We Love White Painted Hardwood Floors: 233 E. Walton in the Gold Coast
This 4-bedroom co-op at 233 E. Walton in the Gold Coast came on the market in April 2013.
The building was built in 1922 with 1 unit per floor. There are only 13 units in the building.
If you look closely enough at the listing pictures, you’ll realize that the floors in many of the rooms are hardwood floors painted white and/or gray and white.
The kitchen is also white with modern white cabinets and stainless steel appliances.
It is a family-sized home with a library and family room along with 1 fireplace.
There is space pak cooling and washer/dryer in the unit.
The listing says that there is “outdoor parking for day use.”
And before you scream about the assessment, it does include real estate taxes. And remember, there are only 13 units to maintain the common areas of this building.
Are painted wood floors the new trend?
Lisa Malkin at Baird & Warner has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #9: 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, library, co-op, no square footage listed
- I don’t know the previous sales price because it’s a co-op
- Originally listed in April 2013 for $2.995 million
- Still listed at $2.995 million
- Assessments of $5891 a month (includes real estate taxes, gas, doorman, cable)
- Taxes of $24,603
- Space pak cooling
- Washer/dryer in the unit
- Parking for day use
- Bedroom #1: 18×16
- Bedroom #2: 13×12
- Bedroom #3: 19×13
- Bedroom #4: 16×13
- Family room: 18×16
- Library: 19×13
i eat lunch in that cafeteria from time to time.
nice place. environment a bit sterile, but the food is great.
Wow. Is any sense of color offensive to these people?
Im always shocked at how much people are willing to pay to be able to legally discriminate. Co ops in Chicago cost more money to live in than regular buildings. There’s no financial/tax benefit to co ops as there is in NYC. The only benefit it being able to choose your neighbors.
Beautiful, thanks for cleansing my eyes after the faux painted nightmare of your previous post.
I am definitely not a fan of the painted hardwood floors here. I love natural wood, whether it is floors, moldings, etc. This place is also pretty weird with its white theme taken to the extreme. I would be so scared I might spill something in this house and stain it. Even a sneeze might get yellow boogers permanently attached to the walls.
I did have the thought after one of the pictures that this unit is in need of a bloody murder in it to provide some color or something…
Almost too white in this place… like Benji, i’d be afraid to drink red wine in this place, or even eat
but maybe people that can afford multi-ten thousand a month housing payments don’t worry about such things, or don’t eat or drink in their homes… what do I know
“multi-ten thousand a month housing payments ”
I don’t see this as over $15k/month, with the 50% financing limit.
This place strikes me as the quintessential rich person’s home.
yeah but if you want to live here you better be able to afford at least 30k a month!
“yeah but if you want to live here you better be able to afford at least 30k a month!”
I suspect that, to get past the board, you’d have to be able to ‘afford’ more than that.
exactly
Probably want to be paying cash to be able to live there, and then also have at least $5M in non-retirement liquid assets in addition to that. If real estate taxes are included in the assessment, why are they also separately listed as $24,600? This is where rich people truly live and would probably be an in-town for the Lake Forest set. Maybe with a vacation home somewhere down south too or in the Caribbean…
“Are painted wood floors the new trend?”
No, but the return of llama-hair carpets is long overdue.
“The first thing you noticed was the llama-hair carpeting. It was wall-to-wall and 8 inches thick…. You’d be looking for an earring in that thing for hours.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323539804578264114013726742.html
” If real estate taxes are included in the assessment, why are they also separately listed as $24,600?”
So you know what part of the assessment is deductible and/or not under board control.
“Maybe with a vacation home somewhere down south”
Naples or Scottsdale. Also likely: mountain, whether Aspen, Jackson, or similar.
All that money and you don’t get a single open view. All windows seem to look right into other buildings.
On another note, until recently, I believe Ryne Sandberg, the former Cub, lived either in this building or another similar one nearby. I recall hearing about him selling his place.
Rynos place was on Delaware and Dewitt , sw corner. Those units are nice too and a lot less pricey.
