LIFESTYLE DOMICILE
Style and Storage in
Small Spaces A LOCAL AUTHOR SHARES SECRETS TO ORGANIZING HIS LAKEFRONT CONDO WITH FLAIR. BY MARK HAGEN
I
wasn’t sure what to expect after being invited to the home of a popular Milwaukee writer. The delightful, mild-mannered author didn’t strike me as the owner of a chic condo, but his easy-going nature and happy attitude piqued my interest as to his abode. I pulled into the parking lot of Bay View Terrace on South Shore Drive and was quickly met by the writer (who wishes to be anonymous). Once I stepped inside the 1,200-square-foot condo, I knew I found a wonderfully unique spot that perfectly combined the homeowner’s style with his need for storage.
DIVERSE BUT SYMMETRIC The writer sold his house in Washington Heights in 1996, making the change to condo living. “I wasn’t looking for a condominium,” he says, “but I happened to get a tour of some of the units here and realized this was a viable option.” A collector of books, art, music and more, the author quickly understood the need to combine storage with his own style. “The spaces in my home have to function properly, but I also like being surrounded in a space of my own making,” he says. “Nearly every piece of furniture and every bit of décor is from a resale shop in Milwaukee. Many of my acquisitions were happenstance yet affordable, particularly the artwork, much of which is from Russia’s late Soviet period.” When asked about his decorating style, he describes it as diverse but symmetric. “It’s eclectic for sure,” he notes. “I’m not one to buy a matching set of anything. That’s not to say that things are 60 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS
All photos by Tyler Nelson.
