Tucked behind a tall hedgerow on a busy stretch of Fontaine Road, Stacy Greer’s home is easy to overlook. But a peek behind the greenery reveals a mid-century-modern surprise that stands out in a neighborhood of more traditional homes.
Purchased by Greer in 2018, the Chevy Chase duplex was built in 1957 by Lexington architect Richard Schubert. The two sides of the home are nearly mirror images, with each containing two bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths and a finished basement. Greer resides in one side and rents the other to short-term guests through Airbnb.
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Though she lived in a traditional home for much of her life, Stacy Greer has long been attracted to mid-century art and furnishings. The Fontaine duplex she moved into in 2018 – half of which she rents out via Airbnb – provides the perfect backdrop for her aesthetic. Photo by Bradley Quinn
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Though she lived in a traditional home for much of her life, Stacy Greer has long been attracted to mid-century art and furnishings. The Fontaine duplex she moved into in 2018 – half of which she rents out via Airbnb – provides the perfect backdrop for her aesthetic. Photo by Bradley Quinn
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Though she lived in a traditional home for much of her life, Stacy Greer has long been attracted to mid-century art and furnishings. The Fontaine duplex she moved into in 2018 – half of which she rents out via Airbnb – provides the perfect backdrop for her aesthetic. Photo by Bradley Quinn
Previous owners had updated areas of the property with a keen eye for preserving its original mid-century aesthetic, so upon purchase, Greer found she didn’t need to do a great deal of remodeling to make the home perfect. The Airbnb side of the home boasts its original kitchen and bathroom as they looked in 1957; her side of the residence had undergone a remodel that refurbished those rooms in recent years.
“I chose to live in this side mostly because of the bathroom,” she said. In her remodeled bathroom, the original bathtub was removed and replaced with a stone shower that incorporates a skylight, letting in warm natural light.
The primary renovation project that Greer undertook was to remove the indoor/outdoor carpet. Initially stumped by flooring choices, she eventually decided to go with a relatively nontraditional choice: concrete.
“I couldn’t figure out what kind of floor was going to look good in here – nothing seemed right,” she said. “But when I pulled up the corner of the carpet and saw the concrete [underneath], I knew that’s what I wanted.”
The concrete floor, which was polished and sealed after the carpet was pulled up, lends a modern and slightly industrial vibe, softened by the variety of textures and pops of color that Greer, who is also an avid collector of modern art, incorporates throughout the home.
Greer ended up adding a half bath to her side of the house, commissioning artist Andrea Sims to paint the walls to resemble marble. Sims also painted the main living room wall that houses the fireplace to look like stone and added some color to the kitchen and original dining room, which Greer has converted into a small den.
“I don’t use a dining room very much, so I decided that this room would be the perfect cozy space to read or watch television,” explains Greer.
Both sides of the home include a finished basement, each with the original linoleum flooring and a ceiling of exposed steel beams. While Greer hasn’t done much to the basement on her side yet, she has big plans: “I want to turn it into an Andy Warhol factory-inspired type of space,” she said.
She plans to visually separate a small part of the room with a divider and install a platform bed on one side; she also mentioned that a ping pong table and a sitting area may be in the basement’s future. But one item that will definitely be a part of the basement decor is a retired scoreboard.
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“This scoreboard came from my high school in London, Kentucky, where I went on to work for many years,” she explained. “It’s also special to me because it was the scoreboard that was in use when my dad played basketball there when he was in high school.”
The basement in the Airbnb portion of the home also contains some interesting artifacts. When Greer purchased the property, the unit was occupied by Jimmy Ladenburger, who passed away shortly after Greer obtained the home. A number of his furnishings are still being used in the basement, and some large-scale model airplanes he built remain displayed along with some of his sports equipment.
Greer’s home also contains touches of another member of the Ladenburger family. Her unit was occupied at one point by landscape architect Roger Ladenburger, owner of the landscaping company Wheat & Ladenburger, and Jimmy’s brother. Roger Ladenburger had once owned the property, and though he had sold it, he and his brother remained tenants. From Roger Ladenburger, Greer inherited several large snake plants that blend perfectly with the modern decor, as well as two large agave plants that grace her small side patio.
This homeowner’s love of mid-century-modern design stretches back to her childhood.
“My grandparents had a California ranch home, and I always loved it, and I was close to them,” she said. “I have a connection with it because it reminds me of them.”
“I’ve always lived in traditional homes but had a lot of modern furnishings – I like a mix,” she added. Items moved from her home in London, Kentucky, have been augmented by purchases from local vintage and mid-century modern shops, including Scout Antique & Modern and The Domestic.
A particularly striking piece hangs above Greer’s mantel: a mixed metal sculpture produced by the metalworking company Curtis Jeré, which created “gallery-quality art for the masses” during the mid-20th century.
“I almost didn’t keep it,” explained Greer. “It didn’t really fit in my traditional house, even with my other modern pieces – I didn’t really know what I had until someone told me that it was special. Now I’m glad I kept it because it’s perfect here.”
The exterior of the home also needed very little in the way of renovations – she replaced the roof and awnings, and added a bit of landscaping to make the large backyard more inviting for both herself and her guests as well as her poodle, Martini.
Ultimately, Greer is thrilled with her mid-century modern oasis and plans to stay for many years. “I just feel a positive energy here,” she said.
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