Best Address

I look at an immense amount of DC real estate. I'm jaded and bored with most of it. The promise of a stately exterior is hardly ever matched by the interior. So you can imagine my surprise and subsequent joy when I stumbled upon this treasure: a unique condo located just off the lobby on the ground floor of one of the best preserved and best kept pre-war apartment buildings in the city, 2029 Connecticut Avenue NW. The acquisition price for a large upper-floor unit can wander well into the single-digit millions. In comparison, this unit is a steal at the offer price of $879,900. And this unit is special because it is comprised of what was once the public meeting rooms of the building, which means it has much higher ceilings and much more intricate plaster work than upper floor units. This may be the best 1 bedroom condo for entertaining in the city.

The exterior of 2029 Connecticut Avenue NW:


A scan from James Goode's "Best Addresses" showing one of the unit's rooms as originally intended:


The same room as it is now (used as a living room):


The den:


Click HERE for the listing
Go HERE for more listing info and another tour
Photos from MRIS

Congratulations Ms. Spinach and Jaime

You win the WallPaper DC guide (Ms. Spinach) and the Mario Testino book (Jaime). Thanks for sharing your favorite DC places and telling us about the Balearic Islands. Please email your address to TPWP@thepresidentwearsprada.com so I can ship out your books to you.

Hope you enjoy them, they are some of our favorites!! And thanks to all the readers who also shared favorite places with us, we will have some more great giveaways for the New Year.

Congratulations Alison!

Thanks to everyone who shared lovely gift ideas with us, we really appreciate the wonderful readers we have and we loved all your creative and thoughtful presents.  We'll be borrowing some of those for next year! 

I love gifts that come from the heart, this year I spent many hours drawing, framing, baking and wrapping wonderful little things for all my loved ones.  I really liked your idea, Alison, of knitting your own presents.  I know the effort it takes and it's really sweet of you to be so thoughtful this Christmas.  I hope you enjoy the Felix Rey bag! Please email us your address to TPWP@thepresidentwearsprada.com

Happy Holidays!!!

Gift Guide Give Away #3

One lucky guy or girl will have a chance to win Mario Testino Rio de Janeiro  - From one of the most successful portrait and fashion photographers comes a book that captures the incomparable seductiveness of Rio.  Unlike much of his clean commercial work, this book, full of candid shots of gorgeous "cariocas," feels refreshingly intimate and looks captivatingly beautiful.

All you have to do is tell us what is the most seductive place you've been to.   We will choose a winner this Sunday.  Can't wait to read your replies.  Good Luck!

Gift Guide Give Away #2

One of you lovely readers have a chance to win Wallpaper's newest guide to Washington DC.  Please leave a message in the comment section telling us what is your favorite place to visit in DC or in your own city.  We will choose a winner this Sunday.  Good Luck!

Gift Guide Give Away #1

Hope you had a wonderful weekend playing in the snow and digging yourselves out of it. We definitely did, and I'm thankful for knee high snow boots, hot tea and fresh baked pastries. Would not have been as fun without them :)

In case the snow prevented your from last minute Christmas shopping (for yourself or others). We are giving away our first TPWP Holiday Gift Guide Item.

One lucky reader will win this gorgeous Felix Rey Cosmetic bag ($80)


All you have to do is leave your name on the comment section and tell us what's your favorite gift to give others this season. We will pick one winner on Christmas day. You have all week to respond! Good Luck

Make sure you check the Felix Rey Holiday Collection, it's full of bows and sequins!

Shock and Awe

When I opened the January 2010 issue of W magazine to page 66 my jaw fell to the floor. I almost dropped the magazine itself. Spread before me was a picture of Isola Bella. A stunning private island that is host to Palazzo Borromeo and its gardens. According to the W article, the island has been in the family since the 1500's when it was just a pile of rocks. Oh what a difference a few hundred years makes! The island is a testament to what can be done when you mix passion, diligence and good taste with piles of money. I find it inspiring that a family can pass along these ideals over numerous generations. The proof is in the fact that the Salone in the 2nd picture was not built until the 1950's!







Photos are from the January 2010 issue of W
The W article can be found online HERE

Wrong Place, Right Time

22 West is the best new condo building in the city. From afar it may resemble the cookie cutter all-glass buildings we see everywhere. But look carefully, the building takes advantage of its oddly shaped lot to look different from every angle. Even better the building is alive, with zinc panels that will change patina over time from oxidization and built-in planters that hold vegetation. The building is designed with occupants in mind not street voyeurs. The facade is dotted with setbacks, that shade the interior from the sun, allow for semi-private balconies and terraces, and keep the floor-to-ceiling windows confined to just a few walls.

Sadly, this building should be near the P Street Whole Foods not in the K Street business district where the suits have more money than taste. The Ritz, located next door, is better left to the suits.














