Where once there were closets serving the two apartments, now there is a barrel-vaulted central space with cove lighting. Working within the guidelines of the condominium association, dealing with the structural limitations of the historic masonry structure and discovering a few hidden surprises during the renovation process provided challenges and opportunities for the owners and designer. Not the least of these was discovering that ceiling joists were inconsistently run in different directions from one location to another and that they were randomly spaced. Neatly laid-out plans for lighting quickly shifted to drilling holes in various locations to see where the lights might go. The living room is an eclectic mix of traditional furniture, antiques and Oriental rugs.
Views are to the south and west.
Similar surprises awaited when it was time to plumb for the new bathroom. Because the east apartment was located above one of the building's entrance doors, the space they expected to find below the floors just wasn't there. They had to re-route plumbing through an adjacent bedroom, which was to be Cody's study. East, south and west exposures already provide wonderful day-lit rooms. Helton took his cues from the original arrangement of windows in the Victoria hallways abutting the stair halls.