Jody Kuehn and Eric Herson have an office on the second floor, a library on the third.
Credit: Rich Addicks/AJC

3/24/06 - PRIVATE QUARTERS
Loft renovators meet the challenge

Loft living can be a blessing and a challenge for those with the right sense of adventure, like Eric Herson and Jody Kuehn.

The couple, both 48, took it on eight years ago when they purchased their 4,000-square-foot Castleberry Hill loft for $310,000.

Tired of traffic and feeling isolated from the arts, restaurants and social opportunities they enjoy, they swapped their traditional suburban house on a cul-de-sac for a four-level loft in the former Bressler Brothers dry goods building on Peters Street.

Transforming the space to chic livability required almost a year of work and more money than either Herson or Kuehn cares to recall. "Our contractor swore he'd never do another loft," Kuehn said. "There are a lot of surprises when you're working on a 100-year-old building."

Added Herson, "There's no way to budget or plan for this."

But the care they took making the space as attractive as it is practical led popular cable channel HGTV to feature their home on its "Lofty Ideas" program.

The most arduous parts of the renovation, the couple said, involved removing a portion of the floor between the first two levels to install a large, round skylight under the roof deck to brighten the interior with natural light.

Years of decline had seriously damaged the floors, which Herson and Kuehn replaced with pale hardwoods. And the plumbing had to be updated to modern standards.

Then they got to make the more gratifying, aesthetic decisions.

The open kitchen on the first floor features stainless appliances, granite counters and cherry cabinets. Metallic accents complement the industrial feel of the loft without overwhelming the more understated materials that echo the warmth of the exposed brick walls.

Art — much of it from neighboring studios — and memorabilia fill space created by 17-foot ceilings. Furniture, Kuehn said, was selected more with comfort than style in mind. "You don't have to have a $100,000 furniture budget to live in a contemporary loft," she said.

In a rear corner, the dry goods store's inoperative elevator serves as a wet bar. Kuehn said the lift could be restored to service with a few new parts.

The couple, who are fascinated with old machinery, exposed the elevator's motor and pulleys upstairs. The downstairs bathroom shows a dash of whimsy with lots of colorful tile and an old pay phone on the wall.

The master bath upstairs is more subdued, evoking a woodsy mood with dark slate and glass blocks. An avid rooftop gardener, Kuehn completes the mood with greenery.

Each maintains a work space upstairs, giving Herson, a salesman, room for his favorite old gadgets.

On the other side, Kuehn, an administrator for an architectural firm, set up a station for making jewelry.

Despite the initial difficulties, the result, they said, has been more than worth their patience and investment.