Condominium living in Asheville doesn't mean living small

Paul Clark • PClark@CITIZEN-TIMES.com

ASHEVILLE – Despite housing market conditions, condominium living remains attractive in Asheville, so much so that home furnishing shops have set aside areas to showcase furniture that proves small living doesn't mean living small.

Four Corners Home on Thompson Street in Biltmore Village has launched Loft, its section for furniture that works well in condos, lofts and town houses. Later this month, the interior design company Design Partners on Page Avenue in downtown Asheville will open an area that specializes in pieces that make smaller spaces dazzle. The layout of Mobilia makes the Haywood Street shop downtown look as much like a loft as a home furnishings store.

Condos make up 9.6 percent of all homes in Asheville, according to the Web site Zillow.com. The median value (squarely in the middle of prices of all condo prices the Web site tracks) is $185,000. Though the economy has put a chill on building in the area, condos are planned for The Ellington on Biltmore Avenue and Zona Lofts on Coxe Avenue, downtown. Condos, which are already abundant downtown, remain a popular option for young professionals, retirees from elsewhere and people who want a second home in a vibrant city.

“I can't tell you the number of people we've met that come to Asheville and love it but end up buying houses 30 minutes out of town and get bored,” said Bill Griffin, co-owner of Four Corners Home's shops in downtown and Biltmore Village. “So they'll buy a condo downtown. That's what they're attracted to — the energy downtown.”

Many of the condo owners the shop has worked with are second-home people from Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh who drive to Asheville for the weekend and don't get into their car again until the end of the weekend, Griffin said.

With their “lock-and-leave” advantages, condos and urban lofts tend to be low-maintenance homes whose owners are looking for furniture that doesn't need much care. Sofas, tables and chairs in them tend to be “contemporary, sleek and minimalistic,” said Suzi Smith, the owner of Design Partners.

Smaller spaces need fewer pieces of furniture to fill them up, so the designs that harmonize best with condo living usually have “a less cluttered look,” she said. Less is more, when your living space is smaller.

Four Corners Home sells furniture suitable for any type of structure, but much of what it sells — especially in Loft — is geared toward condo living.

“We're showing people how to live in 800 square feet,” said Michael Forde of Four Corners Home. “I think people have a challenge visualizing how to live in a smaller space.” Like Design Partners, Four Corners Home offers design services.

As is often needed for downtown living, much of the furniture the Loft offers does double duty. Office chairs can be used at the dining room table. Ottomans have storage within. Bookcases can be used to divide spaces into areas.

“More than anything else, it's about flexibility,” Griffin said.

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