Home & Design

Santa-Cruz opted to retain existing grass-cloth wall covering in the foyer; a colorful diptych by John Houck makes a statement.

A dining room vignette reveals British designer Max Lamb’s Silver Surfer Chair, beside a vintage George Nelson chest. A hanging sculpture by Brazilian artist Artur Lescher was conceived in brass and multifilament line.

A pendant by Gaetano Sciolari for Stilnovo hangs above a steel-and-teak Tulip Table by Eero Saarinen in the breakfast nook.

A canvas by Johnny Abrahams commands the dining room, where the Poul Kjaerholm table is paired with Saarinen chairs in Gretchen Bellinger textiles.

The living room’s bay features a table and daybed by Kjaerholm.

A vintage leather sofa by Børge Mogensen beckons in the second-floor study; Matt Camron Rugs & Tapestries fabricated the Art Deco-style rug.

The wife works at a c. 1938 desk and chair by Marcel Breuer.

A hot-pink chromogenic print by David Benjamin Sherry animates the quiet guest room, with its walnut-and-cane bed and Vico Magistretti table lamps.

In the second-floor hall, an LED-lit piece by Iván Navarro hangs over a George Nelson chest.

A Noguchi pendant illuminates the primary bedroom, where an acrylic-on-canvas by Colombian artist Fanny Sanín takes center stage.

In the living room, a mixed-media piece by Erin Shirreff hangs above the existing marble fireplace. The Florence Knoll sofa is a re-edition, facing lounge chairs by Gio Ponti and Poul Kjaerholm.

Modern Muse

Nestor Santa-Cruz furnishes an elegant Kalorama row house, drawing from the owner’s vast mid-century collection

“It is the materials’ own language, I seek to express,” the Danish, mid-century furniture designer Poul Kjaerholm once declared. His observation reflected not only his own philosophy but that of the modernist movement, which utilized materials to dictate form and function.

It was this ideal that first attracted a serious present-day collector, inspiring him to build a prodigious catalog of furnishings and decorative objects spanning the late 1920s to the 1960s. “What appeals to me are the clean lines, general sensibility and emphasis on functionality above all else,” avers the collector, an entre-
preneur in the technology world.

The fruits of this oeuvre—and an impressive array of contempory art—are on full display in the Kalorama row house he shares with his wife, a career civil servant. The couple bought the 1890 residence in 2017 as a backdrop for their collection. But differences in preference and design strategy hampered the process of furnishing and decorating the home. Multiple storage units needed to be sifted through (the trove includes some 190 chairs, for instance), and the vision was complicated by the goal of retaining the home’s traditional bones while modernizing its interiors.

The duo turned to designer—and fellow collector—Nestor Santa-Cruz for guidance. Says the wife, “My husband and I have different approaches. He collects because he likes an object. But I always want to know, ‘where will it go?’ We joked that Nestor was our mediator.”

Santa-Cruz brought what the collector calls “a strong foundation in both scholarly knowledge and broader design styles” to the project. “Nestor is an extraordinary resource,” he reflects. “He created an eclectic mix where pieces are in conversation with each other. His balanced perspective helped us understand how everything would come together.”

The three-story, 3,700-square-foot dwelling had been recently renovated when the couple purchased it. A foyer opening onto the living and dining rooms occupies the main floor, with the kitchen spilling out to the landscaped backyard. The second level houses the primary suite and a book-lined study where the wife works remotely. A guest room, hall bath and TV room span the third floor. High ceilings and south-facing windows celebrate natural light. The remodeled kitchen and bathrooms were classically conceived with white cabinetry and marble surfaces.

“The renovation embraced what I’d call a Washingtonian aesthetic—traditional and decorative,” Santa-Cruz recounts. “It has its personality, and that was critical. We determined what to keep from the original framework, to connect the story of the house with its new contents.”

Painting the interiors in Farrow & Ball’s neutral Ammonite was a first step. In the dining room, overbearing wallpaper was removed and existing built-ins adorned in raffia with Scandinavian hardware for a mid-century vibe. The original crystal chandelier nods to the home’s provenance while the living room draperies have been streamlined and shortened for a more contemporary look. Traditional light fixtures from the main floor moved to other parts of the house “to create a through-line,” Santa-Cruz explains.

The designer plotted a road map of furniture layouts for each room. He and his clients determined where to put the things that were in the house already and mined the storage units for treasures. Then, “we started with pieces I had already collected,” says the husband. “Nestor helped us identify which ones should be brought to the house and placed in specific rooms.” Along the way, additional items were purchased to fill in gaps.

Selections were made with careful consideration as to how they’d work together in each space. The aim was to land on a mix of provenances, materials and influences in each room. For instance, says Santa-Cruz, “we had a lot of Scandinavian pieces and wanted to bring in some American ones. So we added the living room sofa by Florence Knoll. It’s not a vintage piece but is juxtaposed with pieces that are.”

