The new kitchen centers on a straightened and slightly enlarged island embellished with open wood shelving. Shiloh cabinetry painted in soft white is paired with marble-look quartz countertops and backsplash.
When an 11,600-square-foot McLean residence first caught builder Jonathan Smith’s eye, it was not an asset to the neighborhood—to put it kindly. Some of its faults were the result of poor design decisions and others simply quirks of the time period. Built in 2000 on a corner lot, the house had an overblown entry canted diagonally toward the street. A long side elevation was marred by a turret and two dormers that defied symmetry.
Despite its drawbacks, Smith, who owns Brush Arbor Homes, decided to purchase the house for resale. Before investing in cosmetic changes, though, he first had to ensure its bones were solid. “We cut away quite a bit of drywall to verify that the point loads were built properly, and checked that the structural changes were tied in correctly,” he recalls. “Once we took off the roof, we were able to be sure the house was properly dried in and there was no damage.”
Smith then hired Michelle Vassallo, principal of MV Architects, for the job of remedying the home’s wrongs. “We hand-sketched over photos to see how we could change the exterior elevations to add more curb appeal,” Vassallo recalls. She began with a surgical approach that removed the awkward turret along with the outsized entry columns and portico and a huge Palladian window. That edit also eliminated quoins on the brick columns—a chunky feature that evoked a period well before the house was built.
Next, the architect worked to reduce the home’s perceived scale. She designed a single-story entry portico and switched out the Palladian window for a square one with better proportions. The arched roofline above it was flattened and angled to tie in with the existing roof forms. A sweeping, one-story porch added dimension to the long side elevation.
Finally, the compositionally problematic upper elevation was resolved by rounding the existing dormers and adding a middle one. While no other window openings were changed, all-new casement windows helped to freshen the façades. So did a coat of creamy white paint, which allowed the busy brickwork detailing above the windows to virtually disappear. “The goal was to give it a timeless look,” Smith observes. “The new porch on the long side creates a better street appearance and makes it look like the front of the house.”
Interior designer Kim Drakopoulos, principal at Wellhouse & Co., took cues from the new exterior in her update of every room. Overall, changes focused on creating simpler lines and warmer, richer textures—starting with the front door. “We like to keep at least one or two existing elements if we can,” she shares. “The solid-wood front door was big and pretty, so we stripped the paint and stained the wood.”
Walls painted an iron-ore hue make a statement in the two-story foyer alcove, which flows into the entry hall. Large-format, black-and-white, marble-look porcelain-tile flooring grounds both spaces. Drakopoulos painted the stair rail in high-gloss black and replaced elaborately detailed iron balusters with simple wood spindles. An ornate crystal-and-faux-brass light fixture made way for a well-scaled chandelier of curvy, black-painted iron.
“We viewed the front of the house as entertaining space; the back with the kitchen and family room are more comfortable for daily living,” relates Drakopoulos, who added drama to the living room with an eye-catching, black-and-white marble fireplace surround, plus built-in shelving and cabinetry painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Shiitake.
The more casual rear of the house is adorned in natural wood tones. In the large kitchen, wide-plank, white oak floors, an almond-stained white oak island and soft-white cabinetry impart a warm, inviting feel. Upstairs, a clean sweep of the primary bath squared off awkward angles and added artisanal finishes such as marble floors, a freestanding tub and a vanity with reeded drawers.
Refreshed from the inside out, the residence is ready for its second act—and a family of seven has already moved in. “The house across the street is so pretty; I always felt bad that the owners had to look at this one,” Vassallo says. “I hope this view is much more pleasing.”
Renovation Architecture: Michelle Vassallo, AIA, MV Architects, Washington, DC. Interior Design: Kim Drakopoulos, Wellhouse & Co., Centreville, Virginia. Renovation Contractor: Jonathan Smith, Brush Arbor Homes, Ashburn, Virginia.