"We loved the place because it was big and open, but it’s not very livable to have complete open space," says Sean. "There was no door to the bathroom; it was just open, too."
When Scott and Sean Meyer, two brothers who are both software engineers, set out to buy a Denver condo together in early 2020, they had clear criteria in mind. For starters, they wanted to be able to walk to work and other amenities in minutes, due to the local climate. "We set a boundary based on how long a comfortable walk is in snowy weather," says Scott. (Under 20 minutes was ideal.)
They also wanted three bedrooms—one for each of them, and an extra for visiting friends or family. "Since we’re two brothers living together, we didn’t want one person to have a significantly nicer bedroom than the other," adds Sean. They were relocating from the outskirts of the city to a downtown building, and there were things from the suburbs that they didn’t want to give up: "Like being able to bring a muddy bike inside without having to go through a super nice lobby," says Sean.
They ended up finding a 2,150-square-foot one-bedroom loft in a converted candy factory in the LoDo (Lower Downtown) neighborhood. Built in 1909, it was once home to the Brecht Chocolate and Candies company, before it was converted into lofts into the 1990s. Their commute by foot would be about five minutes, and it even had its own street entrance and interior access to a parking garage for bike storage.
The only problem? It was open—very open. There was a single lofted bedroom in the mezzanine overlooking the living space below, and there was no door to the bathroom. "It was just open, too," says Sean.
Before: Entrance
Before: The front door of this Denver loft opened to the kitchen, which was set on an elevated platform. The clients and the team at Helios Design Group wanted to make the kitchen the same level as the rest of the living areas.
Courtesy of Helios Design Group
After: Entrance
Interior designer Ariel Roth kept the entry elevated and added a coat closet and half wall, which caps the kitchen on the other side.
Dane Cronin
After: Kitchen
In the kitchen, Unfold pendants by Muuto hang above a Silestone countertop and Svelti stools by Article.
Dane Cronin
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: How Two Brothers Turned a Cavernous Candy Factory Loft Into a Sweet Pad
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