A family of five who live in Crozet, Virginia full time — which is about three hours from Washington, D.C. — love the Washington Capitals and hockey so much that they bought a D.C. condo so they can attend as many home games as possible. The loft-style penthouse condo, right around the corner from Capital One Arena in Penn Quarter, is a little more than 1,100 square feet, the perfect size for a hockey game getaway.
Don Love of SLD Interiors was introduced to the owners via a friend. The owners hired Love to help them with the renovation and interior design of the two-story condo. Custom pieces as well as designer fabrics and vendors are among the special elements, as well as decorative art Love incorporated to accompany the owners’ fine art.
“Upon viewing the space for the first time, the walls were painted a soft gray and all the oversized window shades were black, which made the space feel cold,” says Love. “Repainting the walls and ceilings with Farrow & Ball Pointing and replacing the solar shades with an eggshell white welcomed in much-needed light, creating a warm palette of creamy yellow to contrast against the navy blue, one of the clients’ favorite colors.”
In addition, the clients were passionate about sourcing and showcasing fine art throughout the home. “This inspired a unique collaboration in finding and choosing the additional decorative art pieces, such as the oversized ballet photograph by Bert Stern,” adds Love. “Photographed for Vogue magazine in 1963, the piece features New York City Ballet dancers Allegra Kent and Edward Villella dancing George Balanchine’s Bugaku, harking back to my own dance history as a former professional.”
The powder room on the main floor was a full gut renovation and now includes Diptyque’s Mosaic wallpaper, one of the first installations of Diptyque’s wallpaper used in the USA, as well as a long list of Diptyque products. The powder room includes additional special features, including a hand-painted floor inspired by an archived 1930s Pierre Frey fabric pattern and a towel custom embroidered with the owners’ last name.
“The clients were apprehensive at first about gutting the powder room that housed many outdated fixtures and felt cavernous and claustrophobic,” Love says. “But I’m always advocating the power of wallpaper in small spaces and after seeing Diptyque’s Mosaic wallcovering, the owners were convinced that the otherwise boring space would become a tiny jewel box.”
Photography by Andrew Yianne.
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