Home & Design

Vintage Style MARCH/APRIL 2010

Vintage homes are full of charm. Their innate sense of history and architectural integrity more than make up for such typical shortcomings as outmoded kitchens, twisted floor plans and closets seemingly built for elves.


That’s how Carmen MacDougall, a communications specialist, and her husband, energy executive Paul Allen, felt about their 1936 home in Chevy Chase. Nevertheless, their patience for its cramped kitchen, poor circulation and lack of natural light was wearing thin. The couple considered moving, but thought twice when they saw the quality of finishes in several new homes for sale. “We wanted to make the choices in terms of quality,” says MacDougall. They decided to renovate instead.


The owners presented designer Jonas Carnemark, principal of Carnemark systems + design, inc., with their old-house woes. For lack of a proper foyer, guests entered the home and were “trapped” between stairs leading up to the bedrooms or down to the living room. The pathway to the kitchen went through the dining room, which became a “giant foyer where everybody just piled things onto the table,” laments MacDougall. Upstairs, the master bedroom was centered around a spiral staircase; this 1970s-era novelty leading up to the third-floor office made furniture placement a nightmare. “The bed could only go in one place and you had to be so careful walking around it,” says MacDougall.


Carnemark devised a plan that would provide the updates his clients wanted within the confines of the home’s existing footprint, as dictated by zoning laws. The program converted the existing two-car garage into a new dining room; a dormer above it added more space to the master suite. The plan also created a large and welcoming foyer by shifting the front entry of the house to the left; it opens to what was the former dining room. A passage framed by waist-high bookshelves topped with tapered columns now leads past the new dining room into the kitchen. 


The home’s small galley kitchen was replaced by a much larger one, complete with an island, stainless-steel appliances and plenty of storage and counter space. By relocating a staircase leading down to he basement, Carnemark created a new mudroom off the kitchen—which functions perfectly for a busy family with a seven-year-old son and three grown kids. 


“A lot of the program was dictated by how to use the existing space in the smartest way,” says Carnemark. “We kind of tweaked the puzzle. Creating the entry was really important, but that dictated what we could do in the kitchen.”


The living room was untouched, but a bump-out in the adjacent sunroom on the right side of the house created more space for a family computer room and office bathed in natural light. Upstairs, a reconfigured master suite, minus the spiral stairs, now includes a luxurious master bath and walk-in closet. A new staircase leads to the attic-level office, where an additional dormer was built. 


“The clients’ decision to let us rethink the flow presented the biggest challenge,” recalls Carnemark. “After we got the flow going, it was fun picking finishes and putting things into place.” Carnemark suggested eco-friendly options to his clients whenever possible. The kitchen features renewable cork flooring and recycled tile; the project also incorporated spray-foam insulation and a high-efficiency HVAC system.


Material selection and detailing on the home’s exterior reflects its Tudor style. A new covered entry boasts a copper roof and sturdy mahogany door. The Spanish slate roof, new bay window and copper gutters and trim echo the home’s architectural origins. For continuity, Carnemark used vintage bricks salvaged from the rear of the home on its expanded front façade, rather than new bricks, which are more angular than the rounded old ones. In the backyard, new terraces off the kitchen create a welcoming area for relaxing and entertaining outdoors. 


The owners are thrilled with their rejuvenated home, which won a 2009 Contractor of the Year award for whole-house renovation. “Before, the house was kind of dark and stuffy,” says MacDougall. “It’s been completely transformed. It still has a traditional feel, but it doesn’t feel like an old home any more.” 


Photographer Morgan Howarth is based in Manassas, Virginia.

DESIGN & RENOVATION CONSTRUCTION: Jonas Carnemark, Carnemark systems + design, inc., Bethesda, Maryland.

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features.  Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.

Full Circle MARCH/APRIL 2010

Bethesda jewelry designer Karen Kaplan felt trapped in her own house. Built in the 1950s, its compartmentalized rooms were so small that she and her four kids could barely gather in one space as a family. “Somebody would be watching TV and somebody would be in the little computer room,” she recalls. “I’d be in the kitchen, and I couldn’t see anybody. I felt so confined.”

Kaplan loves to cook and entertain, but her tiny kitchen and cramped family room were less than inviting. What’s more, the lifelong art collector had very little space to display her collection.

She finally decided the time was ripe for a renovation. “It took me a long time to figure out I didn’t want one of those big additions on the back—that wasn’t going to solve anything,” recalls Kaplan. “I just wanted to take the walls down.” She approached architect Jay Davies and designer Joanne Fitzgerald to reconfigure the main level of her home.

“There were so many awkward spaces that were not usable,” explains Fitzgerald. “Opening the home up was what Karen needed to make it functional. She needed more breathing room.”

They devised a plan to demolish the walls of the existing kitchen, family room, computer room, sunroom and breezeway, creating a large, expanded kitchen, breakfast area and family room. An eight-by-22-foot extension along the rear of the home, which added more functional space to the family room, was the only change made to the footprint of the home.

As the project unfolded, Kaplan and Fitzgerald collaborated on a major upgrade of the furnishings and finishes throughout the interiors, focusing on a clean, contemporary style that would complement Kaplan’s favorite works of art. “As the rooms started coming together, we really started taking stock of the art that she had, getting it re-framed and deciding where to place it,” says Fitzgerald. “Karen has so much art that the actual palette really needed to be plain so that all of her great art could pop.”

The design scheme in the dining room started with a length of Bergamo silk that Kaplan bought years ago and saved until her kids were old enough not to destroy it. Fitzgerald found the perfect wall covering to pair with the pewter floral, which has been fashioned into drapes. Round linen chandeliers hang over the oblong dining table; Kaplan, who loves circles, had similar motifs repeated throughout the home.

Fitzgerald covered the room’s red-brick fireplace in a white-pebble finish. The colors and textures create a glamorous effect.

Brighter shades prevail in the adjacent “Shiraz room,” named for Kaplan’s favorite wine varietal. In this intimate gathering space, walls are painted scarlet to offset a super-realistic painting of a glass of whiskey on the rocks. Fitzgerald installed museum-quality lighting in the space not only to highlight the art, but also to show off the large dollhouse Kaplan has treasured since she was a child.

Both the Shiraz room and the reconfigured foyer lead to the bright and airy kitchen, which now offers Kaplan plenty of space to spread out, whether she’s baking cookies or preparing dinner for 20 friends. On the left side of the kitchen there is a beverage center with a wine refrigerator, storage for recycling and plenty of work surfaces near the dual ovens. The center of the kitchen focuses on a wide island with arched openings to the family room; it houses a sit-up bar on one side and double dishwasher drawers on the other. A glass-tile backsplash, stainless-steel appliances and dark cabinets create a clean, modern backdrop for punches of color and art.

