DEL.ICIO.USDesigners custom-fit high-rise condos for new owners
For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, December 14, 2008
It was during a conversation with Ivana Trump that the light went on in Jim Weinberg’s brain.
“We were talking about how to sell Trump’s high-rise condos when I realized: people coming from single-family homes into a high-rise are worried about space,” said Weinberg, a 35-year veteran of the design business who has been based in Atlanta for six years. “Then I saw this wave of high-rises here in Atlanta and thought there must be a way to make visualizing the space easier. I also wanted to educate people about living in a high-rise, from how to bring up the groceries to where to plug in the phone.”
LOUIE FAVORITE / lfavorite@ajc.com
Designer Jim Weinberg believes buyers moving into high-rises have a hard time visualizing how they’d live in such a space. So he created various models geared to certain lifestyles. A buyer can use the models as inspiration or hire Weinberg’s firm to design their home from top to bottom – and move it all in.
LOUIE FAVORITE / lfavorite@ajc.com
At the Paramount in Buckhead, Jermyn Wright used the Liveable Lifestyles program to create a one-bedroom unit that blends his two lifestyles — intown bachelor and single dad. ‘I left the house and came back to wow!’
LOUIE FAVORITE / lfavorite@ajc.com
At Wright’s breakfast bar, two leather bar stools can be raised or lowered to match the height of the bar or the nearby sofa.
From that inspiration, Weinberg created Liveable Lifestyles, a program that creates complete homes with a particular buyer in mind. His first models went up at Horizon, a Cobb County condominium that showcased 14 different “lifestyle” settings where buyers could see themselves settling in. His latest designs are at Paramount at Buckhead, a 40-story high-rise with 135 units priced from $172,900.
“These models help people really see what their life in a high-rise will be,” said Weinberg. “We can show them how they’ll be comfortable. And we can show how some things, like a column in the living room, can be an architectural detail, not a problem.”
Weinberg’s models do more than give buyers hints about where to put the sofa or flat-screen TVs. His designs come with an ambience that can be re-created in any unit. For fees that start at around $15,000, Weinberg and his crew will turn that blank space into an urban bachelor’s retreat or an empty-nester’s pied-a-terre, complete with furnishings, draperies and accessories. They’ll even bring in the bath towels and cookware so all the buyer needs to settle in is a toothbrush.
Forget the moving van, unpacking boxes and schlepping the couch up the freight elevator: Weinberg’s crew does it all so owners can literally walk into a new lifestyle in fewer than 30 days.
“It happens very quickly and people like that instant gratification,” said Weinberg. “They also like that we can personalize the space. The art is original; the draperies come from our own workroom. In one unit, we turned a small closet into a room for the family dogs, with an English country look. But we can also integrate their favorite pieces into any design.”
Weinberg starts with four color palettes — jewel tones, primary colors, earth tones or pastels — and turns them into themes such as shabby chic, Zen, eco-chic, Santa Fe, romantic bachelor or single parent. Then he mixes in the needs of each client. “If they’re into sports or theater, we can customize what we do to showcase that,” he said.
So far, single men have been the biggest fans of the idea. “Face it,” said Weinberg. “Single men are a little lost when it comes to setting up a home, and they need someone else to execute it. But they like establishing their own look and feel. It’s not just decorating.”
At the Paramount, new owner Jermyn Wright sought Weinberg’s expertise to create a one-bedroom unit that blends his two lifestyles — intown bachelor and single dad.
“I saw the models and liked the modern style of his homes,” said Wright. “I told Jim to take care of everything. I’d have driven myself crazy carrying in furniture and getting all these things. Instead, I left the house and came back to wow!”
Weinberg tapped into Wright’s passion for audio-visual equipment by installing sophisticated systems in the master bedroom and living room. Wright also wanted to keep things casual for his kids, so Weinberg transformed the formal dining room into a sitting area with a flat-screen TV. At the breakfast bar, two leather bar stools can be raised or lowered to match the height of the bar or the nearby sofa.
The living area has a comfortable sectional and a pile of cushions where the kids can lounge or play games at the low wicker coffee table. One end of the space has a round dining table and a bar.
Wright was also in a hurry to get the work finished. “He was having his kids for Thanksgiving, so we had to speed things up,” said Weinberg. “We had to get the kitchen completely ready with pots and pans. It took us about 10 working days to do it all.”
Weinberg is also working on ready-made units at the Aqua in Midtown and Mezzo in Buckhead. And his idea is catching on. Developers at several other Atlanta high-rises have tapped into the same concerns of their buyers, who need a little help visualizing that vacant space as a lived-in home. They’re steering them to specific stores where they can find the items on display in the models.
Developers of the Private Residences at the W hotel downtown have recruited the expertise of designers from the Roche-Bobois store in Buckhead to show off the cosmopolitan features of the 74 units.
“In a wide open, unfurnished space, it’s very difficult to get a sense of dimensions and how furniture fits in,” said Steve Tedder, project manager of Barry Real Estate, the Residences’ developer. “We can show people what the space will look like with furniture. And if someone is blown away by what they see and say, ‘Re-create that look in my place,’ we can certainly do that.”
At the 1010 high-rise in Midtown, 425 units are selling with the help of three local stores: Artefacto, Cantoni and Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams. Units are decorated with empty-nesters, young professionals and move-up buyers in mind.
“You really have to paint the picture,” said Jason Winburn of Daniel Corp., a partner in the 1010 project. “Many of our buyers are downsizing and they don’t know what 1,400 square feet looks like. They also don’t know if their furniture will work here. Especially these days, people aren’t taking any risk. They want to see exactly what they’re buying.”
It takes about 30 days to give a buyer’s unit the model look, said Winburn. Prices vary by size and the number of elements, but one- and two-bedroom units decorated by Cantoni can be finished for $44,000 to $77,000.
“Most people who buy new want new furniture,” said Winburn. “This way, they don’t have to go to different stores to see what’s available. They can get a feel for the finished look and the type of furniture right here in the model.”
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