Shock and awe(some). That is the reaction you will have when you open the door to a condominium at The Flats at Hunter Crossing, located at 2317 16th St., SE, in the Cedar Hill neighborhood of Anacostia.

“I had plenty of sleepless nights until the open house because the design is such a departure… Fortunately, there was total market acceptance, but I did not know that until the open house,” says John Fitzgerald Lopez, president of Tenacity condominium sales.

Bold orange walls with orange tile backsplashes, or green walls and green tile backsplashes, or deep blue, or gray…“If a buyer wants a traditional design they can have a gray wall and gray tiles. I think gray would look handsome with black granite countertops and white walls, but no one has wanted it yet,” says Lopez.

Dennis Lussier, an architect by training, is the design manager for Tenacity. He decided to break from traditional design after visiting half-million dollar condominiums in Northwest, DC. “It inspired me to come up with different customization packages for Tenacity’s projects. We cannot do all the kinds of things you get in much more expensive condominiums, but we allow each buyer to make his or her unit unique… and offer design, color and customization packages as standards, not as upgrades,” says Lussier. “I do not think people are characterized by taupe and tan.”

Thus, Lussier made a bold move with color and design, and it paid off. Almost half of the 36 units are under contract to former tenants or new residents.

In addition to the color palette, Lussier went to extraordinary lengths to design the kitchen so as to utilize every inch of space. “I went through 10 iterations of each kitchen design and paid attention to every last detail to maximize the efficiency and layout. Instead of a 7-inch filler panel we put a wine rack, instead of an island we put in a built in granite table; no space is wasted,” says Lussier. “The two bedroom condominium has as much kitchen space as a house.”

And if you appreciate a well organized closet, you will love the custom closets that come as standard features at The Flats at Hunter Crossing. “Kim Kremer is our interior designer…She spent three days designing the layout of the closet shelves.” And it shows. This is guaranteed closet-envy material.

“Of course we put dimmers everywhere, included a full size washer/dryer, built-in trash and recycling containers, bamboo floors, digital thermostats… It was my chance to show what Tenacity can be,” says Lussier. And he is not kidding.

Lopez was a tough sell, despite having his own unique flair for style, color and whimsy, as evidenced by his passion for his canary yellow 1970 Volkswagen Karmen Ghia convertible. The car is currently being restored for a sum equal to a tidy down payment on one of these condominiums. “I bought it as a present to myself when I graduated college. It cost $2,850 in 1970 when I bought it new… It has a three horsepower engine; new lawn mowers have more horsepower,” says Lopez.

“He wanted to let me try something but was skeptical on how bold the ideas were…This is quite a departure from where we were to where we are now,” says Lussier. “[Lopez] kept saying no to my ideas until this project. When he first walked in and saw the colors he was stunned; when the space was built out more and he could see it coming together, he was a little better. He was at ease only when we had the open house and it was flooded with people reacting more than favorably.”

The outside of the building also puts passersby on notice that this building is unique. The doors and balconies are an uncommon shade of blue. “They are ‘twilight’ blue, and the canopy over the front entranceways are royal blue,” says Lussier.

“The neighborhood now just has tans, creams and whites all around and needs a jumpstart to get back to the vibrancy the area once had,” says Lussier.

In that regard and others, this project is certainly a success.

For more information on the Flats at Hunter Crossing, visit Tenacity Group’s Web site at www.tenacitygroup.com, or call 202-468-4663.