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Urban living is at its best in the condominium homes of John Gaudin, Harold Tenenbaum and Greg Nabholz. The entrance to this four-story building, which once housed a tire store, sets the stage with a graphic panel featuring multi-hued backlights creating a modern piece of artwork, hinting to a theme of the offices and residences above.
Gaudin’s condo exudes warmth. His home was an open space at purchase, as were all three condos, with a structural beam near the entrance. Rather than build a wall to hide the beam, Gaudin installed three others, creating a grand entrance and defining his formal living and dining spaces. To add warmth, he painstakingly handpainted the walls and ceilings in a warm peachy color, which is echoed in the gold travertine floor in the entry.
“I wanted the walls to have an antique, Old World Italian feel,” Gaudin said. “This color is inviting and elegant, but homey.”
The dining room, just right of the entry, features a table designed by Master Jiang. The dining table seats eight and is a gallery for Gaudin’s collection of Versace plates and chargers. Gaudin said he loved their color and symmetry. A large buffet and large china cabinet finish out the space.
“I found that cabinet many years ago. I love its warmth and size, and it’s perfect to display all our glassware,” Gaudin said, laughing. “It took five of us to disassemble it, move it and then it took five of us to assemble. When we were done there were five or six large screws leftover. I worry everyday that it’ll come apart.”
Adjacent to the formal dining is the formal living room. A pair of coordinating sofas covered in matching fabric provides seating. Principal in the room is a candelabra by artist Robert Best titled “Burning Bush.” The piece is only one of many pieces of original artwork in Gaudin’s home, which is a gallery for his collection. It is one of three Best pieces that he owns; one is a crucifix that sits in front of a fireplace. It and the other pieces feature amethyst and Arkansas quartz.
Gaudin is himself an artist and many of his pieces, including a number of iconic pieces as well as pop art of prominent leaders.
The kitchen and casual living areas are an open space with wide-plank wood floors. The kitchen is a cozy space with stainless steel appliances, tumbled porcelain backsplashes and custom-made mission-style cabinets.
“The Argenta neighborhood has lots of homes that are mission style. I wanted to have some elements that relate back to the neighborhood,” Gaudin said. The vent above the stove has been covered and painted. I like that fluted look … it’s more of an old world style. I didn’t want it to be too modern.”
He chose granite for the counters. “I like the beauty and durability, but I chose this pattern for its subtlety. I didn’t want the counters to standout — they’re not art. I wanted the art to be the art. I didn’t want anything to battle with the art we’ve collected over the years,” he said, referring to pieces such as figurines by Jane Hankins; paintings by Gaudin, including “Wine Tastings”; as well as paintings by other artists including a few pigs — “We’re huge Razorback fans — and several food-centered paintings by Carol Katchen.
The casual living area is a comfortable space, furnished in muted colors — again to allow the artwork to take center stage — with a bold splash of crimson in a pair of chairs. A gas fireplace is flanked by bookshelves and a desk that display more artwork and found objects; the wall opposite the entry features wood-shuttered windows and doors that open to a balcony overlooking a busy Argenta street.
“I love this area,” Gaudin said. He moved from Little Rock to find this type of atmosphere. “I love the people, this neighborhood. I’m able to walk out my door and have access to everything … restaurants, a grocery, museum, galleries … living here is more about the culture than anything else.”
Clean lines and a minimalist feel dominate the 2,850 square feet that Harold Tenenbaum calls home. He worked with designer John Rogers, who created the delightful lighting feature for Little Rock’s Big Dam Bridge, for nearly a year to perfect the concept. “Everything was designed around my art collection. I’ve been collecting for 30 or 40 years, so displaying the art prominently was key,” Tenenbaum said.
Thus artwork is featured in each room including the entry where a painting by LeRoy Neiman and its watercolor test reside. Bamboo flooring is featured in the open living space, which includes a generous kitchen, a small area Tenenbaum refers to as the lounge and the living and dining areas.
The kitchen has limestone floors, concrete countertops — both in dark grey tones that compliment the lighter grey walls — and African ebony cabinets. Stainless steel appliances provide convenience and the cutting edge look. One element, which is unique to the room, is a baby blue French stove, which Tenenbaum likes because “it’s so different.” A crescent-shaped breakfast bar has seating for four and features a Rogers creation: a glass shelf with intermittent light that illuminates in six different hues including cyan. An island centers the room and houses a deep sink and a stainless faucet with a pull-down sprayer that adds an architectural detail.
