Twin Murano glass chandeliers unite the foyer and living room, which combines an abstract painting, a geometric Design Within Reach rug and antique French chairs covered in a 1940s Josef Frank motif.
A Mediterranean Revival manse built in 1910 captured the fancy of potential buyers on a tour with their architect, Christian Zapatka. But beyond its stucco façade, carved-limestone balustrade and stately entry hall, chinks in the armor emerged. Among them: compromised bearing walls, a dank and unlivable basement and a 1980s-era solarium ready to fall apart.
“It was probably the first time on a go-see that I said, ‘I need to return with my structural engineer,’” Zapatka recalls.
Nevertheless, Jackson Palmer and Ron Martin could see beyond the red flags. “We felt confident we could transform the Kalorama property into an elegant, gracious home that would be an artistic expression of who we are,” Palmer notes. “The rooms are large for a Washington row house and its scale allows for a lot of light.”
The twosome, both attorneys, closed the deal and enlisted Zapatka and Peterson + Collins builders to reimagine and expand the four-story grand dame while respecting its pedigree. The owners envisioned “a club house” where they could easily host casual get-togethers and formal functions indoors and out. Also on the wish list: a light-filled apartment for Palmer’s octogenarian mother, Barbara.
No stranger to preserving historical Washington residences, Zapatka took a learned approach. His sweeping makeover shored up shortcomings and subtracted flaws, including the flimsy conservatory out back. A full basement excavation raised six-and-a-half-foot ceilings to a standard eight. And a new rear addition introduced a basement bedroom, ground-floor kitchen/family room and a rooftop terrace serving the primary suite.
“A lot of heavy lifting went into making it a usable house and giving us a really good, workable envelope for the interior overlay,” contends the architect.
In 2021, the owners finally moved into the now-4,500-square-foot home with Barbara, their two Corgis—and very little furniture from their former Georgetown digs. After an introduction by Zapatka, they hired DC interior designer Tom Preston on the spot.
Preston got to work developing a layered plan that would tap into his clients’ love of color, modern art and playful yet sophisticated style. “We tried to give them a traditional shell because the house is kind of neoclassical,” he observes. “I built on that with a fusion of modern pieces mixed with antiques. This juxtaposition sparks a dialogue among periods and styles and creates something unique rather than run of the mill.”
Case in point is the foyer, where an 18th-century Italian settée cloaked in fuchsia wool is flanked by a mid-century chrome side table and an oversized Gaetano Pesce vase made of rubber. Mod Fornasetti wallpaper and a high-wattage Missoni rug for Stark pump up the volume.
To fashion such a mélange, Preston channeled the idea of a 1970s apartment in Paris. “It involves Old World boiserie and plasterwork on the walls and antique pieces that may have been accumulated by a family, mixed in with some modern curveballs,” muses the designer, who is also an antiques dealer.
In the living room, original window casings and crisp crown molding play backup to an eclectic mix of furnishings and art. The space combines a green, abstract painting, a geometric Design Within Reach rug and antique French chairs covered in a 1940s Josef Frank motif. Meanwhile, the room’s original fireplace mantel received a coat of bright-yellow paint.
“Jackson and Ron have an exuberant sense of color,” says Preston. “I love color too, but I had to reel them in a bit.” The designer envisioned the dining room, awash in coral, as a “nighttime jewel box,” its ceiling burnished in a Champagne glaze from Modern Masters. A Paul Evans table and chrome sideboard, vintage Italian chairs and a striking abstract in blue by Power Boothe conjure a glam, post-modern vibe.
The updated floor plan extends sightlines from the foyer and living room back to the open family room/kitchen. A stair hall separates spaces on the living room side while the dining room sits between the foyer and the new kitchen, decked out in marine blue Waterworks cabinetry.
Zapatka salvaged the original staircase, where natural light streams in from a skylight above. Stairs lead to the walkout basement, the second floor’s library and primary suite, and a guest room and home office on the third level. An elevator connects the basement and ground floor.
Benjamin Moore’s Downpour Blue drenches the primary suite, anchored by a French Moderne-style bed in ivory leather. An alcove screened by Brunschwig & Fils drapery opens to a garden terrace extending the full 22-foot width of the house—as does the library.
In that clubby space, Zapatka established order with a bank of low cabinets that neatly envelops existing radiators. “It provides storage, but also creates a cohesive visual line,” says the architect. Residents can read on the window seats or the cozy Lewis Mittman sofa. A Jacob Kainen painting pops on a wall saturated in glossy green.
