Home & Design

Benjamin Moore’s Hudson Bay saturates the library. The rug by Art + Loom grounds an Arteriors coffee table, B&B Italia sofa and Noir Trading chairs.

A Silvio Mondino Studio fixture crowns the hallway.

The dining room serves up opulence with metallic-leaf Phillip Jeffries wall covering and a Lindsey Adelman Studio chandelier above the Ben Soleimani pedestal table.

A custom marble fireplace creates a focal point in the great room’s seating area.

The great room’s Pierre Augustin Rose sofa was sourced at StudioTwentySeven.

In the kitchen, Crump & Kwash stools found on 1stDibs complement brass pendants from Artemest.

The outdoor living space features a lounge area furnished with RH seating and an abstract, black-metal sculpture by Thomas Gromas.

Al fresco dining comes courtesy of a Made Goods dining table, Horne chairs and a Fontana Forni pizza oven.

The primary bedroom sports a headboard in textured Holly Hunt fabric.

A Verellen divan, chair and ottoman flank the fireplace and an acrylic work by Emma Childs.

Imagination takes flight in the kids’ playroom, embellished with custom built-ins by Cecchi Homes and a Rebel Walls mural on the vaulted ceiling. A Missoni rug grounds a West Elm x Pottery Barn Kids table and chairs from Design Within Reach.

The serene entry hall is dressed in white; a playful pink squiggle by sculptor Andy Blank adorns the wall.

Urban Oasis

A design team elevates a 1980s Georgetown Colonial with modern furnishings, lush finishes and a family-friendly attitude

It was a match made on Instagram,” confides homeowner Puja Parekh, who reached out to New York-based designer Tina Ramchandani after following her for 10 years on social media.

“Instant soulmates,” Ramchandani agrees. Together with builder Cecchi Homes, the two embarked on a year-long renovation that transformed a staid, center hall Colonial into a family home filled with light, color and a sense of fun.

Parekh, a private equity professional, and husband Ashok Gowda, an orthopedist, had moved from New York City seeking a more relaxed, child-friendly lifestyle. (They now have a three-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl.) After living near historic Dumbarton Oaks, they began searching for a permanent home in Georgetown. “We wanted an urban oasis,” Parekh explains. “Something stand-alone, with a yard and enough space for all the outside activities we like to do.”

Not an easy find in Georgetown. Eventually, their real estate agent steered them to a 1980s-era, brick residence in the East Village quadrant that happily ticked all the boxes. It was detached, with front and side yards and a spacious, flexible interior for their family, which also includes a white Samoyed.

Meeting builder John Cecchi and his wife was another stroke of luck. As it happened, the Cecchis knew these houses intimately. They had renovated and lived in one of them. “I was happy to share all my knowledge and coach them on what I would do and why,” John Cecchi relates. “I think that’s what made this such a success. We took what we learned from our own experience and applied it to theirs.”

With all the partners on board, the design vision quickly came into focus. Cecchi recommended gutting the interior and creating four levels of living space, now totaling 4,700 square feet. The main floor retains its center-hall layout, with a library on one side of the foyer and the formal dining room on the other. Straight ahead, a great room encompasses the kitchen, pantry and family room. Three ensuite bedrooms, including the owners’, occupy the second level while the third floor is taken up by a children’s playroom, office and bathroom. The lower level houses a media room, gym and guest suite.

Before construction began, Ramchandani worked closely with the builder, managing details large and small from the locations of rooms and walls to outlet placement and finishes. Her approach, which she defines as “soulful minimalism,” is on full display throughout. “Every room has a purpose and every object is meaningful. I never want to design a room that isn’t used or clutter it up,” she observes. “You don’t need a lot of stuff. You just need what’s really important to you.”

While not a fan of maximalism, Ramchandani does believe in layering colors, textures and tones to add depth and visual interest. Parekh, on the other hand, loves an all-white look. In an elegant compromise, the entry sets a serene mood with pale shades and unexpected pops of color. White oak flooring, laid in a herringbone pattern, points the way to the great room and glass doors to the backyard beyond.

In the library, 12 rounds of prepping, sanding and painting were needed to achieve the high-gloss “moment of blue” that saturates the walls, cabinetry and ceiling. A round custom rug unites a mod sofa, black-edged cocktail table and caned chairs beneath a matte-black-finished Lee Broom pendant. Bold color transitions to subtle opulence in the dining room, entirely papered in a shimmery silver wall covering shot with gold. A sculptural chandelier hangs above a round, cerused-oak table with a heavy, fluted base.

