Ernesto Santalla took a fine, high end condo space and took it to new heights. Built-in cabinetry hides AV equipment, adds storage and brings the warmth of wood to the spaces. Lacquer panels create the entrance to the one bedroom pied-a-terre as a gallery. Contemporary Italian furnishings add sophistication to this apartment in the City Center complex in Washington, DC.
Photos by Geoffrey Hodgdon
This small urban space hovers above the plaza of City Center in Washington, DC. The architectural design and furnishings harmonize with a fantastic contemporary art collection, to create an elegant, dramatic space. Custom millwork, built-ins, and ceiling treatments take this high end condominium to another level of sophistication.
Ernesto Santalla, PLLC—formerly Studio Santalla—worked with a residential complex in West Chester, PA, to redesign the clubhouse and visitor center. In this kind of project, part of our job is creating an image of a lifestyle. The front office, therefore, “feels like home.”
This building previously had a very utilitarian entry. The front doors led to a bulky stair that connected to the balcony you see at the top of the image. As part of the renovation, the plan involved relocating the stair to a central location in the building, which opens up the front space as a double height entry foyer.
The stone walls created the context from which the color scheme was created. With this, we created a connection to the existing building, while working within a decidedly contemporary aesthetic. I showed this image during an interview for a new project and was asked if this is a boutique hotel. I smiled.
It’s debatable when the timber columns and beams were added to the building, but we decided to keep them. Track lighting mounted on the beams, which to me look like birds, is used primarily at night. The exposed ductwork and the low walls further the notion of old/new.
Ernesto Santalla, PLLC—formerly Studio Santalla—renovated the clubhouse and Marketing Office at the Hermitage Apartment Complex in Fairfax, VA. The redesign of this facility outside of Washington, DC had two goals. The first was to give the current residents a comfortable clubhouse retreat in which they can interact, and strengthen the sense of community. Second, it was important for Santalla’s design to portray the lifestyle that potential residents could aspire to by moving to the community. This project is an instance when the Architecture and Interior Design of a space is being used as marketing tool, to attract future residents to the community. Custom built in furniture was designed by Studio Santalla for the Marketing Office. Faux finishes and warm natural materials have been combined with track lighting and contemporary style to strike a balance between traditional and modern. The highlights of this clubhouse include the pass-through fireplace and an excess of glass doors, maximizing natural light.
Many of Ernesto Santalla, PLLC’s—formerly Studio Santalla—most exciting projects include renovations and redesigns of existing interior spaces. These before and after photos highlight just how stunning these transformations can be.
See how the use of exposed ductwork and custom designed minimal & modern furniture transform this loft into a clean contemporary space.
Ernesto Santalla, PLLC— formerly Studio Santalla— orchestrated the amazing transformation of this 800 year-old house in Provence, France, restoring it into a chic in-town vacation home.
The opening of the kitchen and addition of iconic, architect designed classic furniture transformed this Watergate condo into an clean and luxurious space.
Downsizing your living space doesn’t mean downgrading your style! Ernesto Santalla, PLLC— formerly Studio Santalla— helped these retirees combine households to create something even better!
Ernesto Santalla, PLLC—formerly Studio Santalla—took the country out of William Waybourn’s Flint Hill Public House and Country Inn and transformed it into a must-visit bed & breakfast and restaurant for the area.
The restoration of this ancient home included the removal of previous ill-advised additions, including this stone fireplace.
A dark, disfunctional kitchen was transformed from a realtor’s checklist of amenities into a streamlined and functional modern eat-in kitchen.
Reworking a small kitchen opens it up the living room, maximizing the efficient use of space in this open plan apartment.
Opening this chopped-up industrial loft to the expanse of windows bathes this clean and modern space in natural light.
New buildings frequently represent the trends popular during their construction. Condominium buildings, in particular, aim to represent the most popular current aesthetic. Spatial considerations, prevalent technology and market appeal are all factors architects, interior designers and developers take in to consideration.
This building, the Dupont East, in Washington, DC’s Dupont Circle neighborhood, is no exception. A 1960’s era building, the lobby was last renovated in the 1980’s. In 2008, when they decided (read, had the funds) to overhaul the space, Ernesto Santalla, PLLC—formerly Studio Santalla—was on hand to help. We interpreted the space in a new, fresh way, in line with this modern era. Our goals were to meet the client’s simple needs, which included direct access to the elevator bank, a new front desk to incorporate all the technologies that had been added over the years and of course, a sitting area.
Our solution is reductive. Take down, open up, remove, rethink and reduce. The lines are simple. The materials must be durable. The colors are neutral. The few furnishings occupy the center of the space. The lighting is natural. Most important, however, is the space faces out, whereas previously it was enclosed, despite the extensive amount of full height windows.
The space is layered in parallel planes, both literal and implied, from the front door to the concrete-finished back wall in the form of walls, the application of materials, ceiling and etched glass patterns and lighting.
We believe the space will stand the test of (a long) time.
Photography by Geoffrey Hodgdon
The client, a lawyer originally from New Orleans, moved to Washington in 2006 to start a new life and open his own law firm. He hired Studio Santalla to gut a dated one-bedroom condo, remake the architecture and interiors, and show him how to live well with less.
The client agreed that he would start from scratch, bringing nothing of his old life, except his clothing and his John Grisham books and presidential autobiographies. Studio Santalla refigured the chopped-up rooms with their popcorn ceilings, worn-out kitchen appliances and low-quality finishes, defining areas for eating, living and sleeping. The apartment seemed cramped and old because the space was not used efficiently.
Ernesto Santalla, PLLC—formerly Studio Santalla—added upscale built-in furniture such as the anigre wood storage cabinet with CaesarStone countertop in the living room and the upholstered headboard. We removed the tub and added a luxurious glass-walled shower. In place of the dated wall-to-wall carpeting, limestone floors were installed. The client’s vast collection of clothing was organized in a custom wall of closets in the bedroom. The apartment is decorated in a taupe-and-cream color scheme to unify everything.
Some features and rooms actually got bigger. There is more counter space in the kitchen; the bathroom and bedroom are larger, because we removed a corridor and a dividing wall.The finished place, with modern lines, neutral tones and upscale collection of paintings and sculpture, has a gallery-like feel, reflecting the buildings in view: the National Gallery of Art and National Museum of the American Indian.
Photography by Geoffrey Hodgdon