Psychologists consistently list relocating among the top five stressors in a person’s lifetime. It is the complete upheaval of life, as you have known it, and presents one of the biggest financial challenges you will have to face. While it is true that moving can be a stressful experience under the best of circumstances, being inadequately prepared for the financial demands will make you far more anxious than you need to be.  By following a few simple guidelines, NYC moving can be as stress-free as moving gets.

Image via: Tara Benet Design

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Neighborhood Affordability Should Be Your First Consideration In NYC Moving

Choosing the neighborhood that is a match for your pocketbook goes a long way toward a smooth transition. You may think an apartment in an affluent neighborhood is within your range, and you could be right, but do your homework to make sure. You may need an income of 40 times your rent to qualify. A deposit equal to two months’ rent triples your upfront costs. If you need a broker, who averages 15% of your annual rent, that’s another out of pocket expense. Don’t get caught short on money, because you failed to fully think through everything entailed in NYC moving.

Consider Taking An Apartment With A Roommate

Stories of nightmare roommates may give you your own nightmares, but having the rent covered every month may be worth the risk. Network with friends, coworkers, and family if you can to lessen your chances of choosing unwisely. The benefits of finding that special roommate are obvious and immediate. If they already have the apartment, you may avoid the credit check that requires your number to be in the 700s. If you’re really lucky, they’ve already secured a rent-controlled situation you can slide into, which will also keep costs down. Even if you both move into a new place together, it cuts the deposit, the rent, and the costs of the NYC movers in half.

Image via: Pepe Calderin Design

Think About Ditching The Car, And Definitely Hire NY Movers

With such abundant and excellent public transportation in New York City, why would you even think about keeping a car? This unnecessary expense puts additional strain on the NYC moving budget. Even if you don’t consider car payments and insurance costs, parking is nearly non-existent and astronomically priced. Don’t forget about those New York winters. Parking in the wrong place on snow removal day will cost you big bucks. Ideally, moving into an affordable neighborhood not far from work would save you both time and money. Hiring NY movers will also render a car useless, as they take care of everything for you anyway.

Make Sure NYC Moving Leaves You With Disposable Income

It is easy to fall under the spell of the Big Apple mystique, as Alicia Keys’ New York State of Mind replays unchecked in your head, but don’t lose sight of your priorities. Once you get moved in, you still have to live. You don’t want to your expenses to be so high that you can’t ever leave your apartment. Taking advantage of the many free sites and attractions the city has to offer can really stretch your dollar. If you are creative, you can live well in New York City no matter what your income.

Keep Costs Low And Hire A NYC Moving Company

With so many other costs to consider, before, during, and after your move, do yourself a favor and save some money by hiring a NYC moving company.

This post was written by Sharon, CEO: http://www.amazonrelocation.com

For more moving tips on Stagetecture, click here.

In April of this year when I attended the Sandra Lee event in NYC to introduce her great line of kitchen houseware products I found many awesome products on our visit. The other bloggers and myself went to a New Jersey Sears to see all of Sandra’s products but we also had cooking demonstratons by other housewares representatives and Hamilton Beach was my favorite.

Hamilton Beach has always been a main staple in my home from when I was in college and getting my first can opener, blender and other small home appliances, they have always had good quality products that are affordable. I was most impressed with Hamilton Beach’s answer to a great cup of coffee for the morning person and for those who may snooze in later but still want coffee waiting on them!

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The Scoop 2-Way Brewer was sent to me last week from Hamilton Beach and my family loved it. While I’m not a huge coffee drinker, my oldest college-bound son is and my mother is a coffee coniseur for sure! She especially loved the mini basket brewing area for the single cup coffee side.

It was a treat to be able to use a well thought out product that has a programmable timer and great tasting coffee at the same time. I encourage you to give it a try! Here’s a link to the .pdffor all the specifics on HB_TheScoop 2-Way Brewer49980

Here are the Good Thinking® Features:

Two Ways to Brew

Perfect for both personal use and for entertaining this unique coffeemaker brews either a single cup or a full pot. When you need a single cup on the go, choose the one cup option. Brew right into the included travel mug or into your own mug. For the days you want to enjoy cup after cup of coffee, choose the 12 cup full pot option. Now you can brew into a traditional carafe or into a single cup, the choice is yours.

