“My path has been circuitous. The women and gender studies and architectural work helped me develop my critical thinking skills, to see an issue from every possible angle and to problem solve,” Sarah says. And problem solving is a major asset when you are attempting to maximize space. “I’ll say to Jennifer [Monin, her beloved “number two” in command] that I think we can fit 17 people in here, and she’ll try to question why we would ever want to do that. But I’ll do it anyway because I’m completely unreasonable, and that is what has given us our niche — me being inflexible.”

Loft Reverie Hotel’s niche is with young, mobile clientele who are drawn to open spaces and are willing to give up a little privacy in order to maximize their time together. Wedding parties, bourbon trail guests, family reunions, friend getaways, and convention guests are drawn to the hotel. “What makes this work is how mobile we are as a culture. Close friends stay close while living in different cities through social media, and they all converge in Louisville for a few nights to be together in person because Louisville is a great meeting place. They don’t want to waste time going to separate rooms; they want to be together.”

Sarah also believes in playing up the best features of a space, working with what is already there, and eliminating the clutter. Each loft marries the original raw industrial materials of the building (designed by  architect Bill Weyland) with softer features such as two-part epoxy floors in a variety of striking colors. The floors look like a work of art. In the Palatial unit, inspired by bourbon, the floors mimic the fluidity and bronze hue of our local liquid treasure.   

The low lying furniture draws the eye up to the floor-to-ceiling windows displaying the city outside, especially from bed. “The windows are our best feature, so I designed the space so that the eye is always drawn to the windows,.” Sarah says. “When I wake up here, I feel like I’m in the clouds, and I’m reminded of flying a plane, of popping in and out of the clouds. I wanted to give my guests that same experience, of waking up and feeling you are in the clouds.”