I lived close to this placeforyears and always thought they were just apts. there are a lot of old mystery buildings in this sleepy area.
“Floors are not painted, they are White Birch wood.”
NotClio- I think you posted in the wrong thread so I moved it over here. You’re saying those gray patterns in the living/dining area are not paint as well? Because the floors are clearly white with gray throughout.
I’ve never seen pure white real wood floors. Please- someone tell me where to find them because I would install them. To get true white you have to paint the wood. The white oaks and maples all have a yellowish tint to them.
You are talking about the very light yellows when talking about Birch, right? Here’s a few samples of the birch. These floors look nothing like this.
http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/hardwood/driftscape-white-birch-5-in-engineered-hardwood-wide-plank-ESP5210/floor-127145.asp
http://www.mainetimberworks.com/wideplank/whitebirch
Thanks Bri!
Bri is this what your looking for?
http://www.nextdaydiy.com/flooring-c2/engineered-wood-flooring-c12/engineered-125mm-oak-white-stained-real-wood-flooring-p1030
No- that’s what notClio is looking for. But those aren’t white either. That’s the closest light colored non-painted wood you can probably get. But it’s not white.
THESE are white (like the floors in this apartment on Walton) and they’re all painted.
http://www.designloversblog.com/design-and-decoration/white-floorboards/
[Sabrina] “I’ve never seen pure white real wood floors. Please- someone tell me where to find them because I would install them. To get true white you have to paint the wood. The white oaks and maples all have a yellowish tint to them.”
Dinesen Douglas with White Soap finishing.You apply the Soap after install and you apply coats until reaching your desired coloration. No paint, no gloss, full grain, and does not effect the texture.
Beautiful old apartment, but the painted floors are tragic. The next buyer will no doubt want to restore the natural wood finish.
The unit is beautiful. The floors, subtle colors, and artwork, all work perfectly. It is refreshing that someone with their own sense of style, made the unit their own.
Absolutely stunning!!
All that white is blinding. I’d be worried about an avalanche.
What is amusing is that the only bit of color that pops is from the compulsively arranged canned goods in the kitchen.
“Dinesen Douglas with White Soap finishing.You apply the Soap after install and you apply coats until reaching your desired coloration. No paint, no gloss, full grain, and does not effect the texture.”
Thanks dude. I’ve never heard of this brand before. I’m not surprised its Danish as they love the light floors out there.
It still looks a bit yellow- but it looks like you can keep applying the white soap until it’s pretty white. How many coats would that take? Problem with it is that you have to reapply the white soap 2 to 4 times a month to keep it looking like that (according to the website).
White painted floors have their issues too with nicks, scuffs and fading and other things too. Many people have to repaint those too. But it’s pretty easy to use chalk paint from what I’ve heard. Some people also paint with marine paint (because it can withstand more.)
I used a whitewash stain on the pine floors in my kitchen (because I hate the natural pine color). It’s not perfectly white, but it worked out pretty well. What I have noticed though is that like paint, it has nicked a bit over time.
couldn’t you paint them white to your liking and then do a matte or gloss finish over that if you wanted so you don’t have to keep repainting all the time as the paint gets worn off?
Looks like Patrick Bateman’s dream place.
While Patrick bateman’s place was white, it was uber modern (like stainless sub zero fridge’s,marble floors, crap like that in the early 80’s before they were cool)
[Sabrina]
“Thanks dude. I’ve never heard of this brand before. I’m not surprised its Danish as they love the light floors out there.
It still looks a bit yellow- but it looks like you can keep applying the white soap until it’s pretty white. How many coats would that take? Problem with it is that you have to reapply the white soap 2 to 4 times a month to keep it looking like that (according to the website).”
Dinesen is one of the top producers of high quality wood flooring in the world. Not many companies provide the same level of product or service that they do.
We have never had a client go after the full white, so I really can’t say how many coats that would take. Just one pass makes dramatic difference. Make sure to use a Lye wash before hand to allow the Soap to fully penetrate the wood grain.
