A huge addition to their contemporary-style home enabled its owners to update the kitchen and making it a large kitchen. They asked Hedy Shashaani of Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens to spearhead the redesign. Architect Thomas Manion designed the addition and interior designer Sue Torin collaborated with Shashaani on materials and finishes.
“Large-scale entertaining was the first requirement, so they needed a kitchen that really worked for them,” Shashaani says. The wife requested two fridges, dishwashers, and sinks. A double oven occupies one wall with a steam oven and microwave (one of two) on another. Copious storage leaves counters uncluttered.
The initial plan was to center the kitchen around a long island, but Shashaani persuaded her clients to go with two parallel islands instead—one for food prep and one for casual meals. A shiny glass-tile backsplash and open shelves frame the Viking cooktop and custom hood, and appliances are strategically positioned for visual balance and convenience.
The designers juxtaposed shiny and matte finishes: Two-toned perimeter cabinets sport a matte, textured laminate and honed-quartz countertops while the islands are a strong-grained, high-gloss laminate topped by glossy quartz. “The islands are the jewel,” Shashaani notes.
Reflective accents—antiqued-mirror strips on the bar island, bands of shiny steel on the hood and built-in display cabinet, and crystal light fixtures—add a final touch of glam.
Addition Architecture: Thomas Manion, AIA, Manion + Associates Architects, Bethesda, Maryland. Kitchen Design: Hedy Shashaani, CKD, Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens, Rockville, Maryland. Interior Design: Susan Torin, Interior Touch, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland. Builder: Trevor Voglmayr, Washington Landmark Construction, Washington, DC.
THE DETAILS
Cabinetry: elmwoodkitchens.com. Countertops: Peripheral: caesarstoneus.com. Island: cosmosgranite.com. Appliances: vikingrange.com, subzero-wolf.com, mieleusa.com, bosch-home.com. Hood: akmetalfab.com. Backsplash: porcelanosa-usa.com. Sinks: kohler.com through fergusonshowrooms.com. Lighting: annapolislighting.com. Stools: sheffieldfurniture.com.
The owners of a Georgetown condo overlooking Key Bridge hired Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath to overhaul their dysfunctional kitchen and give it a fresh, new look. Designer Sarah Kahn Turner focused on the river view—visible through industrial-style, square-paned windows— to create a kitchen with a bold material palette and clever, innovative design elements.
“The view drove the layout,” Turner explains. “The mahogany wall of pantry cupboards has beveled squares that match the squares in the windows.” The bevels protrude just five-eighths of an inch but give the illusion of greater depth.
Rift-cut white-oak cabinets offset the dark-stained mahogany, and the island is clad in bold red leather, embossed to resemble crocodile skin. Gray Caesarstone forms a counter-height, waterfall-edge table that covers half an inch above the island, appearing to cantilever out.
The countertops and backsplash are made of Neolith, a porcelain surface selected by the owners because it closely replicates marble but is maintenance-free. “Neolith can scratch,” Turner warns, “but it looks more like marble than marble-like quartz surfaces.” The designer flipped the cooktop wall with the oven/fridge wall for convenience—her only structural change.
The owners are delighted. “The kitchen really works for her,” says Turner. “There’s space for everything and it’s all inaccessible places that make sense.”
Kitchen + Interior Design: Sarah Kahn Turner, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath, Ltd., Chevy Chase, Maryland. Contractor: Paul Lappas, Lappas Construction Co., Bethesda, Maryland. Styling: Charlotte Safavi.
THE DETAILS
Cabinetry: Custom by qcci.com. Countertops + Backsplash: stoneandtileworld.com. Appliances: mieleusa.com, subzero-wolf.com, amoredesignfactory.com, u-line.com through fretz.com. Lighting: hubbardtonforge.com through dominionelectric.com. Hardware: schaubandcompany.com through pushpullhardware.com.
A dull, traditional kitchen in a Craftsman-style house in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood was a poor match for its owners, a young couple with vibrant, modern tastes. They contacted Darlene Molnar to give their abode a facelift, starting with the kitchen.
“They wanted to open it up, make it lighter and brighter with a happier vibe,” Molnar says. “The idea was to modernize, infuse some youthfulness into it.” They also wanted better flow and functionality to make entertaining easier.
Molnar retained the existing footprint but removed an overhanging row of cabinets above the peninsula that separated the kitchen from the breakfast nook, creating an airy, open feel. In lieu of pendants, flush-mount fixtures hang above the peninsula so as not to break up space visually.
