Name: Yassir & Sheba (8-year old retired racing greyhound)
Location: U Street corridor, Washington, DC
Size: 1,080 square feet
Yassir's condo has stunning floor to ceiling windows, which he wanted to keep as a focal point in decorating his home. Having spent much time in Europe and Asia, Yassir has collected some amazing antique furniture and accent pieces. A longtime DC resident, Yassir has picked up mid-century modern designs. The open, clean lines of the mid-century modern pieces suit the bright, light-filled apartment.
An avid gardener (he runs a website on orchids: Argus Orchids) and excellent cook, Yassir grows rare plants along side herbs and tomatoes for use in the kitchen. The effect is a green oasis in the middle of urban U Street Corridor. Yassir has a large collection of antiques from his travels, but he carefully edits which pieces to keep and display.
Apartment Therapy Survery
My Style: Danish modern with a dose of organic Asian minimalism
Inspiration: minimalism. I like the bones of things. The chairs, tables are about the bones. Minimalism creates room for the furniture to breath. The Danish modern pieces are made to be seen from all sides. The space is airy but small, and I have to keep it uncluttered.
Favorite Element: the light
Biggest Challenge: it remains: what color do I paint the walls? It was how to arrange the living room furniture. I arranged the furniture on a slight angle to get the best views.
Biggest Embarrassment: The closets and kitchen cabinets, spotlight fixtures, framed posters.
Proudest DIY: Putting up all the artwork.
What Friends Say: They call it a refuge.
Biggest Indulgence: Moving here! The Luminette (Hunter Douglas) blinds but they are worth it — the windows are what make the place. These windows needed nice treatments. The blinds create a softness that works with the concrete, hardness, and rectangular shape of the room.
Best Advice: Don't feel you have to be a purist — find your design leitmotif and add pieces/decor that embody that irrespective of period or style. But don't go overboard and try to be disciplined about it to maintain cohesion!
Dream Item: Finn Juhl “45” easy chair
Resources
Rugs: Living room from Urban Essentials. IKEA under the dining table. Habitat in the den. The rest are Pakistani and Chinese silk rugs from my parents.
Furniture: Drexel cabinet, coffee table, couch, big living room lamp from Millennium, The bed and dining table are from Urban Essentials. Two Finn Juhl matching chairs in living room from Home Anthology. Victorian library table in foyer and chest of drawers in bedroom from Goodwood. Elephant table from Vietnam. The Luceplan standing floor lamp in the living room from Italy. The Chinese wedding cabinet from 1900 was bought at the old U Street flea market. The bedroom chair was a gift. The bedroom bookcases are from Crate & Barrel. The office vase and Blu Dot office desk and cabinet are from RCKNDY. The TV stand and cabinet are from Bo Concept. The teak outdoor furniture is from Home Decorators.
Lighting: Bedroom Noguchi lamp from Japan; the office wall lamp is from Muleh. The lamp on the Drexel cabinet in the living room is from an estate sale.
Artwork: living room hanging piece from India; Japanese posters bought at auction. 17th century Chinese paintings from my parents (my mom picked them up in Vietnam). Two photos and collage in the hallway by me. The bust is by Anna Ratta. Indian Pakistani sculpture by Amin Gulgee. Photo transfer by Wave (Provincetown). Poster in office from New Orleans – the commemorative poster of the queen of Carnival. The bedroom photos are by Pradeep Dalal. Buddhas from Vietnam.
Accessories: couch pillows and green bedroom pillows from India; cushion on white chair in living from Greenworks in Georgetown; other pillows from Pier 1 and made from Indian fabric. The bedspread is from Bloomingdales. The handmade quilt is from India. I’ve had the Mickey Mouse top since I was 2-years old and the Casper I’ve had since I was 7. The antique puppet is from Rajasthan. Planters from Garden District and Hip Haven. The orchids were bought online. Zen alarm clock in the bedroom is from 'Now and Zen.' The bedroom curtains were custom-made by G Street fabrics and blinds from Luminette (Hunter Douglas).
(Thanks, Yassir)
Images: Rachael Grad
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great blend of styles. The asian art keeps it from being cookie cutter mcm.
That dog is so pretty I thought it was art til the last picture!
Very nice! I would consider adding something above the bed -- not a rectangular piece of framed art, but maybe something lighter- and softer-looking.
Thanks for letting us tour your home. It has a very personal, comfortable feel. Love the MCM and Asian mix, they are certainly complementary aesthetics. One question...why the table on the rug in the middle of the room near the fireplace?
