Amy Green Design

06/15/2020

Balancing your budget, schedule and desired aesthetics is a delicate dance. Fortunately, for clients of amy green design, we have several tricks of the trade up our sleeve to help clients achieve all three.

Schedule: If you want to be moved in by a certain date, that means we’ll recommend certain vendors and strategies in order to achieve that. European Kitchen Cabinetry, for example, can take 3-4 months to arrive on-site for construction (and often worth the wait), but we have also have other vendors, such as ready to assemble, that can arrive on-site in 2-6 weeks.

We also have furniture vendors that can custom fabricate the couch or other piece you’re been dreaming of in 8-12 weeks, but if timing is of the essence, there are options for it to arrive in 2-4 weeks.

We can also recommend strategies to help limit the number of permits required and how they are applied for so we can save you the time of going through the DOB for those reviews --- as acquiring permits can often take 2-12 weeks, depending on the complexity of your project and the permits needed.

If you’re a landmarked property we’ll discuss how we could apply for a fast track or expedited review rather than a normal review, to help you get through the process faster, and discuss how that impacts goals.

Budget: We’ll work with you to balance the schedule with your budget and aesthetics. You’ll start to see how all three --- schedule, budget & aesthetics --- tie in together as we discuss this other key design aspect.

That European Cabinetry you might be considering, for example, not only takes longer to arrive on-site, but it’s also more expensive. But often worth it --- depending on your ultimate goals for the renovation.

Limiting the permits or Landmarks Reviews needed will also further save you funds for your budget.

Aesthetics: Achieving your desired aesthetics doesn’t always mean it has to take longer or cost more.

We’ve helped clients at all price points, timelines, and desired aesthetics achieve the design they are looking for.

What is your ideal mix?

06/15/2020

In order to balance a total project budget while still achieving a design dream, not all our clients opt for all luxury materials, fixtures, furniture & decor. Instead many clients opt to select most materials in the mid-range of material costs, with some luxury splurges here and there to help add a little bit of a wow factor, and/or a few low-range selections for items that are less of a priority in order to help keep the total material costs within their budget.

We all secretly all want our guest’s jaws to drop a little when they walk in, right? And achieving that wow factor doesn’t always have to mean it’s a luxury-priced item.

Not all client’s goals fall in the mix represented below, which is why AGD will work with you to curate a budget specific to your project to meet your unique goals while prioritizing what’s important to you.

What is your ideal mix? Is it low flooring, with mostly mid tiles, with splashes of luxury lighting?

Being clear on goals and how you want to prioritize your budget will save time and money during your project. (P.S. that’s one of the top 10 most expensive chandeliers in world, and it’s by Boca do Lobo).

Be ready to discuss your must-have items versus your wish-list items so AGD can help you prioritize those. Take a moment to list your must-have and wish-list items by visiting our blog below to download a guide to help you track these key design priorities.

https://amygreendesign.com/balancing-your-design-budget/

05/24/2020

There has been a lot of speculation on when construction will be allowed to resume in NYC and surrounding areas, what clients can do now to move their renovations forward, and how AGD can help.

So we’d like to discuss that over a batch of fresh homemade chocolate chip oatmeal cookies together in an AGD kitchen complete with appliance lift, smart recessed lighting, movable sconces, and stainless steel appliances.

Preheat the oven and let’s get started!

Lets:

take a look at construction during Corona

discuss what you can do now during Corona to help your project move forward

make some homemade cookies together

For construction to resume in NYC, not only must the governor approve the release for the state, but the region you are located in must also meet certain criteria, and the local jurisdictions (such as NYC DOB) must also approve to release permits and remove the non-essential construction ban in order to allow construction to move forward not just across the state but also where your site is locally.

To read more about those requirements and how NYC currently does not meet them, click here. The earliest estimates are for the ban on non-essential construction in NYC to be lifted in June at the earliest.

To learn more about what construction sites might look like once they reopen; such as daily temperature scans for workers, more hand washing stations, and other safety protocols --- check out the NYTimes article on NYC construction resuming here.

Now is also a great time to have AGD help you select the best couch or dining table for your renovation, work with us to select materials for your renovation, and other design-related services that are able to move forward during the Pandemic as we wait for construction to resume.

