The kitchen originally was an elevator shaft in Lloyd and Kelli Hawk’s meatpacking factory-turned-home.
The renovated kitchen retained the exposed brick, trolley system and even the button to the elevator shaft among updates, such as stainless steel appliances, concrete countertops and white cabinets with a painted inlay that looks like a piece of vintage tin.
The wide-open setup created a unique design challenge for Kelli, an interior decorator who moved into the Castleberry Hill residence after marrying Lloyd in 2013.
“You see them on TV and you see them in magazines, and they look so cool,” she said. “I had never had the opportunity to live in one.”
Snapshot
Residents: Lloyd and Kelli Hawk; their cat, Lady Bug, and their dog, Orso. Lloyd is CEO of Friendship Baptist LLC; Kelli owns Bella Espaces (which means Beautiful Spaces), a decorating and home decor company.
Location: Atlanta's Castleberry Hill neighborhood. The home was on the 2015 Castleberry Hill Loft Tour.
Size: 2,100 square feet, one bedroom, one bath
Year built/bought: 1929/2002 (converted to lofts in 1996)
Architectural style: Industrial loft
Favorite architectural elements: Exposed brick and trolley system used when the building was a meatpacking factory. "He wanted an authentic loft with the exposed duct and piping," she said.
Interior design style: Eclectic mix of industrial meets French farmhouse.
Favorite interior design element: She used a set of wooden panels along with rugs, lighting and furniture groupings to divide the living and bedroom spaces. She bought the panels at Westside Market. "They are gorgeous. That was a lucky, lucky find," she said. "My friend and I popped in. I saw them and was like, 'Oh my gosh, I have to have them.'"
Decor tip: In homes with open floor plans, sometimes people spread out the furniture too far. Instead, Kelli suggests bringing furniture together in groupings to give some distinction between spaces. "There were a lot of moving things around to get it just right," she said. "Eventually, I figured it out."
Resources: Furniture, rugs and artwork from Westside Market, A Classy Flea, Peridot, Outrageous Interiors, Scott Antique Markets, World Market, The Dump, Goodwill and Resurrect Antiques (in Alabama)
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