Though the Canal Street Malt House is no more, the 1866 building in Baltimore’s Little Italy has gone the way of so many historic landmarks: It’s now part of an enclave of industrial-chic condo lofts. A couple attracted to loft living purchased a one-bedroom unit in the complex that needed work. “They wanted a larger kitchen, a second bedroom and a clean, bright backdrop for their art collection,” relates designer Laura Hodges, who orchestrated an overhaul.

Integrating an obtrusive column into custom cabinetry allowed her to enlarge the kitchen. She devised a steel-and-glass wall that now separates an adjacent sitting area from the open-plan main floor. Featuring sliding-glass doors and darkened-bronze transom windows, the partition was fabricated by Gutierrez Studios—which also replaced the builder-grade staircase with one of oak, glass and white-painted steel. A built-in bookcase with grass cloth shelf-backs tucks into a niche on one wall.

White oak floors replaced stained concrete. Hodges left the ductwork on the ceiling exposed but painted it crisp white, explaining, “We wanted to maintain the industrial elements but make them less intrusive.”

Architectural & Interior Design: Laura Hodges, Laura Hodges Studio, Catonsville, Maryland. Renovation Contractor: Owings Brothers Contracting, Sykesville, Maryland.