Scoop and Brew 

It’s that simple with the unique scoop that measures and filters your favorite ground coffee.

Coffee Variety

Like the convenience of pods? No worries, you can use your favorite brand of pod coffee and brew either one or two pods for a personal cup experience. And with the brew
strength selector you can choose regular or bold brew settings for both sides of the coffee maker.

Brew in Advance

Whichever way you decide to brew, this fully programmable coffee maker lets you program the brew time up to 24 hours in advance. It also has a two hour auto shutoff.

Thanks Hamilton Beach, what a great way to satisfy everyone in the home.. no matter when you wake up!

For more kitchen ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Note: A promotional product was given to me for a product review.

Happy Cinco de Mayo and Happy DIY Saturday! Last week when I attended Sandra Lee’s – Summer Carnival in New York City we had an amazing brunch! We had a delicious spread of food, cocktails and desserts! I thought since today is Cinco de Mayo and this holiday is known for celebrating – why not share these recipes with you and I pulled a Food Network video showing one of the tasty treats we had at the Blogger Event.

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Sandra was nice enough to share with us the recipes for the Summer Carnival menu with us. Here are a few of my favorites… including some cocktails… Whe hew… Happy Saturday!

Eggstra-special Eggs

Sandra Lee – Food Network – Deviled Egg Recipe Video

Summer Berry Salad

Sandy’s Sliders

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce

Prep 30 minutes

Bake 40 minutes

Cool 2 hours

Chill 2 hours

Oven 350°F

Makes 10 servings

Nonstick cooking spray

1 package (21 ounces) snickerdoodle cookie mix with spice packet, Krusteaz®

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened, Philadelphia®

1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar, Domino®/C&H®

3 eggs

3⁄4 cup caramel topping, Smucker’s®

3⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon extract, McCormick®

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine snickerdoodle cookie mix, half of the spice packet from the cookie mix, and the butter, stirring until mixture comes together. Press mixture into bottom and up side of the prepared springform pan; set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, and the remaining spice from packet; beat with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into cookie crust.

4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until set with a soft-looking center. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

5. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat caramel topping over medium-high heat until boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; stir in cinnamon extract. Cool to room temperature.

6. Cut cooled cheesecake in wedges. Pour cooled caramel mixture over cheesecake. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Beehive Cupcakes

Prep 40 minutes

Bake 15 minutes

Cool 30 minutes

Stand 30 minutes

Oven 350°F

Makes 24 cupcakes

1 package (18.25 ounces) butter recipe yellow cake mix, Betty Crocker®

11⁄2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened

3⁄4 cup water

1⁄2 cup plus 3 tablespoons honey, Sue Bee®

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable shortening, Crisco®

8 cups powdered sugar, sifted, C&H®

5 drops yellow food coloring, McCormick®

1⁄4 cup heavy cream

1 tube (4.25 ounces) yellow decorating icing, Cake Mate®

48 black jelly beans, Jelly Belly®

96 sliced almonds, Planters®

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twenty-four 21⁄2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, 1⁄2 cup of the butter, the water, 1⁄2 cup of the honey, and the eggs with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape down side of bowl; beat for 2 minutes on medium. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups; cool completely on rack.

4. For yellow frosting, in a large bowl, beat shortening and the remaining 1 cup butter with electric mixer on medium until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, the remaining 3 tablespoons honey, and the yellow food coloring. Beat until combined. Add cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat on high until desired thickness.

5. To create beehives, insert a large round decorating tip into a large pastry bag. Fill pastry bag with yellow frosting. Pipe a small cone of frosting in the center of the top of each cupcake. Starting from the outer edge of each cupcake and working inward and upward, pipe frosting to form a hive shape.

6. To create bees, pipe yellow decorating icing in thin horizontal lines on black jelly beans. Let icing stand for 30 minutes. Insert two striped jelly beans on each frosting hive. For wings, insert an end of a sliced almond on each side of each striped jelly bean.

