13 minute read
Inspiration in Balance
Inspiration Balance in
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High on a hill in Newport, Ky. with stunning views The patterned chair and ottoman, in many ways the center of the overlooking the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline sits home’s inspiration, is placed to be seen from anywhere and everya 3,000 square foot, three-story condominium recently where in the open area. renovated by interior designer Tom Kordenbrock of Kordenbrock Interiors. Having worked closely with the homeowners on four Upstairs, a more spatial feeling to the loft was created by reprevious properties, Kordenbrock was given the green light to placing the half railing with glass panels. To enhance the sense design as he saw fit. “They told me to go for it!” of height and airiness, Kordenbrock chose carpet with a tree pattern in soft gray. The door to the master bathroom upstairs Going for it began with gutting it. “Over the course of 10 months, was removed for more openness. we removed walls, added walls, redid the kitchen and baths and finished the basement,” Kordenbrock said. With such extensive work, “The jacuzzi, with silvered dimensional ceramic tile, was a priority unexpected delays were inevitable. “The valves didn’t arrive with in the master bath,” Kordenbrock explained. That same silvered the faucets, so that held up the tile work. The electrician was held dimensional ceramic tile trims the shower. Chalky white tile floors, up while the wood floors were being refinished. The door handles deep plumb walls and a soft, subtle yellow ceiling complete the came in backwards,” the designer said with a sigh. color scheme. “I’m not afraid of painting a ceiling something other than white,” said Kordenbrock. In this room, the sensational, cirHowever, the results were worth the wait. “The owners said cular chandelier from Hubbardton Forge, “Shows up prettier on this home changed their lives. It was everything they wanted,” yellow than it would on white.” Kordenbrock proudly exclaimed. “I’ve done so many things for this couple over the years that I can speak to their tastes.” Where the main floor was designed with greens, blues and touches of raspberry; and the upstairs features silver, deep plumbs and “We’d discuss what they wanted and how they felt about things,” soft yellows in the bathroom, “The lower level was done with Kordenbrock said of working with his clients. Knowing their prefa completely feeling,” Kordenbrock said. Downstairs, the batherences as well as the art and furniture they owned and wanted to room and laundry have barn doors with a dark brown wood stain use, Kordenbrock pulled inspiration from fabrics, furniture, lamps, for a warmer, more casual look. Faux wood flooring was used window treatments and wallpaper in his interior design studio. “I’d throughout the lower level with greys and beiges mixed into the show them things at the studio and they’d say, ‘We love it, do it!’” wood grain to reference the tone of birch trees.
Understanding their love of color was key to designing the home. Beginning with a large, colorful triptych, the designer then found a distinctive chair and ottoman with patterned swirls of soft mint green, ocean blue and raspberry red. These colors were intertwined throughout the main floor of the home; the high walls were painted soft mint green and the cross walls became ocean blue while raspberry red throw pillows added pops of color to the sofas and chairs. A raspberry red rug was placed under the dining table, blue cabinets were set in the kitchen.
The blue floating sofa is precisely sized and placed in the great room with space on both sides to walk around without causing bottle neck. A green chair backed against the towering windows connects the floor with greens in the triptych and on the high walls. One of the home’s more exceptional features is the custom-made iron work. Designed exclusively by Kordenbrock and crafted by Patrick Dalton of Elegant Iron Studios, the wavy, horizontally crisscrossing iron railings simulate the flowing river. “In the views from the home, you don’t see the river but you know the water is there,” Kordenbrock said of his intention. That design is carried through every floor of the home, from the stair railings to a mullion in the kitchen to the fire screen in the great room.
“Everything is connected in this home,” Kordenbrock said of this design. “There is balance everywhere you look.”
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Interior designer Tom Kordenbrock was tasked with remodeling this 3,000 square foot condominium in Newport, Ky. The dazzling results were as dramatic as the views overlooking the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline.
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Clear from this view are the home’s design inspiration; a colorful triptych that rests high on a ledge as well as the vibrantly patterned fabric on the chair and ottoman that sit in front of the floor to ceiling windows.
