When Fred Williams began working with interior designer Annie Kiladjian of Annie K Designs on his Munjoy Heights townhouse, the two were presented with a challenge: What to do with the empty space where the elevator, which Williams chose to remove, was originally located? (In a turn of events, Williams ended up needing ankle surgery just eight months after moving in, and the elevator would have been quite convenient during that time!)
“We primarily slated the elevator space for storage,” says Kiladjian, since the home had limited areas for storing Williams’ belongings. “Then he tasked me with finding someplace to showcase his extensive wine collection. It wasn’t an easy task, but I decided that rather than using the elevator shaft as storage on the main living floor, it would make a great bar area,” she continues.
Williams, the managing director at Old Port Advisors, loved Kiladjian’s idea. “Annie created the bar space on the fifth floor for entertaining on the roof deck, as well as the much more intricate bar and wine space off the third floor living area,” he notes. “What she oversaw was a beautiful and efficient transformation of a basic elevator shaft into an artistic attribute that now greets guests visiting our home.”
Reimagining a niche space like an elevator shaft can be complicated, but Kiladjian appreciated the challenge. “It comes down to thinking outside the box and listening to your customer’s needs and wants. Where there is a will, there is a way!” she adds.