Update Your Furniture with New Mid-Century Legs

As I mentioned before, our sofa is about 20 years old. One of the first major purchases of my life post-college, it came with a matching chair and ottoman and all were covered in "shabby chic" slipcovers - that were the big thing at the time. 

Fast forward 20 years, the furniture was starting to look run down and dated. 

Not the kind of thing that I wanted to put in our new mid-century home. But I wasn't ready to donate them to a thrift store just yet. Could this furniture be saved?

Mid-Century NYC Apartment: House Tour

The Building

The Carlton House, built in 1946, is a classic art deco building designed by architect Philip Birnbaum, who went on in his later, more seasoned years to design Trump Tower. Birnbaum was an architect best known for his interiors. Developers loved him for his thrifty use of space. But like many of his contemporaries, he'd been inspired by a theory of British urban planning called the Garden City movement, so he packs a lot of congenial living into his designs. I read up on him a bit, and my conjecture is, having grown up poor in New York City, Birnbaum had a special appreciation for light and separation of private space; his thoughtful use of both in creating "livable" spaces is often noted.

If many noticed his interiors, I have to say that I quite like the exterior of our building, too, with its compact scale, marquee entry, and open balconies. (I have to turn a blind eye to the clumsy enclosures.)

Via Streeteasy

For Mr. Renov8or a major attraction was the parking garage. We spend many weekends of summer at our cottage on the North Fork, so being able to drive right into our parking spot, unload bags, pets, and gear, and cart it all up the elevator in one fell swoop is a welcome change from our old days when, braving the ire of other drives, we double parked on the street to unload, then spent hours circling the neighborhood looking for parking on a late Sunday night. (Not fun.)

And if all this doesn't sound reason enough to make a person move, let's have a look inside.