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, the space above the bed calls out for something--I have art but as yet unframed! The table on the rug is my dining table that actually extends to accomodate more. I still haven't found the right chairs to go with it(open to ideas) so I pull in the outdoor teak chairs when I want to use it!
Lovely! I love this style mix and how personal the home is.
Only thing I dislike/question: the awkward placing of the dining table (I imagine?).
Great job and adorable dog!
The Danish chairs and floor-to-ceiling windows are to die for!
...and just up the block from Timothy Paul...
great style! love the danish mcm mixed with the middle eastern and asian influences. love also the floor lamp in the living room and all the plants. very nice space & your greyhound sheba is pretty wonderful too.
Loved your place! and your dog!!! =)
Where do you shop for plants in DC? Thanks! (Great space by the way)
I'm thinking old Chinese chairs in black lacquer at your dining table.
Thanks for sharing your lovely space. Your plants and all of your statues are especially appealing to me---and your beautiful dog!!
You have beautiful things and I love how you've arranged them.
Yes, Sheba is very special so I really appreciate all the compliments--greyhounds, btw, make great apt. dogs preferring to lounge all day and provide elegant 'living' decor! For plants, Garden District on 14th, Johnson's on Wisconsin, best orchids at Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods. As for the Danish Modern, I love Finn Juhl chairs and so am trying to 'collect' his pieces though I don't have room for much more(probably just as well soI don't break the bank). Statues/scupltures..I've been lucky..all the S.E. Asian sculptures have been gifts. The smaller modern piece on the 50s Drexel cabinet was purchased at the D.C arts/craft show a while back. The hanging bust in the hally way by Annu Ratta now in India-you can see one of her ceramic sculptures affixed over the window of Cafe Nema on U Street.
Mmmm, window porn.
I'm not usually a fan of asian decor, but I'm really like this!! It works so well with mcm here! lovely job!
http://cozylittlecave.blogspot.com
Wow!!!!Just love it
Sheba is beautiful! My Darla is also a brindle retired racer, 5 years old next month. I have such a soft-spot for these creatures!
Isn't "minimalism" when you don't have knick-knacks on every horizontal surface?
Beautiful place, beautiful decor, and beautiful dog!!! :) I really love the Buddha painting.
1) WAAAY too many photos of this place, especially considering that there are too few pics of other places to get a sense of them.
2) The bones of this place are so good you'd have to work hard to screw it up.
3) Yes, he has hit a nice balance btw the MCM and asian-influence BUT: what is with that table and rug in front of the fireplace/ktichen? In the context of htis place its an eyesore. And the gaping whiteness over the mantle-mirror is annoying bothering me too.
(Sorry, just got some bad news and this is my lashing out in different direction. Really a nice home, except for the friggin' table.)
Love those chairs...thanks for posting the name of the designer.
Thanks, too, for mentioning what great apartment dogs greyhounds make. Most people assume they need a lot of space because of their size. That couldn't be farther from the truth. We have three brindles...ages 11, 10 and 8...love the breed!
I think everyone is harping on the dining table because so much of the furniture is wood and the asian aesthetics is really about nature then you have a boxy metal and glass table that just doesn't work with everything else.
Don't worry there's always one piece that you thought was a good fit, but just never works out. I've got this office desk that is beautiful, but looks awful with the rest of my decor. i've tried every room, using it for different functions, but it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Love the space. Can you tell me anything about the sliding door hardware. I'd really like to find something like that for a door I'd like to install at the top of my stairway. Any info would be great. I like the utility of the design and the aesthetic it creates--functional and a little loft-like.
I think this is the best home tour I have seen! Love the balanced mix of styles and the uncluttered look. I love the MCM furniture pieces you have.
First, Yaay to all the other greyhound owners on apartment therapy! Did not know there were so many!
The sliding door hardware is standard in these units so I don't know much about how to get them installed, I'm afraid. The door is quite heavy actually. I like it, but many others have taken it off in their units--a matter of taste I guess.
As far as the dining table, I wanted something to play off the brushed steel of the sliding door, mantle, and the exposed vents; and also create some separation and contrast from the living 'area.' I think the table will stick out less once I find the right chairs. I'm happy with it and think it will work, though I was also tempted by the more obvious DM choice that might be more pleasing overall. We shall see.
Thanks to all for the compliments--its really nice when others also find your home pleasing in the same way you do and makes all the time spent figuring out the right angles for the furniture worth it ;)
btw, if anyone has paint color suggestions for the three rooms, I'd love to hear them.
Yassir
Your place is beautiful, and I love the sliding door. Your greyhound is completely charming, too. I grew up with retired greyhounds and miss them.