Recipe excerpted from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Bake Sale Cookbook by Sandra Lee

Copyright © 2011 Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade www.sandralee.com

California Lemonade

Makes 1 drink

2 ounces orange juice

3⁄4 ounce vodka, Smirnoff® No.21

1⁄4 ounce gin, Tanqueray®

1⁄4 ounce cognac

1⁄4 ounce grenadine

1 splash lime juice

1 splash sugar syrup

Ice cubes

Half-slices lime or lemon

Fresh raspberries

In a cocktail shaker, combine orange juice, vodka, gin, cognac, grenadine, lime juice, and sugar syrup. Cover and shake vigorously. Serve in an ice-filled glass. Garnish

Hula Girl

Makes 4 drinks

2 cans (12 ounces each) guava nectar

2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice

4 shots of Vanilla Vodka

1 package (16-ounce) frozen strawberries

1⁄4 cup sugar

3 cups crushed ice

crushed ice

fresh raspberries

In a blender, combine guava nectar, pineapple juice, and frozen strawberries. Add the 3 cups ice. Blend until smooth. Serve over additional ice. Garnish with raspberries.

Now this should be enough recipes to have the perfect party at your home!!  — I expect an invitation!

To read about my entire trip to NYC with Sandra Lee, click here.

Watch Stagetecture’s You Tube Channel for more DIY ideas

Last week I had the privilege of joining food, home and entertaining bloggers in New York City for the launch of Sandra Lee’s new housewares line – Sandra by Sandra Lee available in Sears and Kmart stores nationwide. To say the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime experience is an understatement, it will be remembered by all as a milestone event to meet Sandra Lee herself and have her be as warm, and genuine in person was the icing on this very sweet personal and career experience!

To summarize the trip in this blog post will be a feat, but will definitely be my pleasure to take you through my amazing time in New York City.

Day 1

On Thursday, April 26th I was surprised to find out a driver was waiting for me in my driveway to whisk me off to New York!! Ok.. maybe not ‘whisk’ (Pretty Woman is one of my favorite movies, and this is definitely how I felt!) So my trip started off wonderfully. After arriving in New York City I had a few hours to get ready for our evening of meeting the Sears/Kmart team and the other bloggers.

We had cocktails and dinner at Café Centro in midtown. We met the Sears/Kmart team and listened to guest speaker Mark Bonchek, SVP of Communities and Networks as he discussed the future of social media.

After dinner the bloggers wanted to sit around and get to know each other, but we were told tomorrow would be an amazing day and very long… so we hailed a NYC taxi and back to our hotel we went. With all of the anticipation it literally felt like Christmas Eve for a child – I was so excited to go to bed, ha!

Day 2

I was excited to see the sun on Friday morning, as on Thursday the gray clouds and rainy weather was not inviting! After eating breakfast with my new blogger friends it was time to load up and go to our first destination: Newport Mall Sears in Jersey City, NJ. I was so excited to see Sandra’s products in an actual store.

Newport Mall Sears, Jersey City, N.J.

Sandra by Sandra Lee Housewares

Sandra Lee has over 200+ housewares items available at both Kmart and Sears. Here is a brief list of the categories they include:

• Cookware
• Prep/Cutlery
• Storage
• Tools/Gadgets
• Textiles
• Small Kitchen Appliances

For complete Kmart & Sears product list with pictures/prices – Download .pdf here. SandraLee_ProductList

I was amazed to learn how affordable all of the houseware items are. Sandra explained to us that the items are dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator versatile and store beautifully. While we all love great looking cookware, let’s face it, sometimes you don’t want to store it on your counter – all of the Sandra by Sandra Lee line LOOKS pretty enough to display!

It was also a treat to meet with the Sears Design & Merchandising Representatives that make all of the trending and designing of the products fruition. From the Kardashians and Ty Pennington to Country Living and Joe Boxer – we met with the team to hear how the process of conceptualizing to bringing the products to your local store becomes reality.

Then we had numerous yummy cooking demonstrations throughout the store. From Kitchen Aid showing us their infamous mixer and Hamilton Beach unveiling a countertop convection oven to the new Keurig beverage maker that now makes iced coffee and tea… YUMMY! We ate and drank ourselves through Sears that morning.

Off to The Kitchen to have brunch with Sandra Lee!

We were greeted in the entryway with beautiful throw pillows with cocktail recipes from Sandra Lee herself. Each was so pretty! I took home the yellow Startini pillow in the middle.

