Rehabbing An Uptown Condo

Earlier this spring B&A began work on rehabbing a condo in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. Our clients, Katie and Seth lived in a one bedroom on a lower level of the development and bought this particular condo because of the increased space (an additional bedroom as well as a sitting room off of the master) and because of the spectacular view of the cityscape this unit offered.

During our first meeting they expressed a desire to completely rehab the interiors of the condo so that it better fit their needs. So we came up with a plan to renovate the kitchen and the master bath as well customize many of the rooms with cabinetry and other design details. (Look for future blog posts on each room showcasing the transformation in each of these spaces. The “before” and “after” shots are amazing!)

Also in our first meeting two things were clear. One, both Katie and Seth are dyed in the wool (or shall I say “cotton”?!?) Southerners and expressed a desire to blend Southern charm and tradition into their décor. Two, both very busy professionals; they needed a dwelling that created sanctuary for them away from the busy, hectic pace of their individual careers.

To address the first need of blending some Southern charm and tradition, we played off of some of their favorite personal pieces they have collected from their childhood to adulthood – but more to come on that in future blog posts! This blog post is about how we addressed their second desire – a haven away from the hustle-bustle of life. To achieve this we chose a color palette of warm, earthy colors.

A calming array of colors

The color palette, provided by my favorite paint supplier, Benjamin Moore was chosen for what I call the “backdrop” to the interiors. Choosing these colors, the stage was set for creating a relaxed space to later be complimented by the furniture and furnishings we planned to include in the décor.

In the design plan, we playfully named some of the spaces to give homage to the feel of the space. For example, the sitting room off of the master we named “The Zen Room” as the plan was to make this space welcome respite from everything including technology of any sort. Benjamin Moore’s color, Palladian Blue was planned for the walls with the ceiling being Monterey White.

The guest bedroom/office was named “The Nantucket Room” as Katie loves anything beachy and has cherished artwork from her father that I wanted to make sure we honored. For that room we chose Benjamin Moore’s Quincy Tan – a wonderful color to play off of later.

For the main living spaces such as the living room and hallways we chose a soft neutral color, Benjamin Moore’s Monroe Bisque.

For the guest bath we choose a deeper color, Benjamin Moore’s Sea Pine. And by the way, yes-darker colors can be applied to walls in small spaces! By doing this, the space actually looks bigger!

Finally, for the Master Retreat we used a combination of colors. For the walls we chose Monroe Bisque and for the ceiling we chose Palladian Blue – only we reduced the formula by half. For the bath we again used Palladian Blue on the walls with Monterey White on the ceiling as we did in the Zen Room.

Wondering about the kitchen? More on that later as we chose a natural product – grass cloth for the walls.

Now to wet your appetite for more posts on the rehab of this wonderful condo, here are some “before” pictures taken at the beginning of construction. Enjoy!

Photo credits: Cameron Triggs Photography