Building address: 1177 22nd Street NW
Building website: 22westdc.com

Come see the advanced screening of "The Young Victoria"

From Academy Award Winners Graham King and Martin Scorsese, along with the makers of Gosford Park and The Departed, comes THE YOUNG VICTORIA, the story of Queen Victoria’s early rise to power.  On the eve of her 18^th Birthday and succession to the English throne, young Princess Victoria (Emily Blunt) is caught in a royal power struggle. But it is her blossoming love affair with Albert (Rupert Friend) that will determine the strength of her reign.

Five TPWP readers plus a guest will have an opportunity to attend the pre-screening reception at the Ritz Carlton Georgetown this Tuesday December 15th from 6-7:30.  This will be followed by a special advance screening of The Young Victoria at the AMC theaters around the corner.

To enter, leave a comment on this post or email TPWP@thepresidentwearsprada.com by Monday at midnight.  The first 5 to respond will win a pair of tickets to the event.  See you there!

Simple Pleasures

There is a reason the iphone calculator has the button configuration and colors it does: It is an homage to Dieter Rams. One of the most influential product designers in the world, Rams represents everything good about modern design. The imminent release of a new book from Gestalten Books chronicling many of Rams' designs is profiled by Yatzer. Plus, Gestalten has created a fascinating video interview with Rams himself. To me, Rams represents the crucial outlook that the design of everyday products is of utmost importance. The appliances that we come into contact with daily should be simple and beautiful. They should be one of the simple pleasures of modern life.


Here are some images from the video:








Sources:
Gestalten
Yatzer

For the love of DC

ReadysetDC loses the beta and celebrates their official launch tomorrow Dec 10th at Long View Gallery.

RSVP here!

Keeping warm at The Ace Hotel

Going to NYC on the coldest, wettest and windiest weekend this season is not really my idea of a perfect vacation.  Alas, those were the conditions on my latest trip there.  Lucky for me I ended up in the right hotel for that type of tempestuous weather.  The Ace is the latest addition to the hip and youthful hotels in downtown Manhattan.  Designed by Roman & Williams, this highly awaited hotel is still creating quite a buzz now 8 months after opening.  The well-trafficked lobby of the Ace is dark and brooding - reminiscent of an old British coffee house, complete with the coffee and pastries.  At night, it has become the place to be in Manhattan - you will not find an empty seat in any of the dozen couches - but you will find plenty of hipsters drinking local beer and dark wines.  Since I had little intention of leaving the place during the driving snow storm, I was so so happy that The Breslin, the restaurant inside the hotel, had just opened and is run by one of my favorite NY chefs, April Bloomfield.

Here are some pictures I took while I was cooped up inside:

First look Rodarte for Target

We've all been anxiously waiting to see the lookbook of the Mulleavy sisters collaboration with Target and it finally arrived in my mailbox (virtual one) today. I was a little hesitant at first, but once I zoomed in on the high resolution images I really liked all the details. The knit cardigans look lovely and so do all the little sequin dresses.  Prices range from $12.99 for the lace tights, $29.99 for the cardigans and $49.99 for the sequin ribcage dress.  The collection arrives in stores and online on December 20th - right in time for Xmas :)

Wednesday Picks

This installation of our Treasury picks feature two extreme items - a cropped red top and oversized equestrian pants. They're very extreme when paired together, reminiscent of Balenciaga's proportions - they would also look great when paired with jeans or a simple v-neck shirt. And, of course, the colors are fitting for the season :) All items available at Treasury.






Red wool cropped top, $44
Green riding pants, $62
Gold chain necklace, $28
Key necklace, crocheted metal key necklace by Erin Considine, $65
Feather pin, $28

Chocolate for Lunch

I go through this very emotional process whenever I come back from a trip to NYC.   I walk around filled with melancholy about our lack of good casual places to eat, our miserable delis, our sad bakeries.... all pale in comparison to the ones I love in NYC which, to add insult to injury, are found on every corner.  But right when I start becoming depressed I tell myself  "at least we have Locolat."  It's our own little piece of heaven and just as good as the best in New York City.  The kind of neighborhood place that makes you fall in love with a city.  Where you can find crispy and buttery home-made croissants, creamy quiches made from exotic cheeses, crisp savory waffles topped with perfectly grilled zucchini and eggplant, or my favorite - smoked salmon and arugula.  And it doesn't stop there - the store's glass cases are full of colorful macaroons, chocolate candy, house-made truffles, tortes and these magical wedges of white or dark chocolate filled with banana ganache, almond truffle and Feulletines- my favorite sweet thing in the entire world. 

It seems a little impossible to find fine Belgian chocolates, delectable beef stew,  fresh croissants, waffles and soon beer all under the same small roof and all expertly made.  But when you find out the caliber of people behind this operation (world-renowned pastry chef Niel Piferoen and his dad, Master Chef of Belgium, Geert Piferoen)  it's not so hard to believe.

As you can tell from this and other stories, I know this place well - I visit it quite often :)  Here are some pictures of my favorite sweets there.