“Let’s face it … when you have guests, everybody ends up in the kitchen, so we designed the space to allow conversation while prep work and cooking are going on. People can nibble and talk at the same time,” Tenenbaum said. The ample counter space certainly allows for this. Storage space built into the counter facing the dining area provides a display for glassware that belonged to Tenenbaum’s great grandmother. In fact, several of her keepsakes are part of the dÉcor including a beautifully preserved dining table. The table seats eight comfortably, though Tenenbaum replaced the original chairs, they are well matched to the table and the space. Three large works dominate the space here: a painting by Neiman, “Polo Lounge”; a mixed-media abstract by Lichtenstein; and a wood train set with a story: “This was built by a former railroad engineer who lived in Hope, Ark.; in fact, Bill Clinton would go over and watch him build. I first saw it in a small scrape metal yard in Hope when I was 14. I chased this thing for 30 years. When I was in my 40s it went up for auction and I got it. Of course, by then it was falling apart. I found an old watch maker who restored it,” Tenenbaum said. He proudly displays it beneath the “Polo Lounge.”
A bright-colored abstract painting and an antique cedar storage bench with copper strips sit along the transition space between the living and dining spaces. Here guests luxuriate in shades of grey, dark brown and moss green. Centered in the space is a wood table Tenenbaum has had since his children were toddlers. Here a pop of color is provided by blown glass fashioned by Chihuly. A pair of swivel chairs turns to face the fireplace, which burns denatured alcohol. Above it sits a large, flat-screen television flanked by a quartet of backlit florals fashioned of glass. Opposite is the “lounge” with a sectional sofa. A metal marble-topped table features a unique piece of glass artwork and two Neiman works: a painting “Kilimanjaro Bulls” and a tapestry titled “Elephant Stampede.”
Tenenbaum’s home is defined by open spaces that easily lends for entertaining. The dark masculine pieces, antiques mixed with modern and light make a perfect backdrop for his art collection and, more importantly, his life.
Modern is the word for Greg Nabholz’ condominium. Blues, greys and black provide the color palette in this residence.
White canvases featuring fruit and artfully-placed black splatters hang on the space outside his home, indicative of the style within. His walls have been dressed in grey as well, providing a neutral setting for the entry, which is home to several pieces by artists like Jason Gammel, V.L. Cox, Sarah Nabholz Mitchell and neighbor John Gaudin.
The master suite, just inside, features an energetic splash of turquoise on the wall that acts as the backdrop for the bed. This first room in which you encounter one of the condo’s treats: electronic blinds. Valances that match the wall colors hide the blinds’ housing.
Nabholz worked with Nabholz Construction and subcontractors to finish out his space. “I knew what I wanted the space to look like,” he said. “I bounced ideas off of a group of friends I refer to as ‘my council.’ I used black as a backdrop and added other colors to it.”
The master bath is a shaded, intimate space with dimmers that change the mood. The rectangular shower, fashioned of tiled walls and stoned floor is large enough to feel spacious and deep enough that a shower door is not required. Its wall separates the water closet.
Nabholz used pocket and sliding doors on the closet spaces in the master suite and guest bedrooms to minimize the area needed to access the space. Their charcoal color is also used on the bath and kitchen cabinetry, built-in shelves and office areas unifying the spaces.
The condo’s public space is also an open space. The kitchen features glass tile in shades of blue, and Nabholz has used splashes of this color in his dishware and many kitchen utensils. As space is at a premium in this 1,400-square-foot area, Nabholz has maximized storage space, by using cabinets that reach the ceiling.
“My plan was to maximize the public space, to use the space as efficiently as possible,” he said.
The bar features glass shelves, encased in black, on either end, with wire racks below providing storage for glasses and mugs. The ends of the bar are also used for storage, one end for wine bottles.
The living space is adjacent to a tiled fireplace that Nabholz designed himself. Here is another of the home’s wow factors: a waterfall that provides an aesthetic and audible feature. Turquoise vases add shimmer and color to the focal point. A faux pebble rug grounds the space and a cream-colored leather sectional and matching ottoman furnish the space. Here, a teal throw and funky pillows lend color and interest to the room. The dining table seats eight, and the homeowner has used parson’s chairs in ebony and ecru to surround it. A very modern chandelier illuminates the space. Shelves prominently display keepsakes, family photos, books and souvenirs from University of Arkansas at Fayetteville — Nabholz’s alma mater —and Razorback mementos. Two pairs of doors open to the home’s two balconies; one features a Razorback side table and a stamp of a Hawg.
A doorless closet houses Nabholz’s electronics and with built-in shelves houses books, office supplies and the like. A black desk centered in front of it gives him workspace and a view out onto the busy street below.
Prior to December 2007, Nabholz lived in Conway, but moved to Argenta, for many of the reasons cited by Gaudin and Tenenbaum.
“I’ve always wanted to live in a walkable, livable neighborhood. I can go three days without getting in my car and still have all I need and want,” he said. “Argenta has a big city feel.”
The building’s piece de resistance is the rooftop patio, which Nabholz calls “our window to the city,” with seating for about 25. The outdoor space grants spectacular views of Little Rock and North Little Rock. Amenities include a stainless steel outdoor kitchen, a retractable roof, a television — though, whose watching when you have such as great view — a hot tub and a fire pit for fall and mild winter nights.
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