A Philosopher Calls This 112-Year-Old "Modern Minimalist" Apartment Home
For five-and-a-half years, Charles Repp has owned this apartment in a 112-year-old apartment building in a historic neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia, called the Fan District. “My unit’s on the first floor, with two bedrooms (one that I’ve converted to an office) and one bath, laid out basically like a four-square court. The whole thing’s only 810 square feet — so not big — but the 11-foot ceilings and giant double windows give it a kind of Old World grandness. I’d describe my decorating style as ‘modern minimalist,’ except for all the books: I’m definitely not a minimalist (nor much of a modernist) when it comes to those,” he writes.
“I identify as a professor/academic, which is what I do for a living. (I’m a philosopher, specifically.) And, yes, I’d say a lot of features of my aesthetic reflect that. One is my preference for abstract over figurative art. (You have to like abstractions to like philosophy.) My favorite, and most conspicuously displayed, piece of art is an abstract print by Richard Anuszkiewicz, which hangs over the fireplace,” Repp writes.
Apartment Therapy Survey
Describe your home’s style in five words or fewer: Bauhaus, Danish Modern, Minimalist
What is your favorite room and why? Favorite to be in? It changes, but right now the living room, because of the gas fireplace. I’d never had a gas fireplace before this place, so I had no idea how great they were until my first winter here. So easy to turn on and off, and so cozy when it’s cold.
What’s the last thing you bought for your home? The last thing I bought was a vintage lamp for the chest by the front door.
Resources
Shelves — Vitsoe
Arne Norell Ari Lounge Chair — Vintage
Kitchen Cabinetry — Reform
Abstract Print — Richard Anuszkiewicz
Vintage Lamp — Etsy
Thanks, Charles!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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