Layered Luxe
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- 02 Mar 2023
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Designer Joe Ireland refines a chic condo in DC with art, objects and fabulous finishes
I’m always surprised by how many layers there are to creating a beautiful space that feels warm and inviting,” marvels the owner of a diminutive condo on DC’s 14th Street Corridor. She’s discussing the project that she and her husband recently completed under the auspices of JD Ireland—the fourth in a 14-year collaboration that has also included the couple’s sprawling McLean residence and an apartment in Dublin.
The DC makeover, a one-bedroom condo, is the latest stop on a journey that began in 2008 when the owners purchased a two-bedroom unit in the same building with the idea of downsizing (they ended up keeping their McLean home as well). When another unit down the hall came on the market in 2019, the couple—he’s in technology and she’s retired from the telecom industry—jumped at it. “It was an incredible opportunity to create a private suite for out-of-town guests,” the wife recounts. “And we love having an independent environment where we can work or relax.”
Odd angles and a concrete ceiling punctuated by exposed ductwork imparted a quirky, industrial-chic vibe—but that’s where the allure of the builder-grade flat ended. “I knew I wanted to demo the interior when we bought the place,” the wife says. “I needed Joe’s talent to design the layout and architectural elements.”
The 835-square-foot apartment opens into a short hall with a spare room to the right. Straight ahead lies the living/dining area, with the kitchen on one side and doors to the bedroom and bathroom on the other. “Everything in the unit was touched,” Ireland relates. “We gutted the space and reimagined it in soft-modern style with industrial flair.”
He enlisted Winchester for the job, which included moving a wall in the spare room to widen the galley kitchen; installing eight-foot-tall pocket doors in lieu of the standard ones; and adding a wide panel of decorative frosted glass that admits light to the bedroom from the main area. A niche with a built-in bench turned the nondescript entry hall into a charming foyer that hints at sophisticated finishes to come. Read More…
