Many New Yorkers dream of living in a coveted flat-rate apartment – because that means rent is often immeasurably cheaper than the market value.
Such is the case with Hattie Kolp, a 29-year-old special education teacher and part-time interior designer.
When Kolp and his parents moved into the 1,500-square-foot two-bedroom apartment in 2002, they paid just under $ 1,000 a month. Thanks to rent stabilization laws that limit the amount the landlord can increase rent and give tenants the right to renew their rent each year, Kolp took over the rent after his parents retired in 2018.
Today, Kolp’s rent is $ 1,300 a month. To put this in perspective, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side is $ 4,000 a month, according to StreetEasy data for February 2021.
“I am infinitely grateful to have this,” says Kolp. “It is the greatest blessing of my life because I would not be able to afford an apartment the size of my teacher salary.”
‘Space and charm’
Kolp’s building was built in the 1890s, which means that amenities are scarce – Kolp doesn’t even have a dishwasher.
“But that’s fine with me, because I prefer a lot more space and charm,” she says.
Hattie Kolp grew up in this stabilized two-bedroom apartment for rent in New York City.
Photo: Beatriz Bajuelos.
The unit is full of unique old school touches, such as a table lift, which is a small elevator used to transport food and dishes, a butler’s pantry separate from the kitchen, all original cabinets, some original moldings, pocket doors, a foyer and a long corridor that separates the railway-style rooms.
“You really feel like you’re living in 1900,” says Kolp.
In doing any interior design project, Kolp aims to “preserve the history and character of this place,” she says. She usually buys antique furniture along the East Coast. Her favorite piece of furniture is an antique table that was given to her by a family friend who passed away.
Kolp placed wallpaper on his door and recently painted the lobby.
Photo: Beatriz Bajuelos.
“I describe my style because I’m heavily influenced by the architecture of my neighborhood, which is ornate, and I really like Parisian apartments, just wide open spaces, intricate wall frames, high ceilings, things like that,” says Kolp.
From childhood’s bedroom to the ‘Parisian library’
Kolp turned his childhood room into a library during the pandemic.
Photo: Beatriz Bajuelos.
When Kolp took over the apartment, she transformed her parents’ master bedroom into hers and transformed what used to be her childhood room into a guest room. “I used to paint curtains purple and pink, pink, everything,” she says.
At first, living in her childhood home was strange: “I think there was probably a time when I felt really lonely and strange just in an empty apartment where I grew up,” she recalls.
During the pandemic, the guest room didn’t work, so she turned it into “a Parisian-inspired library”, where she teaches remotely, she says.
Creating a ‘home forever’
Kolp created a “gallery corridor”.
Photo: Beatriz Bajuelos.
Although rented apartments are often difficult to abandon because they are hard to find and affordable, Kolp, who is a lifelong New Yorker, is often asked: why not buy an apartment?