Home & Design

Continuous paneling details the stair, which originates at basement level and extends to the third floor.

In the dining room, rugged brick is visible beneath overlays of paneled wainscoting and Jolie Grey marble.

FINE FINISH

An elegant transformation by Fowlkes Studio elevates a dated row house
Merit Award Interior Renovation
Fowlkes Studio

A gracious row house in DC’s Kalorama neighborhood had become outmoded with time. When new owners entered the scene, they hired Fowlkes Studio for an update that would marry the dwelling’s grandeur with modern elements. The team replaced the dated kitchen with a sleek one by Poggenpohl; installed an open staircase of white oak; and converted a second-story sleeping porch into a home office topped with a roof terrace. The now-finished basement features guest quarters, a prep kitchen and a wine cellar.

Refined finishes spoke to the owners’ aesthetic vision. “Interior walls are clad in rugged materials like brick and Venetian plaster for a sense of monumentality and timelessness,” architect VW Fowlkes points out. “Wood and stone elements are layered in dialogue.”

"The designers rigorously executed a modern interior in a traditional row house. It’s the architectural equivalent of culinary fusion.”
— Stephen J. Vanze, jurist

Renovation Architecture: VW Fowlkes, AIA; Catherine Fowlkes, AIA; Martin Locraft, AIA; Josh Eager, Fowlkes Studio. Renovation Contractor: Added Dimensions, Inc.

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