The Maryland Building Industry Association’s Maryland Awards of Excellence (MAX+) recognize remodeling and custom-building projects in the greater DC area. The 2024 ceremony took place on April 11th at Martin’s West in Baltimore; a list of winners follows, along with photos from a number of winning projects.
Accessibility Feature
Accessibility Elevator, Lutherville, Maryland
Owings Brothers Contracting
Addition
Ultra-Modern Office Addition, Sykesville, Maryland
Owings Brothers Contracting
Bathroom Remodel over $100,000
Howard County Bathroom Extravagance, Sykesville, Maryland
Owings Brothers Contracting
Bathroom Remodel under $100,000
Old Oak Master Bath, Ellicott City, Maryland
Cornerstone Remodeling
Historic Restoration
The Hamlet Sisters, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Francis Development
Kitchen Remodel
Frederick, Frederick, Maryland
House to Home Solutions
Kitchen Remodel and Addition
Morningside Two-Story Addition, Ellicott City, Maryland
Cornerstone Remodeling
Kitchen Remodel and Interior Alteration
Charley Forest Kitchen, Olney, Maryland
Cornerstone Remodeling
Whole-House Remodel
Cedar Point, Severna Park, Maryland
Procopio Homes
Basement Apartment Remodel
Basement In-Law Apartment, Sykesville, Maryland
Owings Brothers Contracting
Whole-House Remodel, DC Market
The Hamilton Residence, Rockville, Maryland
Mitchell & Best Remodeling
Whole-House Remodel, Eastern Shore
Bayside Drive, Stevensville, Maryland
Procopio Homes
Small Volume Builder
Custom Home $600,000 to $699,999
Shore-Line Construction, Horney Custom Home
Essex, Maryland
Custom Home $700,000 to $799,999
Shore-Line Construction, Smith Custom Home
Essex, Maryland
Custom Home up to $1.5 Million
Triangle Homes LLC, Model: Sorrento Residence at Carriage Estates
Davidsonville, Maryland
Custom Home over $2 Million
Procopio Homes
Annapolis, Maryland
Large Volume Builder
Custom Home $900,000 to $999,999
Crosen Homes LLC, Model: Durigg at Offsite
Woodbine, Maryland
Product, Small Volume Builder
Custom Home over 1.5 Million
Shore-Line Construction, The Palski Home
Dundalk, Maryland
Home & Design announced the winners of its 2024 Excellence Awards on October 7th during a lively celebration at Bethesda’s Round House Theatre. The annual, juried competition recognizes outstanding work in residential architecture, interior design, custom-building, kitchen-and-bath design, landscape design and remodeling. Award-winning projects appear in Home & Design’s Idea Book and online at homeanddesign.com.
Home & Design unveiled its September/October 2024 issue with a festive party at ADU—Your Appliance Source in Gaithersburg on September 5th. Guests mingled and perused the showroom’s sleek installations.
Guests donned summer whites for a jovial gathering on August 8th, hosted by KONST Union in Bethesda. Designers and industry experts mingled over drinks and nibbles. Home & Design was the media sponsor.
After revamping a 1920s, Spanish Revival home in Kalorama, BarnesVanze Architects designed a pool and pool house on the picturesque property. “The clients wanted to be able to entertain,” recalls architect Stephen Vanze, who teamed with colleague Melanie Giordano on the upgrade.
A 20-foot retaining wall separates the house from its side neighbors. In the backyard, the gently sloping lawn was terraced to accommodate the pool and pool house. “The pool is on axis with a family room addition we’d done previously,” Vanze says.
The home’s strong architectural identity dictated the building’s aesthetic. “It was an opportunity for the outside spaces to reflect the existing architecture,” Giordano notes, pointing to the pool house’s distinctive style. “The structures talk to each other.”
Architecture: Stephen J. Vanze, FAIA, LEED AP; Melanie Giordano, AIA, BarnesVanze Architects, Washington, DC.. Interior Design: Lisa Vandenburgh Ltd., Washington, DC. Builder: Abe Sari, Alliance Builders, Annapolis, Maryland. Landscape Architecture: Amy Mills, ASLA, DCA Landscape Architects, Inc., Washington, DC.
