Project Reveal: The Loft at 58
This past fall we finished what has been so far our favorite project as a newly established Interior Design company. Our clients Christine and David Ball had a random meeting (usually how business comes to a new company) with my dad at a local pub in Traverse City, and during their conversation they mentioned they just bought a 1092 square foot condo that was being built at the Grand Traverse Commons. They also mentioned that they were from Kentucky and planned on making Traverse City their primary residence, so they were looking for a designer to help them make this condo a home while they were away. So of course my dad gave them our information and that brought us to meet the Ball’s.
Right away I was excited for this opportunity because the building that the condo was being constructed at was part of a structure that I used for my senior thesis project in college. I used the blueprints of what was then a vacant structure and created my own wellness center on AutoCAD and paper. From that coincidence, and the fact that the Ball’s were one of the most fun and interesting couples I’ve ever met, I knew this project was right for us.
David and Christy lived in Kentucky and knew of the Traverse City area because they are avid cyclists (and even ride together on their own tandem) and they have made some bike trips through the area. They of course fell in love with the area and when it came to a time of their life where they wanted to experience something new they bought a condo at The Lofts at 58. When I did the walk through, not even the drywall was installed yet. We had to help design this condo from the ground up while the clients were 600 miles away, and with technology at our hands we were up to the challenge and could not wait to get started.
3D Render of The Lofts at 58 https://www.thevillagetc.com
Front door looking into the condo.
Only window in the space with a raised ceiling.
Looking into the bedroom, with the walk-in closet on the right and bathroom on the left.
A little history:
The Lofts at 58 is a warehouse conversion of historic ‘Building 58’ in The Village of Grand Traverse Commons. The Village is nationally recognized as one of the most unique historic preservation and mixed-use redevelopments in the country. Formally named the Northern Michigan Asylum, the structure was constructed in 1883 and is 300,000 square feet and 1/4 mile long. The asylum served 39 counties and the philosophy of the founder Dr. James Decker Munson was “Beauty is Therapy”. He believed If patients were surrounded by a beautiful environment their emotional and mental state would be uplifted. Everything from the architecture to the surrounding environment was carefully and beautifully designed to positively effect the patients staying there.
More information about the history of the Village at https://www.thevillagetc.com
https://www.thevillagetc.com
https://www.thevillagetc.com
https://www.thevillagetc.com
The area is located in the heart of Traverse City and is surrounded by over 300 acres of preserved parkland and trails. The Village has many local favorites like cafes, a wood-fired bakery, a winery, a microbrewery, boutiques, and award winning restaurants. This area really reflects the original philosophy of “Beauty is Therapy”, and it is no surprise that the Ball’s wanted to call this spot their new home.
The design of the Lofts at 58 is a clean mid century modern style and they kept the warehouse vibe with a concrete structure, huge new window walls, high ceilings, heated indoor parking, and some units have patios and terraces.
3D Render of The Lofts at 58 https://www.thevillagetc.com
Floor Plan
The Project:
The Ball’s have some beautiful primitive furniture pieces in their inventory, but were wanting to mix it with more modern elements in the design which would integrate the modern design of the structure. They already had the wood flooring and tile selected for the condo. The geometric glass backsplash tiles in the kitchen and bathroom are green and blue colors, which reflects the surrounding water and forests in the Northern Michigan area.
When it came to paint we wanted a combination of colors that created a calm environment while also including a feature wall or two with a print or bold color. Clare Paint has a beautiful palette with very functional peel and stick color samples. We were able to easily decide on a color combination with the large color samples, and found a geometric wallpaper for the TV wall that closely represents the kitchen tile that lied on the wall parallel to it. We chose the color Snow Day for most of the walls in the condo which made the space light and bright. We also chose a more deep and dark navy color called Goodnight Moon for one side of the hallway and part of the living space. This was a color choice that the Ball’s wouldn’t have thought they would go for, but they were open to the idea and it ended up adding a lot of dimension to the space. In the bedroom we used the color Make Waves on one wall where the headboard would be against to create a sense of serenity and calm.
We ended up choosing a different wallpaper from Brewster Home Fashions that had a larger scale so the TV wall didn’t seem too busy once they hung up art pieces in the future. The geometric print of the wallpaper is faint and metallic, so it created a ton of interest without being too much.
The Ball’s trusted our ideas and wanted to have some fun with the design decisions of their new home, which was music to our ears. Besides the wallpaper we added some flare with the light fixtures and hardware. One of the design challenges was deciding what kind of dining space to create. The Ball’s decided that a dining table with an large chandelier in front of the main window would not be very functional for their lifestyle. Also there was not a ton of space for a standard-sized kitchen island with barstools. Instead we combined the idea of a table and an island, and space planned for a narrow counter-height table with stools that would be placed behind the sofa for eating while watching a favorite movie. We installed concrete pendants in the kitchen area that will eventually lie above this dining counter, and it visually ties in the exposed concrete columns in the space. The concrete lights were probably my favorite design decision for the condo.
Furniture Concept Board
The wall sconces in the hallway are set up to be potential art lights, and the ceiling fixtures were another out of the box decision that the Ball’s ended up being very happy with. A glass shower door has now been installed and unique furniture pieces are starting to fill up the space (and the clients have found the furniture themselves and I am very impressed with their awesome taste).
Don’t worry, I will make a progress post this year to see how everything ties together once they are all settled into their new home! For now Traverse City welcomes you David and Christy, and we hope you love this village as much as we do.
It is so rewarding to work on a project like this, with the perfect clients and a huge appreciation for the location. I have tons of memories growing up with the Grand Traverse Commons from exploring the abandoned buildings and doing photo shoots with friends, to watching the renovation and creation of favorite local businesses. I am proud to be now be a small part of the renovation process of this area, and it is another reminder why I am in this industry. Dr. Munson’s philosophy of “Beauty is Therapy” resonates very closely to our mission at A.N.D. Design, and I hope that we can be involved in more projects in the future to preserve the beauty of our Northern Michigan home.