The kitchen and family room present as one welcoming space. In the former, Shaker-style cabinets and a marble-topped island balance the organically shaped furnishings opposite, upholstered in bouclé and wool sateen. A new, stepped-marble fireplace surround picks up the swirling marble of the island countertop and backsplash.

From the great room, French doors spill out to the backyard, where Cecchi designed and implemented an al fresco kitchen with a built-in grill, pizza oven and dining area sheltered under a pergola with a retractable shade. An adjacent lounge area overlooks a swimming pool tucked into the side yard.

In the cream-toned, second-floor primary suite, a seven-foot tall, upholstered headboard serves as a dramatic centerpiece while a chaise longue, chair and shapely side tables flank the gas fireplace whose surround once graced the living room. The bathroom is clad in eye-catching marble, with a statement soaking tub and a roomy, glass-enclosed shower.

Ramchandani reflected each child’s personality in bedrooms full of distinctive flourishes. The daughter’s retreat features pink floral wallpaper on the ceiling and a swinging chair, while the son’s lair is decked out in marine blue-and-white ombré with a trundle bed. At the top of the house, a lively children’s corner lined with built-in storage inspires creative play. A graphic Missoni rug and colorful “dripping paint” wallpaper add whimsy. Just off the playroom, Parekh’s home office, clad in grass-cloth wall covering, doubles as a guest room.

A deft mix of high design and practicality, this family home is destined to delight its occupants for years to come. “We use every room,” Parekh declares. “There are lots of different areas for all of us to come together.”

Renovation Architecture, Contracting & Landscape Design: Cecchi Homes, Arlington, Virginia. Interior Design: Tina Ramchandani, Tina Ramchandani Creative, New York, New York. Styling: Limonata Creative.

RESOURCES

MAIN HALL
Bench & Fabric: safavieh.com. Light Fixtures: 1stdibs.com; silviomondinostudio.com. Art: andyblank.com.

LIBRARY
Paint: Hudson Bay by benjaminmoore.com. Sconces: 1stdibs.com. Pendant: leebroom.com. Drapes: maharam.com. Drapery Fabrication: homeintag.info. White Sofa: bebitalia.com/en-us. Round Rug: artandloom.com. Coffee Table: arteriorshome.com. Caned Chairs: noirfurniturela.com.

GREAT ROOM
Curved Sofa: pierreaugustinrose.com through studiotwentyseven.com. Sofa Fabric: S. Harris for fabricut.com. Marble Occasional Table: noirfurniturela.com. Chairs: evarscollective.com. Chair Fabric: savelinc.com. Rug & Fireplace Surround: Custom. TV Over Mantel: samsung.com. Pedestal & Vase: jonathanadler.com. Round Coffee Table: maidenhome.com.

KITCHEN
Cabinetry, Cabinetry Paint, Backsplash & Countertop: Custom through cecchihomes.com. Stools: 1stdibs.com; crumpandkwash.com. Pendants: artemest.com; lorenzabozzoli.com.

DINING ROOM
Table: bensoleimani.com. Chairs: mgbw.com. Chandelier: lindseyadelman.com. Wallpaper: phillipjeffries.com. Art: macazlyn.com. Window Shade: homeintag.info.

BACK PATIO
Table: madegoods.com. Chairs: cane-line.com. Pizza Oven: fontanaforniusa.com. Sofa, Lounge Chairs & Coffee Table: rh.com.

PRIMARY BEDROOM
Headboard Fabric: hollyhunt.com. Bedding: Owners’ Collection. Night Tables: caracole.com. Rug: crosbystreetstudios.com. Divan, Divan Fabric, Chair & Ottoman: verellen.biz. Stone Occasional Table: dovetailhome.com.

White Round Table: westelm.com. Art: emmachildsart.com.

CHILD’S ROOM
Rug: rh.com. Ceiling Paper: voutsa.com. Dresser: westelm.com. Swing: serenaandlily.com. Shade: homeintag.info. Shade Trim: hollandandsherry.com.

BABY’S ROOM
Toddler Bed: Owners’ Collection. Shades: homeintag.info. Shade Trim: samuelandsons.com. Ceiling Fixture: wayfair.com. Rug: jaipurliving.com. Wallpaper: phillipjeffries.com.

PLAYROOM
Rug: missoni.com. Wallpaper On Ceiling: rebelwalls.com. Table: potterybarn.com. Red Chairs: dwr.com. Sofa: nuggetcomfort.com. Built-Ins: cecchihomes.com.

TOP FLOOR ROOM
Desk: Custom through cecchihomes.com. Chair & Sofa: Owners’ Collection. Wallpaper: phillipjeffries.com. Light Fixture: crateandbarrel.com.

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