The owners had specified classic white cabinetry and marble countertops. “It’s a common combination so I wanted to find something that would set it apart,” Molnar explains. While looking for backsplash tile, she came across a black-and-white marble mosaic in a graphic geometric pattern—bold, with a decidedly modern edge. “I chose it to make a statement,” she says. “The owner loved it, so we extended it to the ceiling.”
The breakfast nook now contains a white-painted, built-in banquette strewn with black-and-white cushions. Brass accents on hardware, lighting and the Restoration Hardware counter stools add warmth.
Kitchen + Interior Design: Darlene Molnar, NCIDQ, ASID, LEED AP ID+C, Darlene Molnar Interior Design, Reston, Virginia. Contractor: Cherry Hill Cabinetry, McLean, Virginia. Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg.
THE DETAILS
Cabinetry: Custom-framed through cherryhillcabinetry.com. Countertops: Honed Shadow Storm marble through unitedgranite.us. Appliances: subzero-wolf.com through abwappliances.com. Backsplash: Krista Watterworth through tilebar.com. Lighting: Kelly Wearstler through circalighting.com. Hardware: schoolhouse.com. Stools: rh.com.
When a family decided to add onto the back of their home in Glover Park, they opted for a modern look that would contrast with the transitional style of the rest of the house. Since the addition would house the kitchen, the owners contacted Boffi Georgetown, which is known for its minimalist aesthetic and streamlined Italian cabinetry.
When Boffi kitchen designer Julia Walter entered the picture, the addition was still a shell. “We designed the kitchen to fit the space,” Walter says, stressing that her clients “were looking for a modern look with a warm approach. We chose natural wood and stone for warmth through grain and texture.”
The finished kitchen centers on a five-by-14-foot island big enough to accommodate food prep, casual meals and homework simultaneously. A floating appliance wall separates the kitchen from the pantry; the two areas are unified by cabinetry in a combination of dark-stained, thermal-treated acacia wood and matte-white lacquer. Eye-catching Calacatta Borghini honed-marble slabs top the counters.
Walter and her clients selected another distinctively veined marble slab for the backsplash, which is a focal point in its location behind the cooktop. The backsplash frames a custom stainless-steel panel designed to house the large hood. The new kitchen seamlessly flows into the adjacent living area; Manoir Gray hardwood flooring in a chevron pattern adds interest throughout the space.
Kitchen Design: Julia Walter, Boffi Georgetown, Washington, DC. Interior Design & Contracting: Nilo Hoorazar, Luxen LLC, Falls Church, Virginia.
THE DETAILS
Cabinetry: boffigeorgetown.com. Appliances: gaggenau.com/us, mieleusa.com, bestrangehoods.com, subzero-wolf.com through abwappliances.com. Faucets: vola.com. Sinks: kallista.com through renaissancetileandbath.com. Flooring: xsurfaces.com.
While contemplating the renovation of the house where his client grew up, David Neumann’s first instinct was to tread lightly—especially with demolition. But he needn’t have worried: The couple, who purchased their Vienna, Virginia, home from the husband’s parents, was fully on board for a complete makeover.
The 1913 abode had suffered from a slapped-on, one-story addition in the 1980s. “I asked if they were willing to remove it,” Neumann says. “The answer was an unequivocal ‘yes.’ There was no discussion.”
But that was just the first step in a process that would reorient the home ’s corner-lot façade and nearly triple its original size with a new wing built beside the original structure. Style-wise, Neumann wanted to complement the “eclectic farmhouse,” with its Queen Anne Victorian overtones. He also wanted it to blend with its surroundings: The house sits at the edge of Vienna’s historic district facing two other homes that were built in the same era.
The couple tapped Atlanta designer Heather Hogan Roberts—a childhood friend of the wife—for the interiors. Both women hail from Massachusetts, and the original house reminded them of classic New England clapboard homes. Roberts factored this in as she explored finishes and architectural details. “A lot of the selections really mimic a Nantucket house,” she says.
The young couple—who had a baby and toddler in tow—requested that the new addition encompass an open-plan kitchen/breakfast/family room and a screened porch on the main floor. The original cellar was enlarged to create an expansive rec room and gym opening onto a patio and terrace, while a second level holds a master suite, nursery, and laundry room. “They didn’t want anything to get in the way of having a house that really functions for them,” Neumann notes.
The goal was a seamless design in which the new section would be indistinguishable from the old. That meant moving the main entrance around to the side so it would open into the “hyphen” connecting the old and new structures. “Entering in the middle gave us the opportunity to create furnishable spaces to each side,” Neumann explains. Had the front door remained at one end, he points out, long hallways would have been necessary to connect the spaces, consuming valuable square footage and shrinking the living spaces.
