In Rosslyn, VA, located three miles outside of Washington, DC, sits the Turnberry Residence a penthouse luxury condominium. The Turnberry Residence, which overlooks panoramic vistas of the Potomac River, Arlington, Key Bridge and Georgetown University, was in need of a complete interior renovation, including new flooring and walls for living spaces, bedrooms, bathrooms, the kitchen and exterior balcony. Shinberg Levinas Architects of Washington, DC, was selected to be the architect of the property.

“The overall design of the project was to create large open spaces linking the interior and exterior of the residence with modern feelings without being cold,” said Salo
Levinas, principal of Shinberg Levinas Architects. “It was very important to create a clear view from the interior of the residence to the Washington monuments, Georgetown and Arlington. The panoramic views from this penthouse are inspirational for the project. We also wanted it to produce a contrasting experience between dark bathroom interiors and warm living spaces.”

Levinas turned to Italian cermaic tile from Lea Ceramiche, Balsatina Stone Project Sabbiata and Naturale. “Porcelain tiles were essential for the design,” said Levinas. “Italian ceramic tiles are elegant, flexible and come in large sizes. It was critical for this project that the tiles were used inside and outside, expanding the house to the exterior.”

The tiles, supplied by Atlantic Link Inc. of Fort Lee, NJ, were employed as flooring, from the living room to the kitchen and bathrooms, as well as for the walls and exterior balconies. Approximately 4,000 square feet of 36- x 108-inch tile was used.

“Slimtech tiles were used due to their eco-sustainable characteristics and the extraordinary lightness resulting from a thickness of only 3 mm,” said Levinas. “The tiles were easy to install and satisfy the needs of our client and our need as modern architects. Our client loves the color, texture and softness of the tiles. Additionally, the client loves the thermal conductivity properties of the tiles, ideal for his heating floor system.”

The biggest challenge was to create a continuous surfacing throughout the entire penthouse, inside and outside, and contrasting it with tiles on the walls because the installation was critical. Levinas spent time with the installer laying out different alternatives.

“It was a challenge because it was not easy to find a versatile material that requires minimum joints and gives us the continuous surfacing look we were looking for,” said Levinas. “The purpose of the flooring was to be a mirror of the ceiling that flows without interruptions. To overcome this, I picked Slimtech tiles. The specs of the Slimtech tile allowed us to use these tiles from the bathrooms, the kitchen and walls to bedrooms, the living room and balconies, entertaining the continuous surfacing look.”

The project was completed in four months and since then the client has been extremely happy. “Turnberry Residence is a functional space that meets the lifestyle of the client,” said Levinas. “The penthouse stands out because it gives a good relation between the inside and outside. It keeps the warmth of the home, focusing the interior towards the panoramic views. It’s a functional and comfortable living space.”