At Home: Lofty Ideas

from Savannah Magazine March/April 2021

by Savannah Magazine

Old Savannah: City Market

STYLE

AT HOME

Lofty Ideas

A tech-forward, downtown apartment still invites serenity

Written by MARGARET DANIEL / Photography by BEAU KESTER Stylingby JON PETERS and BROOKE GRESHAN

GOOD THINGS COME to those who wait, and Kyle Nikola willingly put in his time. After relocating to Savannah in 2009 to begin his career in the funeral home profession, Nikola decided he wanted to put down roots in Savannah’s Historic District.

Discouraged after a lengthy apartment search and an unsuccessful auction bid, a developer friend showed Nikola a third-floor unit in a historic building on Whitaker Street. He excitedly snapped up the apartment and moved into the 20-unit building soon afterward. But after a visit to the sixth-floor penthouse apartment, Nikola knew that eventual ownership of his neighbors’ home was a fait accompli. Finally, in 2019, 10 years after that fateful visit to the top floor, the unit came up for sale, and Nikola sealed the deal.

The apartment was his, but its style was far from it. With a cluttered and chopped up kitchen, ‘90s fixtures everywhere, and layers of peeling paint masking wooden beams, the effect was more outdated throwback and less modern bachelor pad. Eager for an overhaul, the homeowner enlisted the help of Savannah designer Jon Peters, and the duo got to work.

Masculine, clean, sleek and clutter-free were Nikola’s demands. And with such an emotionally involved profession, Nikola “needed things to be minimal, so I could come home and decompress.” With these aims in mind, the year-long renovation started. Walls removed, appliances scrapped and beams exposed, Peters transformed the flow of the apartment, paying homage to the original architectural elements while creating the ultimate entertainment pad.

Now, Nikola has room for a billiards table, plasma screen televisions in every living space (and bathroom!) and an extensive sound system complete with speakers and subwoofers. “There are literally speakers in every room,” Nikola says. “They’re even in my closet.”

A tech enthusiast, Nikola also asked Peters to make his apartment a smart home. “I had to do a lot of research into smart switches and appliances to see how all this stuff worked,” Peters recalls. “It is

The high-tech home features plasma screen televisions in every living space — and every bathroom, too.

The kitchen’s modern fixtures and finishes balance a rough-hewn, industrial-inspired beam.

A moody color palette marries the open-concept space while still offering distinct zones.

definitely the most tech-forward project I’ve ever done.”

This research paid off by simplifying Nikola’s life (everything can be controlled with his cellphone) and enhancing his at-home hosting. Sonos speakers, which carry sound consistently throughout the entire space, white wine coolers and a chewy ice machine, with pieces “like the kind you get at Chick-fil-A,” are Nikola’s entertaining accessories of choice.

Fortunately, high design and high tech aren’t mutually exclusive. From the time Nikola walks through the elevator doors — the entrance to his penthouse — his apartment continues to wow.

In the kitchen, hardware and fixtures in black nickel, chrome and matte black offer an edgy contrast to brass. In the center of the room, a black-and-white, waterfall-edge peninsula makes a graphic statement while offering guests a place to perch between the kitchen and living area. Nikola’s favorite feature in his modern chef’s kitchen, besides the chewy ice machine? “The microwave,” he says, laughing. “I don’t cook.” So, instead of spending time in the kitchen, guests move between Nikola’s Restoration Hardware Cloud sofa and billiards table, watching a football game on one of the many televisions or playing a few rounds of pool.

The living spaces flow together with the help of a concise color palette of blues, warm wood tones and metallic finishes (Peters updated the existing fireplace, cladding it in metal). Furnishings and accessories from Arteriors mingle with pieces from more accessible retailers like HomeGoods and T.J. Maxx, lending a masculine-chic vibe without feeling precious.

These aesthetic choices are continued in the bedrooms, where simple, upholstered beds and linear credenzas sit atop rugs with abstract designs, adding interest without being overpowering. In the bathrooms, tiles in white, gray and a variety of scales and shapes create an elegant visual contrast to the apartment’s color palette. The powder room and back hall offer a different kind of

Natural textures and patinas keep the space from skewing too modern.

Mid-century-inspired tiles and wood tones feel clean and fresh in an otherwise white bathroom. The master suite includes a large soaking tub, honoring the homeowner’s request for a space to decompress.

ABOVE: Designer Jon Peters calls the abstract, Philip Jeffries wallpaper in the powder room one of his “favorite elements.”

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Peters created intentional repetition in color and materials: the same teal, hexagonal backsplash is also in the laundry room.

“I had to do a lot of research into smart switches and appliances to see how all this stuff worked, It is definitely the most tech-forward project I’ve ever done.”

—Jon Peters, interior designer

contrast, thanks to the abstract Phillip Jeff ries vinyl wallcovering. Nikola trusted Peters with the bold print and, as the designer now says, “it’s one of my favorite elements in the whole apartment.”

Perched six fl oors above the street, another standout feature of Nikola’s apartment is just outside his windows. “I don’t think anyone else in Savannah has a view like this,” Peters says, motioning. Nikola’s master bedroom and living room face the gleaming, golden dome of City Hall, its refl ection dancing on his apartment’s dark walls. Out another set of windows the Talmadge Memorial Bridge rises at the end of Oglethorpe Avenue.

Thrilled with a space that refl ects his sense of style, Nikola is happily settled in his dream home, 10 years in the making. “Every morning I look out my windows and think, ‘I am the luckiest guy in the world.’”

The home’s living spaces and bedrooms all share an enviable view of City Hall, the Talmadge Memorial Bridge and the Savannah River.

DETAILS*

Owner: Kyle Nikola Year purchased: 2019 Square footage: 3,300 square feet Number of bedrooms and bathrooms: 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms

Time to complete renovation/remodel: 1 year Architects/planners: J. Elder Studio, Jon Peters Design Interior designer: Jon Peters Design Project management: Konstrukt Savannah

Contractor/builder: Konstrukt Savannah, Sabillon Painting & Flooring Paint/wallpaper: Edwina Scarborough, Phillip Jeffries, Sabillon Painting & Flooring Windows/doors: Guerry Lumber Kitchen design: Jon Peters Design Bath design: Jon Peters Design, Sandpiper Supply Lighting design: Jon Peters Design Electrician: Konstrukt Savannah

Audio/visual: 21st Century Distributors

Carpenter: Konstrukt Savannah

Plumber: Guy Boyd Plumbing Plumbing fixtures: Sandpiper Supply Window shades: Savannah Blinds

Tile: Garden State Tile Bench cushions: Carlette Cormier

Pool table: Plank & Hyde Furniture: Jon Peters Design Appliances: Billy Wood Appliance Art: Savannah Framing Company Styled by: Jon Peters, Brooke Greshan

Plants provided by: The Botanical Babe

Countertops: Counterparts Inc.

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