In the breakfast area, leather dining chairs and an upholstered armchair were selected in lime green—Kaplan’s favorite color. A cheerful citrus motif on the custom banquette’s cranberry, orange and lime-green fabric reinforces the circle theme. Shimmery glass tiles mask the old brick fireplace, now flanked by shelves that display colorful pottery and other craft-show finds.

The spacious family room centers around a custom Roche Bobois sectional, where Kaplan and her kids can watch TV and movies together. Since the renovation was completed, Kaplan and her daughter Abby have started a jewelry business, Kala Jewels, and the room now doubles as a workspace where they create their designs on a large table behind the sofa. A wall of glass doors in the newly bumped-out area, which opens to the rear deck and yard, pours natural light into the space.

Adjacent to the family room, a new mudroom provides storage cubbies for all five members of the family. Its bright, lime green accent wall echoes the cheery color scheme.

Now that the work is complete, Kaplan couldn’t be happier with the outcome. “If I’m cooking—and I’m always cooking—some people are at the bar, some people are at the kitchen table. My kids are big now and they bring their friends home. Everybody can be in the same place,” she says. “It worked out so great.”

Photographer Lydia Cutter is based in McLean, Virginia.

RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Jay Davies, Architects at Work, Bethesda, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Joanne Fitzgerald, Gatéga Interior Design, Rockville, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Miller McIntyre, Frederick, Maryland. KITCHEN DESIGN: Joanne Fitzgerald and Bertin Radifera, Aidan Design, Bethesda, Maryland.

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.

Lush Life Tucked into Washington, DC’s urban neighborhood of Cleveland Park is a lush garden oasis. It includes an English-style border overflowing with roses, Lady’s Mantle, Catmint, peonies, and Iris; a magnificent old weeping cherry tree; a swimming pool reminiscent of a New England pond; and beyond it all, a glimpse of the National Cathedral. Designed by landscape architects Scott Fritz and Leslie Gignoux and installed and maintained by Fine Earth Landscape, Inc., the long, narrow lot echoes the homeowner’s favorite vacation spot in Maine. “She wanted it very natural,” says Fritz, “like a Maine landscape.”

At the rear of the lot, a former garage on higher ground is now a writing studio with its own secluded garden. From here, a series of small, cascading ponds flows into the pool. A natural stone path connects the stone terrace at the back of the house to the pool, while another path under the weeping cherry leads to the studio, past colorful plantings and huge rocks that provide picturesque seating. According to Fine Earth’s Joel Hafner, each boulder was strategically placed by the architects in collaboration with the client. Fine Earth took care during construction to preserve the weeping cherry, as well as a weeping Katsura tree up near the house.

AWARD: Distinction, Residential Maintenance. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: Scott Fritz and Leslie Gignoux, Fritz & Gignoux Landscape Architects, Washington, DC. LANDSCAPE INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE: Joel Hafner, Fine Earth Landscape, Inc., Poolesville, Maryland.

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**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and landscape design ideas.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas, and outdoor spaces to life.

 

Elements of Style MARCH/APRIL 2010

"I am a designer who listens to my clients and takes into consideration their ways of living,” says David Mitchell during a conversation in his office near Dupont Circle. “I don’t force a signature style on them.” After listening to his client, Gloria Story Dittus, Mitchell transformed her Kalorama home into a gracious setting for the social gatherings the public relations maven frequently hosts. Practical seating blends with rare antiques and bold artwork to create a welcoming setting for guests.

“David’s style worked really well for me,” says Dittus, who bought the house in 2004. “It is elegant and comfortable. People don’t feel like they can’t touch anything. You can put your feet up in these rooms.”

Entertaining is a priority for the Georgia-born businesswoman, who just launched a new public affairs and marketing firm called Story Partners after her successful company Dittus Communications was acquired in 2005 by Financial Dynamics. She is well-known as a Washington hostess who enjoys throwing A-list bashes attended by power brokers from Capitol Hill to K Street. One of the recent parties held in her remodeled digs celebrated veteran reporter Helen Thomas’s 50th year of covering the White House.

Dittus also likes organizing smaller events such as sit-down dinners and casual cook-outs around her outdoor kitchen and swimming pool during the summer months. “I’ll have 300 people one night and eight the next,” she notes. “I needed a house that could entertain more easily than my previous one in Georgetown. It was narrow and didn’t have great flow.”

What attracted her to the 1923 Kalorama residence were the spacious rooms and “great bones” of its Beaux-Arts architecture. As she explains, “It just needed some TLC to bring out the great patina and make it work for today’s world.”

Once owned by diplomat Sol Linowitz, who helped negotiate the Panama Canal treaty under President Jimmy Carter, the brick-clad residence is organized so the “public” spaces are on the ground floor. The second level, with its master suite, exercise area and den, serves as the owner’s private sanctuary while the third floor houses guest rooms. “I have lots of family and friends who are in and out of here on a regular basis. I’ve been known to call the house the Embassy of Gloria,” Dittus jokes.

In designing the main-level spaces for entertaining, David H. Mitchell played to the romantic architecture of the home with eclectic furnishings unified by rounded shapes, soft colors and floral patterns. He points to the curves repeated in the living room’s tall Swedish clock, the scrolled arms of an antique Russian chair and the circular, gold-framed mirror over the fireplace mantel, noting “they give an easier look to the room.”

The large living space measures about 17 by 30 feet, so the designer divided its expanse into two seating areas to accommodate both crowds and cozier gatherings. The more intimate section features club chairs, a damask-covered sofa and a sculptural bronze coffee table arranged around the fireplace. Grouped at the other end of the space are armchairs, covered in the same damask found elsewhere in the room, and a chenille sofa. Antique Russian chairs and a graceful wooden coffee table add sculptural interest to the upholstered pieces.

Every element is carefully considered, even the empty area under a console table where Mitchell added a small ottoman upholstered in an embroidered fabric. “It provides a wonderful texture and fills up the blank space,” he explains. Teal green glass beads edging the linen draperies and floral fabrics on the pillows repeat the pale aqua of the painted walls.

Enlivening the understated décor are contemporary objects and artwork not typically associated with such a stately house. “I am pretty eclectic in my tastes, from very modern to very traditional,” says Dittus. “What makes this house interesting is that we put them together in the same room and they really work.”

Custom lamps made of chunky quartz crystals from Africa flank a dark landscape by California painter Wade Hoefer mounted above the rear sofa. Orderly rows of photographs to either side of the fireplace depict details of stone carvings on bridges in Central Park, while on the adjacent wall an abstract painting by Rhode Island artist Ron Ehrlich supplies a jolt of expressionistic color. “When you layer modern art on top of traditional furniture, it gives a fresh feeling to the design,” says Dittus.

