May 9, 2022

Storage solutions? City views? Location, location, location? When asked to identify his favorite part of this kitchen and bath renovation in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, Steve Friedson, founder of New York City-based Nest Inc. Fine Interior Contracting, does not mention the good bones of the building, expansive floor plan or great light. Instead, his reply focuses on a more elusive element.

“My favorite part of the project was the trust the client gave us,” he said. “Throughout the project they were understanding, helpful and all-around really nice people.”

Given the circumstances surrounding the project – it was executed at the peak of the COVID outbreak – Friedson’s strong relationship with his clients is especially noteworthy.

Planning Around a Pandemic
The program was straightforward and characteristic of many Manhattan spaces: Redo the layout to optimize functionality and implement a complete facelift to give the kitchen a high-style look. A specific request from the homeowners was to improve the storage design.

“The old kitchen cabinets had cavernous storage drawers, but the clients found it hard to organize their cookware and dishes,” said Friedson.

In the design phase, he took the precaution of ordering the custom cabinets a year in advance, storing them offsite until construction was slated to begin.

“We almost skated by without any significant scheduling delays,” he said and explained that a few key items were ultimately snagged in the supply chain: Some appliances and imported stone were late to arrive. There were also occasional labor interruptions because personnel tested positive for COVID.

An unforeseen consequence of the early cabinet ordering became evident after delivery to the site. The fit to the walls was off by about half an inch. To correct this condition, the Nest crew retooled the door fronts and panels adjacent to the built-in wall ovens, refrigerator and undercounter microwave.

“This was a project in itself,” said Friedson. “It really pays to work with only the finest craftsmen.”