It was now time to have brunch with Sandra, along with hands-on workshops with Sandra Lee and:
• Tablescaping & Entertaining
• Semi-Homemade Cooking
• Cocktail Time®

Meeting Sandra Lee on the “Red Carpet”

At past blogger events I have been to the guest of honor is neatly tucked away until the ‘unveiling’ later on in the event. That was not the case with Sandra, she welcomed each of us right away individually and we took our pictures with her. I was taken back that Sandra said to me ” I love your blog, it’s has beautiful pictures. Aren’t you the Architect?” Well Sandra had me at “Hello” from that moment on. It was obvious that Sandra had a hand in every detail of this event and it showed. What a delight and honor to meet her in person.

After we all had our “limelight” picture it was time to eat brunch. We were taken into a beautiful room that was set up like an outdoor picnic with all of Sandra’s housewares decorated in her signature red and white accents.

Brunch was amazing!

We had an amazing spread of delicious foods. Here is a rundown of the menu:

• Angel Hair with Roasted Peppers
• Champagne Poached Chicken
• Crab Cake Sliders
• Pepper Steak on a Stick
• Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms
• Summer Berry Salad
• Beehive cupcakes
• Snickerdoodle cheesecake

All of these recipes were… to die for! I will make another post tomorrow featuring Sandra’s recipes… too much for one post!

One on One with Sandra

One of the most surprising portions of this experience came when Sandra sat on one of the tables and spoke to us about our personal blogs. She had mentioned the Sears/Kmart team had given her two stacks of information to review before the event. One contained all of the 200+ products she was supposed to learn, and other stack was the “About” page of each of our blogs. Sandra explained that she personally went through each of our bios and websites to learn about us…. my heart actually sank!

When Sandra came to me, she had said she jotted down a note to herself on my sheet. Sandra had wrote “Slacker” to herself – saying that she felt like one compared to everything that is on my About page. I felt very honored to even hear her speak of my accomplishments in such admiration. As what I do every day comes out of passion and never feels like work. (I though to myself, is this not the happiest moment of my life?)

Thank you Sandra, for your beautiful words!

Time for a festive tablescape

After our heads were swollen big from Sandra’s beautiful comments about each of our blogs it was time to break into groups and get a mystery box of surprise goodies. Each one featured a sneak peek at Sandra’s Christmas decorations that will be out later this year! My group was fortunate as we got the non-traditional colored ornaments of pastel pinks, blues and neutrals. We decided to make a ‘Candy Cane xxxx

Sandra came by to look at each of our tablescape creations.

Sandra shows us her housewares line, personally

After the tablescape challenge it was time for Sandra to show us her housewares line personally. This was a great time as we got to hear from Sandra about her personal story that was truly humbling. The financial obstacles her and her family overcame and always designing and aiming all of her products, programs and personal brand toward those families that want to save money and still have beautiful memories around the dinner table.

This portion of the day was personal for me, as I’ve always tried to stay true to myself, my family, my readers and hearing from Sandra about her personal struggles and triumphs made me see how this housewares line represented more than kitchen products – but her ability to take the hard with the good to come out on ‘Top’, in every sense of the word.

Cocktail time… again!

I think we had at least 50 cocktails! Ha! Just kidding – to be honest I have never liked alcohol so I’ve don’t know anything about cocktails. I do know that I love the colorful ones that Sandra made and everyone raved about how truly deliscious they were.

The day was closing in and we spent the last hour talking with Sandra, exchanging good times with our fellow Bloggers and eating yummy hors d’oeuvres!

The end of the day ended with the most wonderful surprise…..  We were told we could take ANYTHING we wanted of the Sandra housewares that were displayed in The Kitchen. Oh my goodness.. it was mad mayhem!

I knew I had to get back on a plane so I grabbed some of the knives, spatulas, a hand chopper, potholders and kitchen shears… oh how I wanted the huge stock pot… but I knew TSA was not going to let me through JFK airport with that.

In conclusion, the Sears/Kmart team made this amazing event reality. I thank each of the members, Amy Brod PR firm for inviting me and a host of others that I will never get to personally thank. What an awesome experience!

A TREAT FOR YOU: Go to Sears to get a discount on Sandra Lee’s products for a limited time!!

The details: Valid on Sears.com for $5 off any $15+ purchase of Sandra by Sandra Lee product sold by Sears through 5/26/2012. Enter coupon code BYSANDRALEE at checkout. You can start browsing at Sears.