Mitchell felt most of the furnishings from his client’s previous residence were too small in scale for the grand Kalorama house, but he incorporated several of the best pieces into his design. New Orleans painter David Harouni’s Cajun King now hangs above the regal Sheraton sideboard from Dittus’s Georgetown house to make for an unexpected pairing in the entrance hall.

A fresh approach was called for in the dining room, where Dittus hosts dinner parties of varying sizes. Mitchell’s solution was to design a mahogany and satinwood table ample enough for 20 and have it fabricated in England. Instead of adding matching chairs, he mixed Swedish antiques with contemporary designs, while extending a sofa below the windows for more seating. A 1930s Art Deco credenza that Dittus purchased at a Paris flea market provides storage along one wall.

“Those spontaneous finds are really important to building a room,” says Mitchell. “I am always trying to create houses with distinctive personalities. You can’t do that by matching all the furniture.”

A feminine personality emerges within Dittus’s bedroom, where an imposing four-poster bed is gilded in sections and hung with lacy curtains. The light-filtering drapes create a screen of privacy for the busy hostess who sometimes can’t get rid of her guests.“The house is so inviting that when I have events here, people linger in the living and dining rooms and they don’t want to leave,” she explains. “That’s a great tribute to its design.”

Washington, DC-based Deborah K. Dietsch is a frequent contributor to HOME & DESIGN. Photographer Jeff McNamara is based in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

INTERIOR DESIGN:  David H. Mitchell, David H. Mitchell Interiors, Washington, DC.

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.


                               

Spare + Serene MARCH/APRIL 2010

According to one of the homeowners, it all started in 1989 when her husband wanted a work shed. What ensued was a 20-year-long project during which architect Mark McInturff, FAIA, transformed their dark 1961 Georgian-style home into an open, light-filled modern masterpiece. While it did take two decades, in the fourth and final phase the client and his wife finally got their work shed—plus a few extras including a meditation room, greenhouse, poolhouse, media room and massage room.

During the 20-year span, the owners’ children grew from toddlers to young adults while their house deviated very little from the original, 3-D model McInturff created in the late ’80s. “What we got was shockingly similar in layout to what we actually planned,” McInturff says, reflecting on the project, which doubled the size of the 5,000-square-foot home set on two wooded acres in Potomac.

First, he and his team designed a new garage with a study space above it on the east side of the home; the former garage became a family room while a patio was enclosed to create a sunroom. Then they designed the pool house. “In 2006, we leapt to the other end of the building and did the master suite pavilion, almost a separate building,” says McInturff. “We left the center untouched—until 2008.”

Throughout the project, McInturff honed in on a “spareness in detailing” to reflect his client’s fascination with Asian design. Natural wood, limestone floors and slatted screens handcrafted from Douglas fir subtly delineate transitions from one room to another. “The screens give a layered effect where you see through them but they also define space, creating the ability to have a big space and a little space at the same time,” McInturff explains. “We were trying to get the whole house to speak in one voice. The wife has a strong interest, intellectual and otherwise, in Asia. So there’s a feeling that goes with that. A sense of mystery. Calmness. Serenity.”

For McInturff, the master suite, which encompasses three levels and took nearly two years to build, was the most challenging part of the four-phase project. From the home’s main foyer, a greenhouse leads to this pavilion housing a massage room, steam room and gym on the lower level; a bedroom and bathroom on the main level; and a serene meditation room on the top level. A centerpiece in the pavilion is the two-ton solid limestone bathtub that the homeowners found in London.

The design’s minimalist approach is expressed beautifully in the master bedroom, which has “a Swiss watch quality,” McInturff says. “Everything is visible. There is nowhere to hide mistakes. Every board had to be to the highest par.” The bed, side tables and backboard were designed to offset the 16-foot ceiling, and “bring the room down,” says McInturff, “creating a cozy, defined space in a room with quite a high ceiling.”

By 2008, the homeowners were ready to tackle the untouched middle section of the house. They wanted to blend the formal and informal spaces—including the living room, dining room, library, family room and kitchen—into a seamless and cohesive whole. McInturff and his team created a new foyer topped by a soaring skylight and removed the walls dividing the living spaces to create a sense of openness. Transitions between rooms are gracefully defined by wooden screens, which echo the motif established in the bedroom pavilion.

The homeowners turned to designer Guillaume de Decker of Roche Bobois to help them furnish the living room, library, family room and sunroom. de Decker proposed a comfortable yet elegant combination of low, unimposing pieces that would complement the modern architecture and create comfortable environments for entertaining.

In the family room, de Decker divided the space into “a TV zone and a zone turned to the outside where one could enjoy nature while having a cup of tea,” he says. “The harmony of colors ties the two sections together and makes them look like they belong with each other. The space is not overcrowded and still very inviting for larger crowds.”

It’s hard for McInturff to step away from this two-decade-long project and he leaves a part of himself in the home. “All the projects I do are modern or contemporary in spirit, but they are all very different because I work for different people and I feed off of what their lives are about,” he says. “A number of times I have worked with a client over many years and then the last thing you do is the final brush stroke.”

Freelance writer Cari Shane Parven, a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, is author of  Finding Friendship at Forty.

ARCHITECTURE: Mark McInturff, FAIA, McInturff Architects, Bethesda, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Guillaume de Decker, Roche Bobois, Washington, DC. RENOVATION CONTRACTOR: Ron Isinghood, Timber Ridge Builders. BEDROOM PAVILION, PROJECT ARCHITECT: David Mogensen, McInturff Architects.

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*Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.

Cachet-Spring House Tour MARCH/APRIL 2010

A sprawling, 1905 Beaux Arts home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which once hosted an inauguration party for Harry S. Truman, is the impressive site of the 2010 DC Design House. This annual fundraiser for the Children’s National Medical Center showcases the creativity of some of the area’s top designers; this year, 19 designers (listed below) have been chosen to redecorate spaces in the landmark home. A committee selected the team based on drawings and “boards” they created for specific rooms in the house, including designer Victoria Sanchez’s elegant schematic for the library (above). On February 27—Barebones Day—visitors may tour the house before the designers begin their work leading to the opening on April 9. 

 

“With the caliber of the designers and the community support, it’s shaping up to be the best DC Design House to date—and a leading fundraiser for Children’s National,” says DC Design House co-chair P.L. Skip Singleton, Jr. CNMC is the largest non-governmental provider of pediatric care in the DC area, providing more than $50 million a year in uncompensated services. HOME & DESIGN is a co-sponsor of the DC Design House. 

The home is located at 3911 Bradley Lane; admission is $20 per person. For more information, visit www.dcdesignhouse.com.