The next major issue was the ceilings. Though most new homes have ceilings up to 10 feet tall, the addition had to match the old structure’s ceilings, which are less than nine feet high. “The second floor had to be uniform, and that dictated the ceiling height for the first floor,” explains the architect, who also had to support the expansive addition with deeper joists than in the older section—making the new ceilings even lower.
“That was one of the big challenges: How do we give the illusion of more height?” Neumann recalls.
Coffers were the answer, with their added bonus of delineating the addition’s wide-open spaces. Neumann visually heightened the kitchen ceiling with extra-tall cabinetry sourced by Eric Lieberknecht Design, using beadboard and flat trim instead of full coffers. For her part, Roberts says, “we went light on everything—it’s ethereal, light and coastal on all five walls, which includes the ceiling.”
The owners, who now have a third child, appreciate how Neumann’s layout has evolved over time. “He was thinking about space long-term,” the wife comments. A play space adjacent to the family room, for instance, has become an area for the older kids to do science and craft projects, while the youngest son can still pull out his books and toys. Upstairs, the nursery has become the wife’s office.
The couple also loves the easy circulation between the old and new sections. “David was thinking about how you make your way through the house in the course of a day,” the wife explains. “The elements of his plan allow for an easy flow for our family, regardless of the season.”
The admiration is mutual. “The best part was taking something that’s approaching 100 years old and giving it another 100 years. It’s gratifying that they had the resources to do it,” Neumann observes. He points out the home’s location among similar vintage houses. “They extended the fabric of this historic district—and in my view, that was to their great credit.”
DRAWING BOARD
How do you decide whether an old house is salvageable?
David Neumann: Beyond utility and cost-efficiency, does the house contribute positively to the character of the neighborhood? Is there sentimental or historical value? We are biased to reuse whenever possible.
What inspires you the most about century-old houses?
DN: Extending the life of an old house through thoughtful alteration and addition is gratifying as a commitment to sustainability.
When a remodel amounts to a gut job, how do you establish a design direction?
DN: When most or all of the exterior is being kept, we look to its character as the starting point. We endeavor to create interiors that draw design inspiration from the exterior while embracing the requirements of our client’s modern life.
How do you determine the layout and flow in a design that’s based on an existing structure?
DN: I take care to avoid turning existing rooms into pathways to an addition. A layout should yield attractive, furnishable and conversation-supportive spaces in both the new and reworked portions of the house.
Renovation Architecture: David Neumann, FAIA, principal; Erich Stanley, AIA, project architect, Neumann Lewis Buchanan Architects, Washington, DC. Interior Design: Heather Hogan Roberts, Ivy, and Vine, Atlanta, Georgia. Builder: Staats Developers, Vienna, Virginia. Landscape Design: Sharon Davis, Garden Gate Design, East Orleans, Massachusetts.
A dark, cramped kitchen underwent a dramatic overhaul in the hands of Jennifer Wagner Schmidt, who followed her clients’ mandate for a “luxury kitchen” in pristine white. The original space “was all brown and half the size it is now,” the designer recalls. “We took out a load-bearing wall that separated it from a small eating area.”
The change facilitated a new floor plan allowing Schmidt to create a second island and substantially enlarge the existing one. The central island, with a sink and dishwasher, is for food prep, while the new peripheral island, with a beverage fridge and space for six stools, is earmarked for entertaining.
To keep things “light and pretty,” Schmidt says, she traded closed cabinetry for open display shelving around the range and hood. The upper cabinets are concentrated on the left wall, where a paneled Sub-Zero fridge, Miele coffee system, and Wolf oven are built-in.
“There is tons of storage in both islands,” the designer explains. “The drawers are deep enough for pots and pans, plates and serving pieces.”
A quartz surface called Polarstone in marble-look Calacatta Manhattan creates a clean-lined appearance on the counters and backsplash. Schmidt selected brass-finished lighting and hardware that add the hint of glamour her clients wanted; rustic stools in rich wood tones pick up the warmth of the metal.
Interior + Kitchen Design: Jennifer Wagner Schmidt, JWS Interiors, Ashburn, Virginia. Kitchen Planning & Cabinetry: AKB Designs, Ruther Glen, Virginia. Contractor: Wedge Construction Inc., Manassas, Virginia.
THE DETAILS
Cabinetry: bishopcabinets.com through akb-designs.com. Countertops + backsplash: polarstoneus.com through ewmarble.com.
Appliances: subzero-wolf.com, bosch-home.com, mieleusa.com, zephyronline.com through abwappliances.com. Faucet, sink, pot filler: kohler.com. Lighting: circalighting.com. Bar Stools: arteriorshome.com.
