Before you move in, it’s good to have a little Floorplay.
That was the big idea Pratt Institute School of Architecture graduate Batya Cohen spawned as the pandemic raged back in 2020, when she pivoted from working for a few firms to taking on freelance assignments helping friends plan the layouts of the homes they would suddenly be spending a lot more time in.
The now 27-year-old Cohen realized she had a knack for making things flow around those abodes and, thanks to her knowledge of design software, was able to put the ideas in her head on paper so clients could get a clear view of what their living spaces would look like — square foot by square foot — once everything was put in place.
“I quickly found I had a flair for making living spaces more livable,” she said.
With the help of her husband Benji, Cohen figured out a way to scale up what was quickly becoming a company, and Floorplay was born. The fledgling firm took on jobs building schematic design sets, architectural surveys, test fit plans, marketing plans, furniture layouts and any computer assisted design-related work for clients that included real estate professionals, interior designers, retail businesses, office tenants, homeowners, contractors, and even architects.
“We pretty much didn’t say no to anyone,” she said. “We are not licensed architects, but instead focus on giving some clients the ideas they need to take to architects. That saves on the time it takes to come up with plans, which saves money in the long run.”
Launched in November of 2020, Cohen has used word of mouth and social media to branch out, and says she now has nearly 100 clients including such big real estate firms as Douglas Elliman, Related and Newmark.
“As a retail broker specializing in tenant representation in Brooklyn, I’ve toured countless spaces with clients that don’t offer accurate floorplans,” said Newmark’s Alex Hedaya. “Upon the first tour of a space, I always like to connect my tenants with Floorplay.”
And Oren Altmark of the Altmark Group said he brought on Floorplay to create layouts for a new, mixed-use 28-unit project in the Bronx, which help potential renters figure out what their apartments would look like once the furniture was brought in.
“It goes a long way in marketing and lease-up, especially in regards to studio layouts where prospective tenants sometimes lack the vision of how they would lay out the units,” he said.
Cohen added she is proud of the fact she’s found her niche in a field that has long been dominated by men.
“If you took the program I took at Pratt 50 years ago, there would be very few women in the class,” she said. “Now, it’s about 50-50, but many of those women don’t end up going into the field. That’s why it’s exciting for me to have a mostly female-based firm.”