He decided to take another look with his
own realtor. “This visit, I looked at the space
differently,” he says. “I was thinking ‘Could this
be a space I’d be comfortable in? Or is my first
impression correct and it’s just too big?’”
There was also the yard to consider.
Brunswick had lived for many years on five
acres in Pepper Pike. “I so missed having a
yard,” he says.
It was also a bargain. “The selling price
(Above) Brunswick
commissioned these
photographs from
Cleveland-based
photographer Barney
Taxel. They originally
hung in the atrium at
Brunswick Florists
on Carnegie Avenue,
which Brunswick
owned and operated
for 40-plus years
until his retirement a
decade ago.
had been hugely reduced.” So he made
an offer, closed 30 days later, and immediately began a two-year
renovation project that would touch every inch of the condominium.
Working closely with architect Denver Booker, Brunswick
turned the original four-bedroom, three-bathroom suite into a
two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom suite that is as
beautiful as it is comfortable.
“Everything I design, whether it’s for me or for someone else, is
always with comfort in mind,” says Brunswick. “Personal comfort is
paramount in my world, but so is functionality.”
The suite’s easy one-floor living will allow Brunswick to comfortably
age in place. ”At 72, I’ve got a long way to go,” he says with a smile. “I
plan on enjoying being back in Shaker and amongst such luxury for the
rest of my life.” SL