Branching Out

A sunny condo in a west-side mixed-use development feels like home to former downtown dwellers

By Katie Vaughn

Kelly Baldridge and Laura Serebin's airy, open condo. SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THE BALDRIDGE/SEREBIN HOME IN THE SLIDESHOW BELOW.

Kelly Baldridge and Laura Serebin were downtown people. They’d lived in the center of Madison for fifteen years and loved it. But when the pair began looking for a condo to call home, their search took them to a new part of town.

Serebin and Baldridge found just what they were looking for in Sequoya Commons, a new mixed-use development on the city’s near-west side.

The couple liked the quality of the development’s construction, and that it was an infill project and an environmentally friendly building. And even though it wasn’t located downtown, they liked the location—Serebin works a mile away at Flad Architects and Baldridge on campus in the UW–Madison athletic department.

So in August 2008, Serebin, Baldridge and their cat, Minnie, moved into a two-bedroom condo on the building’s top floor. They chose the unit for its contemporary aesthetic, open floor plan and myriad windows.

“We wanted high ceilings and a lot of sun,” Baldridge says.

“For us, openness was key,” Serebin adds. “But it’s warm, too.” T

he pair also appreciated being able to customize their condo. They concentrated their efforts on the kitchen, carefully choosing materials and creating special features such as open and floating shelving and a small corner bar. “We like to cook,” Baldridge says. “We spend a lot of time here.”

Another favorite aspect of the condo is the expansive wrap-around patio, from which the pair can see the top of the city around them but feel privacy from the streets below. “Indoor-outdoor living is big for us,” Serebin says. “It expands the living space so much.”

Baldridge and Serebin couldn’t be happier with their new home. They’re still connected to downtown, but are enjoying the amenities of their present location. She likes running through the Westmoreland neighborhood and he can pop downstairs to the Chocolate Shoppe or the Sequoya Branch of the Madison Public Library on a whim for ice cream or a good book. But perhaps the best part is found within the condo itself.

“It’s a comfortable place to live,” Baldridge says. “We like a quiet night at home.”

Katie Vaughn is associate editor of Madison Magazine.

Slideshow: Baldridge-Serebin home

Serebin and Baldridge love the natural light that fills their open condo.

The patio, which wraps around the living and dining rooms, blurs the division between indoors and out.

A customized kitchen features black quartz countertops with a hint of sparkle, stainless steel appliances, cherry-veneer cabinets and a backsplash made of recycled aluminum tiles.