News + Inspiration

Loft Renovation Becomes a Home for Art

Samsel Architect’s recent downtown loft renovation delivers a welcoming new home for our client as well as for his extensive art collection. As both an artist and collector, the homeowner wanted a space that was not only comfortable to live and create in, but also one that provided the ideal setting for his diverse art collection. We met this challenge by incorporating thoughtful illumination and a sensible color palette.

This loft is located on the upper level of a historic Downtown Asheville building built in 1905. A thoughtful repositioning of the original and more formal apartment yielded a new plan for modern living. We “flipped” the layout front-to-back and created a floor plan that incorporates living, kitchen and dining into one open space. A new laundry and pantry space is positioned opposite the kitchen in a former unused, open light well. By storing big appliances here, like the refrigerator, it allowed the main living areas to still have an open, gallery-like atmosphere.

The generous size of the original one bedroom/one bath apartment allowed the space to be transformed comfortably to include two bathrooms and two bedrooms; one of which will be used as a studio. The existing windows on the north side were supplemented with skylights that bathe the interior with glare-free daylight that is perfect for the painting studio and main living areas.

Modern lighting, primarily LED, was introduced to effectively light the art and the overall space. In the kitchen, custom suspended stainless steel shelves were designed to provide discreet LED uplighting for art objects as well as down lighting for the countertops. The combined nighttime lighting provides a fully adjustable system with both focus and “glow” components.

The color palette selected by the owner was subtle with punches of color. The walls, trim and interior doors are all off-white as a neutral backdrop for art. The exterior door, a bright modern hue of red, is surrounded by the historic granite exterior walls. The bright blue base cabinets delineate the hierarchy of the kitchen space, and provide a “pop” in the center of the neutral surroundings. Here, modern meets historic in downtown Asheville. To see more images from this project, click here.