Let us know if you'd like to schedule a time to discuss helping you move any of those services forward now and we'd be happy to help!

Now is a great time to whip up something in your kitchen at home. We recommend Amy's mom's homemade chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, which we just made a batch of.

Check out our recipe below that can be ready in minutes and let's get baking!

Cream together:
1 cup shortening
1 cup butter (do not substitute!)
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
Add, and beat until smooth:
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons water
Stir in:
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons soda
Add:
3 cups flour
Stir in:
6 cups oats
2 cups chocolate chips

Drop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees 13 - 15 minutes. Makes a huge batch of cookies! Eat and enjoy!

This message was inspired by the NYTimes latest segment on "what you're doing during Corona" which is below and we hope will inspire you to cook more at home.

"We’ve been exploring new ways of cooking and eating, out of necessity. I’m keeping a hard-copy file of all our new recipes and meal hacks, annotated with the date made and level of lockdown we were in, as well as ingredient substitutions, etc. I’m going to scan these into a PDF to preserve all the notes and splatters, and make a Covid-19 recipe book to hand down through the family."— Billie Lythberg, Auckland, New Zealand

04/10/2020

We recognize there's a lot of bad news going around, and our hearts go out to the millions of Americans who have filed for unemployment and those who have been lost during the Pandemic.

So we wanted to share Some Good News!

Some Good News is a new you tube video, former Office Star, John Krasinski, and actor in the role of Jack Ryan, is producing weekly highlighting inspiring things people are doing during the Pandemic to bring joy to others.

In further good news, NYC Landmarks Preservation Comission (LPC) has set up safe, digital, contactless protocols that have been allowing us to get approvals through LPC faster than ever. DOB has been updating their protocols every few days to help make submissions safer, the NYC DOB NOW online system is allowing AGD to submit digitally online for our clients, and we're getting submissions through and approved safely in as quickly as a week.

We're working with our vendors, contractors, and others affected during the Pandemic to help hopefully get others back to work on construction projects as quickly as possible after the construction ban in NYS is lifted and it's safe to do so. And yes, AGD remains open, all working safely from our respective homes, and are aspiring to master online meetings and Zoom calls.

Stay safe, be well, and be sure to check out Some Good News now!

We would love to hear Some Good News and share it with the world. Hosted by

12/15/2019

amy green design has been helping clients green their renovations and was featured in brick underground for our efforts and expertise in helping green renovations in NYC.

https://www.brickunderground.com/improve/renovate-NYC-apartment-brownstone-sustainable-green-ecofriendly-solar

Green renovations can not only help the planet but help your space be healthier, more comfortable, and save costs on energy bills. As Amy is a LEED AP, NYC's former LEED & Green Development Coordinator, and contributing writer to Green Home Guide; AGD is well equipped to help you green your renovation!

Read the full article on "How to Green Your NYC Renovation: 8 Eco-Friendly Ideas" and get greening with amy green design!

Leave us your comments and questions on how Amy of AGD can help you green your renovation today!

09/10/2019

In honor and memory of 9/11, our office will be closed 9/11 as we will be volunteering our time that day, working side by side along with others of this incredible community of NYC so many of us call home, to help strengthen communities in NYC and across the country.

We encourage everyone to look into initiatives such as Turning a Day of Tragedy into a Day of Doing Good. You can learn more, donate or volunteer at https://www.911day.org/

The who were lost 9/11 are not forgotten and are always in our thoughts.

Official page of the 9/11 National Day of Service ("9/11 Day").

01/28/2019

Black, white and oh so good. With a shower like this one you’re almost guaranteed a perfect start to your day.

01/22/2019

amy green design completed the interior and exterior of this new 9-story condo building which included a ground floor of commercial space, underground parking, and custom interior finishes and floor plans.

Contact us to discuss how amy green design can help you with your design today!

01/05/2019

NYC is fully of beautifully crafted historic buildings and we're happy to be one of the Architects helping remodel these properties while preserving their beautiful character. We assisted the client below through the Landmark's and renovation process and would love to hear from you to discuss helping you renovate your historic property.