A Hidden Gem

Built in 1951, Robin Cole’s ranch-style home was one of the first houses in its section of Bellemeade. The 1,700 sq. ft. home has three bedrooms and two baths. “One of the first things we did was replace a huge tree on the side of the garage with a river birch,” she said. Additional landscaping added dimension to the home’s exterior. Cole painted the front door in a mid-century blue and also painted over the red brick and yellow siding for a more cohesive look.

“Why buy an older home if you’re just going to modernize everything?” asked Robin Cole, owner and interior designer for Robin’s Nest Interiors in Middletown, Ky. and homeowner of a 1,700 sq. ft. ranchstyle home built in 1951.

A 10th wedding anniversary gift from her husband, the grandfather clock rests on the original slate floor in the entry foyer. “We gave up a coat closet to add a full bath, so I added a coat rack in this area,” said Cole.

Four years ago, once Cole’s children left for college, she and her husband focused their desire to downsize on homes in the city of Bellemeade. In addition to the location, “It’s a hidden gem off of Shelbyville Road,” the couple liked the wide streets and tall trees in the neighborhood, as well as the variety of homes in the areas. “No two houses are alike,” said Cole.

“This is probably the tightest area in the house,” admitted Cole, who added that there is still room for a huge sideboard and two painted chairs along the back wall. On the left, this room leads down to the den in the home’s addition. On the right, this room opens to the kitchen.

As for this particular home, Cole said, “I bought it on a Tuesday while my husband was traveling for work, it had just gone on the market and we put an offer in that night.” Although she walked through the home using Facetime to show her husband the house on the day they made an offer, her family was underwhelmed when they saw it for the first time later that week. “They couldn’t see the potential,” she explained. By the time Cole talked through her vision, “My husband was fully on board. When he walks guests through our home now, there is a lot of pride in his voice.”

“The house is small, but the living areas are large,” explained Cole. “The previous owner, who lived here for 40 years, built a living area as an addition to the home. She also added a porch that we screened in to make a little slice of heaven in our backyard.” Four large windows in the back of the home overlook a magnolia tree and contribute to the overall open feeling. Cole added to the expansive feel of the home by opening a wall between the kitchen and dining area.

“The kitchen was closed off with saloon doors,” said Cole. “It sounds charming, but it was not.” Despite preferred updates, such as a peninsula and cabinet pantry in the kitchen, Cole stayed as true to the home’s original 1950s design as she could. “We saved elements like the slate floor in the foyer, louvered doors on the closets and exposed brick because that’s what you had back then.” What couldn’t be saved was replicated when possible. “Backsplashes in a kitchen weren’t popular in the 50s, but glass was. So, I used glass tile for our kitchen backsplash.”

The brick seen in this room was originally an exterior wall. “The previous homeowner added this portion of the house,” Cole explained. “We recovered existing furniture and put in a tile floor for the dogs.” Brad Anderson of Mike Anderson Wallcovering, a contractor Cole often works with when she is designing other home interiors, built the fireplace mantel to replicate a style common in the 1950s, when the original home was built.

“When we originally bought the house, we thought we’d enlarge the master to add a bath and laundry room,” said Cole. “We decided to live in the home awhile before we tackled that, and the longer we lived here, the more we liked what we had.” Instead of enlarging the master, Cole switched the master to a smaller bedroom that allowed for an ensuite bathroom. The smaller bedroom was not an issue for the couple. “We sleep in the bedroom, live in the living area,” she explained.

After four months of living in the home, Cole moved forward with other planned renovations. Working with contractor Brad Anderson of Mike Anderson Wallcovering, the laundry room was moved upstairs near the garage from an unfinished basement. “We gutted and redid both baths; pulled up carpet and refinished the beautiful hardwood floors underneath and tiled the den,” she said. “It can be more of a challenge to work with the space you have, but we achieved the flow of the house we wanted without another addition.”

“The kitchen faces to the front of the house,” Cole said. “I thought that might bother me, but the neighborhood has so many big trees that we still have privacy when we sit at the peninsula and look out.” Instead of true pendent lighting, “Which wasn’t possible because of how the cabinets opened,” Cole grouped the lighting at different heights for a similar effect.

Cole liked the mid-century vibe of the house, “But I didn’t want a home full of that decor.” Nods to the style are evident in the lighting and mirror over the fireplace. “Neutral palettes are nice and soothing, but they are not me. I enveloped the house in color using a mix of fabrics and patterns, that’s what makes me happy. Plaid lets you tie lots of color together throughout a home.”

While living in Atlanta, Ga., Cole worked in insurance and earned an MBA from Georgia State University. By the time she moved to Louisville 13 years ago, she decided to pursue an Associate’s Degree in Interior Design from Sullivan University. “Coming from Atlanta, I felt Louisville needed a store that sold unique finishing touches.” With that focus in the six years since she first opened her store, Cole has moved locations and doubled her retail space where she sells accessories, upholstery and furniture as well as works with clients on interior design projects.

The home’s original exposed brick is on display in the room, but the focal point is the tufted Chesterfield sofa in navy velvet. The bench near the baby grand piano, a 20th wedding anniversary gift from Cole’s husband, adds extra seating to the room and overlooks the back yard.

“My mantra is: At Robin’s Nest Interiors, we believe your home should reflect who you are, how you live and be filled with beautiful things you love.” In her own home, Cole has achieved that mantra. “For our stage of life, our home is just perfect.”

“Because this space is small, I found wrought iron beds to help keep the room open,” Cole said. The bold, floral pattern of the window treatment spans the length of the wall to add drama to the room.

Cole wanted the focus of this room to be the chest with painted birds. She added benches under the windows to create a seating area.

“The home’s original full bath opened to the hallway,” said Cole. “We closed that off and opened the bathroom to the bedroom.” The corner windows feature Roman shades. “An oversized headboard works in a small space like this,” explained Cole, who added that her favorite color is green.

The original flooring, a hexagon tile, was cracked beyond repair. Cole paid tribute to that design in her updated bathroom.