Kelly and I are hosting a Broker Open House today at this cool, condo in Rankin Press Lofts today from 3 to 5pm. Give us a call if you would like to see it or view the tour here. Cheers!
Posted in Asheville Modern Events, Condominiums, Modern Architecture and Interiors
Tagged asheville, condo, design, downtown, for sale, home, house, industrial, loft, mid-century, modern, Real Estate
Kelly and I closed on this luxury condo today nestled above downtown. Our buyer clients, and Modern Asheville fans, called us wanting a minimal and modernist summer escape from the Texas heat. With lack of inventory in general, especially modern properties, we were able to place them in this 
home which gave them the romantic setting they were looking for. Bringing in one of our design and build team members to plan and budget, Kelly was then able to negotiate a deal that would accommodate modernizing the interior. Today, Kelly wrangled it to a close. Tomorrow, Sally Spiegel and her team will start to demo. Go girl power! By late spring some more happy clients will be enjoying their own modern lifestyle in the mountains of Asheville. Watch along as our team helps more folks make their modern.
Did I tell you that we love what we do! Cheers! Kelly and Troy
Posted in Condominiums, Modern Architecture and Interiors
Tagged asheville, condo, design, home, house, kelly erin-spinney, modern, Real Estate, remodel, sally spiegel, troy winterrowd
Take a look at this finished downtown condo that was recently remodeled by David Way of Roost, Inc. Kelly and I have been touring the progress on this three bedroom residence. It was stripped down from top to bottom to make way for a smart urban meets rustic new look. Cool and clean lines embrace warm raw materials such as rough and quarter sawn woods, concrete and brick giving it the impression of bringing new life to a post war industrial facility. Roost’s own cabinet shop provided both cabinetry, shelving and many furnishings while concrete counters and sinks were fabricated by craftsman Bob Judy of ZepDesign. Want to see more? Go here!
This condo is currently on the market. Kelly and I would be happy to provide you further info if interested. Contact us at hello@modernasheville.com. Cheers! Troy
Posted in Condominiums, Modern Architecture and Interiors, Remodeling
Tagged asheville, bob judy, concrete counters, condo, david way, downtown, for sale, industrial, loft, mid-century, modern, Real Estate, roost, rustic
Roost is putting the finishing touches on this penthouse level condo in downtown Asheville. The main living space was remodeled to feel like an old style loft. Cold rolled steel was applied to the wall behind the stove top on the left. The steel then wraps the corner for 
continuity down the hallway. Brick was added on both sides of the room to add that rustic texture and frame the window wall overlooking downtown. The Roost made custom cabinets are rift sawn oak that are hand rubbed with a natural finish similar to the floors. The cabinets frame out the Bertazonni wall ovens and cleverly mask the refrigerator and freezer. Stay tuned for more when this project wraps up. Cheers!
Posted in Condominiums, Modern Architecture and Interiors
Tagged asheville, condo, david way, downtown, industrial, loft, modern, Real Estate, remodel, roost, rustic
Kelly and Carol are bringing more buyers to these new lofts just a block from our Real Living office. There are not many opportunities that come along like this in such a great location in downtown. Give them a call for a tour. In the meantime, here is a link for a bit more info – Rankin Lofts
Contact:
Kelly Erin-Spinney 828-333-8830
Posted in Condominiums, For Sale - Condominiums
Tagged asheville, Condominiums, downtown, for sale, lofts, modern, rankin press lofts
Rediscovering the Shed Style
If your my age and you have young nieces or nephews you know that the 80’s are back again, and have been for a while. All things return, good or bad, given enough time. If you follow the waves of home fashion styles you know that in the 60’s, nationally, we rediscovered the Victorian. Locally, we reclaimed and revived the Montford neighborhood. Since, it has been Bungalow-Mania for over two decades in all areas of North, West and East Asheville. New artsy crafty constructions are still popping up in all areas of town and beyond. Is that all we know how to build these days?
Now – we are in a well established trend of modernist styling and romancing the few atomic ranches we have here. Neighborhoods such as Beverly Hills to the East, Malvern Hills to the West and Lakeview Park to the North provide an assortment of ranch style homes, both adaptable & plain and some swanky & sophisticated.
So, that leads us to the 70’s and 80’s. Huh? Yes, there are some period developments, including a wave of condos, in all directions with a reasonable proximity to downtown, but still nestled in the woods. How many times do we hear clients say that is what they want? These places offer established open floor plans, vaulted ceilings, larger bathrooms than decades past and great indoor/outdoor living relationships. Sure – you have 
to scrape off some popcorn ceilings, lay down some hardwoods in place of carpet, replace large track lighting, but there are some good bones for today’s clean and open modern living. Given what we have in Asheville you more than often have to work a little to make your modern nest within this rustic environment and housing stock. If you search you will find Cedar Wood to the East, the Timbers to the North and Laurelwood to the West. All are simplified versions of the Shed Style of Sea Ranch, but easy enough to strip down and create something chic.
