Focus on Design: A Vastu Unit at 22 West

January 18, 2010

In 2008, when Dr. John Huffman moved from a Dupont Circle row house into a two-bedroom-plus-den unit at 22 West in DC’s West End, he was essentially cutting his square footage in half.

But the anesthesiologist was quite taken with the model unit that contemporary furniture store Vastu had designed at the luxury condo development, and he employed their services to make the home his own.

“Jason Claire of Vastu was extremely helpful,” Dr. Huffman told UrbanTurf. “He came to my home and I told him which pieces I really wanted to keep and that I wanted the new condo to be a mixture of antiques and classic modern. He took that information and created a design plan that I really liked.”

Huffman kept the antiques and artwork that he felt could transition to the new space and fit in with a contemporary feel, but as he noted he has “several friends who became the beneficiaries of furnishings that were put to good use.”

Home Office

The Vastu team created custom shelving and storage systems for both a media system in the master bedroom and the unit’s home office, in front of which floats an antique French oak table now used as a desk. To add variety to the antiques, the team added some modern Knoll furniture. For example, in the master closet there is a Florence Knoll bench that serves as a great place for Dr. Huffman to lay out his clothes. The desk in the office is a French oak potter’s table, and the sectionals in the media room and living room were made by Steven Anthony out of California.

Master Bedroom

“John was very easy to work with, largely because he knew exactly what he wanted,” Claire told UrbanTurf.

Even though he initially envisioned the place as completely white and minimally furnished, Huffman found after living in the unit for several months that it was too stark. So he added some bold colors and contrast, and he says that it now feels warm and cozy despite all of the windows.

While the space is much smaller than his former home, Huffman admits that the convenience and service of 22 West is hard to beat.

“Most of my free time in the prior home was spent on upkeep and maintenance,” Huffman said. “Although it was a labor of love, this condominium affords me the opportunity to focus that free time on myself. Nothing beats sending an email and having a light bulb changed the next day or having your dry cleaning done from the front desk three days a week.”

4 Comments

Bethany said at 5:09 pm on Monday January 18, 2010:
Nice. Vastu is one of my favorite stores in DC and this unit definitely exudes their style.

Scott said at 12:59 pm on Wednesday January 20, 2010:
Love it. Vastu does great work. Nice to see how they incorporated in the guy’s antique pieces.

Vastu said at 7:27 pm on Friday January 22, 2010:
Thanks for the positive comments Bethany and Scott, and thank you UrbanTurf for featuring one of our projects!

Simon Landau said at 2:40 pm on Sunday January 24, 2010:
This unit looks sweet. I can’t say enough about 22 West also, the location there is really unbeatable. If you want to be in downtown DC, 22 West is where it’s at.