The 14th annual record of notably social individuals from politics, diplomacy, business, philanthropy, and the arts.
Enrico and Andrea Cecchi (Photo by Joseph Allen)
A
Mr. and Mrs. JAMES ABDO (Mai)
Mr. and Mrs. WILLIAM ABEL-SMITH (Mimi)
The Honorable and Mrs. TYLER ABELL (Bess)
The Honorable DAVID C. ACHESON
Mr. GLEN ACKERMAN and Mr. ERNESTO SANTALLA
Mr. THEO ADAMSTEIN and Ms. OLVIA DEMETRIOU
The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan is a classically elegant mix of East and West with an long history and detailed design
By Ernesto M. Santalla AIA, LEED AP
Photos by Piers Lamb
The exterior of the Uzbekistan Embassy. (Photo by Piers Lamb)
Before well-known local banker and horseman Clarence Moore died tragically in thesinking of the Titanic in 1912, he had Jules Henri de Sibour, an Ecole des Beaux Arts trained architect and a descendant of King Louis XVI of France, design a stately mansion for him at 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW. After it’s completion in 1909, Moore and his wife Mabelle lived there until Clarence’s untimely death. Mabelle Moore remained in possession of the house until 1927, when it was sold to the Canadian government.
Arts patrons Tim and Shigeko Bork bring new life to Evalyn Walsh McLean’s former Georgetown home.
By Ernesto Santalla, AIA, LEED AP
Photography by Joesph Allen
Shigeko, Skye, and Tim Bork in the drawing room of their R Street NW home. The sculpture seen inthe background is titled "Valiant Struggle #4" by Chinese artist Chen Wen Ling.
Originally designed in 1814 by architect George Howe, the eye-catching Georgetown residence of Tim and Shigeko Bork was once owned by Evalyn Walsh McLean, Washington socialite extraordinaire and owner of the famed Hope Diamond. McLean was known to slide the supposedly cursed gemstone across the floor of the drawing room during lulls in the lavish parties she hosted. The Dumbarton Tennis Club acquired the house (after it had expanded to the size of an entire block) but eventually sold it to then-U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Alexander Kirk. After the enormous property was subdivided into a series of separate mansions, the club’s pool became a back alley, the ballroom part of one house, and the main kitchen part of another. In the 1960’s, grande dame Ella Poe Burling renovated her large section in the style of the time and her home remained largely untouched until 2001 when the Borks purchased it after her death.
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Designs for Living Well. Meet some of the D.C.’s leading interior design professionals.
Ernesto Santalla, (Photo by Joseph Allen).
Cuban-born architect, interior designer, photographer, and man-about-town Ernesto Santalla is the owner of Studio Santalla in Georgetown. He is known for his clean, modern, and ec0-conscious designs as well as his keen ability to bring the personality of his clients into his work. Recently, he put his stamp on this year’s CharityWorks GreenHouse when he designed its spa retreat using all sustainable resources. LEED accredited, Santalla designs with the intent of minimizing use of virgin resources while still building beautiful spaces. His recent projects are in and around Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Southern France.
Ernesto Santalla, AIA LEED AP, visits the modern-art-filled apartment of Renaissance man Xavier Equihua
Photography Nick Strocchia
The terrace, nearly the size of the apartment, is a prime viewing spot for presidential inaugural and Independence Day parades, or just a place to relax, unwind, sip a cocktail, or watch the dawning of a new day
Pennsylvania Avenue’s importance to Washington’s history is unquestioned. Known as the “Avenue of Presidents,” it has been the site of lively street festivals, countless parades, and numerous protests. Penn Quarter, one of Washington’s most desirable neighborhoods and arguably its most cosmopolitan, is halfway between the White House and the U.S. Capitol, due in no small part to the foresight of urbanists, developers, and architects. This is where the Parisian influence on Pierre-Charles L’Enfant’s city planning is most evident: to live among monuments, walk to the movies, and dine at dozen s of restaurants; it’s a life that runs the gamut from the very formal to the most casual.