Lastly, my personal note to Sandra Lee:

Sandra – Thank you for taking the time to answer my personal question about advice for finding our own personal voice and developing our brand. There are so many people in this world that want to hoard information to themselves. You clearly understand the importance of quality, loyalty, and hard work. You were a personal inspiration and I cherish the time you spent with each of us. Thanks for welcoming us into your home!

-Ronique

For more Blogger events on Stagetecture, click here.

Today I’m off to New York City, New York for what is sure to be a fun filled, informative, and inspiring trip to meet Sandra Lee and celebrate the launch of her new housewares line – Sandra by Sandra Lee at Kmart and Sears.

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I’ve already seen many of the items in the store as well as online and I love the colors, style, and affordable pricing of all the housewares, gadgets and kitchen textiles. Sandra has always been known for her affordable and stylish lifestyle approach and it’s fabulous that it’s available to everyone at an attractive price.

I’d love for you to come along with me in my ‘virtual suitcase’ as I meet the other lifestyle, design and food bloggers attending along with me.

Image via: Food Network

To catch all the latest happenings over the

next two days of Sandra Lee’s Summer Carnival:

Follow me :  Facebook,  Twitter, Follow all the tweets for the Sandra Lee Event: #bySandraLee

Sandra’s Summer Carnival lineup – April 26th – 27th

April 26th

Cocktails and Dinner in Midtown, NY

April 27th

Store Visit with Sears Design & Merchandising

Brunch with Sandra Lee

Hands on Workshop with Sandra Lee

Q&A with Sandra Lee

I will see you in New York City!

Yesterday I received the greatest surprise in the mail! A pretty polka dotted box with an invitation, a hand signed invitation, and oven mitt from Sandra Lee! Sandra has paired up with Sears and Kmart to announce her new line of home goods entitled Sandra by Sandra Lee.

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I have been a huge fan of Sandra Lee since watching her on the Food Network and loving her show “Semi-Homemade” concept of “70/30” rule. 70 percent store bought foods and 30 percent custom touches to make your dishes look and taste gourmet without the gourmet price.

“Food Network star and New York semi-first lady Sandra Lee has just signed a licensing agreement with Sears and Kmart on a new line of home goods entitled Sandra by Sandra Lee. The line, due to hit stores in spring 2012, will include cookware, bakeware, small kitchen appliances, and tabletop items, much like Giada de Laurentiis’s home line for Target. “Launching my first ever, complete collection of home products with Sears and Kmart is a wonderful opportunity to help their customers live their lives beautifully and simply,” says Lee. “I have waited a long time to find the right retail partner—one that would be able to execute my vision for the brand.” … via Curbed

Sandra’s Summer Carnival lineup – April 26th – 27th

April 26th

Cocktails and Dinner in Midtown, NY

April 27th

Store Visit with Sears Design & Merchandising

Brunch with Sandra Lee

Hands on Workshop with Sandra Lee

Q&A with Sandra Lee

I can’t wait to see all of the gorgeous housewares and magic behind building a personal brand. Of course you can join me in my virtual suitcase on Twitter and Facebook.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter here, and follow the hashtag #bySandraLee to find out all of the latest happenings as we take this fun filled trip to New York City!  See you then!

When I was visiting New York last week for New York Fashion Week, the ability to move around the city quickly and efficiently has always been a challenge. Many natives and tourists take to the underground subway system daily to avoid hopping in a cab…. or dreadfully – driving!

Image via: Trendland

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Today I ran across this article in Trendland about a concept to make a unused trolley terminal into a incredible green space. It’s an ingenious concept that will enable commuters to enjoy a ‘central park aesthetic’ below ground. Here’s more about this project:

‘Inspired by the amazing success of Chelsea’s High line, architect James Ramsey and Dan Barasch introduced the Delancey Underground project, aiming to convert an unused trolley terminal beneath Delancey Street (just under the Essex Street Market) into an extraordinary subterranean public park– nicknamed the “LowLine.” Local businesses, residents, community leaders, and political stakeholders alike have voiced considerable enthusiasm for the idea. They are now focused on increasing this broad public support, and are preparing in earnest to make this vision a reality.’