 | RIGHT ANGLE Face à Face, a new tub by French architect Jean Nouvel for Agape, is distinguished by a natural marble surface and straight sides that appear to just meet, but are held together by invisible joints. A backrest on one side is angled for comfort. agapedesign.it |
 | CLASSIC COOL The Sawyer freestanding tub by Americh embraces a classic aesthetic, with deep sides and a polymer-composite or acrylic interior. The exterior shell comes in white acrylic, smooth or hammered nickel and smooth, unlacquered brass (shown). americh.com |
 | SHINY SURFACE A reflective, distressed surface characterizes the Bacifiore 24-inch Butler Sink, designed by Mick De Giulio for Kallista. Made of 16-gauge brushed stainless steel, the vessel is hand-polished to achieve its shimmery finish. Also offered with an apron front. kallista.com |
 | INDUSTRY FAVORITE Watermark’s Elan Vital 38 monoblock faucet and side spray conjure industrial style via components that resemble commercial ball valves and plumbing fittings. The fixture is available in a range of configurations and finishes; Pewter is pictured. watermark-designs.com |
 | TIMELESS STYLE Part of the Kohler X Studio McGee collection, the Edalyn two-hole bridge faucet with side sprayer combines classic and modern influences. Seen here in Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass with the Ironridge Farmhouse sink, made of enameled cast iron. kohler.com |
 | FINE LINES Masterminded for Duravit by Danish designer Cecilie Manz, the Luv Bathtub is a graceful white oval with a slender rim. The freestanding vessel is made out of the company’s patented resin material, which feels like stone and is naturally slip-resistant. duravit.us |
 | LET IT FLOW The Catris Flexo Filter faucet from Blanco delivers filtered and unfiltered water at the touch of a dial on the base of the insulated, pull-down faucet. The fixture, which connects to most common filtration systems, comes in matte black (pictured), chrome and PDV steel finishes. blanco.com |
 | GOING GREEN Stone Forest’s popular Papillon Bathtub is a functional work of art, formed from solid blocks of stone, then refined and sculpted with a hammer and chisel. The company recently unveiled a new version in Verde Indio— a lush and distinctive green marble. stoneforest.com |
The owners of a McLean property purchased an adjacent lot on which to build an upscale, barn-like retreat for the wife’s use. Pondering what else to do with the one-acre site, they hired McHale Landscape Design to help formulate and carry out their vision while the building was under construction.
“We suggested a greenhouse and a sustainable garden for the family,” says McHale president Phil Kelly, who spearheaded the project. The clients embraced the idea, and a collaborative effort between the McHale team and Alabama-based Gothic Arch Greenhouses ensued. The result is an elegant, glassed-in structure sited at an angle from the wife’s “she shack.”
Using the retreat and greenhouse as reference points, McHale constructed an extensive, terraced vegetable garden close by, complete with quadrants separated by pathways. “The client challenged us to make a kitchen garden that’s super-functional yet enjoyable to look at,” Kelly says.
Landscape Design, Installation & Maintenance: McHale Landscape Design, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Photo: Erin B. Bogan
It was a real find,” enthuses Julie Geyer, referring to a spacious, 100-year-old Capitol Hill row house her clients recently acquired. The newly renovated abode lacked character, so the owners tapped her to inject personality and a fresh, clean-lined sensibility into the main-floor spaces. “They wanted to honor the home’s history while making it feel new,” the designer recounts. “And they wanted to be pushed a little.”
Geyer embraced a palette of strong and distinctive colors—from the saturated blue of the dining room to accents of rust that embellish the bright and airy living room and foyer. Among the details that elevate each space: picture frame moldings, Black Edition wallpaper on the foyer ceiling and a moody, evocative mural on the dining room wall.
Interior Design: Julie Geyer, Julie Geyer Studio, Bethesda, Maryland.
Shawna Dillon, ASID, NCIDQ, Snaidero DC Metro | Taha Gursoy, Boss Design Center | Madison Scanlon, LXRY | Hedy Shashaani, Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens
“Brands like Fotile and XO make hoods that are concealed
above the range but lower at the touch of a button to suck up fumes.
They’re great in an open-concept kitchen.”
—Madison Scanlon
“We’re seeing a lot of plaster and hand-finished looks.
The hood is still a focal point but not in a contrasting
material, so it looks more architectural.”
—Taha Gursoy
“I’m doing housings around a box-shaped hood
covered by marble or stone. We’re really not seeing
chimney hoods anymore.”
—Hedy Shashaani
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“Tulip Cooking has an induction cooktop that is invisible,
sitting under a counter of three-quarter-inch porcelain
and natural stone. It works with particular pots and pans
via magnetic heat.”
—Taha Gursoy
“Soil-sensor, auto-dose (DOS) technology in Miele
dishwashers senses the right level of cleaning.
Sub-Zero fridges can adjust humidity to keep foods
fresh while eliminating waste.”
—Shawna Dillon
“There’s a move in open-concept spaces toward
concealing appliances with paneling and
using push- doors instead of handles.”