In 1980, the U.S. Navy received approval from Congress to construct a Navy Memorial on Market Square, across the street from the National Archives. Later, the site was redeveloped as a mixed-use building, which, when completed in the early ’90s, had already been included in James Goode’s Best Addresses. Xavier Equihua, managing partner of Federal Strategies Group, Inc., and executive director and CEO of the Chilean Avocado Association, selected an apartment in Market Square that combines generous indoor and outdoor spaces perfect for entertaining. The sweeping view up and down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Archives and the National Mall is one of the best in Washington, and the understated living space he has fashioned with interior and product designer Robert Cox is equally spectacular.
Architect Ernesto Santalla reflects on the new way to live green and McLean’s CO2 FreeLiving House
Architectural rendering of the CO2 Freeliving House, currently under construction in McLean, Va. (David Walker)
Green. For centuries the color has connoted money, growth, hope, nature, and most recently, the next generation of building. As we usher in a new age of sustainability, eco-friendly structures have become synonomous with modern building practices. Due to the damage we’ve inflicted on our planet, it’s a global necessity. Think of the environment as the U.S. economy: it has been falling apart recently, but we’re eagerly trying to put it back together.
Earth-friendly building practices like landscaping, the inclusion of daylight, and natural ventilation are only common sense. Other green practices – reusing materials, conserving water and electricity – are simple to implement.
Carbon-neutral living – which is not a color scheme, as I recently overheard at a cocktail party – is slowly becoming a reality. Currently under construction in McLean, Va., is the CO2 FreeLiving House, being built to achieve LEED Platinum Certification and use 80 percent less energy-per-square-foot than a comparable new home. Designed by Cunningham + Quill Architects, and built by West*Group in partnership with Green Spur, Inc., the carbon-neutral house demonstrates how energy efficient design and renewable energy systems are easily integrated. Modern sustainable projects can be done using more traditional design. Cunningham+Quill’s Michael Day explains that the home was built with sensitivity to the color palette and the materials of the surrounding area.
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Ernesto Santalla and Gladys Kelley
Location: Studio Santalla, Georgetown
WL SPONSORED – Photos by Kyle Samperton
FUN BY DESIGN: Host with the most Ernesto Santalla opened his Georgetown architecture and interior design studio to Washington’s creative set for wine, charcuterie, and lovely company.
By Ernesto Santalla AIA
Photography Morgan Howarth and Geoffrey Hodgdon
Hair and makeup Carola Myers
“Pale Gold Gleams II” by Pauline Ziegen (Donald Sultan school) hangs over an antique chest with an heirloom sterling silver tureen. In the background, paintings by Paul Penczner (Marius’ father) hang above custom silverware chests designed by Studio Santalla. The room’s traditional and contemporary qualities are enhanced by the Donghia sofa-daybed, stone mantelpiece and custom designed area rug by Studio Santalla. (Photo by Morgan Howarth)
I adhere to the philosophy that a home should be functional yet reflective of the owner’s personalities. Getting to know the dynamic couple before I began redesigning their property was a lesson in two intertwined lives lived passionately and creatively.
In the ’70s, while on hiatus from touring with his band, Black Oak Arkansas, Marius took a film production class at the University of Memphis. Serendipitously, Nancy, then a violin student, enrolled in a film editing class. Filmmaker meets film editor. A love for music and movies soon coalesced with a love for each other.
They tied the knot three years later and began to apply their passion for film, music, and each other into the Nashville-based music video production business, Penczner Productions. In 1983, just two years after the launch of MTV, Marius directed the ZZ Top music video, “TV Dinners” through Ardent Recording Studios. That success was followed with Travis Tritt’s “American Flyer” and “Bible Belt,” and in 1993, the music documentary “My Old Friend,” with two of the great names in rock’n’roll, Carl Perkins and Paul McCartney. It was then, when Marius was reaching new heights in the music industry, that fate steered him in a different direction.
WL Photos WLTV
