Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Shaw DC: Voices Afer the Sale (Part 2 of 3): 625 Rhode Island Ave. NW

(Thank you to UrbanTurf DC and Curbed DC for including us on their websites last week for Part I of this interview series).

It is my pleasure to introduce this as the second of three articles designed to give breath to "Voices After the Sale."  All too often we hear much about a property as it is vacant, on the market, yet what happens to the voices of the property after the owners/tenants move in?

This Shaw Living Series, "Voices After the Sale," teams up with Suzane Reatig Architecture, who offered to provide three different voices describing the feeling of living in Shaw--and living in a Reatig property.

The second interview speaks with Nooni Reatig (one of the architects/designers for the property), Rex and David (the tenants), and Kevin (the REALTOR®), detailing their experiences of what it's like to live inside the 2 Bedroom 2 Full Bath at 625 Rhode Island Ave. NW.

All pictures courtesy of Nooni Reatig, Reatig Architecture

Kevin:  Well, how did your search as tenants start?
 
Rex:  We had heard about 625 Rhode Island Ave.  And you know how D.C. works…everyone knows someone who knows the person you eventually need to know.  So we had met Nooni before through friends of friends…  

Kevin:  And you were expressing interest in finding a place to live, so Nooni showed you 625 Rhode Island Ave?  

Rex:  That’s correct.  And for the record, we had been looking for properties for months and were consistently disappointed.  Then, the first property we walked into inside 625 Rhode Island Ave. David and I  just knew…

Kevin:  Knew what exactly?

Rex:  That this was going to be our next apartment.  So I sent a video to my parents letting them see the place…

David, Nooni, and Rex
Nooni: …which is when you know it’s serious!...

Rex: (laughs) yeah I guess I still do that out of habit…and my rents said it looked great, they told me “good luck paying for it,” and we signed the lease.

David: Yeah, I just want to throw in here that we were living in a much smaller apartment before, so simply walking into this space felt motivating.

Rex:  This space is 1) so much larger than the majority of 2 bedroom apartments, and 2) the layout is very, very intelligent…not a word I usually use to describe apartment designs.

David:  For example this unit has seven closets.  Seven.  And two balconies!  And look right there (David points out the window at a plane taking off)…

Kevin: The plane?

David:  (laughs), yes, I enjoy watching these planes take off from National Airport.  They remind me of the joys of traveling.

Nooni:  What David is also saying is that he enjoys the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Kevin: (laughs) Well then, on the issue of transportation, do you have a car?

David:  We do.  There are 10 spots reserved for the building, and street parking in the area is not too busy yet—though it will be more difficult in two years’ time, especially once O St. Market goes up…

Rex:  So even when O Street does go up, we won’t have a problem finding parking since the building has parking!—a luxury.

Kevin:  What are some of the features you cherish most about this space?

Rex:  The balance of public living space to bedroom space.  Some apartment layouts will give a lot of space to the bedrooms and sacrifice the living space.  This Reatig design allows the living space to truly breathe:  the floor-to-ceiling windows, the light and having the private outdoor space.  On the side of the building there is a large garden area…

Nooni:  …which is basically the way we wanted to offer a miniature “dog park” to the residents, as well as a garden area to sit.

David: It’s nice being able to walk outside to the balcony and gauge the temperature.  One thing Rex didn’t mention is the kitchen.  The kitchen is great.  We do a lot of entertaining.  Rex cooks, I clean, and there is the huge kitchen counter area and then the island-top for us to have enough room to both be working at the same time.  Also, this space has two bathrooms which makes all the difference in the world.  It’s very roommate friendly.  

Rex:  The appliances are great, and the tankless water heater is a luxury.

David:  Possibly most important for me professionally is the elevator.  I work with disability rights, so all my friends in wheelchairs can come and visit me now.  There is a wheelchair accessible ramp out front, too.  Love it.

Kevin:  Nooni, can you add to what Rex and David have explained, and elaborate further on what the Reatig team really focused on as some of the selling points in this property?

Nooni:  Simplicity, space, and bringing the outdoors inside.  Big open spaces.  We’ll give more space to the rooms you use 90% of the time—usually the living spaces—so the emphasis is put on shared spaces, laying them out in an open way so the residents feel a connection to all parts of the property without one feature overwhelming another.  Also, the open floorplan allows for rearranging the space however you like.

Rex:  I’m an interior designer so I am always fiddling around with the interior of this place.  Like Nooni says, it’s very easy to rearrange—fun too.

Kevin:  Nooni, how many units in this building?

Nooni:  16.  There is one 1 BD.  The majority are 2 BD and 2 BD w/dens, and there are a few 3 BD.

Rex:  This brings up a great point.  This space was advertised as a 2 BD-2FB with a den even though the den has a window and a closet.  Any other complex would have called this a three bedroom.  This really makes me appreciate Reatig Architecture because we didn’t have to compromise to the advertising.  It really is what it says it is.  That’s good business.  No false advertising.

Nooni:  To speak to that, one of our design philosophies is:  we only design spaces that we would live in ourselves.  I think that vision defines the quality of life of our spaces.  That is why we always have cross ventilation, multiple exposures, and lots of light and air.  These are things that should be basic, but aren’t necessarily always given.

Kevin:  And how do you all work inside your office…what’s the process like as you put something like 625 Rhode Island Ave. together?

Nooni:  Our office is very collaborative.  Many different people contribute to the design of one project. We all share the design philosophy of creating open, simple spaces that improve quality of life.  It’s a great atmosphere.  

Kevin:  So, Rex and David, without using the word “home,” how would you describe what this places feels like to you?

Rex:  (laughs) Well, if I can’t use the word “home,” hmm….it feels like I’m really on my way to becoming an adult?  Maybe like, a proud rite of passage?

David:  I like the word “settled.”

Rex:  It’s a different feel for us—it’s our first place, we are both on the lease…

David:  People say our furniture looks better here (laughs), thanks to Reatig’s designs, since our furniture has stayed the same.


Kevin:  Well, this has truly been a pleasure having us do this interview.  Nooni, anything you would like to add?

Nooni:  Nope!  They said it better than I ever could have.








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