An Airbnb in Paducah, Kentucky, dedicated to promoting sustainability, creativity and diversity.
Green Roof International House is an Airbnb located in Downtown Paducah, Kentucky. The house was built in 1886 and has three themed bedrooms upstairs and a shared dining room and living room downstairs. The rooms are themed as Asia, Africa and the Americas and each has folk art and textiles from the regions. Click to see the listing on Airbnb.
The house is a partnership between Diane (lives in Wisconsin) and Rachel (me). I live in the back of the house with a small dog, four cats, and some small birds. They are all separate from the guest areas and birds have their own room in the back. Diane purchased the house in 2019, is actively involved in decision making and direction and I manage daily operations. Our hope is to bring creative talent to Paducah for workshops and events and to support the local initiatives that are already here. Both of us are committed to social justice and peace and we believe that the best gifts we can offer come through art, music, literature, dance and inclusiveness. We want the house to be a safe haven where laughter and fun can bring people together.
Come stay at Green Roof!
Currently we have a guest staying in the Asia Room, Rakesh from India. He won a tech grant through Sprocket and has a business dealing with Bitcoin and NFTs. Super nice guy. So, we are offering the other two rooms as a suite, Africa and the Americas and they share one bathroom. We have discounts on our listing for long term stays and would love to host artists and other creative types who would enjoy interacting with our community in Paducah.
What can happen at Green Roof.
There is a large living room where people can gather and meet. We can push all the furniture back and have folding tables set up, if needed. Any “dry” art can be practiced here: art, crafts, music, writing, etc. The property has a lot of outdoor space for “wet” or messy projects: dyeing, metal work, carpentry, whatever. The garage is eventually going to become a workshop for these uses. The summer months are very hot here, but we can help with tents and fans for now.
Creatives staying at Green Roof can charge for their workshops and we will help promote them through Airbnb Experiences, Facebook ads and local marketing. See examples of local Airbnb Experiences. Workshops in the house can probably accommodate up to 15 people. We will not take a cut from the Creative Guests if they are staying in the house.
The House and Grounds
Here are some photos of the space.
Green Roof Floorplan, 1st floor
Green Roof Floor Plan, 2nd floor
There were four bedrooms upstairs, but we converted one into a laundry room (and a place to store my fabric stash… aargh!). Africa and Asia face the street (a main artery, so busy!) and the Americas looks out to the side of the house. Africa and Asia are roomy, where the Americas is a smaller and quieter space.
There are two small bathrooms when you go up the stairs. Both have the original Victorian floating tubs (huge!) which were enclosed by tile in the 1950’s. We’ve added showers and made some updates with new toilets, plumbing and electrical.
Downstairs there is a welcoming living room and a nice dining room with a small library of books on craft techniques, folk art and culture. I do share my kitchen with people I “know”, but don’t make that public on Airbnb in case I don’t feel safe. There is a small fridge upstairs for medications and drinks and I can make room in my fridge for longer stays.
Some Photos
Living Room
Dining Room
There is a nice rug under the table now. The screen door leads to the kitchen and my living area.
Dining Room 2
View towards front door. Living room is to the left.
Kitchen
Front Porch
The porch is noisy during the day as there is so much traffic, but very pleasant in the evenings.
The bedrooms. These are panorama photos which are a bit deceiving, but at least gives you an idea of what’s in them. I plan on painting all of the bedrooms this summer. The Serta mattresses were all purchased new in 2019.
Asia
Africa
Americas
There are many more photos on the listing.
The Grounds
I am now a grass enemy! This grass grows an inch a day and only looks good for three days after being mowed. My dream is to convert a lot of it into gardens, plant fruit trees and have a shop/gallery on site along with a large meeting place where we can have meetings. Little by little, it will happen!
Aerial view of Green Roof
There is plenty of room for projects and growth! One shed is filled with shop fixtures, another with extra chairs and furniture and the biggest one will become a workshop.
The lot
Location
We are in a great location! Just half a block from City Hall, a couple of blocks from the river and three blocks from downtown. The National Quilt Museum, Lower Town Arts District, and the Paducah School of Art and Design are all just a hop away. Yeiser Art Center and the Art Guild of Paducah are within walking distance, as are restaurants, bars and other shopping destinations. Paducah was designated as a Creative City by Unesco, so we are excited about that international connection. See our profile there. Paducah is flat, so an easy city to bike around in. Visit the Paducah Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for more info on what’s going on around here. Click here to have a look around via Google!