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3 “I picked up on circular designs and purposefully used that design to connect the home,” Kordenbrock said, noting mirrors in the dining room, the glass curio cabinet with a puka shell dome, sculptures placed on wall ledges, the buffet with chrome hardware, the pattern of the chair and matching ottoman and even a chandelier in the master bath. Kordenbrock’s use of ocean blue cross walls intersecting mint green high walls is seen with the loft above and view through to the kitchen below.
4 Influenced by the nearby Ohio River, Kordenbrock designed the iron railing that leads to the lower and upper levels of the home. A painting of poppy flowers adds a pop of raspberry to the stairwell.
5 A collection of tiles line the galley kitchen. Above the white quartz countertops are two rows of accent tiles. One is an 8-inch, two-toned blue square tile that extends above the range and on both sides of the hood. The second is a horizontal pencil trim tile with a waved pattern. Unlike typical smooth, white subway tiles, the next section is a beveled ceramic that connects back to the soft, beige veins in the quartz countertops.
6 Hints of balance and connection in Kordenbrock’s interior design are seen with the geometric, raspberry red area rug from Shaw Floors under the dining table and in the poppy painting from the stairwell leading downstairs reflected in the mirror. Central to that same mirror is a circle, the same shape repeated in the adjoining great room.
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7 “I wanted to add the round chandelier from Hubbardton Forge to this room in the worst way,” Kordenbrock said, admitting he was not sure the light would clear the shower. “It was a risk, but in the end, we were able to control the height of the shower and make it work.” The purple and yellow valences are cut in angles to mimic the Cincinnati skyline.
8 Space is maximized upstairs by hanging the television in the stairwell leading to the master bedroom. “What looks like a framed scene of a dock at sunset on the sideboard is really the TV above the stairs,” Kordenbrock explained.
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9 “My client is a retired doctor,” Kordenbrock said, explaining hospital charts the two men found at a gallery in downtown Cincinnati. “I layered the charts on the wall to offset them for more interest.”
When the current homeowners first saw this historic downtown Lexington property in 2015, they knew they’d found home. Bult in phases, with portions completed in 1818, 1840 and 1871, this stately property on West Short Street had great bones—and great potential.
Blending Old & New
By Robin Roenker Photography by Walt Roycraft
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2 The formal living room offers a striking juxtaposition of old and new, thanks to the pairing of the ultramodern double-circle chandelier and antique gilded mirror. The walls are in White Dove by Benjamin Moore—a soft soothing color used throughout the house. The doorway between the formal living room and TV room, like others in the home, was made wider and taller to maximize the feel of openness in the living space. “Our goal was to make it feel light and dreamy,” said designer Sherry Feeney.
When Jill Hall Rose and her husband, Austin Mehr, first laid eyes on their historic downtown Lexington property in 2015, they knew they’d found home. Bult in phases, with portions completed in 1818, 1840 and 1871, their stately property on West Short Street had great bones—and great potential.
“It was very important for us to honor and preserve the historic nature of the home while incorporating contemporary design,” said Hall Rose.
To bring their modern design dream to fruition, Hall Rose turned to interior designer Sherry Feeney of Forecast Interiors, who devised a plan to bring a French Modern aesthetic to the space.
“We wanted the space to look like a home in Paris that blends super modern furnishings within a traditional, older home. Our goal was a glamorous, modern look, while honoring and celebrating the home’s tall ceilings and beautiful woodwork,” said Feeney. “I specialize in mixing super old with super new.”
A New Chapter
As downtown Lexington attorneys, both Hall Rose and Mehr love the convenience of living in the city center, close to their work, Rupp Arena and downtown dining and entertainment.
“We wanted to be able to walk to dinner, to walk to ballgames, and to also be around a community and neighborhood that wanted to preserve Lexington’s history,” said Hall Rose. “That was very important to us.”
The 4,800-square foot home features five bedrooms and four and a half baths along with original, poplar wood flooring throughout. Every room has its own Rumford fireplace, an angled, shallow style that was cutting-edge at the time the home was built.
“We were very proud to be able to preserve the flooring as well as all the fireplaces,” said Hall Rose.
One of the biggest changes Hall Rose and Mehr made to the property was to open the entryways to each room to make them taller and wider. “That gave us the open feel we were looking for, so now you can really see the expanse of the house and the beautiful ceilings,” Hall Rose said. Wall colors were kept white throughout to maximize the breezy, open feel.
