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The living area before renovation, with a solid wall
                                                                        separating it from the lounge area.
                                                                                                   Courtesy of FORMA Design


                                                                       “We were unafraid and happy with Andreas doing
                                                                       pretty much what he wanted,” said the homeowner.
                                                                       “These were dream clients,” said the architect. The
                                                                       result of this made-in-heaven collaboration is a boldly
                                                                       re-imagined Georgetown pied-à-terre overlooking
                                                                       the C&O Canal made distinctive with a series of
                                                                       curvilinear cove ceilings that both unify and define the
                                                                       spaces of this two-bedroom/two-bath condo.
                                                                           Ruthie Carliner and her husband live in the
                                                                       Baltimore area, are empty nesters, and were looking
                                                                       for a getaway place in Washington where they could
                                                                       enjoy the city’s cultural life and restaurant scene.
                                                                       “This minimal modern style was a big departure for
                                                                       us,” said Carliner, noting that their primary residence
                                                                       in Maryland is far more traditional. The couple had
                                                                       seen images on Houzz of the interior design projects
                                                                       of Andreas Charalambous, AIA, IIDA, principal
                                                                       of FORMA Design. “Right away we recognized his
                                                                       attention to detail and edgy design,” recalled Carliner.
                                                                           When Charalambous first saw the 1,400-square-
                                                                       foot flat in a 12-year-old building he thought it was
                                                                       in reasonable condition with nice views and floor-to-
                                                                       ceiling windows. He wondered what his new clients
                                                                       were hoping for. It turned out they were up for an
                                                                       adventure and wanted to hear from him what he
                                                                       envisioned for the space. Without a lengthy list of
                                                                       “must-haves” from the homeowner or pre-conceived
                                                                       stylistic constraints from the designer, client and
                                                                       architect were off and running.
                                                                           They began with the floors. “They weren’t terrible,
                                                                       just standard builder-grade wood floors,” remembered
                                                                       the architect. When he mentioned radiantly heated
                                                                       stone flooring, the homeowners were immediately
                                                                       intrigued. They all went to a stone showroom and
                                                                       quickly settled on large-format gray stone tiles
                                                                       throughout the apartment. “Making the decision about
                 Project: 3303 Water Street Flat,                      the flooring really helped us to move forward with the
                 Washington, DC                                        design of the rest of the space.”
                                                                           Working with Poliform | sagartstudio,
                 Architect: FORMA Design, Inc.                         Charalambous replaced the dark wood finishes
                 Structural Engineer: Keast & Hood Structural Engineers  and granite countertops of the kitchen with glossy
                 MEP Engineer: Capitol Engineering Group, LLC
                 Audiovisual Consultant: Casaplex                      cabinets and Silestone counters all in pristine white
                 General Contractor: cmg construx                      that contrast cleanly with the gray stone floors.
                               All photos © Geoffrey Hodgdon, except as noted

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