Doc Blue
This renovation of the 5th floor of a 1910 industrial warehouse into loft living was done for a single, eccentric orthodontist. The goal was to create a "babe magnet" out of the 2,560 square-foot space. The owner’s life adventures include NASCAR racing, blues songwriting and blues harmonica. The architect wanted to create a space that fit the personality of its owner, Doc Blue. To achieve this, the architect incorporated the eclectic mix of furniture that Doc Blue has collected during his 70 year lifetime.
The dramatic blue room for Doc Blue can best be described as a "pad." The "floating" round loft deck provides the central form that defines the "attitude" of the space. The living room space and upper bedroom are arranged to view the River Canal five floors below on street level. Antique furniture and artifacts are used in a way as to be considered as sculpture.The space inserts modern forms into the warehouse volume, celebrating the historic elements but also allowing modern materials to be visible. Doc Blue’s childhood saddle is suspended from the ceiling as a reminder of "flying through the air on the back of old Topsy." The woven cable handrail of the round loft deck is constructed by Doc Blue, much in the way he weaves stainless steel wire for orthodontic braces for teeth.