The redesign also combined two former, smaller bedrooms and a laundry room to create a new, dedicated master bathroom, which features both a standalone shower and a soaking tub.
To bring in a French modern aesthetic, Feeney incorporated avant-garde design pieces into the home’s décor—such as the very streamlined, very modern, double-circle chandelier in the living room—juxtaposed with more traditional, antique pieces, like the gilded mirror that anchors the space above the living room fireplace.
In the dining room, old and new meet again, thanks to the pairing of a streamlined, custom marble dining table flanked by modern white chairs accented by a traditional-style, antique chandelier. “Jill is such a fashion-forward customer, and Austin, too, is a design junkie, so the two of them really allowed me to push forward this look, but it’s also their look,” Feeney said.
Outside, the couple maximized the property’s large backyard by installing a unique, contemporary-style pool with slate decking. “We wanted a space that we could enjoy and have people over for dinner parties and gatherings. And it’s been that type of space,” said Hall Rose. “We’ve had so many opportunities to have friends and family together, laughing and enjoying the property.”
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3 The dining room features a very sleek, custom dining table made from solid white granite paired with a stainless steel and lucite base. The custom cabinetry adds a unique space for the homeowners to display barware and serving pieces, while the oversized oval mirrors from Restoration Hardware accentuate the height and openness of the room.
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4 The TV room features a striking blue velvet couch accentuated by a cowhide rug. Here, as in every room of the house, the natural popular wood flooring and original fireplace were restored and preserved. To convey a French Modern aesthetic, the room blends sleek modern pieces – such as the white leather recliner and side table with metal accents – alongside more traditional elements like the Asian-inspired bar cart and ornate gold mirror.
5 The breakfast nook features a distinctive custom bar that includes wine storage and a wine cooler plus a unique hidden feature: it can roll away from the wall to provide access to the home’s crawl space underneath. “That was a fun design feature of the home,” Feeney said. The oversized white leather couch offers plenty of spots to sit and enjoy stunning views of the backyard pool.
6 The master bedroom incorporates a soaring, wrought-iron four-poster bed that owner Jill Hall Rose has owned for years. “It’s one of her favorite pieces,” Feeney said. “We glammed it up and paired it against the room’s brick fireplace, so it offers a fun, almost-industrial look.” The bedroom, like several spaces in the home, features a natural animal hide rug – one of Feeney’s signature touches.
7 The master bathroom was designed by combining two former bedrooms and a laundry room. “Architect John Dehart designed the en suite bath, including the unique, private toilet room that is divided by a custom, frosted-glass wall,” Feeney said. The standalone shower and double-vanity backsplash are both tiled in Carrara marble, which plays against the original wood floors nicely. The room features its original fireplace (not shown), adding a touch of rustic charm to balance the otherwise modern feel.
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8 This bedroom, accentuated by soft pinks, is used by the homeowners’ daughter, Alexa Rose, who has returned home following her recent graduation from Loyola University. Feeney wanted the space to feel “really natural and fresh— not childlike,”—a look befitting a young woman launching into adulthood. “I filled it with pieces I thought she might want to take to her own home in the future,” Feeney said.
9 This guest bedroom is part of the home’s mezzanine level— situated between the second and third floors—just above the kitchen. It may have originally been used as a maid’s quarters. The exposed beams and original brick fireplace add charm to the intimate space, while the windows overlooking the pool and side yard give the cozy feel of being in a treehouse-like retreat.
10 The modern, Italian-inspired backyard pool, designed by Geddes Pools of Nicholasville, features gunite construction and slate decking. “We love it. It just gives a great flow to the outside area,” said Hall Rose. To complement the pool space, Mehr designed and installed a custom backyard grill station, also in slate (not shown).
HOME CREDITS:
Architect & General Contractor John Dehart, Dehart Architecture, Lexington, KY
Interior Design Sherry Feeney, Forecast Interiors, Lexington, KY
Pool Design and Installation D.J. Geddes, Geddes Pools, Nicholasville, KY
Landscape Installation Glynn Young’s Landscaping & Nursery Center, Nicholasville, KY
Artwork Frankie York, New Editions Gallery, Lexington, KY