According to the Washington State Department of Historic Preservation, “The Shed Style is easily identified by a juxtaposition of boxlike forms capped with single-sloped shed roofs facing a variety of directions. The style spread quickly through the United States after the construction of the Sea Ranch Lodge condominium complex in Sonoma County, California in 1965. The use of the style in the 1970s coincided with the energy crisis and some of the better examples employ passive-solar design elements. Features such as south facing windows at the roofline (clearstory windows) paired 
with interior elements such as brick floors or rock walls which could collect and store heat, saved energy costs.”
“Exterior walls are usually covered with flush board siding, applied horizontally, vertically, or even diagonally to follow the lines of the shed roof. Builder examples often used T1-11 siding, while high style examples are clad with cedar shingles. The junctions of the roofs and walls are smooth and simple, with little or no overhang. Most Shed Style buildings are 1 to 1½ stories tall. Entrances are often recessed and obscured from the street and windows tend to be a variety of sizes and shapes. Long narrow windows installed vertically or horizontally are common, as well as windows that are angled to follow the slope of the roof line.”
“The style’s popularity peaked in the 1970s, when it was commonly used for houses, apartment complexes, vacation cottages, schools and small office buildings. By the mid 1980s, the use of the style in urban areas dwindled, mainly due to the high maintenance requirements of the wooden exteriors.”
It takes over 30 years for styles to circle back around. In the 80’s I was dressing like the 1950’s. Now I’m venturing into the next era of home remodeling. I’ll be offering more on this unexplored territory on Modern Asheville in the next few months. Play some Cure. Pencil in some eye liner. Follow along.
Posted in Condominiums, Shed Style
An apartment in historic Parc Vendome gets a modern makeover SWITCH style.
I recently spent a few fun days in NYC visiting friends and catching up on the latest trends in the city. One of my hosts was Roy Otwell, co-owner of SWITCH Modern in Atlanta. He is a big supporter of Modern Asheville and a thoughtful interior designer. I spent a couple of evenings in his condo in the well known Park Vendome on West 57th a few blocks from Columbus Circle. He originally liked the building and its proximity to Central Park and the subway lines.
Park Vendome was built in the 1930s and has a old world air about it. Most of the apartments are quite grand with fireplaces and double height living rooms. With 570 sqft his smaller and shorter studio apartment provided him all the space he needed to live efficiently in the city. Roy cleverly took what was one open space and built walls to divide it into zones including a kitchen, bath and dressing area, bedroom and combined living space. His living and working stage rests on honed absolute granite flooring and all the functional cabinetry is Poliform which he sells through his shop in Atlanta.
Overall, I was struck by the efficiency and thoughtfulness that Roy designed into the space. Everything was very purposeful and there was no waste. I was left wishing to see this level of thought and quality products in Asheville downtown condos.
In his bathroom I admired the catalano sink and toilet. However, it was the Dornbracht hardware that I was drawn to the most. It was all very simple, elegant and functional with out excess mechanical components. In otherwords, perfect. It is sometimes the little things that bring elegance to a space.
Article and photos by Troy Winterrowd
Posted in Apartments, Condominiums
Tagged apartment, asheville, dornbracht, hardware, makeover, modern, nyc, poliform, roy otwell, small space, studio, switch modern
The Residences at 151 are another example of the ultimate in modern luxury coming to Asheville. There are three luxury fractional owner condos on the 11th floor and on full ownership condo on the 10th floor. The 12th and penthouse level are 8 each floor luxury suites that the hotel rents for $500 + per night. Some of the standard features range from hardwood floors, recessed lighting, coffered ceilings and GE appliances. All residences will have access to designated undergound parking, an elegant restaurant with a stylish bar, and a portfolio of other amenities. 
Some of the amenities include:
– 24 Staffed Lobby
– Front Desk Delivery Services
– Fitness Center
– Housekeeping Services
– Hotel Rooms for your guests
– Grocery Services
Proposed Building in Downtown
Story by Mark Barrett of the Asheville Citizen-Times, Photo by John Fletcher.
A local development company hopes to attract a few people who want to go green — and have a lot of green — to a 13-story building it plans to build on a postage stamp-sized lot downtown.
The 10 condominiums at 73 N. Market St. would sell for $2.1 million to $2.6 million and come with a photovoltaic array on the roof, an underground garage designed to fit only the fuel-sipping Smart Fortwo subcompact car and other features designed to lessen the building’s environmental impact.
