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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Loft offers stylish abode


Susan Hornor relaxes in her 1,700-square-foot condo, accented with a section of a grain silo, in the revitalized Jefferson Auto Building. 
 (The Spokesman-Review)
Cheryl-anne Millsap | Photos by Brian Plonka | the Spokesman-review The Spokesman-Review

After raising seven children and spending the past 15 years paying for college tuition, Rick and Susan Hornor were ready for a change. A big change.

When the couple answered a small ad for a new loft development in a downtown building, they put the wheels of change in motion.

“We bought a line painted on an old wood floor,” Susan Hornor said. “But we knew we would love it when the space was finished.”

They actually purchased two spaces – to give them enough room to add a second bedroom and bath.

After selling their large suburban home near Whitworth College, where Rick Hornor is chairman of the Theater Department, the couple moved in with family members until their loft could be carved out of the cavernous Jefferson Auto Building.

Working with Gestalt Studio Interior Design, the couple created a space that incorporated function and style.

Two sets of wide French doors open onto a long balcony. The stained cement floor is finished in tortoise shell brown. A long curved kitchen island, with a cement surface, defines the kitchen area.

“With seven children and hopefully grandchildren in the future, it was important to me to have space for everyone,” Susan Hornor said. “The designers really listened to me, and I was so happy with what they came up with.”

Stainless steel appliances bring an industrial touch to a room that is warmed by family heirlooms that include an oak hutch made by one of the couple’s children, and overstuffed furniture that moved with them from the suburbs.

A curved corrugated-metal wall, half of a silo wall, separates the bedroom space from the rest of the loft. A large walk-in closet separates the bedroom from the contemporary master bath.

One of three large skylights brings natural light into a space that has no exterior windows.

Tucked behind the kitchen, the second bedroom features a wide closet that Susan Hornor plans to turn into a sewing center. A “loft within a loft” accessed by ladder was created by covering the kitchen pantry and bedroom closet.

“That’s for the grandchildren,” Susan said with a smile. “When we get them.”

Making every inch count, the short hallway in the center of the 1,700-square-foot home is occupied by a custom desk, curved to fit around the silo wall. A utility closet houses a washer and dryer.

It was a big leap from a rambling family home in the suburbs to a trendy loft in the heart of the city, but the Hornors don’t regret the move.

“There is something so energizing about the city,” Susan Hornor said. “You feel it when you step out the door.”

“You get this feeling of community, of being a part of something special,” Rick Hornor added. “But home is still a peaceful oasis.”