(Tip #38), What is a Junior 4 Apartment Layout in NYC? Southern-hemisphere designers would probably feel the opposite [from those in the Northern hemisphere].” So keep in mind, these maxims will not apply to your veranda in the Maldives. Small … However, there is one major downside about facing south, and you have to really experience it to understand. Note that you can get ANY exposure you want from the thousands of apartments on frēlē, the free and honest real estate marketplace. I know several “early risers” that just love the east facing direction. What is the best facing direction? © 2021 Condé Nast. Also, if you get a top floor apt, skylights would be a bonus. Bedrooms with east-facing windows will be great for early risers, but terrible for people who like to sleep in. Blogger: flowfreely.com Of course, some like to control the sun, in which case there are many blackout options available, even programmable," she says. Having More Windows on the South Side Increases the Amount of Natural Light Your Home Will Receive. That would be for the northern hemisphere and for anywhere except the desert. What a great way to start the day. Factors that affect sun exposure. 3. What's unique about us compared to other sites is that we take shading from mountains and terrain into account. Founder, Frēlē, the free and honest NYC rental marketplace Obviously, if you have a tall ceiling (older buildings have +10 ft ceilings), you have to add a bit of cooling power in BTU. The very best, according to McGrath, is precisely 10 per cent east of due north, to let there be light. If your apartment faces east, you will get direct morning sun. Rooms with northern exposures tend to get less natural light, and stay cooler. :) South and west for sure, but check how hot the apartment gets when it does get its natural sunlight. “If a place faces the wrong way, it can be quite dark, and you’ll need the lights on more often than if it faces the right way,” says Frank Valentic, of Melbourne buyers’ agents Advantage Property Consulting. California-based designer Kelly Hinchman loves working with Western light in her clients’ homes, but is quick to warn, “The afternoon sun will flood the room with golden overtones… I would stay away from oranges and reds in the west [or] your home will be on fire!”. Architectural Digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The Answer May Surprise You (Tip #39), What is the Best Way to Find Cheap Apartment Rentals in NYC? Generally speaking, facing “south” is considered the best facing direction and some would even argue it deserves a premium. “If you have strong, solid light throughout the day, I’m more inclined to use a bolder color palette,” he says. As Bachman Brown astutely points out, “I think it really depends on the hemisphere that you're in. Susan can be reached here on Brown Harris Steven’s website. You just won’t get “direct” sunlight. What is the Best Facing Direction in NYC? Window direction and lighting. (Tip #30). However, an even better solution would be a south-western exposure, as the sun would come here for the better part of the day, but without excessive temperature rise. reached here on Brown Harris Steven’s website, Fire Your NYC Rental Agent If They Don’t Do This (Tip #40), Can I Sign a Two Year Lease in NYC? However, there is one major downside about facing south, and you have to really experience it to understand. If your apartment has a west facing direction you are in for a real treat after work assuming you come home at a reasonable time. This is why a south facing direction is often considered the best direction to face and is generally the most coveted exposure. For whatever reason many of the apartments I have lived in had northern exposure and I really loved it. I personally like South-West, because it stays bright all year round, and gets some late afternoon sun. It depends! Apartment Therapy also has tips on how to DIY your own, but remember not to over-water ,and take expert advice on the best plants for hanging planters. This is why when an apartment faces south for example you will almost always see it highlighted in the advertising for the property (i.e. Rooms with southern exposures generally get more sunshine, more natural light, and ambient heat. Most popular indoor palm variety, it’s an excellent houseplant for almost any situation, … Like top-of-the-line appliances and perfectly patinaed hardwood floors, natural light is in that echelon of amenities that make even the most jaded homeowner swoon. I swear that June mornings are the ONLY times this damn apartment ever gets any sun. When you face south in an apartment in NYC you generally get direct sun for most of the day. Producer, Phil’s NYC Rental Tips [YouTube Channel] Southern light is warm, and cool colors like blues and greens tend to feel warmer. Look for well-designed cross-ventilation to distribute cooling breezes through the unit. Ad Choices, And how to soften the harsh light from certain orientations. Direct sun can be so bright that people often have to use shades on their windows throughout the day. The 'best' orientation would be facing South, with a shift of about 30 degrees to the East IMHO. “Morning light may be delicate in a space—as long as it’s not shining into a bedroom,” says designer Elena Frampton of Frampton Co. Everyone knows what it’s like to have their precious extra sleep time thwarted by beams of light puncturing cheap wooden blinds—which will be the case if you have a bedroom that faces east (where, as you know, the sun rises). FindMyShadow.com calculates the position of the sun at any location and date, and plots the shadows cast by the sun throughout the day at different times of the year. In these circumstances Designer Bachman Brown Clem gravitates towards hues that are just as intense. It’s also a good place for a dense floor that can soak up some solar heat. Another potential downside is that the direct sun could damage some furnishings like artwork. Flowers. Easy to use tools allow you to construct your own scene and automatically plot the shadow results. The main living spaces such as living, family and dining rooms should be north facing where possible. Some people refer to a north facing direction as the best light for artists (“artist’s light”) since the light is more consistent throughout the day and there is no sunlight to ruin their paintings! On the June morning we saw it, everything was beautiful -- nice light, trees outside the window, ivy covered walls across the courtyard, birds chirping, etc. East facing balconies are better to grow flowers that love tender sunlight. Also, if you are lucky enough to have a view such that you can catch the sunset over the Hudson River, you are in for a special NYC moment every night. East-facing is best for morning light, western exposure is best for afternoon light, southern exposure is best for strong light throughout the day, and northern exposure is best for soft lighting all day. (Keep in mind this article assumes your view is not a brick wall or that you are very close to another building. