index.cfm?pkey=caccwal

Or is that a good price?

Viola, are you renting or buying? If you're buying, then I say view, view view! But if you're renting, you could try it for a year and see how it makes you feel.

viola,
I've been in exactly that situation, and I can tell you that - for me - three years was the maximum that I could take living in a charming, pleasant room with NO direct light. By that time, it was beginning to seriously affect my sleep patterns and sensitivity to light.
You could probably last longer if you made a point of spending lots of time out and about, making sure to get a LOT of direct sunlight outside each day.

Oh, did I mention that my place faced a brick wall - if I stuck my head out the window, I could catch a glimpse of the river... so I set up mirrors inside that reflected that view. It was nice, and a good home for three years, but I am So happy to have lots of direct sunlight all day at home now (I think my light needs went up after living in that dark place). Oh! I just remembered that I also used a really bright 'sun' lamp there. If you go for this one bedroom, I would invest in rigging up the place with lots of ultra bright, expensive, built-in sunlamps (along the ceiling above the windows, and in strips along the walls throughout) - does make a nice difference.

If you're looking for a rental then I suggest you read this article before turning away from an apt. you love but has no view. There are worse things than no view.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/realestate/16hunt.html?ref=realestate

But if you're buying a place then hold out for the right apt.

Sorry to re-post, but the last Open Thread rotated off, and my question was at the end of it; so I'm re-phrasing it just a little.

Anyway... someone posted a link to talissadecor.com and I ended up having a look and bought some of their ceiling tiles, which are due to arrive sometime next week. I hope they're good, becaue I didn't order a sample, I just ordered 100 of the tiles! I love my living room, but the ceiling had too many cracks, and i just couldn't fact skim-coating it at all!

If anyone's curious, the pattern I bought was U-2.

Cross your fingers and help me hope for the best!

Meanwhile, I can't remember where on here that link was; does anyone remember what the question was that the link was the answer to, or who posted it?

boringmember--
Ikea has a similar cable system, but not sure how it compares $$-wise.

The PB price does not seem exorbitant to me, though.

Hi there,

Need a little help locating a chair that I saw on HBO drama "tell me you love me" - Bad show, very cool chair.

It is the chair the older woman sex therapist was sitting on in her office. It is oatmeal colored, swivels and has very wide arms (almost like writing tables). Please take a look at this link on TV guide (it is the first picture):

http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/tell-love/290255

Also saw the AT crew out on the streets this past weekend, dressed in full on blue body paint. Pretty cool, but scared the heck out of my kids. They are still talking about it.

Thanks for any responses!!!

Thanks Patrick!

My little studio apt. faces a courtyard with brick walls for a view. On the plus side, it's on the top floor so the quality of light is surprisingly good. Luckily, the windows across from me look into another building's hallway, reducing noise and privacy issues. I've looked at apartments in great locations that look onto brick walls close enough to touch, but I could never bring myself to take one. People really do need a certain amount of natural light to be happy.

boringmember -- the Ikea one is massively cheaper. And Target sells one, too: http://tinyurl.com/3cgnnh

ditto, gordon. ditto

boringmember - West Elm sells the same set up as the Basic System for $34

So, a $5 savings from the PB Teen set-up.

Thanks, all. Yes, it's a 1BR for sale, and on the third floor of a ten-story apt building that faces another ten-story building.

Oh, you're all correct to remind me how important light is for mood. I've just moved back to NY from LA and am so much happier to be in NY that I forgot about the winter darkness. Thanks. And I'm also worried that I'll get really annoyed not having a good sense of what the weather is like out there.

Damn, though, it's a nice apartment. Maybe I'll think about the sun lamp idea a bit more. And I guess I could check out the complicated outdoor mirror possibilities.....

Does anyone know the cost of having someone remove ceramic floor tile?

I use to have a great view until developers decided to build townhomes that now block that view. I now get the great pleasure of watching my neighbors bedroom, living room and kitchen..

The moral is a view is never guaranteed.

Viola and others on the view discussion...I would have a hard time looking out on brick wall, but then again, it always depends. Case in point: Jenny and Clove's LA-ish Pad appears to look out on a concrete wall. I would seriously consider this place, and not just because of how great it looks inside, though that totally helps make the lack of a view worthwhile. I've learned through their entry that I could actually consider looking at a wall with my view.

Laura

i dont have any idea of the cost, but last year i used a hammer and chisel (and safety goggles) to remove 1" ceramic from my bathroom floor, then used an organic mastic remover to clean up the leftover paper and adhesive. it was only about 5*8 and it took me about 4 hours.

Viola,
Having lived in an apartment without a spectacular view and not a lot of light, I would say that there is a actually a lot to be said for how quiet my apartment is since it doesn't face a major street. In addition, as with many new york apartments, my place has a roof deck which really helps to offset the light and view issue. I'm in a great location and love the city, and feel that my place is a very peaceful home.

Does anyone know how I can get fabric (hable construction) if it is trade-only? I need a resale number but unfortunately do not have friends in the interior design industry. Can anyone help? Thanks.

There are a lot of complicated factors to consider when choosing an apartment and it's hard to comment without the greater context. A big window with a view is certainly a nice idea but unfortunately a fantasy for many apartments in this city (unless you are in a very high price bracket). Even when there is a good view there are issues like vehicle noise, privacy, sirens, crowd noise, industrial landscapes, windy drafts and other issues that sometimes accompany it. Perhaps most important is the consideration of the overall interior design. If the layout is such that a view is expected or required to make an otherwise bland space attractive, that's one thing. But if the interior is intelligently laid out to draw the focus to something other than that brick-wall view, it will not matter much at all. (After all, how many lovely rooms with a fireplace have you seen that also have a view? ) A cozy decor theme, or use of good lighting, or a well placed piece of artwork/flat TV could all make a room shine despite a less than impressive view.

Having lived in an apartment with a lot of daylight, and now one with less, I can make some comparisons. It's easier to have a variety of plants if you have a lot of light. With my northern-facing windows my options are a little more limited (but it is not impossible). I can keep the AC on a higher setting in summer. I have virtually no street noise and less soot/dirt coming in the windows. I added a full spectrum light for my two parakeets to give them a little extra light on cloudy days and in the winter. But I have more space and it's been well worth it.

We are buying our first apartment so I feel like I can finally invest in some nice furniture without worrying if it will fit in the next rental, etc. Do any resources exist for getting used designer furniture? There have got to be some people out there who are moving on from their Saarinen tables and Eames chairs! Where do they resell them?

Larura, I've also removed ceraminc floor tile with a hammer and chisel. It's quite cathartic, actually! Just be sure to wear goggles and protective clothing, as the small chips of flying ceraminc can nick you up.

I lived for 12 years in a W. Village 1st floor rear apt (albeit in reality 1 floor off the ground--super was beneath me) with crappy views--paved courtyard (with garbage cans) and neighboring rowhouse back yards--and loved it! Very little sun, but it was pin-drop quiet, cool in summer (didn't need AC most of the time), and I slept really well. I work 9-5 and usually go away weekends, so I was rarely in the apt during the day. So I could never have people over for brunch, who cares?

true or false: owners dislike renting apartments to lawyers, even nice ones with great credit.

just askin'.