2010 DC Design House Designers

Andrew Law, Drawing Room Terrace

Barry Dixon, Drawing Room

Victoria Sanchez, Library

Shazalynn Cavin Winfrey, Entry and Stair Hall

Nestor Santa-Cruz, Reception Room

Frank Babb Randolph, Living Room

Sarah Wessel, Sunroom

Basha White, Dining Room

Rosi Kallivokas, Butler’s Pantry/Kitchen/Porch

Sally Steponkus, Master Bedroom

Celia Welch, Master Dressing Room

Rose DiNapoli, Study

Michael Hampton, Guest Bedroom

Barbara Franceski, Guest Sitting Room

Lisa Adams, Boy’s Bedroom/Bathroom

Page Palmer, Girl’s Bedroom

Kelley Proxmire, Family Living Room

Tracy Morris, Artist’s Studio

Cynthia Ferranto, Landscape Design

 

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.

 

Cachet-Ode to the Capitals MARCH/APRIL 2010

This year marks the Washington Capitals’ 35th season, and local artist and avid Caps fan John Kiernan of Blueline Studios found his own unique way of commemorating the milestone. A season-ticket holder, hockey player and coach, Kiernan decided to meld his passions for the sport and his art with a lithograph depicting many of the team’s players (above). He was thrilled with the experience of painting something “that means so much to me,” he says. “I enjoy being an artist, but this felt like something more.” 

Kiernan, who specializes in murals and faux finishes, sold the 18-by-24-inch limited-edition lithographs at Capitals’ games throughout December 2009; they are now available for $75 from his studio in Warrenton, Virginia. For more information, call 540-349-2792 or visit www.blueline studios1.com. 

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.

Indulgences- Food MARCH/APRIL 2010

A Taste of England in DC

AGAINN, a modern gastropub, evokes the British Isles with such classic fare as black pudding sausage with mashed potatoes and fish and chips. Chef Wesley Morton sources organic, seasonal ingredients and certified-humane poultry and meats. Designed by architect Peter Hapstack of DC-based CORE, AGAINN features dark, rich paneling and an inviting zinc-coated bar. In one of its two semi-private dining rooms (above), those who wish to store their favorite spirits in the restaurant can reserve a private scotch locker, complete with personalized nameplate, for $500 a year. 1099 New York Avenue, NW; 202-639-9830; www.againndc.com

Latin-Asian Fusion

Chef de Cuisine Antonio Burrell (left) is dishing up Latin-Asian fare at Masa 14 in Logan Circle. The menu features hot and cold small plates, tacos, rice and noodles and wood-fired flatbreads—plus more than 100 types of tequila. Architect Ben Ames and designer Catherine Hailey created sleek interiors that complement the building’s original brick and timber construction with steel, wood and concrete. 1825 14th Street, NW; 202-328-1414; www.masa14.com 

Cherry Blossom Cheer

Spring in Washington means it’s time for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival (March 27 to April 11, 2010). Mie n Yu in Georgetown is toasting the season with its Cherry Blossom Cocktail (above). Bar chef Chris Kelley has concocted the $9 drink using Emperor vodka, cherry brandy and a splash of all-natural cola. 3125 M Street, NW; 202-333-6122; ww.mienyu.com

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living.  Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.

Vintage Style MARCH/APRIL 2010

Vintage homes are full of charm. Their innate sense of history and architectural integrity more than make up for such typical shortcomings as outmoded kitchens, twisted floor plans and closets seemingly built for elves.


That’s how Carmen MacDougall, a communications specialist, and her husband, energy executive Paul Allen, felt about their 1936 home in Chevy Chase. Nevertheless, their patience for its cramped kitchen, poor circulation and lack of natural light was wearing thin. The couple considered moving, but thought twice when they saw the quality of finishes in several new homes for sale. “We wanted to make the choices in terms of quality,” says MacDougall. They decided to renovate instead.


The owners presented designer Jonas Carnemark, principal of Carnemark systems + design, inc., with their old-house woes. For lack of a proper foyer, guests entered the home and were “trapped” between stairs leading up to the bedrooms or down to the living room. The pathway to the kitchen went through the dining room, which became a “giant foyer where everybody just piled things onto the table,” laments MacDougall. Upstairs, the master bedroom was centered around a spiral staircase; this 1970s-era novelty leading up to the third-floor office made furniture placement a nightmare. “The bed could only go in one place and you had to be so careful walking around it,” says MacDougall.

Carnemark devised a plan that would provide the updates his clients wanted within the confines of the home’s existing footprint, as dictated by zoning laws. The program converted the existing two-car garage into a new dining room; a dormer above it added more space to the master suite. The plan also created a large and welcoming foyer by shifting the front entry of the house to the left; it opens to what was the former dining room. A passage framed by waist-high bookshelves topped with tapered columns now leads past the new dining room into the kitchen.

The home’s small galley kitchen was replaced by a much larger one, complete with an island, stainless-steel appliances and plenty of storage and counter space. By relocating a staircase leading down to he basement, Carnemark created a new mudroom off the kitchen—which functions perfectly for a busy family with a seven-year-old son and three grown kids.

“A lot of the program was dictated by how to use the existing space in the smartest way,” says Carnemark. “We kind of tweaked the puzzle. Creating the entry was really important, but that dictated what we could do in the kitchen.”

The living room was untouched, but a bump-out in the adjacent sunroom on the right side of the house created more space for a family computer room and office bathed in natural light. Upstairs, a reconfigured master suite, minus the spiral stairs, now includes a luxurious master bath and walk-in closet. A new staircase leads to the attic-level office, where an additional dormer was built.

“The clients’ decision to let us rethink the flow presented the biggest challenge,” recalls Carnemark. “After we got the flow going, it was fun picking finishes and putting things into place.” Carnemark suggested eco-friendly options to his clients whenever possible. The kitchen features renewable cork flooring and recycled tile; the project also incorporated spray-foam insulation and a high-efficiency HVAC system.

Material selection and detailing on the home’s exterior reflects its Tudor style. A new covered entry boasts a copper roof and sturdy mahogany door. The Spanish slate roof, new bay window and copper gutters and trim echo the home’s architectural origins. For continuity, Carnemark used vintage bricks salvaged from the rear of the home on its expanded front façade, rather than new bricks, which are more angular than the rounded old ones. In the backyard, new terraces off the kitchen create a welcoming area for relaxing and entertaining outdoors.

The owners are thrilled with their rejuvenated home, which won a 2009 Contractor of the Year award for whole-house renovation. “Before, the house was kind of dark and stuffy,” says MacDougall. “It’s been completely transformed. It still has a traditional feel, but it doesn’t feel like an old home any more.” 

 

Photographer Morgan Howarth is based in Manassas, Virginia.

