Renaissance Renovation-Anacostia

Before I left to do the taping for @HGTV Design Star, I sat down with an architect and the owner of Equilibrium Real Estate Fund. As the newly contracted designer for their renovations, I was presenting possible layouts for a newly purchased property in historic Anacostia, Washington, DC. An area that has had a reputation as “the hood” for so long, but is yet so rich in history. I took an interest in this project because of the potential that lies in this once forgotten region of southeast Washington, DC

The house was in terrible disrepair and had one of the funkiest layouts I have seen to date. having in 2 small bedrooms but 2 unusually large bathrooms

(a lot of waisted space) and the kitchen being split in two rooms, coupled with that fact that the house had no 90 degree angles and everything was on a slant, made this project a real challenge. After coming up with a layout that allowed for 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a relocated kitchen and a new sunroom, I had to leave for New York for my television debut.

When I returned I came back to a completely gutted house. Framing was just finished and drywall had begun.

After a some 8 weeks of work, We managed to transform this awkward property into a home.

The new layout and higher end finishes has made this one of the highest appraised

properties in the area.

Not only was the house being transformed but the neighborhood as well. We had many occurrences of neighbors stopping by to compliment us in the job we were doing.

Within one square block, there were new modern schools,

government buildings, coffee shops, salons and restaurant popping up.

The once blighted neighborhood was returning to it’s former glory.

As the principle designer I make the decisions on final floor plan,

exterior selections, all finish materials (tile, flooring, lights, fixtures) and color. I decided to detour

from my usual modern style and bring in a transitional feel with some traditional touches.

On the exterior, I reconstructed the porch with traditional wood columns and railings and added shutters to

add interest to the exterior. On the interior, I brought in bamboo hardwood floors, porcelain tile, seamless glass shower doors, granite countertops,

stainless steel appliances and many other modern conveniences.

Seamless glass shower porcelain tile floor custom closet half bath

bamboo floors contemporary ceiling fan original stair railings

New Kitchen with SS appliances, slide-in cooktop and granite countertops

But one of the biggest additions to the property was a beautiful 1 bedroom apartment downstairs as well as 2 large decks and a rooftop deck. One of the biggest attraction of living in SE is the view of downtown.

Overall there is over 500 sq. ft of outdoor living space.

Back of the house with new porches

view from the rooftop deck

I am proud to be involved in projects that are able to change the face of communities across the nation’s capital. My goal is to reveal the possibilities that lay in our once neglected neighborhoods. Historic Anacostia is very much alive and growing, and I am grateful to be a part of it.

2243 Shannon Place SE, Washington, DC