A Former Frat House Transforms to Luxe Off-Campus Housing – Charlotte Magazine

Alex Krasnoff and her husband, Matt, are Winthrop University alumni. When Matt’s former fraternity house became available in the fall of 2022, Alex, a real estate agent, got a crazy idea. She wanted to buy the run-down property, give it a makeover, and convert it into luxury off-campus student housing. Her mortgage broker husband said: Go for it. 

That’s where designer Jacy Painter Kelly came in. Alex hired her to gut the interior and reconfigure the space to house a commercial kitchen, brand-new laundry systems, repurposed storage lockers, and eight furnished bedrooms with custom closet systems. But first, Painter Kelly had to do an extensive clean-up. “It was absolutely awful,” she says with a laugh. “I mean, a bunch of frat boys had lived there, so it smelled like stale beer, and the storage building next to it was full of roaches.”

The project took about a year, and the Krasnoffs began renting the rooms in January. They named it The Coterie, which means an exclusive group of people, and the result is an urban, gender-neutral space that’s full of communal areas—and free of cockroaches. “We wanted it to be edgy and cool, but not so edgy you wouldn’t want your teen living there,” Painter Kelly says. “It’s a supercool project, and it’s fun when there’s some history to it and it’s not just a business venture to the owners.”

KITCHEN

Painter Kelly converted the former media room into a commercial-grade kitchen with two dishwashers, two microwaves, and seating for 12. She added new plumbing and electric but sanded the concrete floors and gave them a coat of polyurethane. The team at Baxter Cabinets installed the cabinetry, and the arc chandeliers above the high-top tables are from West Elm. The exposed brick wall was new but designed to look like it was part of the original structure. “We installed those floating shelves from Iron Abode to let the brick really shine,” Painter Kelly says. “Plus, college kids don’t have a lot of stuff, and this was about ease of use, where they can grab it and put it back.” 

LAUNDRY ROOM

Painter Kelly created a laundry room in the former kitchen space and installed two pairs of stackable, front-load washers and dryers. “They have an app, so it tells you when your stuff is done,” she says. “These are perfect for multi-tenant housing.” The cinder block walls got a coat of gray paint, and she added a metal table for folding clothes. The storage lockers opposite the washers and dryers were a Facebook Marketplace find.

HALLWAY

A gold talon chandelier from Regina Andrew and a fig tree warm up the hallway, and a mural by artist Rebecca Fara adds a custom touch. “It’s edgy, cool, and young, but neutral, too.” Painter Kelly says. “You see that as soon as you walk in the front door.”

BATHROOMS

Painter Kelly used the existing footprint for each of the five bathrooms. She sourced the vanities from a range of places (“mostly what would fit over each sink”) and installed tile backsplash in some, brick accent walls in others. The pendant lights are a mix of Regina Andrew and Hudson Valley. “I was adding as much cool stuff as I could to each bathroom,” she says, “so everyone would be excited about where they landed.”

BEDROOMS 

Each bedroom got a bed, desk, and lighting, but Painter Kelly avoided upholstered headboards in favor of “metal frames that could take a beating.” The nightstands all came from Four Hands and the sconces from Hudson Valley. The desks are from Four Hands, the chairs from Modway, and the window treatments from West Elm. Painter Kelly’s father, who installs custom closets, gave each bedroom a 4-foot bank with a hanging space.