Marc Castillo relished the idea of “full service living,” such as room service, housekeeping, a 24-hour valet and a full-time concierge to help with dry cleaning and other errands at The Residences at W Atlanta - Downtown. After living in a renovated bungalow in Midtown, Castillo didn’t want to spend time taking care of the roof, landscaping or even straightening up the space.
“When you’re entertaining at night, I come home and the place looks brand new,” he said.
Moving into the contemporary condo required a radical change for Castillo. He kept treasured artwork, but discarded furnishings, even those that held memories, in what ended up being a “liberating” process.
“I wanted sort of a Mad Men luxe apartment in the sky,” he said.
Snapshot
Resident: Marc Castillo, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, and his dog, Brutus
Location: The Residences at W Atlanta - Downtown
Size: 1,890 square feet, one bedroom, one-and-a-half baths
Year built: 2009
Year bought: 2013
Architectural style: Modern
Favorite architectural element: Floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides of the condo.
Renovations: Added a fireplace that burns ethanol, by EcoSmart, with a gray limestone surround. "That's the one thing I would have missed from my bungalow," he said. He installed a new 42-inch Samsung Ultra HD TV above the fireplace.
Cost of renovation: $10,000
Design consultant: Steve McClure
Interior design style: Retro modern
Favorite interior design elements: Letting go of beloved items for new pieces, such as a Herman Miller Eames chair and a custom sectional, that fit better with the style of the high-rise condo. Castillo said he fought to keep a side table that he loved in the bungalow, but once the new furniture came, it looked old and out of place in the condo. "I was happy to let it go," he said.
Favorite artwork: Castillo created a gallery space by installing art lighting for his antique paintings and traditional and modern pieces by Atlanta artists Brett Smith, Randall Chumbley and Clint Beardon. His most treasured piece, by French painter Claude-Joseph Vernet, was an estate find and does an amazing job of capturing the sky, he said. In 1995, he and his late partner scraped together their savings and used their credit cards to purchase the painting for $3,000. It was then appraised by Christie's, which Castillo said it is an original Vernet and more than 200 years old.
Favorite outdoor feature: Large covered terrace
Resources: Furniture from Design Within Reach, Authenteak, Bed Down Furniture Gallery and ADAC, and vintage pieces from Scott Antique Market and estate sales.
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