Home of the Week: Hendersonville's Designer Showcase

After several years of remaining largely unused, a longstanding loft in downtown Hendersonville has undergone a major facelift that the public can now enjoy.

The loft, in a building just across the street from the county courthouse, had its fair share of outdated features, not to mention some structural issues. But after extensive renovations, it has re-emerged as Historic Downtown Hendersonville's Designer Showcase, with tours of the space through May 2 as part of a promotional effort by the town.

Now, upon entering the light-filled dwelling, "you feel like you've walked into a Manhattan loft apartment," said Ashley Smith, a longtime interior designer in Hendersonville.

One of seven interior designers who spent months renovating different sections of the loft, Smith has helped remake it into a contemporary, stylish space.

His section, the kitchen, underwent dramatic changes.

Among the new fixtures he installed there are LED lighting and a farmhouse sink beneath a chandelier. The space has an Old European feel, featuring vintage cooking implements and brick walls left exposed after the removal of decades-old cabinets.

The most substantial addition in the kitchen was an island with a granite countertop, so large it was hoisted by a crane into the loft through a second-story window.

The island, which includes a wine refrigerator, is appropriate for the owners of the loft, Kimberly and Bryan Rosenberg, who enjoy hosting parties when they visit from their home in the Raleigh area.

"They entertain," Smith said of the couple, which bought the loft not long ago.

Built more than 100 years ago, the loft is on the second floor of one of the oldest buildings in Hendersonville.

Among its most distinctive features is a solarium in its central section that its previous owners had built while renovating it in the late 1970s or early '80s.

The latest renovation made the loft seem more spacious, though its size has remained unchanged, about 2,500 square feet. Instead of comprising three smaller rooms and two baths, it now has two master bedrooms and two baths.

The renovation, financed by the loft's owners, began late last fall and finished just last week. In addition to the interior designers, the project involved a general contractor.

'It came out perfect'

Despite the extent of renovations, there is visual continuity throughout the loft. Besides its contemporary accents, it is adorned with brick walls and heart pine flooring.

As for labeling its distinctive design, you might call it "industrial French glamour," as Harry Deaton, another Hendersonville interior designer involved in the project, put it.

For her part, the established designer oversaw the remodeling of a bathroom, bedroom and dressing room.

In the master bedroom, silver-colored ceilings, lustrous wallpaper and blue curtains create a classy and sophisticated atmosphere. In the bathroom, whose walls were torn out to create more space, are a pebble and sea glass tile floor and a Venetian mirror.

Spending the past 35 years working as a designer across the country, Deaton has taken part in such renovation projects in the past.

But she is particularly pleased with this one.

"It came out perfect," Deaton said. (She had a partner in the work, her husband Joe, with whom she shares a design studio in town and who specializes in window treatments.)

For all its charm, at least some of the furnishings in the loft are not permanent.

Although the transformation was financed by the loft's owners, its presentation as a showcase is part of a broad plan by Hendersonville to promote revitalization and investment downtown.

The town is using proceeds from the tours to help fund a grant program set up years ago to restore the facades of the many historic commercial buildings in the heart of downtown. The tour, called the Downtown Designer Showcase, will run seven days a week from April 18 through May 2.

It is the first time the town has carried out such an undertaking, drawing on similar projects elsewhere, including at a mansion in Flat Rock that dates to the 1830s.

Asked whether the city has made progress on preserving the charm of the many historic buildings here, Lew Holloway, the economic development director for downtown, said, "It's building to building." Many of them date to the 1920s, he noted.

As for the loft, he and other officials here are hopeful that it will draw attention.

"It's really sharp," Holloway said. When touring the loft, he added, "you're getting the unique personalities of these different designers."

NUTS AND BOLTS

The home: A contemporary loft in downtown Hendersonville of about 2,500 square feet, with design elements and contracting by local companies and designers including Adesso Design, Benson & Babb Interiors, Cheryl Smith & Associates, Décor8, Harry Deaton Interiors, Scott Keels, Warren Fluharty Designs and Creech Solutions for Construction.

The homeowners: Kimberly and Bryan Rosenberg, who work as attorneys and live in the Raleigh area.

Wow factor: The modern aesthetic of the light-filled loft, with its contemporary fixtures, brick walls and blue, gray and silver color scheme — plus a solarium and views of the county courthouse.

NOMINATE A HOME

To nominate your house or that of a friend for this feature, contact Bruce Steele at bsteele@citizen-times.com. Include your telephone number and a telephone number for the homeowner, if not you.

IF YOU GO

What: Downtown Designer Showcase loft tour.

When: April 18-May 2. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

Where: 104 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Entrance is behind the building, off Edwards Alley.

Admission: $20. Visit http://downtownhendersonville.org/designer-showcase/