“My inspiration came from purchasing and decorating my own condo on Capitol Hill,” says Lisa Cannon, who launched Condo Cool in 2004, a business that offers affordable interior design. “It took a lot of work and research to find furniture and lighting that fit into an unusual modern space.” As soon as Cannon realized there was a niche market for accessible interior design, she took design courses at the Corcoran College of Art + Design. She also worked for a year at RH Studio in Georgetown, the modern sibling of local furniture chain Random Harvest.

Condo Cool targets those who don’t have the budget to hire an expensive interior designer. For $100 an hour, Cannon rearranges furniture and helps customers choose paint colors and dramatic lighting. Whereas most designers purchase items for their clients and charge fees for each, Cannon’s clients make the purchases on their own based on her suggestions.

Most of her clients are young professionals or empty nesters who have recently downsized. “People usually aren’t happy when there is too much clutter. They have a tough time editing their furniture and accessories. They want multi-use pieces, such as a storage cube that can double as an ottoman. Many people know what they like but have trouble pulling it all together.”

Cannon suggests checking out magazines like Metropolitan Home, Elle Decor, or Blueprint for decorating ideas. While she says stores like Crate & Barrel have quality mid-range home goods, she suggests shopping for unique pieces at independent stores like Go Mama Go on 14th Street in Northwest or the flea markets in Eastern Market.  

What: Butterfield House

Where: 1020 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

Design: Sassan Gharai, founder of SGA Architects, designed the six-story, red-brick Victorian mansion to blend in with surrounding historic rowhouses.

Number of units: 28, including studios—which have already sold out—and one- and two-bedroom units.

Price: One-bedrooms start at $339,000, two-bedrooms at $500,000

Location, location, location: Butterfield House is within walking distance of the US Capitol, the Supreme Court, Eastern Market, and the new Nationals stadium.

An 1885 Georgetown schoolhouse will soon open its doors again—but not to schoolchildren. Wormley Row, formerly the Wormley School, will be a new collection of luxury condominiums and townhouses on Prospect Street. The building has been empty since the 1950s, but Encore Development is restoring the original brick building and transforming it into luxury living spaces.

The Alta, in DC’s Thomas Circle neighborhood, seamlessly blends modern architecture and city living with green building strategies. The steel pergola on the roof, which supports climbing plants, is a modern twist on a traditional architectural element. The building’s 126 swanky one- and two- bedroom condos have nine-foot ceilings with exposed spiral ductwork, European-inspired porcelain tiles, and stainless steel appliances. The eight penthouses on the top floor range from 995 to 1,310 square and offer views of the Washington Monument. Residents can enjoy ground-level retail, a second-floor lounge, and a parking garage.

The new building received a green-building certification from the city. Compact fluorescent lighting and water-saving appliances lower energy consumption and reduce costs. Environmentally friendly paints and carpets improve indoor air quality, and window glass maximizes solar efficiency.

Bethesda-based Donatelli Development announced that it is converting its Highland Park condominium in the District’s Columbia Heights neighborhood to rentals. Several retailers—including a Potbelly Sandwich Works, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and a new restaurant from Hank’s Oyster Bar’s chef/owner Jamie Leeds—have already signed on at the site, which is expected to open early next year. The 229-unit building features a landscaped rooftop deck, two-level fitness center, and party room with a plasma TV and billiards table.

Highland Park joins a growing list of condos converting to apartments, including Senate Square near Capitol Hill and McGill Row in LeDroit Park. Real-estate experts predict that as developers ditch their condo projects, the market should rebound from its recent slowdown. And as more units flood the rental market, those prices will likely fall.

Parkside at Alexandria, a condo development in Old Town, announced today that it will auction off condos at reduced prices—a first for the Washington condo market, according to Parkside’s developer.

Accelerated Marketing Partners, a residential real-estate firm that specializes in selling and marketing homes fast, will handle the sale of the final 30 units in the 378-unit development. In a press release, a spokesman from Accelerated Marketing said that Parkside decided on an auction “in order to reduce ongoing marketing expenses and close out the project.”

Up for sale will be 20 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom units. Prices will start at $225,000—$115,000 less than what units listed for. The auction will take place on Sunday, October 28, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel in Alexandria, at 2 PM. An auction-information center is now open in the Parkside sales center (1617-A North Van Dorn Street, Alexandria).

Here’s some news you can live by: The Newseum Residences sit side-by-side the new 250,000-square-foot Newseum, which is scheduled for completion at the beginning of 2008.

On Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House, the luxury apartments are part of a mixed-use development that includes the museum and a restaurant. The 12-story residential wing opened its doors in June.

What: Newseum Residences
Where: 555-A Pennsylvania Avenue
Number of units: 135
Prices: studios ($1,720 to $1,975); studios with den ($2,150 to $2,250); one-bedroom with one- or one-and-a-half bath ($2,500 to $4,170); two-bedroom with one- or two-bath ($3,875 to $6,500)
Building amenities: rooftop terrace, fitness center, business center, 24-hour concierge, and resident lounge. Wolfgang Puck’s new restaurant, The Source, is next door.
In each unit: Eight-foot windows, granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, and private balconies in some units.
That’s unique: Residents receive free admission to the Newseum for a year.
Closest Metro: Archives-Navy Memorial, on the Green and Yellow lines.
Units leased: 25