Steven Burns, that unusual feature was part of the charm of their unit, built around an old loading dock in the Mueller Lofts. The Castleberry Hill building was a fire hydrant warehouse back in the 1930s. "When the conversion of this building was done in 1999, the builders were sure to use what they found here," said Carrie Burns. "So we have these doors, the metal stairs, the concrete ceilings and columns. When you look at the floor plan, it's easy to tell that this was a warehouse."
The couple even has a red fire hydrant in a corner of the foyer. But before you get to see it, you must enter down a long burgundy-colored hallway, lined with artwork, two black etageres of vases and photographs and a mirror over a stone Buddha.
Turn into the foyer, go past the bright yellow metal railings and blue stairs that lead to an upper and lower level and head to the expansive living area. This huge room takes up an entire corner of the building, where the oversized industrial windows, concrete floors and 14-foot ceilings from the warehouse are intact.
Corian counters. At the ends of the island, a friend built cabinets with frosted-glass fronts to hold dishes. The same craftsman was recruited to line a wall of the living area with tall bookcases whose top shelves are accessed by a library ladder. There's also a handmade wall display where Carrie Burns shows off her collection of antique Pez dispensers. A set of blue pendant lights illuminates the breakfast bar.
The kitchen looks out over the living area, where there's room for a large seating area and a long dining table, as well as a few antiques the couple has collected through the years. The style is eclectic, with wood chests beside a red female form topped with a black lampshade. Up the blue metal steps is the master bedroom, with a half wall of windows for natural light. Since there was little room for a lot of traditional bedroom pieces, the couple had a dresser built into the wall. A closet is tucked behind the wall behind the bed and there's also a large wet bath, where the shower and tub are both enclosed behind a glass door.
The lower left of the loft has been turned into a home theater, lined with movie posters and dark red curtains to block out the light. There's room to stretch out on one of the two big black recliners or the red leather sleeper sofa that can make room for overnight guests at a moment's notice.
Instead of spending serious money on a giant screen, Carrie Burns painted an entire wall with "screen goo" that turns the wall into a viewing screen. Black-out paint around the edge creates the illusion of a framed screen. The couple estimates that they looked at about 60 lofts before they found the Mueller building. "I liked that it was little — this is just one of 14 units," said Carrie Burns. "And I liked the potential I saw in the neighborhood. Now we've got art galleries and restaurants we can walk to."
Source: ajc.com