The building would be among downtown’s taller structures and would sit on a lot a little larger than 40-by-70 feet.
But that’s only if North Market Street Investments, which unveiled its plans Tuesday, can convince enough buyers to sign on.
The local housing market has tanked over the past couple of years and the most expensive homes on the market have generally been slowest to sell.
According to data from real estate analyst Don Davies, only 35 Buncombe County homes sold for $1 million or more last year.
At the end of the year, there were 246 such homes on the market — a seven-year supply at the current absorption rate.
Jim Privette, developer of the nearby 60 North Market condominium building, which is in the closing stages of construction, wondered whether there is demand for units that are that small and that expensive.
Each unit would be about 2,300 square feet and occupy an entire floor of the building, meaning the cost per square foot would be around $1,000.
“We have not seen that” demand, Privette said, although he added there hasn’t been a supply of what North Market Street Investments proposes.
“It’s always a little bit of chicken and egg. If you don’t have it, you don’t know if there is demand,” Privette said.
Jeremy Goldstein, a local commercial real estate broker who is managing member of North Market Street Investments, said work won’t move ahead until at least six units are spoken for: “We have no desire to construct an empty building.”
But Goldstein said he is “optimistic” the project will fly despite market trends, precisely because there is nothing quite like it downtown.
He said the building will offer “a new level of fine living in downtown Asheville, but in an innovative and eco-friendly way.”
Other green features would include a so-called “green” roof for part of the building, water-conserving fixtures, high-efficiency appliances, and automated lighting and shading systems.
Each unit would come with a tiny Smart Fortwo vehicle and the building would be designed so plug-in electric cars could be used in the garage.
Goldstein says the two-level underground garage would be the first parking structure designed for only one model of car, and that larger vehicles would not fit. Designing the building with parking for regular-sized cars would require a mechanized system that wouldn’t be practical for such a small project, he said.
The cars will become the “Asheville car” for some part-time residents who will fly to their units periodically, Goldstein predicted.
The first floor of the building would contain a small commercial space. The second would have an exercise room and spa and a guest room for visitors of building residents. A lounge and garden would top the building off.
The building would be mostly brick with some metal and glass in a modern style. Elihu Siegman of builder Siegman Associates said it would be roughly the same height as the nearby Renaissance Asheville hotel.
He thinks the design, developed with architect Michael Silverman, will fit with the neighborhood, which now is mostly made up of brick buildings containing law offices and subsidized housing.
“The best buildings of Asheville were of their time” in design, he said. “We feel that this building is of its time.”
The building will require approval by city staff but is too small to be subject to City Council approval. Construction should take about two years if enough buyers are located, Goldstein said.
Posted in Condominiums, Modern Architecture and Interiors
Tagged asheville, Condominiums, contemporary, downtown, green, modern, modern asheville, new, proposed, Real Estate, Sustainable
The new Clingman Avenue Lofts were recently constructed by Mountain Housing Opportunities. They bridge the urban fabric of downtown with the industrial area of the River Arts District. There are 21 units comprising both 1 & 2 bedrooms. All have nine foot ceilings, balconies, 1 parking space, basement storage and are certified by Energy Star and NC Healthy Built. The well -sealed construction guarantees low energy bills combined with healthy air exchange.
There are several low-income units available through MHO and other units available to the general public through Scott Carter at the Real Estate Center. Prices range from $120,000 to $240,000.
60 North Market St., Downtown Asheville
Designed by Cooper Carry Architects
The nine-story building is located to the north of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, between the eight-story Altamont Apartments and the 12-story Renaissance Hotel, on the site of an existing parking lot. All homes have views of downtown and the surrounding mountains. A 100-space underground parking garage is accessed from Woodfin. Eight walk-up gallery lofts, a ground-floor lobby and extensively landscaped sidewalks improve the entire area’s pedestrian appeal. Along Market Walk, the gallery lofts with private patios brings a neighborhood feel back to the neighboring Wolfe Home. Street-level commercial space along Market and Woodfin Streets adds vibrancy to the area, with space for 10,000 square feet of retail shops and offices.
designed by
Camille-Alberice Architects
This modern, downtown mixed-use building was created as a quality, low-maintenance structure that respects Asheville’s historic architecture. 12 South Lexington, designed by Camille-Alberice Architects was completed in 2007 and recently added to the list of architecturally successful new buildings in downtown. Overlooking Pack Square and Patton Avenue, the 7-story building includes 2 commercial spaces, 43 residential condos and 49 parking spaces.
Green and Sustainable features:
The steel frame for the building was manufactured from over 200 recycled automobiles.
The steel stud framing is also manufactured from recycled steel.
ModernAsheville.com