Case Study: The Fallswood in Rockville Maryland
/I originally designed a condominium interior for a lovely client in the The Fallswood in Rockville Maryland before I was hired to work on the phased re-development of the two, 13-story buildings close to Old Georgetown road.
The Fallswood maintains higher property values than many of its neighbors and doesn’t have the same amount of turnover. But because this neighborhood is in a huge transition, I wanted to make sure that the owners' property value continues to grow as new buildings go up nearby.
Built in 1985, the existing seating area in the shared lobby feels dated and dark. We’re starting at the terrace level, which is approximately 15,000 square feet of shared space between the two buildings. The main lobby is also shared and definitely needs to have wow factor.
It's a difficult space because it's very dark and there is no natural light so I used bright colors, blues and yellows and oranges to add life. During another phase, we will remove all the popcorn ceilings—remember those!—throughout the building and replace carpet in the halls.
Throughout the rest of the space, I moved walls to improve flow and tripled the size of the gym. I also improved the community room with new seating, flooring and lighting and added different corners to gather.
What’s been really interesting about working with this community is the diversity of generations and opinions influencing the direction of the design. There's a retired population and also a generation of young millennials who work in tech moving in. That’s part of the reason I wanted to improve the gym and create a state-of-the-art, modern facility. But there is also a games area in the library, where long-term residents can meet. I'm always walking a fine line of compromise to preserve harmony.
In terms of the design, I’ve kept it transitional, leaning more towards traditional, which is not my norm, but have made my furnishing selections transitional. It’s a design that will relevant and increase the value of every individual property owner for generations to come.
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