The lobby doors swing open with a creak, an owner sidesteps a cracked tile, and the light sconces are holding on by a thread.
Okay, maybe your lobby isn’t in such disrepair that it looks like it’s falling apart at the seams, but chances are you haven’t taken a good hard look at it in a few years.
This is a significant part of your resident experience as the main entryway into the building. As such, it deserves to be updated with the times and brought into this century. So whether it’s ripped carpet or stained wallpaper, now is the time to follow these four steps to update your condo strata lobby.
1. Pick What Needs Updating
Your residents use the lobby every day as they come and go from their units, and there’s likely a little wear and tear. So decide, does it need a complete overhaul or can updating a few pieces here and there do the trick?
If the answer is an overhaul, consider these things:
- What should the design style be? Classic, contemporary, mid-century modern?
- How much can you invest in updating it? Is it new paint and chairs or art and technology?
- What systems do you have in place to make your owners’ lives easier? Is it a key or fob entry?
- Do you add some ambiance with a diffused scent, subtle music and playful art?
- Are there pain points you can solve by adding a concierge desk and service or adding extra outlets to charge phones?
If the answer is a small update, think about these items:
- Can the furniture be cleaned or replaced?
- What shape are your window dressings in?
- Does the area need more regular cleaning to help keep it maintained?
- Would a coat of paint be enough to freshen it up?
With these ideas in mind, look to the next point to see if there are additional ways you can better serve your owners with the condo’s lobby.
2. Reevaluate Your Condo Owner’s Needs
Stop and watch—really watch. How do your residents use your lobby?
- Do they sit and wait for taxis?
- Do they order takeout and rush down the elevator to grab it?
- Do they sit and visit with friends?
- Do they take important phone calls?
- Do they stop and grab their mail?
Notice the small details in how they use the space. Do they find the things they need or are they crawling around on the floor looking for an outlet?
Take your observations and form educated questions. Pose them in a questionnaire to your owners and see if they have suggestions. For example, do they want somewhere to visit with friends and family in a socially distanced way? If so, perhaps you can address that need with moveable seating options.
Our suggestion: form the questions with definitive answers and only ask open-ended questions if you’re prepared to action the answers.
3. Make a Plan
You now know how owners are using the space, their current pain points, and what parts of your design need the most love and attention. Now it’s time to bring all of the information together into a plan.
First, prioritize your list based on your budget. What are the must-haves and what are the nice-to-haves?
Next, enlist the help of a designer and a contractor. They can help you realize your plans and give you direction on what is feasible within your budget. Your designer can even help you land on an aesthetic and offer ideas you hadn’t thought of yet.
With the design process underway, get your contractor to start actioning the lobby renovation. This may involve rerouting traffic and working in phases to keep sections open.
Finally, consider any last touches that fall outside of interior design and into experience design like a concierge service, library or coffee bar.
4. Upkeep
Once the renovation is complete, put the final touches on the space with a deep clean. Our team at GoJaxon will go through with a fine-tooth comb and remove any trace of construction.
With a new standard set, make sure you keep it up with a regular cleaning schedule and an on-site maintenance team that can touch up scuff marks in the paint, replace lightbulbs and notify you of repairs as they’re needed.
Ready to start the upkeep?