I don’t know where you are seeing the commentary about reapplying 2-4 times a month, we have never had (or heard) of such a thing… and frankly, no one would put up with that kind of maintenance. Dinesen does however recommend washing the floor on a regular basis to see it healthy.
This is a lovely building. Huge gracious rooms, elegant floor plan. Elevator opens to your coop.
It’s a gorgeous building, and given what’s transpired in so many condo buildings in the past 10 years, even expensive ones, being able to “discriminate” and make sure prospective buyers can meet their expenses is perhaps an advantage. I wouldn’t like the lack of financial privacy, but it’s nice to know that half the units won’t be sold to “flippers” on IO loans, come the next wave of financial insanity, which our leaders are trying their best to get rolling.
Absolutely amazingly beautiful!!! Totally love with every inch of this place…just cannot find a bad, anything.
The all white scheme is breathtaking and is done well. When one tries to pull off an all white scheme, it can go wrong very easily. This place does it perfectly. The mouldings, lighting, floors … even that rug are all outstanding. While I know the furniture can’t be discussed here, this place has some beyond beautiful, up to the minute, high end high quality pieces. It almost looks like a show room it is so perfect…..
Man I love this place!!
The only other places that captured it for me was the space at 1500 Astor…. full floor as well but not a stuffy co-op. I think there was a musician background to the 3rd floor unit. Then a while later the 4th floor came up.
Also loved the full floor, all wood unit at, I believe 150 Huron. The elevator opened directly into the apt and it had all wood paneling on every surface. The kitchen and bathrooms in that place, like this one, were outstanding. I think that place even had a urinal in the MB. And a swing in the LR/ foyer.
Not to start the NYC vs Chicago debate again, but if this were in the UES it would run in the very high teens / low twenties and would be gone in weeks….IF you could pass the co-op boards, which have began to overly tighten their already ridiculous admissions policies.
I refused to play that game decades ago. Did it once and was out in a couple of years as it was like living in a senior citizens complex. The old ‘Old money’ crowd and I did not mix well.
These days you have to possess a squeaky clean background / history, a yrly income of many, MANY times the per months costs, in addition to possessing varied countless assets. It never hurts to personally know the co-op board president or to be referred to the building by a high ranking, top tier society figure. The process is daunting and even if they like you, it takes months for a decision to be released. I know the couple who took the most recent unit in the Dakota and they literally had a large car trunk full of documents. That ultra exclusive building also expects applicants to be Architecture aficionados who know the value and importance of the building. I think you have to go through a frat house like hazing to gain entry to this building, it is that hard to get in.
The flooring does appear to be painted white and grey, most likely with Marine paint topped with a number of coats of Industrial Poly sealant which would protect it from marks, nicks and yellowing over the years. We did this to a couple of places in Fla…. Deco units with dark wood floors that went white. Ton of work, but the end product was amazing. We did ‘rug’ like designs painted in beiges, instead of like the grey shown here, in the hallways, foyer and dining room. Again, lots of detail work but in the end it paid off….quite handsomely I might add. I am trying to think of the product we used to coat the paint…..
Anyway, good to finally see a nice place in CC! It’s been quite the dry spell for good units.
Not my taste. Too sterile for me and the kitchen reminds me of a hospital. That said if white is your thing as WLoopelo and others say this is definitely noteworthy.
“Not to start the NYC vs Chicago debate again, but …..”
“not to start.. but let me make the remaining 80% of my post about…” .. ya just can’t help yourself, now can ya?
…and I always suggest going with the Costanza co-op board appeal..
..and as a lover of white.. the furniture in white is just too much.. heck, white walls, tiles, shower.. then throw in a white toilet… I’d find it difficult to blame a guest if they went into the bathroom, and out of confusion, couldn’t find the toilet so just peed and dumped one on the floor….
“I don’t know where you are seeing the commentary about reapplying 2-4 times a month, we have never had (or heard) of such a thing… and frankly, no one would put up with that kind of maintenance. Dinesen does however recommend washing the floor on a regular basis to see it healthy.”
