Many New Yorkers dream of living in a coveted rent-stabilized apartment – because it means rent is often unfathomably cheaper than market value
Such is the case for Hattie Kolp, a 29-year-old special education teacher and part-time interior designer.
When Kolp and her parents moved into the 1,500-square-foot two-bedroom apartment in 2002, they were paying just under $ 1,000 a month. Thanks to rent stabilization laws that limit the amount the landlord can increase the rent and give tenants the right to renew their lease every year, Kolp took over the lease after her parents retired in 2018.
Today Kolp’s rent is $ 1,300 per month. To put that in perspective, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side is $ 4,000 per month, according to StreetEasy data as of February 2021.
“I am infinitely grateful to have this,” says Kolp. “It’s the greatest blessing of my life because I couldn’t afford an apartment the size of my teacher’s salary.”
‘Space and charm’
Kolp’s building was built in the 1890s, which means amenities are sparse – Kolp doesn’t even have a dishwasher.
“But I think that’s okay, because I would much rather have space and charm,” she says.
Hattie Kolp grew up in this rent-stabilized two-bedroom apartment in New York City.
Photo: Beatriz Bajuelos.
The unit is filled with unique old-school touches such as a dumbwaiter, a small elevator used to transport food and crockery, a butler’s pantry that is separate from the kitchen, all original cabinets, some original moldings, pocket doors, a foyer and a long corridor separating the railway-style rooms.
‘You really just have the feeling that you are living in 1900,’ says Kolp.
In doing interior design projects, Kolp strives to “preserve the history and character of this place,” she says. She often shops for antique furniture along the East Coast. Her favorite piece of furniture is an antique desk given to her by a deceased family friend.
Kolp pasted wallpaper on her door and recently painted the hall.
Photo: Beatriz Bajuelos.
“I describe my style because I’m very much influenced by the architecture of my neighborhood, which is ornate, and I really like Parisian apartments, just big open spaces, intricate wall moldings, high ceilings, that sort of thing,” says Kolp. .
From children’s room to ‘Parisian library’
Kolp turned her nursery into a library during the pandemic.
Photo: Beatriz Bajuelos.
When Kolp took over the apartment, she made her parents’ master bedroom for her and turned the room that used to be her nursery into a guest bedroom. “I used to paint the purple and pink curtains, pink, everything,” she says.
At first it was strange living in her family home: “I think there was probably an hour when I felt really alone and weird just standing in an empty apartment where I grew up,” she recalls. .
During the pandemic, the guest room was non-functional, so she turned that room into “ a Paris-inspired library, ” where she teaches remotely, she says.
Creating a ‘forever home’
Kolp has created a ‘gallery corridor’.
Photo: Beatriz Bajuelos.
While rent-stabilized apartments are often difficult to give up because they are hard to find and affordable, Kolp, who is a lifelong New Yorker, is often asked: why not just buy a home?