The adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” applies just as well to homes.
A 1959 Glover Park building, that can most kindly be described as ordinary, was converted from student housing to condominiums in 2006. Cuban-born, Washington-based architect and designer Ernesto Santalla bought a one-bedroom 900-square-foot corner unit and transformed what was once a basic dorm into an aesthetically appealing and comfortably modern apartment.
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“The rooms were nicely proportioned and windows lined two walls so there was lots of natural light,” he said. The problem was the light didn’t extend into the whole apartment.
“Lighting is of the essence,” Santalla said. “You can have the most beautifully designed space but if it’s not well-lit, you lose it.”
The focus of his effort was to spread the light.
In the contiguous living and dining rooms he placed a mirror in the corner, between windows, and another one next to the bank of living room windows, creating the illusion of one expansive stretch of windows wrapping around the two rooms.
“When you walk in, you can’t tell there are mirrors. It’s a modern interpretation of trompe l’oeil,” he said, referring to using visual effects to fool the eye.
“It’s awesome,” said Olga Cerrato, a childhood friend from Cuba, who visited while the apartment was under construction. “When you walk into the dining room you’re surrounded by huge windows. There are no curtains and the sunlight pours in.”
To subtly define the dining room — without putting up a wall — Santalla dropped the ceiling with a few of inches of drywall and painted it taupe, same as the kitchen, which he separated from the dining room with a frosted glass door. “It gives the sensation that you’re in another room,” Cerrato said.
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Studio Santalla
Ernesto M. Santalla AIA, LEED AP
202-338-8220
studiosantalla.com
He tore down the wall between living room and bathroom, eliminating a corridor and closet; and, installed floor-to-ceiling frosted glass, forming a large room that combines bathroom, dressing area and bedroom entrance. “It’s not confined and dark; now it’s open and light,” Santalla said. He replaced the tub with glass-enclosed shower, painted the bathroom warm white and laid pale limestone floor tiles.
Santalla custom-designed several pieces of furniture. A square dining table is constructed of Mozambique wood and topped with high-gloss lacquer. Cushioned benches in white linen face three sides and white leather chairs face the other. “I like things to be harmonious but not overmatched,” he said.
In the living room, a white couch pinpointed with terra cotta pillows, stands against a terra cotta accent wall. You’d expect side chairs to be the same color but one is terra cotta and the other taupe. A white sideboard with Mozambique legs and high-gloss top complements the dining table. “The style is modern and contemporary like his lifestyle,” Cerrato said.
Taupe, warm white and terra cotta also color the decorative arts. A composition of slender white porcelain vases sits atop the sideboard and connects visually with a nearby gold-toned abstract collage on the wall. In the bedroom, a bluish painting is a nod to color variety.
With subtle palette, minimal demolition and uncommon art, Santalla remade a small nondescript space into a distinguished home.
Advocating a socially conscious mind-set he said, “We can live very comfortably in less space than we think possible as long as it is well-designed.”
