Tucked away in the middle of a bustling retail area on Frankfort Avenue sits a wooden door. All down this stretch of Frankfort Avenue, there are a few of these doors, inconspicuously located next to the businesses. Look upwards and you will see two stories of windows above the retail. These are all beautiful condominiums above this retail space — and you probably never knew they existed.
Brittany Bennett, owner of Posh Home in Chenoweth Plaza, and her husband own one of these condominiums, where they live with their two children. Her personal style is found throughout the home, saturating the space with a cool, chic aesthetic. They put this condo on the market two years ago, and it generated no interest, so they decided to stay. Since then, they updated the paint and added different lighting fixtures, making their condo into a true showpiece. They decided to put it on the market again, with Kentucky Select Properties, and this time around it sold in a couple of days in a bidding war. One look inside and you’ll see why.
Though located on a bustling street near a very busy train track, the homeowners say that the condo is soundproof. They have never heard a neighbor or any real noise coming from the street unless it was exceptionally loud. They have an urban lifestyle here, walking to restaurants, stores, the park and the library. They have no yard, so there is no green space to maintain, but they do have a private garage, so parking is never a worry.
The cute front door, with a wreath, blends right in and is found next to Jordan Clines Jewelers on Frankfort Avenue.
The back of the building shows the private residence garages and parking lots of the retail businesses.
There are entrances to the ground level from the garage and from the front (facing Frankfort Avenue). Both are private entrances that lead to a stairwell and an elevator. The residences are all located on the second and third floors of this building as again, the first floors are all retail.
Private elevator for all three floors
Brittany has enviable personal style and great advice for decorating any space. First, she likes to incorporate antiques, mainly family ones, into every room. In a house full of modern decor and furniture, there is always a space for an antique to blend seamlessly. She also likes to incorporate an element of green into each room, whether it be the color of the fabric or a plant, as it’s a natural fit into each space of the house. A large amount of the furniture and decor in her home is from her own store, Posh Home.
The main floor boasts 12-foot ceilings, creating a large open space. It’s here that you’ll find the large great room that houses the kitchen, dining area and living room. The view from this great room is stunning, with a vast expanse of windows looking out onto Frankfort Avenue. A large linear chandelier was added in the dining room, and two Hicks pendants were added in the kitchen. They also added the champagne silk drapes to this room and their master bedroom, but found that they enjoyed the natural light so much that they hardly ever shut them. This room was formerly painted beige and they lightened up the palette by painting it a light grey.
The view onto Frankfort Avenue is wonderful and quite soundproof considering their proximity to the street. A great room is divided into three areas: the kitchen, dining room and living room. This division is accomplished with area rugs and seating arrangements.
The dining area is adjacent to the kitchen, featuring a dramatic linear etoile chandelier above the long farmhouse dining table. The kitchen has two Hicks pendants over the kitchen island. There are granite counter tops and espresso colored cabinetry with stainless steel appliances.
View from the dining room into the living room shows the vast expanse of windows across the front of the room.
The living room has lighter furnishings. Here are two light linen-colored velvet sofas on a vintage oushak rug. The media console is extra tall and works in this space with the 12-foot ceilings.
The coffee table is a two-tiered wrought iron piece, for extra storage.
Down the hall from the kitchen is a private den, painted dark blue with wood paneling. It feels like a private study tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the great room. With substantial fabrics throughout, this room is the perfect place to watch television or to escape and read a book. The green velvet sofa is flanked by two skirted club chairs on either side, all centered around a leather tufted ottoman. The bookshelf on the side of the fireplace has a surprise: it is a secret door to a small private office. This hidden room has a window and is a quiet space that can be used as an office, a playroom or even for storage. The room also a powder room, painted dark blue.
Isn’t this a gorgeous den? Dark blue paint, wood paneling and a green velvet-tufted sofa anchor the room. Skirted club chairs offer even more seating.
Yes, the bookcase opens to a secret room off the den. This room can be used as an office, playroom or storage.
The powder room off the den is painted the same blue with a favorite piece of art hanging here.
Head up to the third floor to find the two ensuite bedrooms as well as the office/sitting area. Natural light bathes the entire area, due to the skylight cupola. Again, plush fabrics are used to create a comforting texture, with a velvet chair by Jonathan Adler and a faux fur stool by Nate Berkus in the seating vignette in the corner of the room. A red leather-topped desk and scalloped-back black chair are a modern take on office furniture. A large fiddlehead fern stands tall in the corner of the room, adding an element of green to the space. A jute blend area rug ties the entire area together.
The office at the top of the stairs on the third floor.
Look up to see this skylight cupola on the third floor that bathes the entire area in natural light.
There are two large ensuite bedrooms on this floor. The bedroom that spans the front of the house is large enough for two twin beds, a dresser, an antique toy chest and a sitting and play area. It also has a large walk-in closet and a full bathroom. This room is painted ivory and incorporates red, white and blue into all of the decor and fabrics.
This room is all red, white and blue, tied together with a metal flag art piece on the back wall.
The master suite has an antique dresser, large platform bed and a cozy nook for reading. It was recently painted light blue (Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore).
The mink colored velvet platform bed has a tufted headboard with nail heads. Note the reading nook next to the windows with a comfy chair and a two tier burl veneer end table. The sheepskin rug over the carpet in this area adds to the cozy feel.
The master bath is a light blue with complementary blue coral prints from Posh Home.
This condominium is going to make its next owners very happy, we are sure of it!
Resources:
Paint colors
- Kitchen/Dining Room/Living Room: Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore
- Den/Powder Room: Van Deusen Blue by Benjamin Moore
- Master Bedroom and Bath: Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore
Light fixtures by Circa Lighting
Majority of the decor by Posh Home
Photography by Joe Edens with assistance from George Tafel
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