Tell us a little bit about your role within the Bozzuto group and how you typically work with our team at KBAA.

I lead the brand and creative teams responsible for the brand development, launch, and commercial performance of Bozzuto’s active new development pipeline. The majority of our organization’s portfolio and pipeline is third party owned and developed. In the instance of a Bozzuto owned and developed asset, that is where our teams can have even more range of motion in terms of the advisement of the programming of the building—often because my team is brought into the fold at an early stage of the project’s life—about 24-30+ months before delivery. My team will help advise on the vision of the asset with our developers at this early stage. We define the project’s vision as its overall positioning well beyond its brand. It includes the tone of the interior design, architecture, and landscaping—even of course down to the art.

 

A lovely piece sits atop the fireplace at The Claude at Chevy Chase Lake.

 

Tell us about what makes Bozzuto a unique real estate management group.

Bozzuto is a family owned, vertically integrated real estate organization. We have four main divisions, including Management, Development, Home Building, and Construction. This mix isn’t necessarily unique—but what is unique is the experience our people across the organization provide. We pride ourselves on creating sanctuary. Being vertically integrated also allows us to provide an even more seamless experience on the management side—especially for an asset that is developed, constructed, and managed by Bozzuto—a flagship project. Our organization proudly manages and constructs for third party clients who are aligned to our brand platform of delivering an extraordinary experience. Third party is the majority of Bozzuto’s management portfolio.

 

 

How does Bozzuto prioritize art when designing residential spaces?

The effort to incorporate thoughtful art programming comes from the very top of our organization’s leadership. It’s this collective passion for art and creativity that sets the tone and appetite to layer on this important aspect to our projects. Thoughtful art programming contributes to providing an extraordinary experience for our residents. Our residents want to feel connected to where they live. The layering of art is a huge part of contributing to that. From large-scale sculpture at the site level to wall hangings in the corridors—it all contributes to a sense of place. All credit must be given to our attentive development team for truly leading the coordination of this effort at the project level. It’s my pleasure to advise.

 

Work in style with a beautiful piece by Brad Huff.

 

Why is a thoughtful narrative important in residential spaces?

We take pride in crafting thoughtful property brands with narratives that our residents feel connected to. Our Customer Experience (CX) team does a lot of important ongoing research on our customer journey and the mindsets of our residents—what truly makes them tick. We’ve been able to articulate several attributes that are fairly consistent across the majority of our resident base. A few of those attributes including being achievement oriented and having high standards. Details matter to our residents. By providing a thoughtful narrative in our properties through the confluence of art, brand, and interior design, our residents feel like they are experiencing sanctuary.

 

An original piece by Susan Wolfe Huppman perfectly fits in.

 

How do you believe art influences the sense of community in residential spaces? Why is it important to consider?

Art elicits emotion but it’s also a conversation starter and connector. We often program events around art in our buildings or even in the community it surrounds. Art brings people together and it’s an important thing to consider when developing any space.

 

Can you describe how Bozzuto has integrated art into your projects, particularly in collaboration with KBAA?

The discussion of art is a very collaborative one. It’s a topic of passion. In the context of third party managed assets, Bozzuto’s involvement in the art programming truly depends on when our team is onboarded and the scope of our Advisory phase. It is in the instance of a Bozzuto owned and developed asset where our range of motion is boundless. We rely on our partners in KBAA to be the connector of our team to talented art and artists locally and nationwide. They take into consideration the brand of the property and the narrative we want to tell – or expand upon through art programming. It’s a wonderful collaboration.

 

The residential game room brings in the calming palettes and textures of nature.

 

Why is it helpful to work with an art advisory team? 

Curation is an art of its own. An art advisory team such s KBAA has the breadth and resources to connect the dots with our vision of the development and the art that can bring it to life.

 

In your opinion, what are some key elements in striking the right balance between coziness and sophistication in a living space? Why is inviting elegance an important concept of residential spaces?

Our properties are not precious. The goal is to not program a museum where a resident does not feel welcome to casually lounge and enjoy the spaces. Our amenity spaces are an extension of their home and should feel as such. Details like an elevated sense of arrival with lush contextual landscaping, to the subtle aroma of Bozzuto’s signature scent, White Tea & Thyme permeating in the lobby lounge—it all signals sanctuary. Our residents want to feel proud of where they live. As such, our goal is to provide a premium experience, but not pretentious. We take pride in finding the right balance.

 

 

Do you have a favorite piece from one of the properties we’ve worked on together? What stands out about it to you?

One of my favorite pieces is the custom ink and pen illustration by Hadley Radt in the amenity bridge at Aster in College Park, Maryland (showcased in the hero image of this blog post!). The scale and unexpected round shape of the piece complement the sinuous lines of the feature lighting and the live edge table. It grounds the space nicely. I’m also just a personal fan of the meticulous nature of the pen and ink medium. This piece is a great example of the throughlines created with the built environment and the interior design—an ultimate goal. I could name many other favorites.