The couple downsized from a 5,500 square foot home to a 2,800 square foot condo in Bethesda after their children moved out. They worked with architects Anthony Wilder and JP Ward to transform the "plain, characterless" condo into a sophisticated, contemporary retreat. The design emphasizes light, luxury, and precision while accommodating the couple's need for storage since they divested of much of their furniture and art. The couple is enjoying being within walking distance of amenities in Bethesda and their new, lower maintenance lifestyle.

1. LIVING / BETHESDA CONDO TURNED MODERN RETREAT
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Bethesda Condo Turned Modern Retreat
BY JAMES SERVIN
David and Janet Pappert owned a home that was the stuff of dreams—5,500 square feet that felt stately yet warm;
comfortably furnished, it was filled with art from their world travels. But once the last of their four children left the
nest, the retired computer software executive and his wife decided to do something radical: Overhaul it all. They
gave up most of their furniture and art before moving to a 2,800-square-foot, one-bedroom condo in Bethesda.
Scary? No way. It was exhilarating for the couple, says David. “We had been in a mausoleum for [about 30 years].
Chevy Chase is all residential. We had to travel three miles over Connecticut Avenue to Bethesda for restaurants
and bookstores, libraries, and post offices. We knew we wanted to be in Bethesda someday.” Once construction
commenced on a luxury condo building in America’s second-most livable city (as named by Forbes in 2009), the
couple signed papers on their new home.
For architects Anthony Wilder and JP Ward of Anthony Wilder Design/Build, the move made sense for their
clients, whom they both describe with one word: organized. “They’re so pragmatic, ordered, and systematic in
everything they do,” explains Ward. “They didn’t want the upkeep of a large house. The move was logical.”
“They’re at a time in life when they’d rather not drive; they’d rather use Metro. And they spend a lot of time going
out with friends,” Wilder says. “Everything in this project was in response to their new life.” Ward adds that the
couple is relishing their newfound independence: “They thoroughly enjoy being within walking distance to
restaurants and coffee shops. They’re very active people. I hope I can be that way when I grow up!”
A huge leap of faith wasn’t necessary for the couple when deciding to work with the design team—they had worked
with Wilder on a million-dollar remodeling project of their previous home. “We had no reluctance about placing
complete trust in Anthony and what he could do creatively,” says David. “There’s no architectural suggestion or
artistic hint that he can’t implement.”
In the Chevy Chase home, the design focused on warming up a traditional aesthetic. The team emphasized light-
filled rooms; chose historic furnishings, period pieces, and gilded frames that glowed with life; and avoided the
stiff and the overly ornate. Now, in Bethesda, they—along with interior designer Kary Ewalt—faced the task of
transforming a plain, characterless box into a sophisticated, soulful, contemporary retreat.
“When you’re in a condo, what you want is voluptuous and bountiful, yet comfortable—and at the same time,
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Cover shoot: December/January 2013 issue of Capitol File
magazine.
PERSONALITIES | EVENTS | STYLE | DINING & NIGHTLIFE | LIVING | CALENDAR | MAGAZINE | VIDEO
This crystal beaded chandelier, by Boyd Lighting, was installed to echo the oval shape of the rosewood
dining table.

2. antithetical to that, simplicity.”
The entry and foyer both contain elements of all that is to follow: luxury, innovation, Swiss-watch-like precision
and perfection. “It’s a shocking transformation,” says Wilder, whose team conferred a dreamy lightness to an entry
that was originally narrow and dark. An archway created out of reflective metal gives the impression of glowing
amber, an ancient effect that feels warm in a contemporary space. “The archway is hung from wires and backlit,”
Wilder says. “The surface on the back side of the arch glows consistently, as if sunlight is pouring down. It’s almost
like you’re walking through a sunlight-filled hallway.”
The foyer has curved archways and paneled walls that are stenciled to resemble large limestone blocks. “There are
structural columns in the foyer that we couldn’t move,” says Ward. “Rather than try to hide them, we accentuated
them.” The motif of horizontal lines appears throughout the home, from the strips of mahogany along the base of
bedroom walls to shelves in the study that are installed (with the trick of a mirrored base) to appear as though they
float.
The clients had divested themselves of most of their possessions—a great deal of the art and furniture in the Chevy
Chase home went to their children—but enough remained to make storage in their new home a priority. The
master bedroom, for example, is discreetly lined with wall-to-wall built-in cabinets that cover every corner of the
room except for the back of the bed, which is upholstered. A cupboard over a desk in the study is for stray papers—
this is, after all, a clutter-free home. “We’re pathological neatniks,” admits David. “Since they hate clutter,” says
Ward, “we designed a place where they could put everything behind doors... in a neat place, of course.”
So far, having fewer material things in a smaller space is working for the downsizing couple, who have upgraded
their lives in ways that best suit their new lifestyle. “Our first morning in the apartment,” recalls David, “we walked
across the street to a coffee shop, where we ordered coffee and bagels, sat on a little patio on a 75-degree day, and
said, ‘This is the place. We have made the right choice.’ Once we moved in, we never looked back.”
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