• Arlington hosts its sixth annual Green Living Home and Garden Tour Sunday from 1 PM to 5 PM. The tour takes a look at green homes and environmentally friendly gardens. [What’s Up Arlington]

• Prince of Petworth has a photo of the reconstruction at 3145 Mount Pleasant Street, where a devastating fire in March left more than 200 people without homes. [PoP]

• DCMetrocentric has a rendering of the new Arena Stage building, which is scheduled for completion in 2010. [DCMetrocentric]

The latest creation of Anthony Lanier—whose firm Eastbanc built the Ritz-Carlton Residences, the VIP-filled Water Street condo, and Cady’s Alley in Georgetown—22 West houses 92 condos, an underground parking garage, fitness center, street-level convenience store, a to-be-announced restaurant with room service, and rooftop pool and deck. The 11-story building at 22nd and M streets has 71 floorplan options, including one-, two-, and three-bedrooms, some with dens. They range in size from 948 square feet to 3,629, with price tags between $783,500 and $3,898,500. About 30 percent of the units have been sold.

Two models were open at last night’s preview party—a two-bedroom and den unit with about 1,600 square feet of space, and a three-bedroom unit with about 1,900 square feet. The first thing we noticed was the closets—they’re everywhere. Each includes adjustable (or removable) shelves to optimize storage space.

The biggest perk of this one-bedroom rental in Alexandria is the patio—the triple-wide door provides lots of light for the 900 square-foot space. A ground-level unit, the condo features hardwood floors, a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, and a large window in the bedroom. It’s part of a condo community, which has its own perks—two off-street parking spaces, a pool, and playground access. The nearest Metro stop is the Van Dorn Street station on the Blue Line, about a mile away.  

Address: 487 N. Armistead St., Alexandria
Price: $1500 a month, which includes utilities
Move-in: Immediately

More>> Open House Blog | Homes | Real Estate

Where: 3259 R St., NW
Listing Price: $9,875,000
Time on the Market: Two and a half weeks
Bedrooms: Seven
Bathrooms: Six

For the wall cabinets, I had asked my contractors to space out the shelves evenly, but I didn’t realize there were way too many shelves.  They were barely five inches apart, and I spent a day removing and rearranging them. (Is there a shelf high enough for the big olive oil jar?  Will this one fit my glasses comfortably?)

The pantry was installed last, since it is a stand-alone piece. I knew how many shelves it came with and it seemed alright, but I came home to find it all jumbled. I spent another day removing and testing heights of cereal boxes and whiskey bottles. I wore out the heads on a couple screws and scratched the cabinet door and two of the shelves, then kicked myself for putting all this unnecessary wear on brand new units. Eventually, I got everything customized...except for the missing piece that would require another trip to IKEA, naturally.

The real interesting experience, and one I do not wish to repeat, was flipping the refrigerator doors after I moved the appliance to the other side of the room. I inspected the screws. The door seemed connected in just a few places, and easy enough to unhook and turn around. But I underestimated the complicated work put into appliance hinges.

Play bartender behind this old-fashioned counter.

Have your friends belly up to this old-fashioned, three-piece serving bar, available in Manassas, Virginia, for $2,500. The rear hutch includes storage for booze and barware, and the inlaid mirror will help open up a smaller space. The set includes two high-back leather stools.

More good finds:

• Mahogany room divider with picture frames for $50.

• White coffee table with shelf and drawer space for $100; matching sectional sofa for $500.

• Mosaic marble-top coffee and end tables for $400.

More>> Open House Blog | Homes | Real Estate

• Construction of Clarendon Center, a $118-million, mixed-use project next to the Clarendon Metro stop, is underway. The project, set to include more than 200 apartment units and feature amenities such as an indoor pool, health club and clock towers, will be LEED certified. [Clark Construction]

• Work on the site of the old George Washington University hospital is set to begin. The space will house a mixed-use development to include office space and a grocery store. [DC Metrocentric]

• 4901 Hampden Lane, a 53-condo unit project once slated for construction in Bethesda, has been nixed. Triumph Development blames the slumping real estate market and Montgomery County’s delayed response in greenlighting the project. [DC Mud]