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August 2, 2019

Pottery Barn’s new ‘Friends’ collection will be there for you…and your apartment

"Friends" is set to leave Netflix by the end of the year, but devoted fans now have a new way to keep their favorite moments close by. As the show prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Pottery Barn has just launched the much-anticipated FRIENDS x Pottery Barn collection, comprised of furniture, tableware, and other household accessories inspired by the classic '90s sitcom. Ranging from a $1,099 apothecary coffee table to a $29.50 throw pillow featuring the iconic shade of purple in Monica’s apartment—there’s a little something for everyone, whether you’re a Rachel, a Joey, or a Phoebe.
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July 25, 2019

IKEA’s new Sonos collab includes wifi speakers disguised as lamps and shelves

Always on the cutting edge–as with this genius furniture for small spaces–IKEA is introducing SYMFONISK, a collaboration with Sonos that mixes great design with wifi-enabled sound. The all-new sound collection includes a luminous table lamp and a slender, minimalist bookshelf speaker; both are wifi speakers. Even better: The speakers can be used with the Sonos system and controlled through the company's app.
More switched-on design, this way

June 12, 2019

New IKEA collaboration features robotic furniture for small space living

The way people live in their homes is constantly evolving, and IKEA manages to keep evolving to address our changing needs; case in point: a new collaboration between the Swedish furniture giant and Ori, an American startup that has been developing robotic furniture ideal for modern living, has resulted in a new IKEA line called ROGNAN. The new "robotic furniture solution for small space living," will help modern urbanites combine comfort and convenience in small spaces, without sacrificing style.
See robotic furniture in action, this way

Raising chickens in NYC: Laws, tips, and everything else you need to know

Image by furtwangl / Flickr

May 22, 2019

Raising chickens in NYC: Laws, tips, and everything else you need to know

6sqft’s ongoing series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week, we cover everything you need to consider when raising chickens in the city. In a city where simply finding a balcony large enough for a pot of basil can be a challenge, one may be surprised to discover that chicken coops can be found across all five boroughs. Chickens were once primarily kept by older city residents, including many who come from places in the world where a backyard supply of fresh eggs is taken for granted. More recently, everyone from Park Slope housewives to Bushwick hipsters appears to be embracing the backyard chicken craze.
More on Raising City Chickens

April 23, 2019

Pier 35 eco-park and ‘urban beach’ is open to the public

After years of anticipation, Pier 35 on the East River waterfront is officially open (h/t Curbed). The project, designed by SHoP with Ken Smith Workshop, consists of a new eco-park and an "urban beach" anchoring the northern flank of the East River waterfront esplanade and providing much-needed public space on the waterfront. The park also functions as a habitat restoration feature: "Mussel Beach" was created to replicate the characteristics of the original East River shoreline.
See more of pier 35, this way

IKEA’s newest curtains will purify indoor air

Images courtesy of Ikea

February 26, 2019

IKEA’s newest curtains will purify indoor air

The World Health Organization estimates that 90 percent of people worldwide are impacted by the harmful effects of pollution, which provoke a range of life-threatening diseases. While pollution is thought to cause around eight million deaths a year, more than half of those are the result of indoor pollution, not the smog-filled city streets we’re more commonly wary of. To help with this problem, IKEA is preparing to launch GUNRID, an air-purifying curtain. The low-cost, low-tech option will give New Yorkers (who are always short on space) a simple way of destroying indoor air pollution without using any bulky filtering systems.
Get the scoop

Closet photo via Flickr cc; Photo of Karin and Marie courtesy of Karin Socci

January 23, 2019

Ready to ‘tidy up’ your apartment? Meet NYC’s master KonMari consultant

Between her best-selling book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing," and new Netflix show, "Tidying Up," over the past five years, Marie Kondo—a diminutive Japanese organizing guru—has changed how people around the world think about decluttering their homes. But Kondo isn’t just another interior designer offering tips on storage. She believes that one’s home has a direct impact on their lives and even their personal relationships. This is why she approaches tidying from the heart and not simply the mind. As she says on her website, “Keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy.” With so many of us living in homes that are almost as tiny as those in Tokyo where Kondo is based and developed her method, it's no surprise that New Yorkers have been eagerly embracing Kondo’s advice. It is also likely no coincidence that one of the only certified Master KonMari consultants in North America, Karin Socci, happens to serve the New York City area. 6sqft recently reached out to Socci, founder of The Serene Home, to learn more about the KonMari method and how she helps New Yorkers put it into practice.
Hear from Karin here

