European upgrades enhance ambiance of Nolen Shore luxury condo

Leave your worries at the door of unit 204 at Nolen Shore Condominiums, where you'll be transported to a serene space in the heart of Madison. This 2,461-square-foot condo features 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, chef's kitchen, formal dining room, office/den, and a 572-square-foot private terrace perfect for entertaining.

Frequent travels to Europe inspired the home sellers to imbue their condo with calming, elegant features. Over the last decade, they have invested over $100,000 in stunning upgrades to this immaculate home. One of the most significant enhancements was the fireplace, which features a linear flame and floor-to-ceiling travertine and custom tile. Everything is streamlined to have a contemporary European look, from the furniture and lighting to the screwless outlet covers and drapery rods. 

To create this inviting ambiance, they focused on lightening up the place by selecting a new paint color palette and changing the draperies and light fixtures. Once an odd shade of yellow, the interior of the condo is now painted a light gray/brown, which warms up the space and makes the ceiling appear higher.

The condo features custom-made floor-to-ceiling white sheers with extended chrome rods from Germany that allow the draperies to fold. The style is unique to this unit, because the condo association later passed stricter regulations for rolling blinds to match the other units.

"With the white drapes and the calming colors, it's a very serene and relaxing environment," the sellers said.

Iconic Lighting

Another added touch is the Lutron Maestro switches that make every light dimmable throughout the condo. Others have motion control, timer, and fading capabilities, such as the entryway light with plaster motif made by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. The sellers went through the leading Italian lighting brand, FLOS, to select this large piece, "Skygarden 2," which is used in high-end homes and hotels.

"It's very delicate and beautiful. It just captures you when you walk in," they said, adding that it also lights the adjacent laundry room and guest bathroom.

Hanging above the Zodiac Cygnus Pearl surface of the kitchen island are three FLOS "IC" suspension lights, which create a modern, dramatic look against the red birch cabinetry. "In the evening you dim the lighting, and those three white pendant lighting spheres really accentuate the calmness and serenity of the room," they said.

The white Moooi chandelier centered in the dining room is actually made of wood covered in papier-mâché and has frosted exposed bulbs. It's an iconic piece by Dutch designer couple Studio Job, known for their whimsical pieces with traditional elements. "It's stunning at night," they said. "A very elegant place to sit and dine."

On the opposite end of the spacious condo is the magnificent living room, anchored by a contemporary gas fireplace with linear flame. It is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling custom Ann Sacks tile from Portland and gray travertine tile marble on the sides. Visitors sometimes think it's made of metal because of its brassy undertones, the sellers explained, but it's actually ceramic. A local tile expert spent a week in the condo perfecting the fireplace, polishing the ends and using a small grout line to make the tile stand out.

Branching out from the ceiling of the living room is the three-armed French light fixture designed by Serge Mouille in 1959, which has also been featured in designer homes. "With the variation of the length of arms, it fits the room perfectly," they said.

Perhaps the most interesting of all the light fixtures is the orb that "glows like the moon" in the master bedroom. The top and bottom of this Italian piece, a PostKrisi suspension light from Luminaire Chicago, can be opened and closed slightly to alter the lighting cast on the wall.

Finishing Touches

Throughout the home are cherry wood doors, trim, and baseboard, as well as maple hardwood floors. In the bedrooms, the sellers chose merino wool carpet atop memory foam pad to provide "texture, softness, and a sense of luxury."

Also professionally-installed in the condo are the home audio system (which also has speakers outside) and the Nest thermostat, carbon monoxide, and smoke detector system.

"It provides you with a concert-like environment when you turn them on in each room," they said of the sound system. "And you don't have to have them loud to have a crisp, clean quality of music. You can easily listen while dining or lounging outside without it drifting out to the neighbors."

Outdoor Terrace

The private terrace is an incredible bonus to the condo and can easily accommodate large parties. With the way the unit faces toward the common greenspace, it's a wonderful place to sit with a glass of wine, grill out, and entertain.

The unit is elevated with the benefit of still feeling like you're part of a neighborhood, the sellers said. They've added large Swiss planters with trellises featuring climbing hydrangeas and cafe lights as privacy screenings. On summer nights they can even hear Concert on the Square or Dane Dances music drifting over from downtown.

"It's a quiet, windless, shaded, pleasant place to be," they said. "We really love this unit."

More Condo Amenities

Nolen Shore Condominiums at 350 S. Hamilton Street offer a tremendous lakefront location just 3 blocks from Capitol Square. Amenities include a storage room, resident garden and greenspace, fitness center, community room, lobby facing Lake Monona, and a well-appointed business and conference center. In the climate controlled underground garage, the two side-by-side parking stalls for this unit even have an electric vehicle charging station -- a first for a Madison condo.

Contact us for more information, and view the entire features list below.

The photos in this blog post are provided by Martin Menocal and Justin Lackner.