A condo in Chevy Chase, Md., leaves the 1980s behind

By Kathy Orton,

The project at the Carleton of Chevy Chase, a luxury high-rise condominium building in the Village of Friendship Heights in Chevy Chase, Md., came to Keyhan Ejtemai through a friend of his who wanted to partner with him on a condo renovation.

“Initially I wasn’t interested in a condo,” Ejtemai said. “I do houses. But this was unique.”

Ejtemai is general counsel for an oil company. But as a sideline, he renovates houses. He caught the bug when he built his own house. Since then, he has formed a company, Core Build Plus, that will take a run-down house and turn it into, as he puts it, “a home that really elevates and inspires the human soul.”

The Carleton was built in 1982, and this unit had characteristics typical of that period — a warren of small rooms and narrow hallways. The condo, originally two separate units, had been combined into one 3,700-square-foot apartment. However, it still had two kitchens.

Sean Shanahan

“We want to create spaces that become people’s forever homes,” developer Keyhan Ejtemai said. “We want those spaces to truly elevate and inspire them.”

To help design the condo, Ejtemai turned to Lorena Checa, the architect who advised him on his own home. She recommended a clean, simple design with a more open floor plan. Now when you stand on one side of the unit, you can see all the way to the other side. Brothers Reza and Hamid Ossareh did the construction.

“Every space was re-created in a way that it connects to each other as if it was created as that one design from the inception,” Ejtemai said.

The dramatic fireplace, flanked by floor-to-ceiling glass, catches your eye the moment you walk through the door. The gas fireplace is surrounded by a dark manufactured stone called Dekton that has copper veining. White oak flooring adds softness against the crisp white walls.

To the left of the foyer is a dining area. Wood from the floor continues up the wall in a niche behind the table. Its twin is on the right side, between the living and family areas. The sleek contemporary kitchen has a large waterfall island, made from Silestone, with seating for seven. The three-dimensional tile on the backsplash creates visual interest. Brass hardware adds shimmer to the Luxor cabinetry.

Sean Shanahan

The sleek contemporary kitchen has a large waterfall island, made from Silestone, with seating for seven.

The same manufactured stone used on the fireplace was installed in the powder room, on the floating vanity and up the walls. The copper sink and faucets pick up on the copper veining in the stone.

Similar to the two niches on opposite ends of the apartment, wine storage was created along one wall. The wood-lined niche, with pegs holding up the bottles, becomes a work of art.

The floors and walls in the owner’s bathroom are porcelain tile, with the larger size on the walls and the smaller size on the floor. The floating vanity is by Luxor. A glass insert was added to the shower to bring natural light into the bathroom.

“We want to create spaces that become people’s forever homes,” Ejtemai said. “We want those spaces to truly elevate and inspire them.”

The apartment has three balconies — one off the kitchen, one off the family area and one off the owner’s bedroom. From the balconies, you can see Tysons Corner, in Virginia, to the southwest and Rockville, Md., to the northeast.

Sean Shanahan

From the balconies, you can see Tysons Corner, in Virginia, to the southwest and Rockville, Md., to the northeast.

Ejtemai bought the condo in July 2020. Despite encountering several supply constraints caused by the pandemic, he finished the project in about eight months.

“When I first looked at this project, I wasn’t going to do it because it was a condo,” Ejtemai said. “But as we got into it — and you know with covid and all the challenges that we were facing — I basically made a decision with my team that we weren’t going to take any shortcuts. Let’s make this a unique project.”

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom, 3,700-square-foot condo is listed at just under $2.65 million. The monthly condo fee is $2,955. It includes a door attendant, front desk concierge and access to a heated swimming pool, plus a fitness center with locker room and sauna, a card room, and a party room with full kitchen.

Listing: 4550 N. Park Ave., No. 605, Chevy Chase, Md. Listing agent: Shahab Nasrin, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Previous House of the Week: A historic house in Arlington, Va., hits the market More Real Estate: How the D.C.-area housing market fared in 2020 by Zip code Families reunite in pandemic and rethink what home means The 10 most expensive homes sold in the D.C. area in 2020