The main floor provides a taste of the home’s bounty. In the foyer, the Artichoke chandelier by Poul Henningsen illuminates a Fornasetti side chair beside a chest of drawers belonging to the wife; Santa-Cruz topped it with marble. In the living room, a steel-and-wicker PK-25 chaise by Poul Kjaerholm for Fritz Hansen and 1956 Gio Ponti Lounge Chair for Cassina face a vintage inlaid coffee table by Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala. Saarinen chairs in the dining room surround a vintage PK-54 dining table by Kjaerholm for E. Kold Christensen that has been customized with new leaves by Fritz Hansen.

Modernist furnishings are offset by vibrant contemporary art; large-scale, mixed-media works dominate. “We focused on abstract, geometric and minimalist works with a quiet disposition,” says the collector. “Our goal was to create an environment where the art complements the space without overwhelming it.” A painted-steel piece over the living room mantel by Erin Shirreff employs dye sublimation and archival pigment prints while a Johnny Abrahams oil-on-canvas presides in the dining room. A mirrored, LED-lit creation by Iván Navarro anchors the upstairs hallway.

Though perfectly curated, the home remains something of a work in progress, according to both clients and designer. Says the collector, “I’m always making small refinements and evolutionary changes, so it will never be the same for more than six months—although hopefully it will have the same feel.”

Santa-Cruz concurs. “In this house, pieces will always be rotated in and out. You have to add and subtract, or it becomes static.”

Interior Design: Nestor Santa-Cruz, IIDA, LEED AP, Nestor Santa-Cruz Decoration, Washington, DC. Contractor: John L. Juenemann Services, Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland.

 

RESOURCES

ENTRY
Side Chair: fornasetti.com. Coat Hanger: loyalloot.com. Ceiling Chandelier: louispoulsen.com. Diptych: johnhouck.com. Art: shereehovsepian.com. Wood Stool: chapo-creation.com/en.

LIVING ROOM
Sofa & Sofa Fabric: knoll.com. Coffee Table & Stools: Vintage. Chaise: fritzhansen.com. Lounge Chair: cassina.com. Floor Lamp, Side Chair, Reading Lamp, Triangular Metal Side Table & Bronze Rectangular Side Table: vintage. Rug: Owners’ Collection. Coffee Table Tray: skultuna.com/en-us. Bowl on Mantel: vintage. Throw: lenarewell.com/en-us through furniturefromscandinavia.com. Artwork: kesselmar.se; erinshirreff.com. Paint: Ammonite by farrow-ball.com. Large Table at Window: vintage. Daybed: fritzhansen.com. Side Chair & Round Side Table: vintage. Table Lamp: flos.com. Artwork: maggiemichaelart.com.

DINING ROOM
Chest of Drawers: Vintage George Nelson for hermanmiller.com. Dining Chairs: knoll.com. Dining Chair Fabric: gretchenbellinger.com. Dining Table & Table Lamp: Vintage. Leather Mirror: gubi.com. Built-In Closet Hardware: skultuna.com/en-us. Wallpaper on Closet Doors: Donghia for kravet.com. Paint: Ammonite by farrow-ball.com. Candlestick: fritzhansen.com. Bowl: hayonstudio.com. Art: maxlamb.org; johnnyabrahams.com; Andrea Brandt; Artur Lescher.

BREAKFAST AREA
Chairs, Table & Pendant: Vintage. Art: caitlintealprice.com; timdoud.net; linnmeyers.com. Paint: Decorator’s White by benjaminmoore.com.

HALLWAY
Chest of Drawers & Stool: vintage. Art: ivan-navarro.com. Vase: vintage. Sculpture: Pierre Forsell for skultuna.com/en-us.

HOME OFFICE
Desk & Desk Chair: Vintage Marcel Breuer. Coffee Table: Arne Jacobsen for fritzhansen.com. Sofa: Vintage Borge Mogensen for federicia.com. Lounge Chair: knoll.com. Tulip Table: Vintage Eero Saarinen through knoll.com. Desk Table Lamp: vintage. Floor Lamp: gubi.com. Stool: vintage Poul Kjaerholm. Wood & Parchment Box: Vintage Jean Michael Frank. Clock: Vintage Cartier. Area Rug: mattcamron.com. Carpet: starkcarpet.com. Sculpture: humblematter.com.

PRIMARY BEDROOM
Bed: dwr.com. Table, Rug & Stool: vintage. Sofa: finnkuhl.com. Sofa Fabric: kvadrat.dk/en. Reading Lamp: vintage. Throw: hermes.com. Linens: pratesi.com. Faux Fur Throw: rh.com. Art: fannysanin.com; Tony Lewis.

GUEST BEDROOM
Armchairs: vintage. Bedside Table: Owners’ Collection. Bed & Bedside Table Lamps: dwr.com. Linens: parachutehome.com. Paint: Elephant’s Breath by farrow-ball.com. Carpet: starkcarpet.com. Throw: lenarewell.com through furniturefromscandinavia.com. Sculpture: Matthew Angelo Harrison. Art above Bed: davidbenjaminsherry.com.

GUEST BATHROOM
Wallpaper: fornasetti.com; cole-and-son.com/us through kravet.com. Folding Stool: vintage. Towel: ralphlauren.com.

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