An Old Town Alexandria condo transforms into the perfect space for entertaining.
The living room features gold-leafed columns.
THE PROJECT
Wowing guests with your home’s aesthetic is easy. Making the spaces functional is an art. A condo owner in Old Town Alexandria’s Elks Club building came to that realization when conjuring the use of his home. He doesn’t live in the 1,100-square-foot condo full-time but uses it to host events, so every inch needs a purpose. The other major realization: Each room required a significant makeover.
THE TEAM
The homeowner tapped architect Cody Stadler, principal and founder of Alexandria’s Stadler Design (stadlerdesign.com), to tackle the project. “My client was more hands-off than most and wanted me to enliven the space with drama and a high-end hospitality feel,” says Stadler. “We talked a lot about his global travels and spaces he had visited that he liked. We ultimately devised a set of guidelines for the project that guided our decision-making.”
Cody Stadler and his team designed large spaces in white and small spaces, like this bar, in black.
THE GOALS
“The existing space had a lot of good characteristics muted by some of the existing design decisions, so we worked hard to turn up the volume on all the positive attributes of each space,” says Stadler. “Our guiding principles were to do large spaces in white and small spaces in black. [This concept] guided our material decisions.”
LIVING ROOM
“We wanted the space to be open and airy,” says Stadler. “All design elements were meant to be the background for the amazing views of Old Town and the Potomac River.” Stadler and his team added gold-leafed column capitals, a chevron floor pattern, and a spiral gold light fixture from Lady Yard Home (ladyyard.com) meant to mimic the spiral stairs. The homeowner selected two club chairs, a couch and two nesting coffee tables from West Elm (westelm.com) to give the room its wow factor.
DINING & POWDER ROOMS
Stadler notes that this space had the second-largest transformation of the project. “It became a swanky lounge space that we covered in wood paneling with high-gloss black paint,” he says, noting that the team used the same recessed lighting in this space as in the kitchen to maintain the minimalism. The homeowner commissioned a painting for the room and added club chairs and a coffee table from West Elm.
A small powder room—graced with black finishes—sits near the dining area. “We swapped out the paneling for the alligator texture wallpaper,” says Stadler, who added a wall-mounted black Kohler (kohler.com) toilet and fixtures to emphasize minimalism.
The kitchen boasts an ILVE range and Kohler fixtures and sink.
KITCHEN
Stadler’s team removed a wall to tackle the room’s low ceiling and used a large piece of steel to create a portal opening. “We clad the portal in a high-gloss wood paneling to make it seem more airy,” he says. Stadler selected an ILVE (ilve.com) range in white and gold to match the space and a Jenn-Air (jennair.com) panel-ready refrigerator to blend into the wood paneling. The space also features Kohler fixtures and a sink—in gold for visual continuity—to round out the room.
“MY CLIENT LOVES THE PROJECT AND HOSTING PARTIES HERE.” -CODY STADLER
Details of the gold-leaf living room column.
“Capitol Custom Cabinets (capitolcustomcabinetry.net) made the lower cabinets and the hood surround in a flat panel and high gloss,” says Stadler. “We used a lot of Cosentino (cosentino.com) Silestone in the kitchen and wet bar to reduce mixing materials and make the spaces simple.”
Lightology (lightology.com) recessed lighting offers perfect lumens in each space with a custom fixture called TruLine.
The primary suite’s bath features gold mosaic tile from Tile Club.
PRIMARY SUITE
“The bedroom features a couple of slick pieces of design,” says Stadler, who loves the crushed velvet panels behind the bed from Vant Panels (vantpanels.com) because they add softness and contrast to the room. “The glass is a real showstopper of a product. It’s from View Glass (view.com) and is typically used in commercial office spaces, but we wanted to use it here further to amplify the room’s openness.”
Stadler added a bespoke vanity cabinet from Capital Custom Cabinets topped with Cosentino Silestone in the bathroom. Kohler faucets and sink also add allure to the bath, and Genrose (genrose.com) tile lines the room. The team selected a gold Arabesque mosaic from Tile Club (tileclub.com) for the shower.
Vant Panels grace the primary suite.
HOW IS THE CONDO LIVING?
“My client loves the project and hosting parties here,” says Stadler. “When we began the design journey, we had no preconceptions about how we wanted the space to look and feel. My process relies on ‘feeling’ the existing space and unlocking its beauty. I thank my client for trusting this process and the vision.”
DESIGN DETAILS
Home Type
Condo
Location
Old Town Alexandria
Architect
Stadler Architecture/Design
stadlerdesign.com
RESOURCES
Lady Yard Home
Lighting, living room
ladyyard.com
West Elm
Chairs, couch, coffee tables, living room; club chairs, coffee table, dining room
westelm.com
Kohler
Fixtures, powder room; sink, kitchen; faucets, sink, primary suite bath
kohler.com
ILVE
Range, kitchen
ilve.com
Jenn-Air
Refrigerator, kitchen
jennair.com
Capitol Custom Cabinets
Cabinetry, kitchen and primary suite bath
capitolcustomcabinetry.net
Cosentino
Silestone, kitchen and primary suite bath
cosentino.com
Vant Panels
Panels, primary suite
vantpanels.com
View Glass
Glass panels, primary suite
view.com
Genrose
Tile, primary suite bath
genrose.com