STORY OF A HOUSE

BUILDING CHARACTER

Against a backdrop of raw brick and railroad track, lawyer Tucker Idol crafted himself a funky urban condo

by AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE

photographs by CATHERINE NGUYEN

At first glance, you might think you have Tucker Idol figured out: he’s a young guy who works as an attorney and lives downtown to shorten his commute to the firm on Fayetteville Street. But take a look at his apartment, and you’ll see another side: The cool industrial loft is filled with furniture and art he’s made himself, plus thoughtful DIY design details that give the space a unique and decidedly creative feel. Idol lives in The Cotton Mill, a textile processing mill turned condo building across the tracks, literally, from Seaboard Station. The building was converted for residential living in the 1990s, and maintains many original architectural details,

UNFINISHED PRODUCT

The first thing Tucker Idol did in his new space? Flipped the color scheme. He painted the walls white and the trim and doors grey, instead of the more-usual grey walls, white trim. Exposed wooden beams and metal covering the bar rough-up the more conventional kitchen backsplash. Above, Frenchdoor-style windows are the wall of Idol's lofted master bedroom. Previous page: The art above the dining table was one of Idol's early experiments in painting. The table he cast himself from concrete – “It weighs a ton!”

including 125-year-old wooden beams, 12-foot-tall windows, and exposed brick walls. These days, the 50-unit building is an established downtown condo with a quirky group of residents and an HOA that, according to Idol, throws a great building-wide party. The Raleigh native returned to his hometown after a fiveyear stint in Los Angeles for law school and work, and the appeal of being able to walk to work, restaurants, nightlife, and the gym was undeniable. “The location is equidistant from downtown and Glenwood South, with new development along Peace Street improving the sidewalks and crosswalks to both locations,” says Idol. Under the guidance of his father, Scott Idol, a commercial architect at HagerSmith Design who advocates for simplicity in design, Idol tweaked the space to make it work for himself and his rescue dog, Reggie. “I’m drawn to a mixture of industrial, modern, and mid-century styles,” says Idol, who likes to use unexpected materials and color schemes to create a warmer, modern look. To get it just right, he often makes his own furniture and artwork. These skills came through a mix of natural talent, YouTube, and practicality.

RUGGED DETAILS

Above: The TV console was one of Tucker Idol’s first DIY pieces. “It’s actually flat-packable, held together with pins. I could only buy materials I could fit into a sedan, so I bought copper pipe and red oak and had Home Depot make all the cuts,” says Idol. He used the coffee table as a desk in his last apartment, but switched out the legs to make it work here. Next to the console is another one of Idol's early experiments in painting: a goofy portrait of a friend. Idol painted it using a credit card as a paintbrush for a deliberately textured, imprecise feel. At left: The tufted leather couch is a favorite spot for dog Reggie to look out the window.

ROOM WITH A VIEW

Clockwise from above: Tucker Idol added a wall to the upstairs loft to create separate spaces for sleeping and working. Originally an open loft, the French-door-style windows help manage the sound that comes in from the train tracks outside. Idol made the headboard himself, too, one of his few forays into upholstery; A bike repurposed into a tiered table is another Idol custom creation; Enclosing the upstairs area is a 12-foot-tall rolling door that Idol installed. He added the corrugated metal to give the narrow space more interest and texture. “All day I sit behind the computer, so I needed to do something with my hands,” says Idol. “Plus, it’s eye-popping how much modern furniture can cost.” After doing some calculations, Idol realized that it would be cheaper to buy all the materials and tools to make the furniture himself – even if he screwed up the first version so badly he had to throw it away and start over. So Idol started making trips to the hardware store, learned his way around a welder, and got to work making this space completely his own. The result: a funky character-rich space with vintage charm and everyday comfort.

HEADSPACE

At left: One of Tucker Idol’s favorite areas in the unit is the open office loft, a light-filled place to work from home. “Reggie likes to lay at the edge of the loft while I work to watch his friends in the dog park below,” says Idol. The desk is a newly built piece using one of his new favorite techniques, welding. “It’s basically like using a high- powered hot glue gun.”

Below left: Idol made the console table along the wall from a rawedge slab and hairpin legs he found on Amazon.

Below right: The Cotton Mill building on Capital Boulevard in downtown Raleigh.