To AT: I agree with the comment above about too many photos on this one. Go easy with ones that are so similar; it got repetitive. Thanks for the tour, though.
No one has mentioned the books - to me a place just isn't home until the books have been unpacked and shelved. Lovely place - and place for books.....
Great job! Classy, but homey. I love all the plants.
Everything is functional, yet also looks like art.
Sheba looks like a sweet, elegant dog.
That Danish Modern stuff was everywhere when I ws a kid. It was beautiful then. It was beautiful when it went out of fashion. and it remains just as beautiful today.
On rare occassions, designers and fads, just get it right.
A lovely apt, that will remain lovely!
Yassir,
A nice place...just a couple of reactions
I agree with luckypeach that there needs to be a dramatic gesture to really elevate your place to the next level. You keep asking for suggestions for paint color and I agree with you that paint is needed. The current wall colors are not doing your place any favors. I think the right paint color(s) could be the dramatic gesture that pulls it all together and gives you that WOW feeling (although your windows are a great start).
Unfortunately I do not have any suggestions (am agonizing over paint colors for my own new apartment) but maybe you could invest in the services of a colorist who specialize in choosing paint colors for your space. I have found several of them online. Since you have so many factors which will make or break a paint color (like the amount of and color of light from your windows, the different shades of wood and all of the small items you have collected) I think you need help from someone with color experience to bring it all together.
Your kitchen counter tops would drive me crazy....they are too cluttered with small appliances and other non-attractive items. Because your kitchen is so open to the rest of your space it totally upsets the clean minimalist feeling you want to achieve in your entire space. Find places to put the toaster and other assorted clutter out of sight. The mantra around here (which I am working on) is "edit..edit...edit" and I would start in your kitchen.
I hope my opinions contain something helpful...you have a lovely collection of furniture, plants and windows I covet (as well as your adorable four legged friend)...It looks like a very nice space to live in. Thanks for sharing it.
I love, love, love this apartment! I see you are having a problem with that dining room table. You know what? I would sell it and get something that can be stored away when not in use (I found some great card table chairs with leather seats and headrests in a second hand store a few weeks ago) and call it a day because once you add in chairs, that space is going to look cluttered and detract from your great decor. Unfortunately, every great apartment has one quirk we cannot work around and yours is dining space. I currently have those chairs I mentioned, but no table to go with it yet. Unfortunately you are too far from Miami for me to convince you to sell me yours because it is the perfect size!
I love love love your place! WOW!!!! So well done. You have inspired me with ideas for my new apt. Thank you. :-)
very pretty, but, I don't think one could really screw it up with this amazing architecture.
Nice and feels "clean" looking. Liked your mixture of styles. Floors are gorgeous as is the dog!
I love this apartment and could live happily there! There is too much small clutter and small art for my taste, but that is just my taste. I think this dramatic apartment with its high ceilings and huge windows needs fewer larger things.
Here are my recommendations for the bedroom. Nudge the bed closer to the window so that it looks intentionally off center on the wall, move the left (as we're looking at the photo) bookcase over to the right and set the two bookcases up together so that they look like one bookcase, and don't shove them all the way into the corner. Move the nightstand over to the left. Hang both pieces of framed art one above the other over the nightstand such that the top of the frame of the top picture lines up with the top of the bookcases. Lose the floor lamp and get a good tall lamp for the nightstand -- straight with a shade if you need ambient light, goosenecked if you need reading light. Personally I'd go for the reading light. Lose the '50s chair. (I'd bet $10 you never sit in it.) Move the larger of the area rugs to the floor at the foot of the bed. Leave the smaller one on the floor to the right, or if you really think you need something over the bed, hang it horizontally on the wall at the same height at the bookcases and smaller art. (I'd leave it on the floor.) Oh, and as for the books and clutter on the bookcases, rearrange so that each shelf has only books all the way across or only tchotchkes. To have some bookshelves without any books gives a kind of visual relief. That's just my 2 cents.
Congratulations on your beautiful place!
A lovely home. I like the openness of it all, which creates an airy feeling & leaves room for the wonderful light, of which you have so much, to do its magic. I like the way you display your treasures throughout the space &, of course, your beautiful dog!
Simply stylish! An exotic bud you have too.
I am floored...would die for a thangka as beautiful as yours...
and ah! how could i miss juhl chairs....hmm...cant imagine living in your amazing place
Hi Yassir,
I love your apartment! Can you tell me where you purchased the statue of the woman holding the plant in your garden? Thank you!