All That Glitters

A discerning client engages designer Grace Jones from Dwellings on Madison to create a one-of-a-kind Hollywood Regency-inspired penthouse.

Photos by Greg Grupenhof of Greg Grupenhof Photography

Only a few locations in the tri-state area offer 270’ views of downtown and the river. Often, it takes a personal connection or repetitive inquiries to find such opportunities when they come available; in this case, it was a combination of both. Having already lived in Adams Place for a few years, the client was very keen on moving up into the building’s penthouse. The client continued to connect with the owners for five years until they were ready to sell. When the transaction finally closed, the new owner received the keys to a penthouse that had remained untouched since 1994, the year it was completed.

Coming from a well-traveled background and profession in jewelry design, the client immediately decided to gut the condo and redo it to her preferences and style. As the project commenced, she soon realized that she needed help from a fellow globetrotter with a keen design eye. Enter Grace Jones from Dwellings on Madison.

Grace Jones founded Dwellings on Madison in 2011, but her career in design spans more than 25 years. Following early discussions with the client shortly after being brought on board, Jones devised a concept that displays a discernable Hollywood Regency bent with a unique twist that also employs aspects of Art Deco and contemporary design.

“We wanted to create modern and glamorous rooms that feel like you are stepping into a high-end hotel,” explained Jones. Given her client’s background in refined jewelry design, Jones added that “we were very precise with our use of metals, depth of tones, and adding in sparkle with some of the lighting.”

Working within a color palette of taupe, blacks, and grey, the designer and client were very specific in combining metals— primarily gold accents— as well as silver and black finishes to layer pops of interest atop the neutral background. “Ultimately, our design was to create warmth in the space, as the penthouse gets so much natural light, we wanted to enhance the views and the natural lighting throughout the space.”

Upon entering the penthouse off the elevator, guests walk through a foyer of beveled mirrored walls. In here, a flair for the dramatic comes courtesy of black and white marble floors, gold accents from a metal console placed beneath a colorful painting framed in gold, a design carried throughout the penthouse. A rotunda in the greeting room awaits with a trio of doorways leading to spaces with three distinct vistas.

The principal multi-purpose living space offers views out across the Ohio River. Multiple sitting and socializing areas rest atop black marble tiled floors. A large tufted leather sofa with accent chairs and a Lucite cocktail table face a custom U-shaped lounge bar with black suede stools trimmed in gold. The bar’s mirrored back wall reflects the views outside and serves as a stylish storage space for fine glassware and decorative adult beverages. Behind the tufted leather sofa, a cozy sitting area of lounge chairs faces a black Art Deco-style trimmed fireplace and custom built-in bookshelves. Beyond the sofa sitting area, Jones added color through four castered emerald green lounge chairs that surround an antique game table. The chairs are channel back stitched and trimmed with gold nail heads.

A side hall leads to an eat-in kitchen, where the flooring transitions to natural wood floors laid in a herringbone pattern to encourage the eye to travel to the view from the rear windows. Wood accents also appear on the built-in Sub Zero refrigerator panel door. Black with white-veined granite grace the countertops, backsplash, and an island with a waterfall edge. Black cabinetry is a perfect complement to the granite. Jones added accents in gold hardware and a custom gold hood, and gold-trimmed counter stools.

Adjacent to the kitchen is a television room whose walls sport Schumacher grasscloth. A taupe leather sofa sits atop a Stark woven wool carpet. Here, as well as other places, artwork from local artists Trish Weeks and Marc Wavra, dutifully placed by Jones, adds pops of color. The herringbone floors appear again in the custom-designed study whose focal point is a hand-painted Louis Vuitton desk.

In the master suite, Jones brought in Stark carpet with a grey animal print pattern. The fireplace picks up the herringbone pattern in the marble back panel. The high tufted king bed is a statement piece, while overhead, a crystal cut chandelier overhead adds a touch of purposeful sparkle. The inside wall is ideal for custom built-ins that hide daily clothes and linens, while the custom walk-in offers a more glamorous display. Here, black stained, high-gloss lacquered display cabinets adorn the walls to house the clients’ custom jewelry collection, shoes, and clothes. The master bathroom picks back up the black marble floors and walls of the walk-in shower. Again, Jones dutifully places touches of gold on the hardware and uses crystal in the lighting and accent pulls.

Thanks to a collaboration of connoisseurs, even if you stripped away the covetable views that drew the homeowner to this penthouse unit, the eyes of the beholder would continue to be delighted at every turn.