Seemly
adjective: agreeably fashioned // conventionally proper // suited to the occasion, purpose, or person.
As my very first blog – ever – I must confess I am nervous and slightly unsure that I’m doing the right thing. Which pretty much sums up the feeling of jumping into a complete gut renovation of an Upper East Side condo in New York City. Now that we’re almost on the other side of it all, it feels like I have grown so much as a professional, as a person, and as a business owner; and as I look back on the ups and downs of this journey, I’m incredibly excited to share so much of what it’s been like doing this amazing project.
Let’s start with the basics: My name’s Luciana and I am the founder and principal at Seemly Consulting and Management. I started this company to fill in a puzzle piece that has been missing for many homeowners, which is proper representation during a construction project. Everyone knows you need an architect and a contractor to complete your work, and while both of these team members work together and for you, oftentimes they’re on opposite sides of an issue, which can create unpleasant conflict during what can be a very tense and stressful project; this is where I come in. With academic training in design, field experience in construction, and a lifetime of organizational and communication skills, Seemly becomes the client’s representation and advocate. I do a wide range of things to make sure my clients fully understand what their projects will entail, from design to budget and schedule – for a detailed list of how I take a project from an idea to a reality, check out the services tab on the seemly website.
I’d like to introduce you now to the project I’m going to be documenting over the next few weeks – our Park Avenue Remodel. This amazing job came to me via the Design Architect for the project, a firm I had worked with on other projects in Aspen, CO. The lead designer introduced me to the homeowner and expressed a real need for having someone on her side who could help her organize the design teams, secure a construction budget and contractor, and assist in managing her project. I said yes to this without hesitation! And so, after a quick meeting with a homeowner willing to trust me, this incredible journey started.
The project started as a “simple” upgrade to the bathrooms and kitchen, as well as window replacement and addition of air conditioning to the condo – if you know New York City UES, you know most of these pre-war buildings are not equipped for the summertime! A few months into the design phase and understanding the existing and unforeseen conditions of the space, the project turned into a full gut renovation with new wood floors throughout, new layout, addition of new bathrooms, and more! And while this change was one the client was not expecting, we can confidently say it was the right choice, and as she gets ready to move in, we agree that no matter how difficult the transition might’ve been at times, there was no better way than going all out!
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing much more on this amazing 4 bedroom / 4.5-bathroom corner unit. I’ll also bring you into the ups and downs, the wins and losses, and ultimately the final results and celebration after guiding this project from concept to completion.
Until then,
xx
Luciana