“…it also represents cutting edge design and a new generation of green technology. It is at the heart of a broader global discussion about the potential of remnant urban infrastructure, and the need for cities to re-invent the meaning of space– above and below ground.”… Trendland

What an exciting project, I can’t wait to see it come to fruition. It’s always nice to see out of the box thinking, especially in high density urban areas. There is no excuse not to bring a touch of green into every piece of the world… especially underground!

For more green living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

I’m on my third day of my fabulous trip to New York City for Brizo’s Fashion Week event. Before I even start this last day here, where we will go to Jason Wu’s Fashion show, and attend the after party, I wanted to commend Brizo on the gorgeous event location: The Eventi Hotel.

Image via: Eventi Hotel

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The Eventi in itself is a gorgeous destination spot! Many of our lunches, product sessions, and reception events have been housed throughout the hotel. There isn’t one room that isn’t completely beautiful!

‘Live from New York: Eventi – a Kimpton Hotel redefines what it is to be a Manhattan hotel. Eventi is an experience as much as a destination. The Eventi Hotel’s historic Chelsea neighborhood near the New York theater district, artful surroundings, intimate accommodations, dynamic meeting spaces and signature Kimpton hospitality combine into something extraordinary.’ …. The Eventi Hotel

Brizo has shown me and the other 18 bloggers, designers, and architects wonderful hospitality. The Eventi hotel has been a treat to stay in and I thought I’d share some images of this beautiful hotel.

The lobby gives a glimpse of luxury

Gorgeous artwork, sculpture, and colors throughout The Eventi

The event rooms felt like an art gallery and private library!

Killer views of New York City

The guest rooms – I could have lived in

The Eventi hotel has been a wonderful venue for our Brizo event. It’s always nice to experience hospitality and luxury when traveling away from home! Thank you to Brizo and the wonderful staff at The Eventi.

Disclaimer: As a guest of Brizo, my airfare and travel expenses have been comped.

The day has finally come when I am traveling to New York City, New York to attend Brizo’s Fashion Week Event with 18 other bloggers, designers and architects.

Image via: Print Collection

I can’t really decide what is my favorite part of this trip… whether it is:

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… The Jason Wu’s fashion show

Image via: Chameleonic

…The Brizo Faucet Interactive Product Sessions

Image via: KBB Online

…Enjoying the New York City ‘buzz’ on Fashion Week

OR…

Meeting 18 other talented designers, bloggers and architects for this wonderful event.

I would love for you to come along with me in my ‘virtual suitcase’! Follow me on Twitter & Facebook for all the happenings. For you Twitter followers, follow #BrizoFW & #NYFW for all the minute by minute events taking place in the big apple.

Image via: Iasa Global

I will see you in the ‘City that Never Sleeps’ …. New York City!

Disclaimer: As a guest of Brizo, my airfare and travel expenses have been comped.

In two days I will be traveling to New York City for Brizo’s Fashion Design Event. For the last few weeks I have been salivating over Selling New York on HGTV and thought about how it would be to live in an urban loft. While it isn’t for everyone, the industrial finishes, exposed brick and masonry, expansive windows and views… I could definitely get use to it!

Here are some urban lofts that caught my eye, let me know which ones are your favorites!

Urban chic loft

This kitchen set amongst the expansive glass and exposed steel beams is a beautiful idea. Love how the green paint of the wall and the steel structure set the scene for the dark accents in this space.

Image via: French by Design

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Exposed finishes make urban loft living unique

Years ago, in urban living interiors the exposed finishes was looked down upon. Today, the more exposed finishes the better! From brick and masonry, to concrete floors, and exposed mechanical ductwork above. The industrial feel of urban lofts combined with the soft textiles and furnishings is what makes urban loft living unique.

Image via: House and Home

White loft idea

While many urban lofts have dark influences, white lofts with plenty of natural light is a wonderful twist on urban lofts. This white loft could be a home or a business, but I love how the floors, walls, and furnishings welcome in the sunlight from the skylights. The two story atrium space is another amenity that urban loft dwellers love!

Image via: Pinterest

Urban loft love!

For those of you who don’t want your ordinary loft space, this one offers a swanky aesthetic.The bookshelves, exposed ductwork, unique lighting, and what looks to be custom furnishings are too cool! I could see great parties being held in this wonderful space.

Image via: Loft Designs

Urban loft living may or may not match your lifestyle, but you have to admit, it sure is sophisticated!

For more urban loft ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

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