When Michael L. Merchant, Ph.D., and Dr. Judith (Jude) K. Merchant decided to sell their Florida house and move to their Brownsboro Zorn home full-time, they didn’t know the Sunshine State abode would sell so quickly.
“We put it on the market … and by the weekend, we had several offers, and it sold to one of them in a day,” Jude told The Courier Journal. “Prices were already more than what I paid for it, so that part was good — but we had to get that whole house moved up here.”
A blend of old and new
The Merchants eventually managed to transport all their belongings up to Louisville, incorporating their collection of unique finds and family heirlooms into their newly renovated first floor. Among their treasured furniture pieces is a wooden dining set.
“(It’s) my parents’ dining room table,” Jude explained, adding that she has had the chairs recovered and the table refinished. “That was from our house — my parents had (it) in the 60s. Some of the elements (in our house) are truly mid-century. … I just had this vision of something sort of modern meets mid-century modern.”
She adds that her interior design plan was to keep a mostly neutral palette, bringing in color through pictures and accessories.
“I love [Wassily] Kandinsky, both of us like [Marc] Chagall, (and) Mike likes [Salvador] Dali,” Jude said, explaining that the couple has incorporated posters and signed lithographs featuring the works of their favorite artists throughout the house.
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A truly great room
The great room boasts double doors along its walls, offering convenient indoor/outdoor access from every side. The space also features high ceilings, eyebrow windows, and a clear Lucite staircase.
“That (staircase) was the reason I bought this house,” Jude said with a laugh. “I walked in, and I was like, ‘oh, my God, I’m in love with this staircase.’ … It’s stunning.”
She says that though the eye-catching staircase was original to the house, the great room’s focal point — a color-changing fireplace with a pentagonal Spanish tile surround — was a new addition.
“We had an old glass fireplace,” Jude said, adding that she and Mike found the unique Spanish tile for their new fireplace online. Though the shipping was more than the tile itself, she says they absolutely love the fireplace and how it turned out. “It really puts out heat to the room, and it cycles through the different colors of the rainbow.”
Off in one corner of the great room sits another of the Merchants’ mid-century pieces: a ball lamp that was made decades ago but was acquired by Jude when it was virtually brand new.
“(It) is a really cool lamp,” she said. “(It’s) from the 60s, (but) I bought it from a dealer. It never sold. It’s a brand-new, 60-year-old lamp.”
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Along the same side of the room in the opposite corner, Jude has placed a large arc lamp to complement the other curved lines in the space, including the arched entryway and the eyebrow windows.
“It’s new, but it’s a period type of piece,” Jude said of the lamp. “And even the cat shelves pick up the curved lines.”
A functional remodel
When Michael and Jude’s first floor was remodeled, they completely renovated the kitchen, expanding the space and creating a better flow into their laundry room and storage area. The new kitchen boasts heated flooring, ample counter space, and custom, hand-built cabinetry.
“I wanted to have the backsplash be the point of attention,” Jude said, explaining her desire for simple, monochromatic cabinets. The hexagonal backsplash tile, she added, “is a very typical, classic, mid-century kind of pattern. When I saw it, I just fell in love with it.”
The quartz countertops have a neutral tone as well, with brighter hues being brought into the kitchen via artwork and multicolored valances that match the cushions on the benches of the dining nook at the back of the room. Above the benches, the Merchants have lined a couple of shelves with art pieces and artifacts they’ve gathered on various trips.
“Some of this stuff is from our travels,” Jude said, pointing out figurines from Peru and watercolor pieces from North Carolina.
Across from the nook, a door leads to the backyard. “We’re going to be redoing that (area),” Jude said. “We like to sit out there and … grill have coffee out there. … It’s beautiful.”
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Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at [email protected] or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at [email protected].
nuts & bolts
Owners: Michael L. Merchant, Ph.D., and Dr. Judith (Jude) K. Merchant. Michael is a biomedical researcher and Jude is a physician.
Home: This is a 3-bed, 2-and-a-half bath, 3,400-square-foot, modern-style home in the Brownsboro Zorn area that was built in 1983.
Distinctive elements: Clear Lucite main staircase; large chandelier in the entry; eyebrow windows in the living room; unique, pentagonal Spanish tile fireplace surround in the living room; hand-painted wallpaper in the main floor powder room; kitchen with custom quartz countertops, custom cabinets, built-in banquette seating, and chandelier; recycled Vetrazzo glass countertop in the laundry room.
Applause! Applause! Amlung Construction, Brownsboro Framing Company, and design consultant Sallie DiLaura.
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