December 6, 2018

40 NYC-themed gifts for every type of New Yorker

Whether you need just a few more items to check off your holiday shopping list or you haven’t even started thinking about it yet, follow our guide to make this year’s gift-giving totally stressfree. We’ve rounded up the 40 best presents that are uniquely New York for every type of Big Apple dweller, from the transit nerd and the foodie to the architecture buff and bookworm. Priced between $10 and $295, recommended gifts include everything from a cheese class with Murray's Cheese to a walking tour of Flushing, Queens.
See the full list

Why winter is the best time to move in NYC

Photo © Daxiao Productions – Fotolio

November 9, 2018

Why winter is the best time to move in NYC

6sqft’s ongoing series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week, we’ve put together the top five reasons it makes sense to move in the winter. Until the end of WWII, moving day in New York City was May 1. Today, many people continue to move on this date and in the four months following, but if you’re a renter looking for great value, more options, and lower stress, the very best move dates fall in the winter months. In this article, we outline why a winter move makes sense and how to prepare for one.
The top five reasons you should move in the winter

September 7, 2018

Remove an ex-lover’s clutter with ‘ExBox’ storage service

In addition to the emotional baggage an ex-lover leaves behind after a breakup, they typically leave their literal stuff scattered across your apartment. Instead of being forced to remember happier times, a new startup is offering to remove or store anything that reminds you of your ex (h/t apartment therapy). The company "ExBox" will send a box to your apartment, ready to be filled with your former sweetheart's junk.
How to sign up and more

Image: Wikimedia Commons

August 20, 2018

NYC pet laws and the legal loophole that may let your furry friend stay despite a ‘no pets’ rule

As long as Fido’s not a ferret, of course. You may not know this, but you could be able to keep a pet in a “no pets” apartment–legally. New York City's Pet Law, established in 1983, may actually override your landlord’s kibosh on your kitty or pup, as long as certain criteria are met. Your pet can't be one of the many, many critters on the city's "banned" list, which includes the aforementioned ferrets, pot-bellied pigs, most snakes, hedgehogs, and squirrels.
So how can I keep Fluffy in my no-pets condo?

IKEA’s 2019 catalog comes to life at this free pop-up event in Soho

“Haven in the city”

July 31, 2018

IKEA’s 2019 catalog comes to life at this free pop-up event in Soho

To mark 75 years of sleek, affordable design, IKEA is hosting a free pop-up event for just five days in Soho. Starting on Wednesday, design nerds and interior newbies alike will enjoy walking through different homes and get inspired by the various products and furniture, many which can be found in the company's 2019 catalog (officially released on Tuesday). Dubbed the IKEA Inspiration Experience, the event, located at 477 Broadway, runs between August 1 and August 5.
Get the details

6sqft guide: How to find a child-friendly apartment in NYC

Photo via Pexels

June 4, 2018

6sqft guide: How to find a child-friendly apartment in NYC

Everyone loves kids, right? While this may be true in most cases, when it comes to renting and buying apartments, kids can be a deal breaker. To be clear, in NYC, owners cannot discriminate against renters with children, but there are a few exceptions. For example, co-ops, which are free to come up with their own selection criteria so long as it doesn’t overtly discriminate, can privilege quiet tenants over potentially loud tenants. If you have a couple of toddlers or even teens who look like they might be prone to hosting all-night parties or jam sessions in your living room, you might find yourself looking for housing elsewhere. But don’t be discouraged. After all, New York is home to more kids than any other U.S. city. As of 2016, over 21% of New York City residents were under 18 and more than 6.6% were under five. With roughly 1.8 million infants, toddlers, kids, tweens, and teens living here, most city buildings are home to children and adolescents. The challenge facing parents is finding a building that is not only tolerant of kids but has the facilities, location, and support needed to make one’s childrearing experience easier rather than harder. This 6sqft Guide offers tips for prospective and new parents, as well as those who are not new to parenting but are new to the city, who are looking to rent or buy in a child-friendly building and neighborhood.
Our full guide to finding a child-friendly home in NYC

Fast interiors gain momentum: A guide to furniture rentals

Photo via Pixabay

May 29, 2018

Fast interiors gain momentum: A guide to furniture rentals

Currently sleeping on a mattress with no box spring? Worse yet, a blow-up mattress? Is your night table a repurposed milk crate and are your bookshelves fashioned out of salvaged bricks and found lumber? Although all these features can be surprisingly charming when paired with the right accessories, there comes a time in one’s life when one wants or needs a bit more. But even if you opt to go full-on Ikea, the cost of furnishing a small one-bedroom from the ground up will likely cost well over $3,000 and that is only if you opt for a discount Bråthult over Vallentuna sofa. For anyone faced with the challenge of furnishing an entire apartment—either for the first time or because you’re only in NYC for a limited amount of time—there is now a solution: “fast interiors.” Rather than buy, you can now rent your furniture for three months or for several years. While the rise of furniture rentals may sound unusual, in fact, it is an obvious extension of the sharing economy that has been growing, especially in highly populated urban areas, for the past decade. An underlying tenant of the sharing economy is that renting often makes more sense the owning. But does it? Ahead, we explore how and where to rent furniture and the relative short- and long-term benefits of renting over buying.
A guide to furniture rentals

