Modern Loft Renovation in Arlington, Virginia
Project Overview
This modern loft in a mid-rise Arlington condominium presented a few areas of concern for our client. The finishes were dated and inelegant, the useful square footage was low, but, chiefly, there were two large areas of the upper level that had been drywalled over and unfinished. Our client wanted to reclaim this lost space for a TV room and home office.
Design + Layout
This 2-story condo features a soaring ceiling on half of the first floor, with a balcony overlooking the dining area. Previously, the second story was not particularly well developed, with one long hallway along the balcony opening into an ungainly open space. We knocked back two walls that had been hiding large unfinished areas of the floorplan, and replaced the floor to create a den and an office, transforming the utility of the loft. There are always certain challenges with working in a condo: We had a small issue with the size of the elevator, necessitating our teams to carry most of the materials we used carefully up five flights of stairs. The unfinished spaces we uncovered also needed proper fire ratings, sprinkler systems, and expanded HVAC capacity to meet the more stringent commercial codes.
Style + Finishes
Our client’s tastes tend towards the clean and modern. We installed a modern glass railing on the edge of the balcony and the stairs, and a warm wide-plank hickory floor. Along one wall of the upstairs office, we installed a full height shelving module with open and closed cabinet storage, with custom reeded cabinet door fronts, and black accent shelving. The walnut slab desk was also custom made by our cabinet shop, perfectly matching the walnut cabinet doors and adding a dignified presence to the space.