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. Of course, it also means the apartments will be on the darker side for the rest of the day. Frēlē and Leasebreak are free and transparent rental marketplaces to search for or post apartments for rent in NYC. Consider moving your succulents from the windowsill when outside temps drop below freezing. If there is a Miss Congeniality award, it would probably go to northern exposure. Or, click for more rental tips. Instagram: @philiphorigan, Phil has been a licensed NYC real estate agent since 2004 working for some of the top real estate brokerage firms in the industry. The diagram to the left shows how the sun is lower in the winter, while it is much higher in the summer. It depends! Deciduous trees can offer heat-reducing shading from high-angle summer sun, yet allow solar heat exposure when they lose their leaves in winter. Well, guess what? For some, it is not considered the best facing direction. Southern exposure. You can’t map your sun exposure in … Sun exposure. Southern exposure provides you with the most sunlight and heat. Note that you can get ANY exposure you want from the thousands of apartments on. North-facing views provide lighting that is consistent throughout the day, never too harsh or too dull. He founded Leasebreak.com in 2013, and Frēlē in 2017. But to each his own! (Video + Blog: Tip #8), Having worked in NYC real estate for 14 years, people often ask me what is the best kind of exposure to have: facing north, south, east, or west. If exposure to the sun is about 6 hours, you can grow geraniums and hollyhocks. North-facing rooms: 1. have good daylight most of the day 2. have solar gain for most of the day throughout the year 3. may require horizontal shading to prevent overheating in summer 4. have good passive solar gain in winter. As long as the windows were big and the view decent, you should get good light throughout the day. Western exposure. Tomatoes thrive in full sun and fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. What is the best facing direction for your apartment? Get actual times for sunrise and sunset for any day of the year for any location worldwide. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Here's what you should know about various directional exposures so you can orient a new house the right way on a lot, or deal with the windows you've already been dealt. Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia) "For jungle vibes," says The Sill's Eliza Blank. (North, South, West, East?) North-east corner units, north–south cross-over (split level) or cross-through (one side to the other) are ideal. Locating the dining room or breakfast nook on an east wall makes the most of light potential in the morning. When watching your garden area, factor in the effect trees, houses, and other buildings have on the sun exposure in your garden. Install Your Air Conditioning Unit on the Shady Side of Your Home to Increase Efficiency. A downside is that you don’t see the sun at all in the morning but if you are like me, rushing around like crazy anyway, it is the last thing on your mind anyway. Get started by entering an address in the box below and see how the terrain profile and sun curves change. This is why a south facing direction is often considered the best direction to face and is generally the most coveted exposure. If the site is very windy you may choose a single-storey design rather than multiple storeys to reduce the surface area exposed to the wind. Phil shot the video in the blog post with Susan Rosenberg Jones from Brown Harris Stevens. Frampton Co., for example, set up its office in a northern-facing room. Our website, archdigest.com, offers constant original coverage of the interior design and architecture worlds, new shops and products, travel destinations, art and cultural events, celebrity style, and high-end real estate as well as access to print features and images from the AD archives. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. , the free and honest real estate marketplace. Most vegetables need at least a minimum of six hours of sunlight to grow properly and a south facing vegetable garden works best in most locations for the biggest varieties of plants. The number and size of the windows. Other factors to consider when it comes to choosing the right BTU rating: ceiling height, room insulation, sun exposure, location (like whether it's in the kitchen or bedroom), and local climate. The day would not be the same if they could not have their breakfast with the sun beaming in. All rights reserved. Well, guess what? A Manhattan apartment by Michael S. Smith featuring both northern and southern exposures. Having the sun beam into your apartment right after you get home from a long day gives you an extra dose of energy. But highly personalized window treatments can mitigate the intensity: “Some clients love to wake up with the sun, in which case we’d match them with a high-transparency roller shade and decorative drapery. However other people might appreciate the benefits of other exposures. Go to frele.com to search for NYC apartments (free service). A cool-tone kitchen—like this one by Frampton Co.—would buffer warmer tones that will filter in from western exposure. For more NYC rental tips, please go to frele.com/learn. The BTU calculator and chart work best for standard room height. Solar access to living areas is highly desirable (except in the tropics). SOUTH FACING DIRECTION: A NYC apartment with Southern Exposure, NORTH FACING DIRECTION: A NYC apartment with Northern Exposure, EAST FACING DIRECTION: A NYC apartment with Eastern Exposure, WEST FACING DIRECTION: A NYC apartment with Western Exposure. “Generally north light is calming," Frampton explains. Designers tend to agree: Southern exposure is harsh. 5 Use Low-Light Plants In Dark Areas Though it is always a positive, not all views are created equal—not in terms of what’s outside the window, but rather which direction the window faces. When that happens, it doesn’t really matter which direction you are facing!). South-Facing Homes are Perfect for Cold Environments, If You Live Somewhere Warm then You Would Prefer North Facing to Reduce the Heat Brought in By the Sun! But there are downsides to facing south. The best exposure of windows will work in the living room, where the sun exposure is particularly desirable, because it is here where we rest and relax after work. Eastern exposure in a bedroom can be softened with strategic window treatments—roller shades being a must, as in this Houston guest room by Bruce Budd. East facing balcony receives 6 to 8 hours of sun, often between 8 am. If there is a Miss Congeniality award, it would probably go to northern exposure. A top floor apt, skylights would be a bonus for more NYC rental Market hours, you get! Revisit this article assumes your view you may even get to see the sunrise but this means. Want from the thousands of apartments on frēlē, the free and transparent rental to! 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