DESIGN & RENOVATION CONSTRUCTION: Jonas Carnemark, Carnemark systems + design, inc., Bethesda, Maryland.

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features.  Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.

A Modern Perspective MARCH/APRIL 2010

When a Virginia couple bought a 1960s contemporary split-level home a stone’s throw from Lake Barcroft in late 2006, they had a few improvements in mind. The structure had small windows placed high on walls that barely revealed the waterfront panorama unfolding just steps away. “The house itself was functionally obsolete,” says the wife. “None of the systems were worth keeping.” In short, it was boxy, dark, dingy—and ripe for renovation.

 

So instead of moving in, the couple hired KohlMark Group (formerly Kohler Homes) to design and build an updated version of this diamond in the rough. They envisioned a dramatic, light-filled structure with a two-story living area, a modern kitchen, an enlarged master suite and a two-car garage. They also wanted to create a strong connection between the house and the lake, where they keep a small pontoon boat. 

 

Mark Kohler, president of KohlMark Group, and architect Bill Fletcher of KohlMark Architects faced many a challenge formulating their plan. For one, the homeowners had a limited budget and hoped to retain as much of the original structure as possible. They were equally motivated to create an eco-friendly home that would have minimal impact on the environment during—and after—construction. Complicating the process even further, the home is sited on land protected under strict Chesapeake Bay watershed regulations. 

 

Kohler and Fletcher set out to enlarge and reshape the home within the parameters of setbacks and other limitations. “The lake,” says Kohler, “was the driver of the design. But ordinances only allowed us to add on so many square feet. We played with the shape a little bit to maximize the views but regulations dictated what we could do. We tried to be as creative as we could within all those constraints.”

 

The architects raised and angled the roofline from front to back to provide visual interest and create passive solar gain through new second-story clerestory windows. They designed a spacious foyer with open-tread stairs leading to an angular rear addition that delivers the airy, light-filled living space and lakefront views the clients desired. The plan also included an addition on the north side of the home with a kitchen at ground level and an enlarged master suite above. Unlike the previous kitchen, which was located in the front of the house with a street view, the much larger new kitchen would offer panoramic water views, with glass doors opening to the backyard and lake. The ground level would also feature a new powder room, media room and guest bedroom suite while on the upper level, the design called for two bedrooms with en suite baths for the couple’s children, an open office space overlooking the vaulted living room, and rear decks that gaze out over the lake.

 

When construction began, Kohler and his team soon discovered the house was in worse shape than they had anticipated. After they uncovered rusted and perforated heating ducts, sub-standard floor sheathing and worn insulation, they decided to pull out all of the floors and interior walls and build from scratch. “It is basically a new house in an old shell,” says Kohler. 

 

Throughout the process, the team took measures to reduce waste and minimize the home’s environmental impact. The homeowners donated the old appliances, bathroom fixtures and cabinets to Habitat for Humanity. They preserved the home’s original two-story fireplace; its old masonry is now clad in beautiful stacked-stone tile. And they re-used the concrete slab and roof of the carport in the construction of the new two-car garage. They also chose Benjamin Moore’s low-VOC Aura paints, formaldehyde-free insulation and energy-efficient windows and HVAC systems.

 

Details throughout the home reflect its mid-century modern origins, from the stacked stone on the fireplace to the open-tread stairs. The owners selected transparent glass panels on the floating stairs and landing and stainless-steel rails on the exterior teak decks to reinforce the home’s sense of openness. “We spent more than we wanted,” says the wife, “but the things we spent money on—the deck rails and the stone and the glass rails—are so much a part of the house now that I just can’t imagine it without them.”

 

Since moving into the home in January 2009, the owners have enjoyed their refurbished vantage point on the lake—which won KohlMark Homes and Kleppinger Design Group 2009 Contractor of the Year awards for whole-house renovation. 

 

Though the homeowner has lived in the Lake Barcroft community for 23 years, this is her first house on the lake. “It’s so peaceful to live on the water,” she says. “It was a real dream for us. There’s always something going on out there: birdlife, wildlife, fishermen, ice skaters, swimmers. In the summer, neighbors come by on their boats and stop in for a drink. 

 

“My son put it best,” she adds. “He said, ‘Being here is like being on vacation.’” 

 

Photographer Greg Hadley is based in Fairfax, Virginia.

 

RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Mark Kohler AIA, and Bill Fletcher, KohlMark Architects, Burke, Virginia. CONTRACTOR: Mark Kohler, AIA, KohlMark Builders, Burke, Virginia. KITCHEN DESIGN: Patty Whitman, Kleppinger Design Group, Inc., Fairfax, Virginia.

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features.  Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.

Visual Literacy MARCH/APRIL 2010

An airy loft, filled with light and flowing spaces. A contemporary gallery, perfectly composed. A casual beach house in the city, open to nature. These distinctive visions come together with magnetic force in the Washington, DC, home of renowned abstract artist Sam Gilliam and Annie Gawlak, director and owner of G Fine Art.

This bold synthesis bridges design categories. And it suits the lifestyle of a long-term Washington art consultant and a pioneering artist, known for dissolving distinctions between painting and sculpture. Originally linked to the Washington Color School, with its characteristic fields of color and geometrics, Gilliam gained international prominence in 1968, when he cast off the rigid supports holding his paintings in place. Draping and suspending these richly color-saturated canvases in space, he moved beyond the picture plane, “beginning,” as he and Gawlak wrote in an art journal, “an advance into the theatre of life.”

Museums in Washington and worldwide have exhibited his evolving work ever since. The Corcoran Gallery of Art held a retrospective of his art in 2005. And major museums, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to the Tate Gallery in London, own his pieces.

At home, examples from different periods of Gilliam’s career hang along with paintings by other celebrated artists, including Sol Lewitt and Tom Downing. These powerful contemporary works provide a counterpoint to the couple’s collections of antiques, African sculpture, glass, toy trains and quilts—arranged with visual excitement and balance.

The dramatic home stage they’ve created didn’t start out that way. When the couple moved in more than a decade ago, the split-level rambler was a jumble of small rooms, its walls blocking light from tall windows. “It seemed to have no rhyme or reason,” Gawlak recalls.

They loved the setting overlooking Rock Creek Park, and the location in Crestwood convenient to Gawlak’s gallery and Gilliam’s studio in Shaw. But after considering for a year whether or not to buy the house, they remained perplexed. “It just looked so awkward and strange. Where do you start? What do you do?” Gawlak wondered.

She showed the house to architectural interior designer Mary Douglas Drysdale. The two had worked together for many years selecting art for Drysdale’s clients. Drysdale convinced the couple to take the leap. “With Mary’s help we got a sense of what it could be,” says Gawlak, describing how the designer literally showed the way when she picked up a hammer and started knocking down a wall between the dining room and bedroom.

