Lexington, KY - In searching for a new space to call her own, longtime Delta flight attendant Carol Kaplan was looking for something low-maintenance and cozy -- a comfortable place to come back to after her long, and often exhausting, travels. She found what she was looking for in this Redding Road condominium, which, at nearly 3,000 square feet, provides plenty of space for her and her children, while maintaining a sense of intimacy, comfort and ease.
Though Kaplan has a distinct sense of design, heavily influenced by her regular travels to Paris, France, she hired Sheila Hancock and Lauren West of the boutique interior design company Great Dames to help pull all the details together. Kaplan had a number of signature pieces that she already owned, and rather than purchasing new furniture, she commissioned Great Dames to re-cover the pieces she already had, and to focus primarily on window, floor and wall treatments.
A rounded wall that encompasses the staircase in the foyer was given a Caenstone faux finish, a specialty plaster designed to mimic a limestone finish. The finish, a blend of colored sand, mica, pigment and quartz, was done by Liz Douglas Designs, and gives the entry a striking yet simple appearance; Douglas also refinished the mantle in the front room, which was originally pink. All the draperies in the house were designed by Great Dames and fabricated by Rick Perkins, who often works in conjunction with the shop. Accent pillows were upholstered to fit in with the "antique-y" feel of the home, which is embellished by various unique curios that Kaplan has picked up on her European travels.
Upstairs, Kaplan's bedroom was completely gutted and refinished in an ambiance reminiscent of a luxury European hotel, with the entire room centering on the vibrant floor-length Thibaut linen window draperies -- West and Hancock recall that Kaplan immediately fell in love with the whimsical Kirkwood pattern, and chose two different trims from Samuel and Son to finish the curtains. The headboard and rail of the bed were covered in a textured Samarcand fabric called "pebble" (the handiwork of Great Dames' in-house upholsterer Bill Delf), with the bed adorned in Kaplan's white, monogrammed waffle-weave bedding. Keeping with the room's simple and elegant theme, the bedroom walls are mostly bare, save for a few choice items, including a pair of antique mirrors on either side of the headboard, which Kaplan picked up from Scout Antiques.
The master bath was also completely remodeled, with the help of Graham Interiors, who updated all of the cabinets; new, textured wallpaper by Joseph Abboud for Kravet was installed, to impart a spa look onto the bathroom.
From top to bottom, the project reflects the simple elegance of Kaplan's Parisian-influenced taste, as well as a sense of fun and whimsy that West and Hancock impart into their work. The two designers met about three years ago, when West hired Hancock on an interior-design project for her own Hartland home (featured in the July 2009 issue of Southsider Magazine). They clicked so well that they decided to go into business together, opening Great Dames in April 2010.
"We have an absolute blast doing what we're doing," Hancock said. "We bounce things off of one another all the time. The benefit with us is you get four eyes instead of just two eyes."
Apparently, picking up new business partners while on the job is something that comes naturally for the team -- after discovering that Kaplan makes her own hanging baskets for plants, they have been in talks to eventually sell her line, called Can't Contain Myself, at their Liberty Road store.
"She's very talented and (creating these baskets) has been a passion of hers," Hancock said. "She wants to eventually retire and open up a garden shop."