Los Angeles may not be the king of the skyscrapers, but we have a fair share.
In our expert opinion, organizing a high-rise residence is different than organizing a house on flat ground. You must focus on the view, not the stuff. Many people move from a flat ground residence and realize how much they need to get rid of before they can live in tighter quarters, way high.
In an interview we did a while ago for Estate's West Magazine on downsizing from an estate-size property to a high-rise,
we had to explore our fair share of working up, how to sort through
life's memories and negotiate what needs to stay, and what needs to go.
It's all about the view.
Here are some of the questions and answers from that interview.
What are some important tips that homeowners should keep in mind
when downsizing their belongings from a large estate to a smaller
high-rise living area?
In a high-rise space there is no room for mediocrity! The City of Los Angeles has its share of high-style, high-rise buildings: Wilshire Corridor, Century City, Marina del Rey, the exclusive Sierra Towers and the burgeoning new Downtown. High-rise living has definitely come into vogue and so has space and storage planning.
If the trend is to move up, what do people gain, and lose, in their space?
Why does Hollywood’s A-list give up their homes for a “room with a view?” They have little to take care of and amenities are within arm’s reach. Just lock the door and leave. But the price can be big, even for a small space— dwellers must significantly leave memories and larger furniture behind in favor of straightforward simplicity. It may surprise some, but the high-rise homes we’ve organized seem very casual, but they are indeed carefully considered. Everything kept serves an important capacity.
Is there a past, present and future for space planning in high-rise living?
The American home may typically be getting larger, but today’s high-rise spaces still remain relatively small. For the past 3 decades, the theory on space planning included heavy, uptight cabinetry, bookshelves and storage from floor to ceiling, wall to wall, all jutted up against the windows where you’re “supposed” to enjoy the glorious views. The renaissance of mid-century style has changed all that. Now, storage in a high-rise space needs to be gently built around the view, with creature comforts hidden from sight, still within easy reach.
In our next post, we'll feature some tips for downsizing a large home (or estate) for easy high-rise living. Stay tuned. In the meantime, no matter where you live, we'd love to hear your thoughts on organizing for a view.
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image of Sierra Towers West Hollywood courtesy Bryan Chan, LA Times and Russ Filice, The Filice Group
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We moved from a house to an apartment out of necessity, but now we'd never give up our view or relatively carefree lifestyle!
The view is the focal point of our living room and is the first thing you see when you enter the unit. We have only sheers on the window (no worries about privacy way up here) and the only furniture in front of it is an antique blanket box with plants on and around it.
Posted by: Janet Barclay | July 08, 2009 at 12:52 PM