A Capitale Idea Comes To K Street; New 'Hogwarts-Meets-Hollywood' Hotspot Opens Doors

NORTHWEST -- Boasting all the decorative bravado of a Hollywood hotspot while still maintaining a comfortable atmosphere, K Street’s Capitale discreetly opened its doors just over a week ago, for the first in a series of small private events, in preparation for an official grand opening in late September.

The newly revamped 4,700-squarefoot venue represents a significant facelift for the space formerly occupied by K Street Lounge, which shuttered at the start of summer.

D.C. designer Maggie O’Neill of O’Neill Studios and architects David Shove-Brown and David Tracz of studio3877 were enlisted to transform the property into a re-imagined ‘Hogwarts-meets-Hollywood’ destination.

The first change former K Street Lounge customers will notice upon entering Capitale is that the entrance has been moved closer to 14th Street. Such a feat was made possible by opening up the old venue’s previously hidden backrooms, thereby sizably expanding the space’s overall usable footprint.

Once inside, patrons are greeted by an art deco-inspired lobby that purposefully conjures a funky Hollywood-Regency vibe. On one side of the room lies a green-tinged malachite wall adorned with a faux marble bust, while a long glass corridor stands opposite. With speakers absent, this seating area is designed to serve as a more tranquil oasis for guests that are more interested in a casual conversation than a lively party.

Step forward a few feet into Capitale’s ‘Great Hall’, however, and the energy of the space shifts. Four leaning brass columns immediately grabs one’s attention, in addition to serving a practical purpose by separating the bar area from the intended dance floor.

In designing the club’s epicenter, O’Neill worked with co-owner Tony Hudgins and his partners to create a setting that combined classic country club influences with a glamorous Hollywood twist.

Floor-to-ceiling windows house some one hundred leather-bound library books (sadly permanently mounted and therefore unreadable), while four 55-inch flat screen TVs sit perched above a 40-foot wooden bar that runs parallel. All the while, two roaring fireplaces serve as glitzy bookends to the cavernous space.

But perhaps such a colorful juxtaposition between country club and night club is best made evident by the booths lining the Hall’s windows, which convert from plush happy hour seats to more hardened dance platforms as the night progresses thanks to a series of removable cushions.

Indeed, unlike most of the nightlife venues lining K Street, Capitale hopes to distinguish itself by catering both to the happy hour crowd as well as late night clubbers. To such an end, Hudgins plans on implementing the area’s first rotating food truck happy hour later in the month.

A rotating series of food trucks will be invited to park in the valet spots immediately outside the venue and guests will be free to grab something to eat, take it inside, and pair it with a specially-priced selection from Capitale’s drink menu.

“Our venue has no kitchen, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want our patrons to snack while they sip,” said Hudgins. “I think a weekly, rotating selection of food trucks will offer…guests the luxury of a casual, delicious bite in a cozy and elegant venue.”

A Capitale idea.