Renovated KC condo at 909 Walnut selling for $1.45 million | 2017

Read article : Renovated KC condo at 909 Walnut selling for $1.45 million | 2017

Stepping inside the penthouse at the top of 909 Walnut feels a bit like boarding a yacht or a luxury cruise ship.

The 2,800-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath condominium floating above downtown Kansas City has been custom-designed from stem to stern with highly polished exotic wood paneling and the kind of ornate accoutrements found on the likes of the MS Queen Victoria.

Design details include dark wallpaper, dark heavy drapes, large swathes of glossy burled wood, ornate hardware and multiple coffers in the ceilings in the great room and master suite. A lot of it references the art deco design of the historically significant 35-floor building built in 1931.

The owners of the penthouse, who’ve invested more than $2.5 million in it, are two doctors from California, where decor typically skews toward light and breezy interpretations of the sea. The couple intended to live in the penthouse when they retired but have changed their minds. It’s now on the market for $1.45 million through ReeceNichols.

The penthouse is accessed by elevators on opposite sides of the foyer. A bedroom immediately off the foyer has several built-ins, including a Murphy bed, wine locker and desk. A full bathroom nearby has cheetah wallpaper. A short hall on the other side of the foyer opens onto a huge great room that has two conversation areas, a dining area and an open kitchen. The walnut floors are in a herringbone pattern.

The kitchen has high-end appliances, an espresso/cappuccino maker, a curved breakfast bar and a $10,000 faucet that looks like a kinetic sculpture.

The headboard and nightstands in the master suite are custom built-ins, as is a wet bar, sitting area, desk and walk-in closet. The on-suite bathroom includes custom cabinetry, stonework, a walk-in shower and a Jacuzzi tub set grandly into a platform.

State-of-the-art technology has been installed throughout the unit so that the security system, window shades, thermostats, lights and the Jacuzzi can be controlled remotely.

Even the penthouse’s 2,000 square feet of outdoor space, a terrace that runs around the entire unit, is reminiscent of the long, narrow decks on a ship.

One side of the terrace offers great views of planes landing at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport. There’s also a peregrine falcon that nests nearby and uses the terrace as its perch.

909 Walnut sits between River Market and the Power & Light District and offers residents a fitness center and yoga studio, resident lounge, on-site market and multiple outdoor spaces, including a rooftop garden that has won several awards.

The condo has a decidedly masculine feel, though a change in wall color, draperies and hardware would go a long way toward lightening things up.