Outside DC, the Potomac River wends its way past Bethesda’s quaint Glen Echo neighborhood, where homes in a patchwork of architectural styles border tree-lined streets. Inclining uphill, one such byway is flanked mostly by modest Cape Cods—but a couple of years ago, a bold, modern abode joined the mix.

Owners Karen and Don Thibeau, a real estate agent and retired nonprofit executive respectively, had lived for 35 years at the top of the same street, in a mid-century residence that satisfied their penchant for contemporary design. They also owned a nondescript rental property just down the hill featuring a tiny, two-bedroom Cape. When they decided to build a new house for themselves, they selected that slice of land. “We loved our previous home, but wanted to design one where we could age in place,” Karen explains.

The couple envisioned a modern dwelling scaled to fit its modest neighborhood. They tapped Janet Bloomberg of KUBE Architecture to turn their vision into reality. Contractor HaighDeCastro and Campion Hruby Landscape Architects’ Stephen Makrinos also joined the team. Karen, who has a background in commercial design, decorated the interiors with input from Bloomberg.

On the small, 6,700-square-foot lot, a mature oak tree dominates the front yard. Houses are close in on three sides. “We tried to be as nonintrusive to the neighbors as possible,” says Bloomberg, “so maintaining the site naturally was really important.” She eschewed regrading and designed the structure around the oak, cantilevering it several feet over the tree’s massive root system. Utilizing the existing basement was a cost-saver that also minimized the impact of construction on the land.

The mandate was to devise an open, modern building that would offer privacy as well as indoor-outdoor flow. “The Thibeaus love the outdoors and that relationship,” Bloomberg recounts, “so one goal from the beginning was to create almost as much outdoor as indoor space.”

Now complete, the home measures 3,225 square feet, with four bedrooms and three and a half baths; courtyards extend its livable spaces. A central, two-story zone containing the kitchen and living area boasts 20-foot-tall expanses of glass on both front and back; multi-slide glass doors open to the large rear courtyard, creating one big indoor-outdoor space. The dining room and front entry lie on one side of the kitchen/living area. The main-floor owners’ suite, located on the other side, was designed with accessibility in mind. In the front-facing home office, a picture window frames the venerable oak. The building’s side walls are solid, save for clerestory windows that let in light but maintain privacy.

Upstairs are two guest bedrooms and a hall bath. Another bedroom and bath, plus a library nook, are reached via a catwalk that spans the living area below. East- and west-facing courtyards open out—one through a glass door by the stair and the other from the nook. The original basement is now a finished recreation room for grandkids. Crawl spaces under the new parts of the house provide storage.

Bloomberg clad the home’s glassy exterior with stucco and shou sugi ban, or charred wood. Inside, the floors are white oak, and black steel makes a statement in the living area where it forms the stair and integrates with the two-sided Viroc fireplace opposite. The upper-level railing wraps the space on three sides. This sculptural composition of steel panels, slats and screens also anchors the stair—and it’s a showstopper. Says Bloomberg, “We wanted to do something that would be like a piece of art, and relate to the owners’ modern art collection.”

Slats and panels are a theme outside as well. The main-level courtyard is protected by a fence of horizontal shou sugi ban panels, which conceal a hot tub. Slatted cedar screens, painted dark to match the charred wood, were crafted specifically for their locations around each courtyard, angled to answer privacy needs or for orientation to the sun.

Karen, who loves to cook, requested Bloomberg duplicate her previous kitchen in the new house—but with a welcome change from maple cabinets to easy-maintenance laminate. The sleek, black-and-white cabinetry was custom-made by Mersoa Woodwork and Design and is complemented by a wall of shou sugi ban. A fan of bright colors, Karen specified bold accent walls throughout. Most of the furniture and modern art was repurposed from the couple’s previous home.

Landscape architect Steve Makrinos designed a Japanese courtyard garden to complement the structure’s modern aesthetic. “Our goal was to maximize privacy while maintaining a light, open-courtyard atmosphere,” he says. Stands of bamboo create a privacy screen and planters filled with rough horsetail reflect a minimalist sensibility.

Despite its small footprint, the house lives large due to 10-foot ceilings that make spaces feel larger than they are. “We didn’t need a huge house,” reflects Karen. “We just needed it to work for us. This way, we can live here forever.”

Architecture: Janet Bloomberg, FAIA, principal; Jorge Concepcion, design associate, KUBE Architecture, Washington, DC. Contractor: Tim Haigh and Paulo DeCastro, HaighDeCastro, Washington, DC. Landscape Architecture: Stephen Makrinos, PLA, ASLA, principal, Campion Hruby Landscape Architecture, Annapolis, Maryland.

RESOURCES

THROUGHOUT
Fabrication: Metal Specialties; 540-967-4836. Cabinetry: mersoa.com. Countertops: countercollective.com; caesarstoneus.com through marblexinc.com. Appliances: subzero-wolf.com through adu.com. Pendant Lighting: moooi.com through illuminc.com. Plumbing Fixtures: totousa.com; duravit.us; hansgrohe-usa.com through build.com. Furniture: dwr.com; bludot.com. Windows & Doors: windsorwindows.com through thesanderscompany.com.

DINING ROOM
Paint: Aura Spice by benjaminmoore.com.

OUTDOOR
Gas Fire Pit: paloform.com.