Step Inside a Spacious Salt Lake City Loft With a Centuries-Old Furniture Collection
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When interior designer Robert Olson and his partner first looked into buying their now elegant and carefully curated space in a 120-year-old former grocery warehouse in Salt Lake City, it was in such a state that even Olson couldn't see the beauty in it. "When we originally looked at it, it was divided into a two-bedroom apartment, so it looked more like a horrible industrial condo than a classic early 20th-century loft," he explains.
The apartment had been sitting on the market for more than a few years, and when the couple saw it, the walls were orange, the floors were rust-stained cement, and the cabinets were dark gray with a tiger print granite. "It was pretty bad. No wonder no one wanted to buy the unit," he says. Giving credit where it's due, he explains, "my partner really saw the magic in it."
But while the space presented a challenge, Olson was up for it. As an admitted Francophile who had lived in New York for more than 30 years, Olson decided restore the broken-up, 875-square-foot unit back to its original lofty splendor. It wasn't until their now-neighbor and -friend heard people in the unit and invited them over to see her own that the couple realized what they could do in the space. Their first order of business: clearing it out, ripping out the false walls that had been added, and starting from scratch.
"After we bought it, we tore down every single wall to give it that true loft feel. We also wanted to bring back the natural color of the cement, but because it was so expensive and a painstaking process, the best thing to do—and to stay within the budget—was to just paint everything white," Olson explains. "I've always liked that all-white look anyway, and it complements our collection of traditional furnishings."
Such furnishings—early 18th-century oil paintings, vintage gilded mirrors, and accurate reproductions of Louis XV chairs, among others—are part of a lifelong collection the designer has amassed everywhere from New York to Paris. But while some pieces are old, the place feels anything but old-fashioned. Olson says, "Because the whole apartment is white, it doesn't look like an old lady's house with all of these really traditional pieces." What's more, the white paint offered another benefit: light. "After our renovations, the whole place reflected so much light, and now, the interiors almost glow. Depending on the time of day, the light changes, and it can be bright white or a soft orange. It's quite beautiful, and we really lucked out."
Living Area
"I'm coming from a much larger home, so this collection of furniture is edited down. Some of it is antique, some are reproductions, and some is basically from a flea market, but it's all thrown together nicely," Olson explains. Paint: Behr Ultra Pure White.
There is no better gift than high-quality art. "When I turned 40, a friend gave me the large, abstract piece. I love that it works with the furniture. It's just so beautiful." As for the set of profiles, Olson describes them as etchings that were designed to look antique courtesy of tea-stained paper.
The pair of columns, which the designer bought at a flea market, are from a former residence in the area. "They're really heavy and you can tell they're from a home. They're solid wood and original paint is chipping off. That's kind of my thing, though," Olson says. "I love things that are a little old and decaying." As for the art, they're combinations of centuries-old paintings and lithographs, and more contemporary posters.
Kitchen
"I cook but I'm not a big cook. If I want to, I can, but I'm not what I'd call a chef," Olson says through a laugh. That said, he's been collecting Williams-Sonoma's hammered copper pots for years. Stove: Bertazzoni. Faucet: Brizo.
Q&A
House Beautiful: Any other memorable details?
Robert Olson: Something that really shocked us was a set of structural columns we discovered in the living area. We didn't originally see them because of how the fake walls were added around them. The columns were so beautiful, raw, and neoclassical. They really brought the space to life.
HB: What is the history of the building?
RO: It was built in 1901 as a grocery warehouse for one of Utah's earliest settlers, who just so happened to be Jewish, which was rare for Utah during that point in time. The surrounding buildings have that similar old architecture, so our view kind of reminds me of the West Village in New York. It's charming in that way.
HB: Were you inspired by any specific eras or places?
RO: We had gone to Paris in January—I had been before throughout the years—and for some reason, on that trip, I realized that America has changed, I have changed, and even Paris has changed in such a way that it felt like magical moment. I have always been drawn to French culture, as you can tell from the loft, but there was a magic that happened to me and my partner regarding how the French live and how everything slows down.
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