FLEX SPACE!
New Yorkers rent, buy second pads to use as offices
WHEN Felipe Vasconcelos heads to work, he doesn’t have to stay shut inside his one-bedroom Murray Hill condo — and he doesn’t have to commute to his Brooklyn office either. Instead, the 37-yearold takes an elevator six floors down to a studio apartment, which he rented for $2,100 per month.
“Trying to work from home, the place where I relax, made it very difficult to concentrate — but also, I was limited by space,” said Vasconcelos, a cosmetics entrepreneur. He looked for a nearby office rental to mix up his routine and boost efficiency, but when he saw the 450-square-foot unit hit the market — represented by Douglas Elliman’s Aimee Fink, who also lives in the building — he saw a chance to create a makeshift workspace.
As city professionals largely continue to work remotely to curb the spread of the coronavirus, they’re feeling the strain of cramped spaces — or a lack of sanctuary, with work and home blending into one. But certain locals, namely those with the means to do so, have found a way to escape the confines of their four walls: renting or buying separate flexible-space apartments, which they’ll use as offices indefinitely.
In the weeks since picking up the studio, Vasconcelos said, “I’ve seen an increase in productivity.” Not only does he have enough room for his desk and three computer monitors, but he’s also set up a home gym with a mat, a bench and dumbbells. Still, the biggest benefit comes at the end of the day. “When I come home, I can absolutely relax,” he said.
Though renting offers flexibility until the pandemic passes, others want a more permanent solution.
Alan Klein, a 52-year-old Compass agent, and his husband, 35year-old landscape designer Jeffrey Erb, had long considered purchasing a separate unit for extra living space — “but COVID accelerated that plan,” said Klein.
So the couple has signed a $195,000 contract for a studio (above) around the corner from their Jackson Heights two-bedroom — which will serve as a home office for the time being. They began working from home in March and found it challenging.
“It’s an open-layout apartment,” Erb said of their primary residence. “It’s very hard to be physically distanced … it’s easier to be distracted — it’s not like you’re sitting next to a co-worker you can really tune out.”
Once the purchase of the 350square-foot spread is final, the plan is for one of them to go at a time.
“The key factor here is not to be on top of each other,” said Klein.
Even those who planned on enlarging their homes by combining apartments before the outbreak have followed through — and will carve out offices in the new spaces.
“We’re going to turn what the living room was into an office, and that’s where I’m going to work,” said Ariel Moses, 34, who works in communications and closed this month on a one-bedroom next to her Midtown East two-bedroom.
“I’m working in my bedroom right now, and it’s not productive,” said Moses, who declined to reveal the price paid for the second apartment. Having a dedicated office, she added, will lead to better-looking video conferences. “I need to maintain some decorum in some sense, and some professionalism.”
Expanding Moses’ 1,600square-foot pad by an additional 1,100 square feet means her 40year-old husband Marshall Weinstein, CEO of DJ and events company SET Artist Management, will get his own office, too. And her brother, JD, 15, will have a bigger bedroom for remote school. There will even dedicated space for Moses’ and Weinstein’s 16month-old daughter, Asher.
“We’re just doing our best to give everyone the best chance they can get to do their best work,” said Moses.