MCZ Development and Centrum Properties decided to get creative with the three new models at No. Ten Lofts, a 266-unit loft condo conversion at 1044 W. Adams, in the West Loop.
“We chose three different design firms and gave each of them a different background of what type of buyer they were designing for,” said Tina Guziec, vice president of operations for MCZ. “The results are three distinctly designed lofts that will appeal to a wide range of buyers.”
The idea was to showcase the best elements of the floor plans while helping a variety of prospective buyers see themselves living at No. Ten Lofts, said Jennifer Arons, senior vice president of Centrum Properties.
“We wanted the designs to be unique – something that stood out in the minds of the buyers,” Arons said. “In a competitive market where savvy home buyers are doing their research and then visiting several developments and touring a slew of models, we knew that No. Ten Lofts had to leave a lasting impression.”
The models definitely left an impression at the 32nd annual Key Awards, recently hosted by the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago. Centrum and MCZ won a Gold Key Award for model unit 234, a 960-square-foot one-bedroom loft with a den designed by architects Hartshorne & Plunkard and designer Laura O’Connell, of Bonnie C. Smith, Inc.
The unit has lofty features including floor-to-ceiling windows, timber beams, an open floor plan and exposed brick. The kitchen is the focal point and features a custom granite breakfast bar with a rounded “table” end, rich cherry-stained kitchen cabinets and strategically placed lighting, which continues into the adjacent living room.
“We thought of kind of a ‘bachelor pad’ with masculine and feminine elements,” O’Connell said.
In addition to O’Connell’s unit, Mee Kim-Chavez, a partner in Mee Brad Design, was commissioned to design a model that would appeal to an older couple with no children.
“We had a couple in mind who were art collectors, and who enjoyed art show, operas and other entertainment that the city has to offer,” Kim-Chavez said. “To outfit the model, we scoured the city for unique pieces as well as production pieces.”
And Lynn Rosenberg of Lynn Rosenberg Design created a home with a single, professional woman “who traveled a lot and brought back finds from her trips to furnish her home” in mind.
Units at the development have one to two-plus bedrooms and 640 to 1,845 square feet, priced from the $200s to the $540s.