Home & Design

Before and After

Two remodeling projects impart much-needed function and pizzazz

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Designer Erika Bonnell brings organization and chic style to a once-mundane home office in McLean

A lawyer with elementary school-age kids contacted Erika Bonnell for help transforming her drab home office. “She was desperate for a working office and wanted a place where she and the kids all could function together, where everything would be organized and hidden away,” Bonnell explains. Located off the foyer, the room is the first space visitors see when entering the home, so the mandate also included “giving it a pretty-room feel,” says the designer.

Working with Cornerstone Kitchen & Bath, Bonnell designed a built-in wall unit to serve the family’s needs. A quartz work surface accommodates both kids, with the client’s desk tucked away to one side. Storage cabinets abound and shelves showcase decorative objects.

To bring in light, solid doors and plantation shutters were replaced by French doors and draperies made of fabric designed by Richmond decorative artist Lindsay Cowles. In crisp contrast to the white cabinetry and quartz surfaces, Bonnell papered the backs of the shelves in a deep-blue wall covering by Martyn Lawrence Bullard. A West Elm light fixture adds a feminine touch.

Interior Design: Erika Bonnell, Erika Bonnell Interiors, Haymarket, Virginia.
Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg.


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House to Home Solutions overhauls a dated abode, creating an airy kitchen addition

Proximity to the picturesque Potomac River was the draw for Rickin Shah, principal of Capitol Construction LLC, who was looking to purchase and renovate a property for resale purposes. When he discovered a circa-1950s abode, he knew the cramped, run-down house could be revamped to fit its alluring Mount Vernon, Virginia, locale.

Working with House to Home Solutions, Shah embarked on a renovation that encompassed three additions—including a bump-out for the kitchen that expanded the property into the backyard. “The original kitchen was where the dining room is now,” explains House to Home Solutions’ Daniel Carrero. He and his team removed a load-bearing rear wall to connect the new open-plan living/dining space with the kitchen addition, now separated from the dining area by a peninsula with space for casual meals.

Part of the open plan, the kitchen is delineated by a soffit above the peninsula; it conceals the steel support beam needed to replace the load-bearing wall. A vaulted ceiling in the kitchen imparts a sense of light and airiness. Sliding-glass doors open onto the backyard patio.

Embracing a transitional look, Carrero and Shah selected Shaker-style kitchen cabinets, quartz countertops and a glossy glass subway-tile backsplash. Vytex windows overlook the backyard and hand-scraped, engineered-wood floors on the main level unify the spaces.

Renovation Design & Construction: Daniel Carrero, House to Home Solutions, LLC, Rockville, Maryland; Rickin Shah, Capitol Construction Group LLC, Washington, DC. Photography: BTW Images.

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