Contemporary Condo Update

Joan Steffend visits a woman who updated her '70s-style condo with a unique contemporary style.

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Filed under: Condominiums, Contemporary Style, Home Types, Design Style

This homeowner used raw finishing techniques to cut down on the costs and give her space a modern, industrial look.

The fireplace was designed to not only be functional but sculptural as well. The studs housing the stack are covered with Plexiglas for an opaque finish. The Plexiglas was attached with screws and finishing washers, which eliminated the need for patching and sanding. About $300 worth of scrapped diamond-plate steel covers the base.
She took out the wall to the kitchen to open up the space and instead of patching and refinishing the floors where the different materials meet, she used a piece of steel to cover the gap.
For the cabinets she used mail order assemble-yourself kits. Instead of costly solid-surface countertops, she found a composite material that resembles slate.

Stainless steel hides pipes that run up through the building. She framed the pipes with studs and wrapped the area with scraps of sheet metal. Not only does it hide unsightly pipes, it also acts as a magnetic message board.

The light fixture over her dining table consists of a track light beaming down through two salvaged boards secured to the ceiling with thick sisal rope.