Designed with space in mind

Travel

Kyle Strahl and Trevor Primo's condo at TWELVE Centennial Park has been expertly designed to maximize space.

Interior designer Kyle Strahl (left) and his partner Trevor Primo are pictured in the great room in their two-bedroom, two-bath condo at TWELVE Centennial Park. "The best part about the TWELVE Centennial Park community is the tight-knit neighborly group of residents that live here," attests Strahl. "We have friends that help take care of our animals and group events where we tour restaurants of the city."

"The living room is popular, but in terms of design appeal everybody who walks into our home talks about the metal trim that goes around the walls in the entry way (pictured). They always want to know how we did it, how long it takes to do and how hard it is to do. This is definitely a conversation piece," explains Strahl.

"Part of my business is to digitally design client's spaces on the computer before they make the jump into a renovation," states Strahl. "Taking this strategy with my own home, I took pictures at various angles of each room, then uploaded them onto my computer. From here I digitally changed the wall colors to fit my color palette [while] being conscious of how each room flowed into the next. Once I was satisfied with the wall colors, I digitally added furniture to each room design. "

"The Allen Plaza neighborhood is fairly new and comprised of The Ernst and Young building, a W Hotel, TWELVE Centennial Park and the Southern Company building," says Strahl. "This area is part of the downtown Atlanta revitalization project that is structured to bring more residences into the commercial downtown area." Pictured is a terrific view from the great room.

"I have two sconces (pictured in great room) that are very ordinary to the eye but cool to me because they are hand created by us out of towel rods and globes," shares Strahl. "I enjoy when I can recycle unused pieces into usable furniture or art."

"I have always wanted to live in the middle of a big city in a high-rise since I was a child," admits Strahl. "This community is up-and-coming and right in the heart of Atlanta." Pictured is a portion of his home office.

Seen here is another perspective of the home office. The room is slated for a design revamp this year, according to Strahl.

"The best memory I have in this place was Christmas of 2008. We had a huge Christmas party where we catered food for about 80 people. It was so crowded but everybody was having a lot of fun playing present swap games and standing out on the balcony, drink in hand, looking at the amazing city view," recalls Strahl. "People always ask us if we are going to have another party like that."

"With this particular home I had to be aware and cautious of the limited space, therefore, to make this home 'work' I had to make the design not only appealing but functional and space-saving," explains Strahl. The bar/wine storage area near the entry way illustrates his approach. A wine rack is mounted on a glass door that also conceals a utility box.

"We have done many [improvements] but the most prominent thing we have done is build custom closets in the bedroom closet area," offers Strahl. "Before, the room was white wire shelving that you would see in an apartment complex. Since this was a closet that was built to walk through to get to the bathroom I had to devise a plan to make it feel more like an interesting hallway to the bathroom."

"My favorite room is the bedroom (pictured). I have always liked a room full of glass and this room, with its doors closed, feels like the glass goes around on two sides completely. It also just seems elite, as if you have reached your place in the corner office," shares Strahl. "At my age, 25, this is a cool feeling to have. The colors are also very easy to relax in; it is a great way to end the day."

"My personal philosophy is to use earth tone colors on the walls and a few coordinating accessories to make it all come together," notes Strahl. Pictured is a seating area in the master suite.

"I usually tell people that our place is more about quality rather than quantity. It is a small place but we have used every inch of [the unit's 1200-square-feet] that we have to its fullest. We have customized shelving to fit angled walls (pictured in master suite), added built-in closets to obscure a walk-through area and installed a fully customized bar," offers Strahl.

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Interior designer Kyle Strahl (left) and his partner Trevor Primo are pictured in the great room in their two-bedroom, two-bath condo at TWELVE Centennial Park. "The best part about the TWELVE Centennial Park community is the tight-knit neighborly group of residents that live here," attests Strahl. "We have friends that help take care of our animals and group events where we tour restaurants of the city."

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