Home & Design

Thos. Moser Returns After a three-year absence, handcrafted-furniture manufacturer Thos. Moser opened its doors once again in Georgetown on January 4. While the 43-year-old, family-owned company is based in Maine, it does a booming online business nationwide, according to chief brand officer Susan Davis. The return to DC was driven by popular demand. “We were hearing from customers,” says Davis. “People wanted to touch and feel the beauty of the wood.”

The 5,000-square-foot showroom at 33rd and M Streets carries all the iconic furniture designs conceived by founder Tom Moser and his sons, as well as newer modern pieces. The earlier pieces are mainly cherry, but staff designers such as Adam Rogers have introduced walnut, maple, ash and more. Each piece is created and signed by one artisan. “We’re about craft,” says Davis. The common denominator “is simplicity, joinery and beautiful wood.”

The new DC space also marks a fresh look for Thos. Moser showrooms. Present-day and vintage imagery about the company adorns the walls, creating a narrative about its history and operations. The plan is for other showrooms to follow suit over time. 1028 33rd Street, NW. 202-793-2606; thosmoser.com

Art Scene March 21, 2015, will mark the opening of a new building housing the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. Designed by Hartman-Cox Architects, the six-floor, state-of-the-art structure recently earned LEED Gold certification. The building adjoins historic Woodhull House, which has been renovated as part of the museum.

Finally relocated after the 2011 announcement that it would join the GW campus, The Textile Museum will continue to showcase its collection of more than 19,000 objects. The complex will also house the Albert H. Small Center for Washingtoniana Collection and serve as a hub for arts education and special events.

The museum is located at 701 21st Street, NW. museum.gwu.edu

Work Space Tucked into a tree-lined office park in Upper Georgetown, Sroka Design Incorporated occupies a two-story space previously belonging to designer Victor Shargai—for whom, coincidentally, Sroka worked in the 1980s. When Sroka began scouting a DC location for his firm in 2012, Shargai’s office was available; recalling the space, Sroka jumped at it.

Largely untouched, the office was ready for a major renovation. Sroka located the public spaces—reception area, conference room and kitchen—on the ground floor while he and his staff of eight situated their offices upstairs. “The hosting areas should be where people come in,” Sroka explains.

The first step was to open up the back of the office to a walled garden that lets in light. “You couldn’t see the garden at all before,” he recalls. “And the bathroom was right at the entrance. We moved it out of the way.”

Upstairs, light-filled offices border an efficient resource library/workroom housing scores of fabric and wallpaper samples, wood swatches and more. “What I like is that this gave us a chance to rethink how we do everything,” Sroka comments. “We’ve streamlined our organization.”

At the entry, a Caracole desk welcomes visitors and a custom banquette lines one wall. Suede upholstery clads the reception area walls and a frosted-glass barn door opens to the conference room. “I wanted it to feel friendly, like walking into a home,” Sroka says. Everyone is welcome—including canine friends. Sroka’s fearful dog, Lucky, occupies a basket under his desk. It is as stylish as his master’s office.

Gadgets Galore!
Beyond Bright
Though most of us barely have our heads around the concept (and price tag) of 4K televisions, Sharp’s AQUOS Beyond 4K Ultra HD certainly takes this year’s prize as most jaw-dropping. The 80-inch TV employs 4K imagery—four times the resolution of hi-definition—to create a picture that is bright and lifelike, with an uncanny sense of depth not far from 3D. Out later this year, the Beyond 4K Ultra HD has not yet been priced—but expect some serious depth there, too. sharpusa.com

Coffee Break
Smarter’s new WiFi Coffee Machine, with built-in WiFi and an iOS- and Android-compatible app, enables the bleary-eyed to brew the perfect cup from afar. The machine is a grind-on-demand drip brewer that can be instructed by a regular timer or at the touch of a button; once the coffee is ready, it will notify you via the app on your phone. This single-serve coffee maker, priced at $150, is scheduled to hit stores in May. smarter.am

Recipe for Success
Dacor remains a front-runner in oven evolution. This year, the company added voice control to its already Jetsonian Discovery iQ line of dual-fuel ranges. Starting this spring, iOS and Android users will be able to turn the oven on and off, alter settings, set timers and activate lights via voice commands using their Dacor iQ iOS apps. The 48-inch oven costs $12,000; the 36-inch model costs $9,300. dacor.com

Washed Up
The laundry room remains a bastion of consumer-electronics innovation. This year’s winner: the TWIN Wash System from LG Electronics. Though no bigger than LG’s front loader, it accommodates two loads simultaneously thanks to the transformation of its base drawer into a mini washer (inset). While not large enough to handle a heaping load, the drawer will do the trick when, for instance, some items call for a different cycle—without stealing capacity from the main washer as some side-by-side models do. The mini washer drawer can be retrofitted in an existing LG model. Price and release date to come. lg.com

In From the Cold
For those weathering uneven heating systems in their homes, the Keen Home Smart-Vent offers customization via app-enabled vents that can be opened and closed remotely—or can do the job themselves using automated temperature and pressure sensors. The possibilities of these $80 battery-powered gadgets are endless: Closing off rooms when not in use, focusing heat on bedrooms overnight, warming the kitchen before dawn. Debuting this summer. keenhome.io

Cathy Applefeld Olson is an Alexandria, Virginia, freelance writer.          

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