Take a peek inside this beautiful Ludlow, KY condo, where every element has a story.

This contemporary condo feels open and inviting. Its mostly neutral rooms are accented with carefully curated art and collections that remind the owner of family members, trips she has taken and artists she has met.

When Charmaine Kessinger first walked into her condo, she felt like she was home. The large rooms overlook a stunning vista of the Ohio River, providing an ever-changing view.

Inside the home, her collections and artwork are cleverly displayed to provide Charmaine and her visitors with conversation and stories about each piece. From a dress sewn by her grandmother and her father’s pocket watch to blown glass selected in Lexington and whimsical elements like a tiny wooden mouse and delicate wire spider web, there is something interesting to see wherever you look.

The River’s Breeze Community is a friendly, walkable neighborhood within the charming city of Ludlow. Charmaine loves to visit the eclectic downtown businesses, many of which have a focus on art, music and good food.

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Thank you to the sponsors of this episode:

 

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More information about the property

Learn more about the River’s Breeze Community here.

Learn more about the City of Ludlow here.

The blown glass on Charmaine’s wall was mostly purchased from Flame Run in Lexington, KY.

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Additional photos of the property (slide show)

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If you’d rather read than watch, here is the episode transcript:

Jill Morenz, Host: Hi, and welcome to another episode of Beyond the Curb River City Living, I’m Jill Morenz with the Catalytic Fund. Today, I’m going to take you inside this beautiful Condo in Ludlow. Just about everything in it tells the story of the owner and her family. Come on in! This episode is sponsored by Learning Grove, which provides exceptional early childhood education to nearly 7,000 racially and socioeconomically diverse children and families in Southwest, Ohio and Northern Kentucky, including at their center in Ludlow. It’s also sponsored by Fedders Construction, building strong communities and lifelong relationships through transparent transactions and high-quality finished project, Fedders Construction creates lasting impact and a newfound level of trust in the construction industry. The well-kept unassuming exterior of this condo and Ludlow Rivers Breeze community makes the colorful interior even more inviting. The warm tones, contemporary light fixtures, and interesting even whimsical art provide hints to Charmaine Kessinger’s personality. Charmaine Kessinger, Home Owner: River Breeze is a great community. First of all, you start with Ludlow, and you start with a view, but then you move into our community here. The thing I like about our community, is it’s very diverse. There’s young, there’s old, there’s different races, there’s different nationalities, there’s different people from all walks of life. You know, I was looking around for different condos in the Covington-Cincinnati area, and I kept being drawn back to Northern Kentucky, I was born in Northern Kentucky, and I decided that I needed a view of the river. And when I came into this condo, I looked at the view, I looked around and it immediately felt like home. [Jill] In the den, Charmaine displays her childhood dollhouse. [Charmaine] My dad built that, it’s a great memory of my dad. My dad worked for the Cincinnati Enquirer, and so if you look in the dollhouse you’ll see miniature newspapers from the Cincinnati Enquirer. [Jill] This room also serves as a guest room with a pullout couch. Here’s a display of watches from Charmaine’s father and grandparents. The guest bathroom is full of color and eye catching accessories. Among all the interesting art in the house, are two really special pieces in the office. When Charmaine sister who had a developmental disability was learning to write, she drew a lot of these shapes, which Charmaine had turned into the canvas and also fabric for the window valance. (Charmaine) I just love blown glass, and so I thought some texture in my living room would be great and some color which I love. And I picked out some pieces from Louisville, Flame Run, and I just love it. (Jill) The colorful accents continue throughout the home set off by the mostly neutral walls and floors. The bedrooms soothing palette is energized by the red dresser in green trunk. This is the dressing area next to the closets and master bathroom. This dress and this jacket were sewn by Charmaine’s grandmother, and by displaying them here, she gets to enjoy the workmanship and the memories every day. (Charmaine) So, when I was growing up, I had Barbies but I had no clothes, I just had like old stuff. And my mother for Christmas had her sister make doll clothes for me, for my Barbies. So I opened it up and I had a whole wardrobe of clothes, it was wonderful. And of course I don’t play with Barbies anymore but I had to do something with them to cherish that my aunt had made them, and then also just to display them. So I bought three shadow boxes and I put three outfits in it and it’s just fun. It’s fun to look at, and it’s fun to walk by and cherish those memories. (Jill) The master bathroom is filled with light. One of my favorite things about this condo, is that there are many interesting things to look at but they’re all carefully selected and displayed, so it’s never busy or crowded. It all comes together to showcase Charmaine’s history, interests, and whimsical personality. Thank you so much for joining me on our tour of this stylishly, nostalgic condo in Ludlow, Kentucky. I invite you to take a look at our other episodes at beyondthecurb.org. You can also sign up to receive notifications when we have new episodes or when we have an in-person tour. On behalf of our sponsors and the Catalytic Fund, I’m Jill Marenz. And we’ll see you again soon. Beyond the Curve is presented by the Catalytic Fund, a company that through its investments and real estate expertise, executes high impact real estate projects in Northern Kentucky, and creates new spaces for living, working, and entertainment.