Covid and Cleaning
Looks like we will be living with covid for a long time as not enough people are getting vaccinated, a real shame. Covid vaccines ARE required to stay at Green Roof. I will do my best to keep guests safe and I hope they do the same for me. Here is the cleaning routine:
- Guests are booked with two day intervals in between. The virus dies out within hours on fabrics, but can last for several days on slick surfaces. The upstairs and downstairs are on separate heat and air units, which is a good thing. We do have gatherings in the downstairs and just hope that people are being careful…
- All bedding is washed between guests. Decorative pillows are dried in a 20 minute cycle which will kill the virus. All slick surfaces are washed or cloroxed or oiled, depending on what it is. Carpets and rugs are vacuumed. After check-in, guests are expected to keep their spaces clean. I am not charging a cleaning fee, but can hire help for guests who would like that if they pay for it.
- Perfumes and allergens: We use Tru Earth laundry strips and OxyClean for laundry, with non-scented Bounce. Please be aware that animals live in the house and we have had guests come through with pets.
Lifestyle
The atmosphere at Green Roof is laid back and relaxed. Almost everything in the house was collected, donated or traded and shows signs of wear. We’re not a plushy place and hope to attract people who love the character of old houses and appreciate handmade décor. We recycle and are mindful of using resources.
A couple of no-nos: No guns allowed on premises. No illegal substances either. Marijuana is still not legal in Kentucky. Smoking is allowed outside.
Pets and Children
These need to be evaluated on a case by case scenario. A calm old dog who doesn’t care about cats might be fine, but I used to have four big dogs who were cat aggressive and that would be a nightmare here. The house is not child proofed, but again, some kids are respectful where others are out of control, so it just depends on the situation.
Possible Scenarios for the space
- Needing a place to stay while relocating to Paducah.
- Two friends (and spouses) come to work on a joint project.
- Groups coming through for other events in Paducah or family visits.
- Teaching or collaborating on site.
- Someone taking a sabbatical or needing to get away from busy city life.
Contact
Email: rayela@comcast.net
Phone: (messaging only for first contact) 270-994-7606
Mail:
Rachel Biel
431 South 4th Street
Paducah, KY 42003
Questions?
Feel free to contact or leave a message on this page.
There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.
-William Butler Yeats
Diane and Rachel in 2010
Diane and I have been friends for over 25 years. This is us back in 2010! We look forward to contributing to Paducah’s creative life with our love of travel, people and handmade!
About Us
Diane in Alaska
Diane was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Micronesia in the 1960’s and has traveled extensively in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa. She was a high school chemistry teacher for her professional life and is now retired. She has been an avid maker for her whole life with a focus in the textile arts and has settled her attentions on knitting. She attends knitting workshops several times a year, teaches locally and taught me how to knit. Diane has a deep passion for folk art, with a special place in her heart for Mexican art.
Rachel with Tor in front of the Yeiser Art Center in Paducah
I spent the first 18 years of my life as a missionary kid in Brazil, went to St. Olaf College and then lived in inner-city Chicago for 20 years. I’ve been a Creative all of my life and found the passion of all my interests in those places where art, diversity and economic development meet. In Chicago, my first years were in social service where I worked with the poorest of the poor and when I learned about Fair Trade and the impact it can have on communities around the world, I found inspiration and guidance and am now interested in the Creative Placemaking movement here in the United States. Click to see an example of what’s going on at SouthArts.org.
I ran an artists’ collective in Chicago for four years and then went on to have three other shops over the years, always working with local artists, small importers, and fair trade groups. I moved to Paducah in 2005 and focused on selling online through eBay and Etsy. In 2010 I launched TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List (TAFA List), a professional organization (currently around 600 members) that seeks to promote artists, teachers and orgs who are online. In 2014 a subgroup of the members joined in a sister site, Artizan Made, which focuses on promoting members who have online shops. My other site, TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List is going through a big revamp. Their Facebook pages: Artizan Made and TAFA.
I worked as a ceramic artist in Chicago for four years and have done mixed media works, but my main interests also lie in the textile arts. I am especially interested in using trash as a material as an effort to make a dent in the madness that is our waste society. Now my focus is on finding ways to integrate the online communities I am a part of with the local potential that exists in Paducah. My blog has lots of ideas that have been evolving over the last three years, so feel free to poke around. I’m conversationally fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.
I look forward to seeing what can happen at Green Roof! Please share this info with your creative friends and communities! We thank you!