Here’s what it says. You have to apply the floor soap 2-4 times a month. I love how it ends with the part about the floors requiring “dedication.” ha! Aka- they’re high maintenance but worth it.
“A soap-finished floor has a unique, light and Nordic expression. Depending on the use, the floor should be washed with floor soap two to four times a month to maintain the protective soap membrane. This will also keep the floor easy to clean and allow it to age beautifully. Most dents rise after washing. The colour tone can easily be adjusted by switching between white soap and natural soap. We recommend that you finish the floor with lye before applying the soap. A soaped floor does not require to be refinished, but it does in turn require dedication.”
“….What is amusing is that the only bit of color that pops is from the compulsively arranged canned goods in the kitchen……’
The owner’s own homage to the famous and forever copied ” Campbell’s Tomato Soup” piece. You did realize that did you not?
“Beautiful old apartment, but the painted floors are tragic. The next buyer will no doubt want to restore the natural wood finish.
“Beautiful old apartment, but the painted floors are tragic. The next buyer will no doubt want to restore the natural wood finish.”
More than likely not. It is a beautiful, nicely done work that adds tremendously to the feel of the unit. The person who buys this unit is / will be greatly affected by the staging, or rather the lifestyle and design talents of the owner and will most likely (90% sure) they will remain and will be copied.
Of the more pricy units we did and staged with the ‘feeling’ of no expense was spared style of design, I would venture to say that at least 25-40% of the eventual buyers inquired about the chances of buying the unit furnished exactly as it was. When it was my furnishings I did so the majority of the time. When it was the work of stagers, they too also had a high percentage of buyers wishing to purchase the furnishings / accessories with the units….”
“……and given what’s transpired in so many condo buildings in the past 10 years, even expensive ones, being able to “discriminate” and make sure prospective buyers can meet their expenses is perhaps an advantage. I wouldn’t like the lack of financial privacy,…”
It is usually stated plainly at the beginning of the negotations in a co-op that the financial aspect of a person’s application would remain private and only be available to the co-op President. Finances are never discussed between board members with the President saying only whether or not financial issues would be relevant part of the person seeking admission.
After several complaints of racial discrimination lately here in NYC, that seems to be fading into the past…hopefully. As mixed as NYC is, co-op owners should be now able to see that it makes no difference the color of a buyers skin. At this economic level, the biggest factor in gaining admittance to the best buildings is having 50 X’s the amount of the monthly co-op operating expenses. Once there not much else matters.
“The owner’s own homage to the famous and forever copied ” Campbell’s Tomato Soup” piece. You did realize that did you not?”
Ah…I thought it looked familiar.
“the biggest factor in gaining admittance to the best buildings is having 50 X’s the amount of the monthly co-op operating expenses”
“having”? As income, or cash? If the former, this would be a $3m/annum income place. If the latter, and taken maximally as the monthly for all units, that’s about $4m in ‘cash’, which hardly seems enough.
We are looking at putting a very light floor in our condo and the “whitest” engineered floor we could find is made by Mirage out of Canada. They offer a Nordic White color on both a Maple and Red Oak with both a gloss and matte finish. The Red Oak is the purest.
http://www.miragefloors.com/ENG/hardwood-floors-red-oak-nordic-exclusive.php
Serious question: if you like white/ light colored floors, why not go for marble or tiles?
Wood is not naturally white so going so light with it looks artificial if not tacky.
It is like a beautiful Latina woman going blonde and suddenly looking tacky or a very light person dying their hair black and looking like a vampire.
“Serious question: if you like white/ light colored floors, why not go for marble or tiles?”
We have thought about a tile option but they seem colder and more suited to Florida. Marble is way too cold and formal for our look.
“having”? As income, or cash?”
Yearly income AFTER taxes and all expenses. They did DEEP into every EVERY financial aspect.
Westloopelo, yes, I “got” the homage. It just seems over-thought.