Musing on their home’s bold palette, Palmer explains, “People are often shocked by our use of color. But pattern and color are hallmarks of our style. They may remind us of a place that is meaningful, or harken the memory of a loved one.”
The owners are delighted with their home’s dramatic transformation. As Palmer reflects, “When you use interior design to honor parts of your life—and lives together—it consciously and subconsciously brings you joy.”
Renovation Architecture: Christian Zapatka, AIA, FAAR, Christian Zapatka Architect, PLLC, Washington, DC. Interior Design: Tom Preston, Thomas Preston Interiors, Washington, DC. Kitchen Design: Waterworks, Washington, DC. Renovation Contractor: Ted Peterson, Peterson + Collins, Bethesda, Maryland.
RESOURCES
THROUGHOUT
Drapery Fabrication: Goncalves & Sons; 703-528-5272. Front Window & Door Restoration: thecraftsmengroup.com. Rear Windows & Doors: loewen.com.
FOYER
Wallpaper: fornasetti.com. Rug: missoni.com through starkcarpet.com. Antique Italian Bench: averydash.com. Pillows: pierrefrey.com; bellafreud.com. Table: goodwooddc.com. Mirror: roomandboard.com. Prints, Sculpture, Pedestal & Table Lamps: thomasprestoninteriors.com. Console Table: martinandbrockett.com. Murano Glass Chandelier: 1stdibs.com. Ceiling Paint: Iceberg by benjaminmoore.com. Front Door Paint: Brinjal by farrow-ball.com.
LIVING ROOM
Rug: dwr.com. Sofas: jonathanadler.com. Coffee Table: chairish.com. Wall Paint: Stonington Gray by benjaminmoore.com. Ceiling Paint: Iceberg by benjaminmoore.com. Painting: Owners’ Collection. Side Table & Table Lamp: thomasprestoninteriors.com. Antique French Chairs: jean-pierreantiques.com. Fabric on Antique Chairs: Josef Frank. Fireplace Marble: rbratti.com. Mantle Paint: Lemon by benjaminmoore.com. Art Above Fireplace: Owners’ Collection. Metal Table: Vintage. Roman Shade Fabric: pierrefrey.com. Pillow Fabric: saved-ny.com; fornasetti.com.
DINING ROOM
Wall Paint: Fan Coral by benjaminmoore.com. Table & Sideboard: Paul Evans. Chandelier: rh.com. Rug: starkcarpet.com. Chairs: chairish.com. Blue Painting: Power Boothe. Benches & Sconces: vintage. Mirror: thomasprestoninteriors.com.
FAMILY ROOM
Wallpaper: cwstockwell.com. Sofa & Sofa Fabric: m2l.com. Twin Tables: chairish.com. Side Table & Rug: thomasprestoninteriors.com. Table Lamp: vintage.
KITCHEN
Cabinets & Hardware: waterworks.com. Cabinet Paint: Slate Teal by benjaminmoore.com. Wall & Ceiling Paint: Morning Sky Blue by benjaminmoore.com. Marble: rbratti.com. Stools: roomandboard.com. Pendants & Plumbing Fixtures: visualcomfort.com.
TERRACE
Custom Railing Design: christianzapatkaarchitect.com. Table & Chairs: rh.com.
STAIR
Wall Color: Stonington Gray by benjaminmoore.com. Painting: Owners’ Collection. Runner: missoni.com through starkcarpet.com. Sconce: kellywearstler.com.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Bed: Mariette Himes Gomez for hickorychair.com. Lamps: hollyhunt.com. Night Tables: thomasprestoninteriors.com. Curtain & Roman Shade Fabric: Brunschwig & Fils for kravet.com. Ceiling Fixture: visualcomfort.com. Rug: starkcarpet.com. Paint: Downpour Blue by benjaminmoore.com. Art & Floor Lamp: Owners’ Collection. Bedding: missoni.com. Leather Chairs: 1stdibs.com. Chest of Drawers: jonathanadler.com.
LIBRARY
Paint: Amazon Moss and Lavender Ice by benjaminmoore.com. Roman Shade Fabric: kravet.com. Table, Cocktail Table, Table Lamp & Chair Fabric: thomasprestoninteriors.com. Chairs: vintage. Sofa & Sofa Fabric: ferrellmittman.com. Rug: Custom design by thomasprestoninteriors.com for missoni.com through starkcarpet.com. Armchair & Pillow Fabric: kravet.com. Blue Painting: davidbell.art. Art: Jacob Kainen through hemphillartworks.com.