Nearly all of the couple’s $20,000 budget was spent to complete the demolition. “We took out what we wanted to define the spaces, and unified those spaces with a single color,” says Drysdale. “Everything was done in the simplest way we could.”

Light streamed in. Wood joists overhead and plywood flooring underfoot were exposed. A coat of white paint brought cohesion to the different floor treatments and raw wood surfaces.

The process proceeded smoothly as a collaboration between three art professionals. Drysdale valued the pair’s “visual lliteracy.” They appreciated the classical order she introduced. As Gawlak recalls, “She would suggest something, Sam would jump in. As far as she wanted to push, he was willing to go. We didn’t see anything sacred about the house that we wanted to keep.”

To hold down costs, they worked with what was there and what they already had. Among the new additions: a chaise, since reupholstered, was discovered in a second-hand shop. The kitchen table started out as a door, painted silver. Gawlak is reminded of their home’s crossover appeal each Halloween, when she opens the door for children. “They say, ‘Oh, lady, you have a beautiful house!’ Or they ask, ‘Is this a museum?’ It happens every single time,” she says. On another occasion, a more senior group from the neighborhood garden club visited, and she heard, “Wow! I usually don’t like things like this!”

She believes the transformation is not entirely surprising. “That’s what artists do. We take spaces nobody else wants and make them wonderful.” She points to her gallery, G Fine Art, another turnaround, scheduled to open in a new location in March near the revitalized H Street corridor.

Also typical of creative spirits, nothing remains static in their home. “When people get their houses decorated, it stays like that forever,” says Gawlak. “We really feel that nothing is forever. Art changes. Sometimes pieces rotate. You try moving something. It usually means five other things have to be moved. It’s a very fluid space.”

Summing up, she confirms, “We really, really enjoy this house,” but adds dispassionately, “It’s not a jewel. Some day, somebody will buy this property and tear the house down. Nothing we do is intended to improve its value. Everything is intended to please us.”

Tina Coplan is a writer in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

INTERIOR DESIGN:  Mary Douglas Drysdale, Drysdale Design Associates, Washington, DC.

Sam Gilliam was recently selected by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities to create a massive public art project in the Takoma Metro Station. The 39-foot-wide installation, to be made from marble and hand-blown glass mosaic tile, is slated for completion in spring 2011.

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.

 

Full Circle MARCH/APRIL 2010

Bethesda jewelry designer Karen Kaplan felt trapped in her own house. Built in the 1950s, its compartmentalized rooms were so small that she and her four kids could barely gather in one space as a family. “Somebody would be watching TV and somebody would be in the little computer room,” she recalls. “I’d be in the kitchen, and I couldn’t see anybody. I felt so confined.”

Kaplan loves to cook and entertain, but her tiny kitchen and cramped family room were less than inviting. What’s more, the lifelong art collector had very little space to display her collection.

She finally decided the time was ripe for a renovation. “It took me a long time to figure out I didn’t want one of those big additions on the back—that wasn’t going to solve anything,” recalls Kaplan. “I just wanted to take the walls down.” She approached architect Jay Davies and designer Joanne Fitzgerald to reconfigure the main level of her home.

“There were so many awkward spaces that were not usable,” explains Fitzgerald. “Opening the home up was what Karen needed to make it functional. She needed more breathing room.”

They devised a plan to demolish the walls of the existing kitchen, family room, computer room, sunroom and breezeway, creating a large, expanded kitchen, breakfast area and family room. An eight-by-22-foot extension along the rear of the home, which added more functional space to the family room, was the only change made to the footprint of the home.

As the project unfolded, Kaplan and Fitzgerald collaborated on a major upgrade of the furnishings and finishes throughout the interiors, focusing on a clean, contemporary style that would complement Kaplan’s favorite works of art. “As the rooms started coming together, we really started taking stock of the art that she had, getting it re-framed and deciding where to place it,” says Fitzgerald. “Karen has so much art that the actual palette really needed to be plain so that all of her great art could pop.”

The design scheme in the dining room started with a length of Bergamo silk that Kaplan bought years ago and saved until her kids were old enough not to destroy it. Fitzgerald found the perfect wall covering to pair with the pewter floral, which has been fashioned into drapes. Round linen chandeliers hang over the oblong dining table; Kaplan, who loves circles, had similar motifs repeated throughout the home.

Fitzgerald covered the room’s red-brick fireplace in a white-pebble finish. The colors and textures create a glamorous effect.

Brighter shades prevail in the adjacent “Shiraz room,” named for Kaplan’s favorite wine varietal. In this intimate gathering space, walls are painted scarlet to offset a super-realistic painting of a glass of whiskey on the rocks. Fitzgerald installed museum-quality lighting in the space not only to highlight the art, but also to show off the large dollhouse Kaplan has treasured since she was a child.

Both the Shiraz room and the reconfigured foyer lead to the bright and airy kitchen, which now offers Kaplan plenty of space to spread out, whether she’s baking cookies or preparing dinner for 20 friends. On the left side of the kitchen there is a beverage center with a wine refrigerator, storage for recycling and plenty of work surfaces near the dual ovens. The center of the kitchen focuses on a wide island with arched openings to the family room; it houses a sit-up bar on one side and double dishwasher drawers on the other. A glass-tile backsplash, stainless-steel appliances and dark cabinets create a clean, modern backdrop for punches of color and art.

In the breakfast area, leather dining chairs and an upholstered armchair were selected in lime green—Kaplan’s favorite color. A cheerful citrus motif on the custom banquette’s cranberry, orange and lime-green fabric reinforces the circle theme. Shimmery glass tiles mask the old brick fireplace, now flanked by shelves that display colorful pottery and other craft-show finds.

The spacious family room centers around a custom Roche Bobois sectional, where Kaplan and her kids can watch TV and movies together. Since the renovation was completed, Kaplan and her daughter Abby have started a jewelry business, Kala Jewels, and the room now doubles as a workspace where they create their designs on a large table behind the sofa. A wall of glass doors in the newly bumped-out area, which opens to the rear deck and yard, pours natural light into the space.

Adjacent to the family room, a new mudroom provides storage cubbies for all five members of the family. Its bright, lime green accent wall echoes the cheery color scheme.

Now that the work is complete, Kaplan couldn’t be happier with the outcome. “If I’m cooking—and I’m always cooking—some people are at the bar, some people are at the kitchen table. My kids are big now and they bring their friends home. Everybody can be in the same place,” she says. “It worked out so great.”

Photographer Lydia Cutter is based in McLean, Virginia.

RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Jay Davies, Architects at Work, Bethesda, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Joanne Fitzgerald, Gatéga Interior Design, Rockville, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Miller McIntyre, Frederick, Maryland. KITCHEN DESIGN: Joanne Fitzgerald and Bertin Radifera, Aidan Design, Bethesda, Maryland.

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.

Lush Life Tucked into Washington, DC’s urban neighborhood of Cleveland Park is a lush garden oasis. It includes an English-style border overflowing with roses, Lady’s Mantle, Catmint, peonies, and Iris; a magnificent old weeping cherry tree; a swimming pool reminiscent of a New England pond; and beyond it all, a glimpse of the National Cathedral. Designed by landscape architects Scott Fritz and Leslie Gignoux and installed and maintained by Fine Earth Landscape, Inc., the long, narrow lot echoes the homeowner’s favorite vacation spot in Maine. “She wanted it very natural,” says Fritz, “like a Maine landscape.”

At the rear of the lot, a former garage on higher ground is now a writing studio with its own secluded garden. From here, a series of small, cascading ponds flows into the pool. A natural stone path connects the stone terrace at the back of the house to the pool, while another path under the weeping cherry leads to the studio, past colorful plantings and huge rocks that provide picturesque seating. According to Fine Earth’s Joel Hafner, each boulder was strategically placed by the architects in collaboration with the client. Fine Earth took care during construction to preserve the weeping cherry, as well as a weeping Katsura tree up near the house.

AWARD: Distinction, Residential Maintenance. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: Scott Fritz and Leslie Gignoux, Fritz & Gignoux Landscape Architects, Washington, DC. LANDSCAPE INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE: Joel Hafner, Fine Earth Landscape, Inc., Poolesville, Maryland.

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**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and landscape design ideas.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas, and outdoor spaces to life.

 

Elements of Style MARCH/APRIL 2010

"I am a designer who listens to my clients and takes into consideration their ways of living,” says David Mitchell during a conversation in his office near Dupont Circle. “I don’t force a signature style on them.” After listening to his client, Gloria Story Dittus, Mitchell transformed her Kalorama home into a gracious setting for the social gatherings the public relations maven frequently hosts. Practical seating blends with rare antiques and bold artwork to create a welcoming setting for guests.

“David’s style worked really well for me,” says Dittus, who bought the house in 2004. “It is elegant and comfortable. People don’t feel like they can’t touch anything. You can put your feet up in these rooms.”

Entertaining is a priority for the Georgia-born businesswoman, who just launched a new public affairs and marketing firm called Story Partners after her successful company Dittus Communications was acquired in 2005 by Financial Dynamics. She is well-known as a Washington hostess who enjoys throwing A-list bashes attended by power brokers from Capitol Hill to K Street. One of the recent parties held in her remodeled digs celebrated veteran reporter Helen Thomas’s 50th year of covering the White House.

Dittus also likes organizing smaller events such as sit-down dinners and casual cook-outs around her outdoor kitchen and swimming pool during the summer months. “I’ll have 300 people one night and eight the next,” she notes. “I needed a house that could entertain more easily than my previous one in Georgetown. It was narrow and didn’t have great flow.”

What attracted her to the 1923 Kalorama residence were the spacious rooms and “great bones” of its Beaux-Arts architecture. As she explains, “It just needed some TLC to bring out the great patina and make it work for today’s world.”

Once owned by diplomat Sol Linowitz, who helped negotiate the Panama Canal treaty under President Jimmy Carter, the brick-clad residence is organized so the “public” spaces are on the ground floor. The second level, with its master suite, exercise area and den, serves as the owner’s private sanctuary while the third floor houses guest rooms. “I have lots of family and friends who are in and out of here on a regular basis. I’ve been known to call the house the Embassy of Gloria,” Dittus jokes.

In designing the main-level spaces for entertaining, David H. Mitchell played to the romantic architecture of the home with eclectic furnishings unified by rounded shapes, soft colors and floral patterns. He points to the curves repeated in the living room’s tall Swedish clock, the scrolled arms of an antique Russian chair and the circular, gold-framed mirror over the fireplace mantel, noting “they give an easier look to the room.”

The large living space measures about 17 by 30 feet, so the designer divided its expanse into two seating areas to accommodate both crowds and cozier gatherings. The more intimate section features club chairs, a damask-covered sofa and a sculptural bronze coffee table arranged around the fireplace. Grouped at the other end of the space are armchairs, covered in the same damask found elsewhere in the room, and a chenille sofa. Antique Russian chairs and a graceful wooden coffee table add sculptural interest to the upholstered pieces.

Every element is carefully considered, even the empty area under a console table where Mitchell added a small ottoman upholstered in an embroidered fabric. “It provides a wonderful texture and fills up the blank space,” he explains. Teal green glass beads edging the linen draperies and floral fabrics on the pillows repeat the pale aqua of the painted walls.

Enlivening the understated décor are contemporary objects and artwork not typically associated with such a stately house. “I am pretty eclectic in my tastes, from very modern to very traditional,” says Dittus. “What makes this house interesting is that we put them together in the same room and they really work.”

Custom lamps made of chunky quartz crystals from Africa flank a dark landscape by California painter Wade Hoefer mounted above the rear sofa. Orderly rows of photographs to either side of the fireplace depict details of stone carvings on bridges in Central Park, while on the adjacent wall an abstract painting by Rhode Island artist Ron Ehrlich supplies a jolt of expressionistic color. “When you layer modern art on top of traditional furniture, it gives a fresh feeling to the design,” says Dittus.

Mitchell felt most of the furnishings from his client’s previous residence were too small in scale for the grand Kalorama house, but he incorporated several of the best pieces into his design. New Orleans painter David Harouni’s Cajun King now hangs above the regal Sheraton sideboard from Dittus’s Georgetown house to make for an unexpected pairing in the entrance hall.

A fresh approach was called for in the dining room, where Dittus hosts dinner parties of varying sizes. Mitchell’s solution was to design a mahogany and satinwood table ample enough for 20 and have it fabricated in England. Instead of adding matching chairs, he mixed Swedish antiques with contemporary designs, while extending a sofa below the windows for more seating. A 1930s Art Deco credenza that Dittus purchased at a Paris flea market provides storage along one wall.

“Those spontaneous finds are really important to building a room,” says Mitchell. “I am always trying to create houses with distinctive personalities. You can’t do that by matching all the furniture.”

A feminine personality emerges within Dittus’s bedroom, where an imposing four-poster bed is gilded in sections and hung with lacy curtains. The light-filtering drapes create a screen of privacy for the busy hostess who sometimes can’t get rid of her guests.“The house is so inviting that when I have events here, people linger in the living and dining rooms and they don’t want to leave,” she explains. “That’s a great tribute to its design.”

