DC Places: Atlantic Plumbing Cinema

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of going to see the new Steve Jobs movie at a new theater located in the Atlantic Plumbing Building in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC.  The Atlantic Plumbing Theater opened on Thursday, October 15^th.  It is in walking distance to my house so I was excited to be able to take a short walk over and catch a movie on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Also, I absolutely love the design of this building and am still kicking myself for not jumping at the opportunity to buy in the building when I had the chance. The building at one point was home to the Atlantic Plumbing Supply Company and thus kept part of the name.  I was very excited to go over and check out the new cinema and even doubly so since the Steve Jobs movie was the first and only movie they decided to premiere. 

I must say my favorite part of the experience was while purchasing tickets being able to select the seats.  The prompt shows you all the seats that have been reserved (purchased) and all the seats that are available.  An honorable mention is that the theater also has a bar where you can order food and specialty cocktails named after famous films, like ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘The Last King of Scotland’.  You can eat and drink in the bar area or at the sofas and tables.  You can even take menu items into the theater with you and nosh on chicken wings and crab cake minis while you enjoy your movie.  There is a patio area for drinking and dining when the weather is nice and of course, a concessions stand with typical movie theater concessions. 

I give the experience an A+, as I really enjoyed sipping my wine from an actual glass while watching a film in a seat I selected.  I will definitely be visiting this theater again once they begin showing other films next week. 

The Atlantic Plumbing Building houses the cinema and condos/apartments and
 was formerly known asThe Atlantic Plumbing Supply Co.

Ticket kiosk.  I love that you can select your seats!

Bar and Lounge

Bar and lounge looking out onto the patio.

Plush upholstered leather chairs and banquettes offer
multiple seating options for patrons in the lounge.

Menu

Beer, wine and spirits

Snacks

Inside one of the screening rooms.

Industrial lighting compliments the building's industrial architecture.

Miele and Chelle Albert Interiors

I am super excited to announce that I will be hosting an event at Miele on November 11^th!  There will be cocktails (bubbly!), hors d’oeuvres from Chef Geoff’s, and great conversation.  I will also be giving a short presentation on how interior design can affect human behavior and how we interact with the world. Check out the flyer below for all the details!

A DC Dream House (The Fessenden House)

If you know me, you know one of my favorite things is to drive or walk around DC and check out real estate.  I’ve been doing this for years, spending my Sundays going to open houses and seeing what the various neighborhoods have to offer.  The nature of my job requires that I am in my car a lot, traveling to various vendors and client houses.  That said, I have a pretty good grasp on the layout of the city and I often find myself in neighborhoods where I don’t typically hangout often; real residential neighborhoods that are absent of the local bar or restaurant.  Several years ago on my way to one such client’s neighborhood, I discovered one of my dream houses. 

Not a dream house in the sense of wanting to one day live there but in the sense of wanting to decorate it.  I got in the habit of driving past this house and sitting out front and staring at it and dreaming about how I would decorate the rooms. The last time I drove by this house and took a moment to daydream was 3 years ago, so imagine my surprise when last week a friend forwarded a Business Insider article detailing the listing and selling of the same house! The article finally gave me a peak inside and with 7 bedrooms, a pool house and a wine cellar there is plenty to be decorated in this gorgeous Neo-classical styled house.  Scroll through some of the photos below.

The Fessenden House in Washington, DC.  Recently listed for $22 million,
making it one of the most expensive Washington, DC houses ever sold.
Photo via BusinessInsider.com

The rear view of the house overlooking the pool and the poolhouse.
Photo via BusinessInsider.com

The kitchen features white cabinetry, granite countertops and brass hardware.
Photo via BusinessInsider.com

The house consists of four levels.
Photo via BusinessInsider.com

View from the poolhouse.
Photo via BusinessInsider.com

2013 DC Design House: An Early Look

If you follow me on Instagram or Tumblr or Twitter, then you may have seen some of my photos from the 2013 DC Design House earlier this week.  The photos did not reveal much, as the house is still in it's bare bones state so if you didn't understand what they were about this is my attempt to clarify.  The DC Design House is an opportunity to raise money for charity, while allowing local area designers to showcase their talents.  A house is chosen that is for sale or going to be for sale (the homeowner(s) has/have to move out if they are currently living in the home) and selected interior designers from the local area each have the opportunity to design one room in the home. 

Monday and Tuesday of this week were the walk-through days for the designers to pick their rooms.  Once the rooms have been picked, designers then have a few weeks to put together a presentation board of their design concept for the room.  A selection committee determines which boards represent the best design of the space and those designers are chosen to participate in the Showhouse.  I attended the walk-through tour both days and selected my room(s)--you are asked to pick 2 backups.  I measured and took pictures and started making arrangements to submit my presentation boards.  If I submit and am selected this will be my first Design Showhouse. It is a great commitment and a huge investment of both time and money but it promises to be a ton of fun.  Here are a few photos from my walk-through, as well as some from past DC Design Houses.

The outside of the 2013 DC Design Showhouse.
Photo my own.

A magnificent staircase in the 4 level home.
Photo my own.

A wood paneled study with a fireplace. 
Photo my own.

The walk-in shower with tiled mosaic onyx floors.
Photo my own.

2012 DC Design Showhouse, Dressing room by
Carolyn Wilson and Elizabeth Boland of Design in a Day.
Photo credit:  blog.hgtv.com

 

 

2012 DC Design House
Family room by Daniel Proctor of Kirk Designs.
Photo credit:  mynottinghill.blogspot.com


 

 

2010 DC Design House
Guest bedroom by Michael Hampton Design.
Photo credit: dcdesigncoop.com

2011 Design House
Master Bedroom by Iantha Carley
Photo credit:  mynottinghill.blogspot.com