New company Floyd will deliver furniture to your door in five hours

The table, courtesy of Floyd

March 26, 2018

New company Floyd will deliver furniture to your door in five hours

Is there anything you can’t get delivered same-day in NYC? New Yorkers have always been able to get pizza at a moment’s notice but now you can get restaurant deliveries, pharmacy items, groceries (even Walmart, which doesn’t have any local stores, is getting on that game), wine and, yes, sex toys. Now, Fast Company reports that newcomer Floyd, a Detroit-based furniture company, will deliver same-day furniture. Most furniture companies take 6-8 weeks from order time to delivery but Floyd is taking notes from Amazon and shaking things up: "We saw [same-day delivery] as a real differentiator, changing how people buy furniture.” For a company that wants to dethrone IKEA, taking notes from Amazon is probably a good start.
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Where I Work: Weaving and dying indoor hammocks with Bushwick design collective Pouch

The pouch team, L to R: Textile Designer Taylor McMahon; Fabricator Emma Cook; Design Director Melissa Riling; Founder/CEO/Design Director Robert James Ramirez

February 1, 2018

Where I Work: Weaving and dying indoor hammocks with Bushwick design collective Pouch

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring high-end interior hammock company Pouch's Bushwick studio.Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Picture yourself lounging in a hammock. Perhaps you're a kid on summer break in the backyard or on a trip to the islands relaxing on a beach. Wherever this vision takes you, it's that weightless, carefree feeling that probably comes to mind, which is the sensation that Bushwick-based design collective Pouch is trying to recreate inside the home with their handmade hammocks. According to founder and design director Robert Ramirez, the company believes the feeling of being on vacation should be incorporated into everyday life and that their product provides "a moment of retreat and relaxation amid the craze of city life." Working with a group of artisans in El Salvador who employ a traditional Salvadoran weaving technique and a fellow Bushwick company that naturally dyes all the cotton (using materials like tree bark and avocado pits), Robert has taken his family's roots and brought them to what is arguably the maker capital of the country. 6sqft recently visited Pouch's Brooklyn studio to learn more about the company and see how the hammocks are made, step-by-step.
Learn more about Pouch and tour their studio

A guide to operating a legal home business in New York City

Image via Pexels

January 30, 2018

A guide to operating a legal home business in New York City

Whether you’re baking pies for sale, taking care of children and pets, or setting up an apiary on the roof of your loft with hopes of selling your own honey at a local farmer’s market, running a home business in New York City is a complex affair. There are many circumstances under which home businesses are legal, but don’t take anything for granted. There are myriad city and state regulations to navigate. If you’re caught running an illegal home business or simply a business that is not fully in compliance, you may find yourself without a source of income, facing eviction, and owing high fines.
Everything you need to know about operating a home business in NYC

The new Nordic: Scandinavian design goes from Ikea to luxury NYC real estate

505 West 19th Street via Thomas Juul Hansen

January 22, 2018

The new Nordic: Scandinavian design goes from Ikea to luxury NYC real estate

Scandinavian design is on the rise in luxury residences. At first, that might seem like an oxymoron since Scandinavian design was founded on the principles of utility, affordability, and simplicity - and high-end residents are not. But luxe and Scandinavian design have found much common ground. From its early 20th century roots, based on Germany's Bauhaus school and developed in the Nordic region, to the mass-produced appeal of Ikea, the trend has certainly remained at the forefront of the design world. And perhaps now it's seeing its biggest moment, serving as a major selling point for hot new NYC condo projects such as Carroll Gardens' 145 President and being reimagined by of-the-moment firms like Morris Adjmi and Denmark's own Thomas Juul-Hansen.
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Rental fraud 101: How to keep yourself and your money safe

