An Elevator Building Means A Boxy Modern Condo. Help!
Dear Laurel,
My hat’s off to you for moving to a duplex condo. That means stairs– duh. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but DH and I, at the age of 63 and 66, have decided to sell our family home and move to a much smaller condo.
I’m not going to go into a whole thing, but my husband is insisting on an elevator building, with a concierge, health club, pool, and bingo on Thursday nights.
Joking about the bingo, but you get it.
Unfortunately, the only option for us is a modern condo– with boxy rooms, eight-foot ceilings, and zero character. Yuck.
Alas, I’m deferring to his better judgment. Therefore, we’re leaving our beautiful 2,800 square foot center hall colonial on a classic tree-lined street in Dayton, Ohio, for a 1,050 square foot two-bedroom modern condo. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get a lovely view.
We’re not super formal, and we certainly don’t want anything overblown. But what can we do to finesse our new modern condo into something classic? We want to turn our boxy space into a place we’ll enjoy, hopefully for many years to come.
Sincerely,
Becky in Dayton
***
Hi Becky,
What cracks me up is that I bet DH is going to use the stair machine at the health club. But I get it. He doesn’t want to have to use the stairs.
However, I will say that I adore my staircase and use it for exercise, especially when the weather is bad. Incidentally, for the four of you who are interested, haha, I’ve extended my walking and jogging track.
In the beginning, all I did was go around in circles between the living room and the den. Then, I realized how obnoxiously boring that was and included the kitchen and made the course a bit curvier.
But now, sometimes, every five laps or so, I’ve included the stairs and loop around the lower level. Mind you, I only started this fairly recently and haven’t done it much due to the wrist injury and then the monster cold. But with that, and other walking around, I’ve walked/run as much as two miles without ever leaving my home. haha
Okay, let’s get down to business.
You have the right idea. And before we begin, please know that you can turn any boxy, boring, soulless box of a home into something extraordinary.
How do I know?
Well, remember the fabulously talented Philip Mitchell’s former apartment in Toronto?
Of course you do. :]
Philip’s former apartment looked something like the one below when he purchased it. I know it looked like this because it’s in the same building on Yonge Street in Toronto.
So, if Philip can turn an apartment that looks like the one above and is located in the building below.
Into a stunning home that looks like…
Everyone’s favorite galley kitchen.
and this detail in the living room…
Almost anything is possible!
You would never know that underneath the artifice is a plain, boring, boxy, modern condo.
Of course, to be fair, based on my best estimate, this looks to be a ten-foot ceiling height. However, not every ceiling is that tall.
In addition, we don’t need a vaulted ceiling down the hall. For more images, including that extraordinary vaulted ceiling, please check out this gallery on 1stdibs, here.
The burning question is, how can we mere mortals attain this level of classic beauty for ourselves?
The answer is with architectural mouldings.
- However, which ones?
- What sizes?
- And what are the spacing and proportions?
Okay, this isn’t a new topic, but not everyone sees everything. Hell, even I forget what I’ve said, and I’ve written every post.
But, since this one is pretty fresh, let’s begin with my newly renovated Boston condo for some ideas.
One of the reasons I purchased this home was to use it as my laboratory of sorts. I will never confess how many hours I spent looking at beautiful mouldings from many sources.
I have to say that the polyurethane mouldings I got from Orac Decor, a Division of Outwater, are fantastic. They were easy for the guys to put up, no sanding, shrinking, cracking, or moving once they go up. And they come primed, ready to paint.
Most of the mouldings came from there, except for the panel mouldings downstairs, and all of the PLASTIC door casings. You would never know, except they are very beautiful and exceptionally crisp. I love them!
Below, you will find everything I used for my bedroom and bathroom, including the mouldings. (after the pretty pictures)
And yes, there’s the same crown moulding in all of those areas. It’s the most lovely small moulding, that acts as a small crown and ceiling panel, all in one.
The moulding in the next area is back to a nine-foot ceiling height.
Most of the ceilings are nine feet, except for the embrasure door, vanity, toilet, and shower areas.
I find that for the most part, you can use the same mouldings for an eight-foot ceiling as you can for a nine-foot ceiling.
I adore this view from the bedroom. And yes, I appreciate it every day. In fact, it feels like I’m living in a luxury hotel.
The only thing is… When I ring for room service, they are helluva slow. ;]
My Renovation Shopping List – Bathroom and halls (downstairs)
However, there will be some additional mouldings, plus I will spell out more specifically the best sizes and spacing.
In addition to the more traditional mouldings I usually present, I will also share some ideas for more pared-down mouldings if you’d like to keep your home in a more classic contemporary style. In other words, more modern.
Coming soon!
xo,
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