This condo design for a renovated Saint Paul firehouse replaced generic finishes and fittings with practical, authentic materials, and custom fabrications. Hot rolled, steel-clad barn doors with custom rolling hardware provide privacy and allow for a more defined bedroom entry. New, built-in bedroom cabinetry provides efficient storage and gives focus on a formerly blank wall. A simple, elegant task niche clad in white oak hides indirect lighting within its folds. A cadence is set by alternating sliding doors, wood panels, and painted walls.
Exposed metal ducting and sprinkler fixtures led the architects to fabricate a few of the functional elements. A blackened steel coat rack trio and leather drawer pulls accented with stainless steel washers mimic the industrial aesthetic. Each facet of this remodel is embedded with tactility and craft, paying homage to the industrial ego of Saint Paul’s Lowertown.