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Tale of Two Lofts |
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Designer Spotlight
It was the best of times for two successful young women when interior designer Michael Paul Crosby created their very different downtown homes
Occasionally, Michael Paul Crosby is brought into a project at the blueprint stage, when a homeowner is still deciding where the walls go. This was true at M2i, CityMark Development’s 230-condo loft building, designed by hip architects Martinez + Cutri. Homeowners Shannon O’Brien and Angela Merrill asked Crosby to design interiors that worked with M2i’s contemporary urban aesthetic—concrete walls, high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows framing city views. With flexible floor plans, O’Brien opted to add a separate bedroom; Merrill preferred living without walls. “The space feels bigger,” she says.
Both were drawn to the energy and convenience of the revitalized Ballpark District. With demanding jobs, each needed a sanctuary—and yet sought rooms that could be transformed for parties with functional, movable furniture.
Crosby says he told them both, “You’re single; you live downtown. These lofts present an opportunity to take some chances. Have fun with that.”
Crosby discovered his knack for interior design at age 14, doing vignettes for his father’s Michigan office-supply store. He attended Harrington Institute of Interior Design in Chicago and spent a decade as a retail buyer and visual merchandiser. He started designing for private clients in 1999.
“I find out who they are, what they are,” Crosby says. “I have them walk me through what they’d like to accomplish.”
Shannon O’Brien
“A designer is one of those things I never thought I’d have in my life,” says O’Brien, project manager for WebDefense Technologies. Crosby had done some designing in her first condo in University Heights, and she was ready to give him the reins.
“Her first place was casual, more do-it-yourself,” Crosby says. “I took her style in another direction at M2i because of the architecture.” The interior would be very dramatic, with more layers of design—and a bigger budget.
“She was comfortable with red, but that color is so overused right now,” he says. To do something current, Crosby chose green, yellow and gray, as opposed to blue or jewel tones. He selected textured and patterned fabrics, like the circles on the back of the banquette in the dining area, within this neutral palette.
“Colorful artwork opens up the possibility of adding all different colors of flowers, place settings or holiday decorations,” he says. The walls of floor-to-ceiling windows on the corner unit are draped with soft fabric for elegant, theatrical drama, especially at night.
Angela Merrill
Crosby impressed Merrill when he staged the first condo she sold in Pacific Beach. “I couldn’t believe it was my place and my things,” says Merrill, who does land acquisitions for a builder. “That was when I knew I wanted to work with Michael.”
The direction and motivation on her loft were inspired by Merrill’s active lifestyle, Crosby says. “She has a hard time coming home and relaxing. She needed something restful.” He decided on a sophisticated, monochromatic palette with walls and curtains in a soothing light gray. The bedroom’s built-in wood furniture is white sycamore.
“The white furniture came about when we went shopping,” Crosby says. Angela said she’d love to have a white sofa.” To stay on track with a monochromatic look, he suggested doing the bed in white too. Durable furniture and fabrics were chosen for daily use.
Bright orange, pulled from a vivid multicolored painting that Merrill bought in Rio de Janeiro, is used minimally as an accent. As a foil for her travel photos and a sort of exclamation point, the bathroom was done in red and orange stripes.
“It absolutely is a place that I love coming home to,” Merrill says. “It suits my personality.”
Contact the designer at Design-Michael Paul Crosby, 619-851-4575, or via e-mail at designmpc@sbcglobal.net.
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