Birmingham, Mich. – Dan Fleckenstein cheerfully describes his 732-square-foot condo in downtown Birmingham as a recreational vehicle, albeit a stationary one.
“It sleeps two people, and I can serve a sit-down dinner to four to six people and cocktails to six to eight people,” said Fleckenstein, vice-president of sales and acquisitions at RPF Oil Co. in Grand Blanc.
At 6-foot-3, Fleckenstein, 47, is a big man living in compact quarters that he gutted and meticulously renovated. He’s a self-proclaimed neatnik – the shirts in his custom-built California Closet are hung by color.
We sat down with Fleckenstein to hear how he fits it all in.
Q: You live in Victoria Place, a chic 1928 building close to Birmingham’s amenities. What brought you here?
A: My brother told me about the building and insisted I see it. I spent the first 21 years of my life in Michigan – I was born in Flint and graduated from U-M. Then I went to Boston, married and had four children, Alexis, Jim, Ed and Will. A divorce brought me back to Michigan.
Q: What did your unit look like when you first saw it?
A: It was early-American yuck – old-fashioned cabinets and Formica countertops in the kitchen. But the building has great karma, and I like the way light moves through the unit throughout the day. Plus, it doesn’t require any maintenance, which is a good thing because I travel on business quite a bit.
Q: What was your modus operandi in the renovation?
A: I admired a Greenwich Village apartment I saw in a magazine and decided to replicate it here. But I needed to update the space first.
I started by eliminating part of the wall separating the kitchen and living room. I installed all new windows, Brazilian cherry floors and air conditioning. I enclosed the porch for year-round use and added a tranquil water feature.
Q: The kitchen is state of the art.
A: Because I love to cook, I wanted a gourmet kitchen. A kitchen isn’t really a kitchen unless it has shallots and truffles in it, you know. So I have granite counters, a Viking range, a Fisher & Paykel drawer dishwasher, a Portia faucet, GE Profile microwave and Sub-Zero refrigerator with a see-through door. … The floor is slate.
Q: What’s with the roosters?
A: Every good kitchen has a rooster in it for good luck. I have four roosters.
Q: Your bathroom is diminutive, but it has all the bells and whistles.
A: I installed a steam shower with a seat, body blast faucet, Carrera hexagon marble tiles in the heated floor, marble vanity and subway tiles.
Q: This is a very masculine condo in shades of red, grey-green and yellow. Tell us about the furnishings.
A: Nearly everything is from Ethan Allen or Pottery Barn. …
Although it’s a small condo, I still wanted substantial furniture – my bed is a California king and my Panasonic flat-screen TV is 50 inches wide. The ceiling fans are from 21st Century in Birmingham.
It all works because a lot of items are dual purpose – the living room sofa, for instance, is a sofa bed for when my children visit.
The coffee table has shelves for books and magazines. Even my Swedish Asko washer/dryer is dual purpose – it washes and dries. My paint colors are from Benjamin Moore.
Q: I notice dogs everywhere, on pillows and in the artwork.
A: I even have a plaque in the entry that reads Maison du Chien or House of the Dog. It’s a recurring theme, although I don’t own a dog. And it’s NOT a doghouse.
Q: You’re a man on the go. Do you expect to be here long?
A: Actually, no. I’m building a house in Grand Blanc and plan to be married, so the condo is for sale. It was a positive experience for me, but life goes on.
Detroit News Staff Writer Marge Colborn can be reached at (313) 222-2756 or mcolborn@detnews.com.
