NYC is a city of apartments. They’re small and they’re high. To get your stuff into a new apartment, you may have to scale many flights of stairs, and get creative with bigger pieces of furniture. For best results, I recommend hiring NYC movers who are familiar with the tricks of the trade. They’ll be able to get your stuff into your new spot a lot faster than you can yourself. Here are some more general tips for getting your stuff into a tiny apartment, with minimal pain and suffering.
- Buy Furniture that Can Be Disassembled. This is especially true of larger pieces of furniture, like couches. Even for the world’s best movers, it’s simply not possible to defy the physics of old city staircases, especially when their are 10 or more stories to contend with. If you have pieces that can’t be taken apart, that you are totally attached to, there is another option. Some movers and especially upholsterers are able to cut big items like couches in half, if there is no other way to get them in your new apartment. The couch can then be reassembled by master craftsmen within your home, good as new. So disassemble when you can, but don’t let your 24th story apartment keep you from having the furniture that you love.
- Take Measurements in Advance. If you are unwilling to perform major surgery on your favorite armoire, make sure that you can get it in the door before your movers have it sitting in the hallway. When you are visiting prospective apartments, have your tape measure in tow to figure out if your stuff can squeeze inside. If your things simply can’t fit, then my friend, they can’t fit. Also plan where every one of your things is going to go once you are happily settled in your new apartment. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by figuring out that your dining room table won’t work in your new place, before you move it.
- Hire the Pros. My introduction assumes this tip, but I feel I must reinforce it. By hiring professional movers, you’ll navigate the apartment moving process so much easier. You’ll also keep yourself from getting painfully injured or frustrated trying to cram your king sized mattress up a stairwell. Movers also have ladders and other systems for creatively getting large furniture into apartments, via non-traditional paths. One way or another, good movers get the job done with efficient professionalism. There’s a reason you’re not a professional New York City mover. Accept that fact.
Movers make the world go round, at least in New York City. If you are in any doubt of your ability to easily move yourself, please hire the pros. Also, think ahead carefully about how your current things will enter and fit within a new space. Moving can be a great time to cut back on unnecessary material possessions. It can also be a great time to buy some new stuff, better fit for your new life in the Big Apple.