Washington, DC-based Deborah K. Dietsch is a frequent contributor to HOME & DESIGN. Photographer Jeff McNamara is based in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

INTERIOR DESIGN:  David H. Mitchell, David H. Mitchell Interiors, Washington, DC.

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.


Spare + Serene MARCH/APRIL 2010

According to one of the homeowners, it all started in 1989 when her husband wanted a work shed. What ensued was a 20-year-long project during which architect Mark McInturff, FAIA, transformed their dark 1961 Georgian-style home into an open, light-filled modern masterpiece. While it did take two decades, in the fourth and final phase the client and his wife finally got their work shed—plus a few extras including a meditation room, greenhouse, poolhouse, media room and massage room.

During the 20-year span, the owners’ children grew from toddlers to young adults while their house deviated very little from the original, 3-D model McInturff created in the late ’80s. “What we got was shockingly similar in layout to what we actually planned,” McInturff says, reflecting on the project, which doubled the size of the 5,000-square-foot home set on two wooded acres in Potomac.

First, he and his team designed a new garage with a study space above it on the east side of the home; the former garage became a family room while a patio was enclosed to create a sunroom. Then they designed the pool house. “In 2006, we leapt to the other end of the building and did the master suite pavilion, almost a separate building,” says McInturff. “We left the center untouched—until 2008.”

Throughout the project, McInturff honed in on a “spareness in detailing” to reflect his client’s fascination with Asian design. Natural wood, limestone floors and slatted screens handcrafted from Douglas fir subtly delineate transitions from one room to another. “The screens give a layered effect where you see through them but they also define space, creating the ability to have a big space and a little space at the same time,” McInturff explains. “We were trying to get the whole house to speak in one voice. The wife has a strong interest, intellectual and otherwise, in Asia. So there’s a feeling that goes with that. A sense of mystery. Calmness. Serenity.”

For McInturff, the master suite, which encompasses three levels and took nearly two years to build, was the most challenging part of the four-phase project. From the home’s main foyer, a greenhouse leads to this pavilion housing a massage room, steam room and gym on the lower level; a bedroom and bathroom on the main level; and a serene meditation room on the top level. A centerpiece in the pavilion is the two-ton solid limestone bathtub that the homeowners found in London.

The design’s minimalist approach is expressed beautifully in the master bedroom, which has “a Swiss watch quality,” McInturff says. “Everything is visible. There is nowhere to hide mistakes. Every board had to be to the highest par.” The bed, side tables and backboard were designed to offset the 16-foot ceiling, and “bring the room down,” says McInturff, “creating a cozy, defined space in a room with quite a high ceiling.”

By 2008, the homeowners were ready to tackle the untouched middle section of the house. They wanted to blend the formal and informal spaces—including the living room, dining room, library, family room and kitchen—into a seamless and cohesive whole. McInturff and his team created a new foyer topped by a soaring skylight and removed the walls dividing the living spaces to create a sense of openness. Transitions between rooms are gracefully defined by wooden screens, which echo the motif established in the bedroom pavilion.

The homeowners turned to designer Guillaume de Decker of Roche Bobois to help them furnish the living room, library, family room and sunroom. de Decker proposed a comfortable yet elegant combination of low, unimposing pieces that would complement the modern architecture and create comfortable environments for entertaining.

In the family room, de Decker divided the space into “a TV zone and a zone turned to the outside where one could enjoy nature while having a cup of tea,” he says. “The harmony of colors ties the two sections together and makes them look like they belong with each other. The space is not overcrowded and still very inviting for larger crowds.”

It’s hard for McInturff to step away from this two-decade-long project and he leaves a part of himself in the home. “All the projects I do are modern or contemporary in spirit, but they are all very different because I work for different people and I feed off of what their lives are about,” he says. “A number of times I have worked with a client over many years and then the last thing you do is the final brush stroke.”

Freelance writer Cari Shane Parven, a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, is author of  Finding Friendship at Forty.

ARCHITECTURE: Mark McInturff, FAIA, McInturff Architects, Bethesda, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Guillaume de Decker, Roche Bobois, Washington, DC. RENOVATION CONTRACTOR: Ron Isinghood, Timber Ridge Builders. BEDROOM PAVILION, PROJECT ARCHITECT: David Mogensen, McInturff Architects.

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*Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.

 

Cachet-Spring House Tour MARCH/APRIL 2010

A sprawling, 1905 Beaux Arts home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which once hosted an inauguration party for Harry S. Truman, is the impressive site of the 2010 DC Design House. This annual fundraiser for the Children’s National Medical Center showcases the creativity of some of the area’s top designers; this year, 19 designers (listed below) have been chosen to redecorate spaces in the landmark home. A committee selected the team based on drawings and “boards” they created for specific rooms in the house, including designer Victoria Sanchez’s elegant schematic for the library (above). On February 27—Barebones Day—visitors may tour the house before the designers begin their work leading to the opening on April 9. 

 

“With the caliber of the designers and the community support, it’s shaping up to be the best DC Design House to date—and a leading fundraiser for Children’s National,” says DC Design House co-chair P.L. Skip Singleton, Jr. CNMC is the largest non-governmental provider of pediatric care in the DC area, providing more than $50 million a year in uncompensated services. HOME & DESIGN is a co-sponsor of the DC Design House. 

The home is located at 3911 Bradley Lane; admission is $20 per person. For more information, visit www.dcdesignhouse.com.

2010 DC Design House Designers

Andrew Law, Drawing Room Terrace

Barry Dixon, Drawing Room

Victoria Sanchez, Library

Shazalynn Cavin Winfrey, Entry and Stair Hall

Nestor Santa-Cruz, Reception Room

Frank Babb Randolph, Living Room

Sarah Wessel, Sunroom

Basha White, Dining Room

Rosi Kallivokas, Butler’s Pantry/Kitchen/Porch

Sally Steponkus, Master Bedroom

Celia Welch, Master Dressing Room

Rose DiNapoli, Study

Michael Hampton, Guest Bedroom

Barbara Franceski, Guest Sitting Room

Lisa Adams, Boy’s Bedroom/Bathroom

Page Palmer, Girl’s Bedroom

Kelley Proxmire, Family Living Room

Tracy Morris, Artist’s Studio

Cynthia Ferranto, Landscape Design

 

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.

 

HOME&DESIGN, published bi-monthly by Homestyles Media Inc., is the premier magazine of architecture and fine interiors for the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia region.

The company also publishes an annual H&D Sourcebook of ideas and resources for homeowners and professionals alike. H&D Chesapeake Views is published bi-annually and showcases fine home design and luxury living in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

The H&D Portfolio of 100 Top Designers spotlights the superior work of selected architects, interior designers and landscape architects in major regions of the US.

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