Photo via Pixabay

January 17, 2018

Rental fraud 101: How to keep yourself and your money safe

January is a busy month for renters across the U.S., described by one broker as the "oasis month" in an otherwise dead stretch between October and the spring. People make big life-changing decisions at the New Year, which often means moving – plus there’s the backlog of renters who put off sorting their living situation over the holiday season who are all entering the market at once in the first week of January. New York’s rental market is estimated to be worth over $700 million in rent and over $44 million in deposits in January alone. With so much money changing hands, it means renters are an attractive target for scammers and fraudsters. Thankfully, rental fraud is rare, but a little knowledge goes a long way. So if you’re entering the rental market after the holidays, here are three things you can do to keep yourself (and your money) safe.
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Everything you need to know about breaking a lease in NYC

Via Pixabay

December 19, 2017

Everything you need to know about breaking a lease in NYC

Whether you’ve just been offered a dream job in Austin or decided to ditch New York City for a farmhouse in New Paltz, if you have a lease, you have problem. Leases are generally a good thing: They give tenants the right to stay in an apartment on a year to year or even bi-annual basis. If you need to vacate early, however, a lease can quickly start to feel like vice grip on your future. Fortunately, tenants, at least those living in rental buildings, do have some legal ways to opt out early. This guide outlines the ins and outs of lease breaking, how to find a qualified tenant, and what to do if you are currently renting in a condominium or co-op where lease breaking is a far more complex process.
Everything you need to know, right here

December 8, 2017

The Macklowe Gallery’s Ben Macklowe shares the top reasons to start an antique collection

"Vintage" furniture and decor is no stranger to young, urban professionals, with the proliferation of markets like Brooklyn Flea and do-good stores like Housing Works. But rarely do fine antiques enter the equation, often being tossed aside for their higher price points. But the antiques market has undergone a major shift in recent years, and no one has been more privy to it than Ben Macklowe, the second-generation president of the Macklowe Gallery who describes collecting as "the intersection of passion, taste and happenstance." After standing as a fixture on Madison Avenue for nearly 50 years, gaining international recognition for its collection of French Art Nouveau furniture and objects, Tiffany lamps and glassware, and antique and estate jewelry, the gallery recently relocated to a 6,000-square-foot space on 57th Street and Park Avenue, which, according to Ben is “thanks to our existing clients and a new generation of passionate collectors.” For this new generation, Ben believes the time is ripe to start collecting. Antiques are sustainable by nature, they lend themselves to cultural exploration, and, because of a generational shift, are more affordable than ever. Ahead, we break down the top-three reasons to start an antique collection.
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A holistic holiday gift guide of NYC experiences

Photo via Matthew Henry/Burst

December 5, 2017

A holistic holiday gift guide of NYC experiences

The catharsis of shopping and gift giving does not come without monetary guilt, but in a city as commercially diverse as New York, it's possible to spend locally and come away with products bringing long-term relaxation and mental balance. No one wants to give or receive a gift that feels empty of emotional value and purpose. Here are some ideas for purposeful products and experiences that can be bought within the five boroughs for friends and family (or yourself!) this holiday season.
Check out our top picks

December 4, 2017

15 alternative Christmas trees that fit your decorating style (and your apartment)

For traditionalists who relish the ritual of bringing home the perfect evergreen, the idea of any man-made alternative has little appeal. But just as many tree-seekers are happy to anchor their December decor with a Christmas tree that doesn't shed and doesn't need to be sent to the curb when the season's over. The options are as varied as the reasons we love them: Some literally take up no space, perfect for tiny apartments. Others are perfectly modern, rustic, retro or Nordic to reflect the style of their owners. Below are 15 fun, festive, sustainable and re-usable alternatives to pine and fir.
deck the halls, this way

Heating 101: How to keep your apartment warm during NYC’s coldest months

Image via Pexels

November 10, 2017

Heating 101: How to keep your apartment warm during NYC’s coldest months

With the sun setting earlier each night and the temperature quickly dropping, it’s time to make the seasonal swap from sandals to boots and from air conditioning to heating. To prepare for the city’s coldest months, New York City renters should know the basic laws of heating an apartment, as well as the best products and decor to supplement a less-than-adequate system. Ahead, follow 6sqft’s heating guide to keeping things toasty all winter long.
More this way

Quirky NYC Train Sign adds real-time subway data to home decor

Image courtesy of NYC Train Sign via Instagram

October 9, 2017

Quirky NYC Train Sign adds real-time subway data to home decor

New York City life got easier when we could see live data on when the next subway train would arrive via signs on platforms, in stations and on our mobile phones. Now a Brooklyn-based startup called NYC Train Sign has created a way to display that data in our homes and businesses (h/t Curbed). In an interesting evolution of the wall clock, the company's flagship product is an artfully-designed countdown clock that displays real-time MTA data for trains in both directions for any train stop you choose. You can add a customized text slide, logo and real-time weather updates, too.
Cool. Where can I get one?

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