—Madison Scanlon
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“Limit selections to two or three kinds of tile—maybe
the same one in different sizes. Large-format tiles provide
fewer visual breaks and allow you to add other elements
without the look getting too busy.”
—Taha Gursoy
“Our motto is less is more. If you are mixing stone, wood
or metal, stay with the same hues and finishes. We use
wood-grain marble without much veining for a clean look.”
—Madison Scanlon
“Bathrooms are a great place to be creative with tile.
When it comes to metals, stay purposeful if
throwing finishes together—select lighting all in
one finish, fixtures all in another.”
—Shawna Dillon
“In a modern bath, keep it simple and clean.
I like a large slab of stone or engineered stone
as a focal point on a shower wall and large-format tiles
with narrow grout lines.”
—Hedy Shashaani
Phil Leibovitz, Sandy Spring Builders | Brad Pryor, Horizon Builders | Maryam Tabrizchi, AIA, NCARB, Elie Ben Architecture, LLC | Greg Wiedemann, FAIA, Wiedemann Architects
“A thermally controlled, wood-clad or aluminum product
is best for our region. Ideally, there will be a
screened area outside so that you can control insects.”
—Maryam Tabrizchi
“The advantage of pocket doors is that they can
disappear visually. Robust hardware and a system
that controls water are musts; pocket doors can bring
water inside the wall. Folding doors tend to be more expensive
because the mechanism is complicated.”
—Greg Wiedemann
“It used to be only NanaWall made expansive,
glass folding doors, but now all manufacturers make them.
Sierra Pacific and Western Window Systems do a modern,
minimal look; aluminum profiles may be thinner than wood ones.”
—Phil Leibovitz
“We’re using a lot of Accoya, a wood-siding product
that’s treated for rot-resistance and has unique coloration—
a silvery tint that gives it a weathered, beachy feel
but looks a bit modern.”
—Brad Pryor
“We predominantly work with Hardie siding—shiplap,
battens, nickel gap. We also like real stucco
and painted brick with stone accents.”
—Phil Leibovitz
“Less costly than Accoya is Boral, a poly-ash material
that creates custom looks on siding and trim.
We’re using Boral nickel-gap siding on two new homes now.”
—Greg Wiedemann
“The building envelope; an initial outlay will return investment
over time. I prioritize quality windows and good insulation.
Next would be an upgrade to the home’s mechanical systems.”
—Greg Wiedemann
“The kitchen, because it’s the heart of the home.
People are also spending heavily on indoor-outdoor flex spaces.”
—Brad Pryor
“Splurge on getting a good architect who can make you
a beautiful and efficient design. Builders and subcontractors
are also very important; some say ‘spend
on the finishes,’ but I believe in getting it all installed correctly.”
—Maryam Tabrizchi
After purchasing an 1890 row house on DC’s 14th Street Corridor, the owners tapped Patrick Brian Jones for a much-needed remodel. “The place had been carved up into mini-apartments,” Jones recounts. “There were oddly placed bathrooms and doorways. We kept to the original footprint but moved a lot of plumbing around and opened up walls.”
An extra-long rear dogleg allowed Jones to shift the kitchen from the back of the house to the center and add a family room where the kitchen had been. Upstairs, small, compartmentalized rooms became a primary suite overlooking the front of the house. “The owners wanted a modern aesthetic but also to retain the original character,” Jones says. “We struck a balance between traditional and contemporary.”
Renovation Architecture & Interior Design: Patrick Brian Jones, AIA, Patrick Brian Jones, PLLC, Washington, DC. Renovation Contractor: ART Design Build, Bethesda, Maryland.
 | POP ART Inspired by the work of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, Markilux has debuted Pop-Art Edition awning covers in 10 bold colors and patterns. Crafted from the maker’s textured weave in Sunsilk fabric that has been treated for sun-, water- and light-resistance. markilux.com |
 | VINTAGE STRIPE SunSetter’s popular awnings come in a hand-cranked or remote-controlled, motorized version. The product can be installed onto any siding and is made of water-repellent, woven performance acrylic. Shown in Villa Stripe. sunsetter.com |
 | VERY VERSATILE Conceived by Ludovica + Roberto Palomba for Ethimo, the powder-coated aluminum Eivissa pavilion sets the scene for a stylish al fresco soirée. Buyers can choose among a range of sizes, colors and options for flooring (teak or stone-look ceramic) and roof style (fixed, louvered or polycarbonate). Sides of woven rope, sliding glass or fabric (shown) complete the picture. ethimo.com |
 | SLEEK STYLE A steel frame supports the Sarasota Louvered Pergola from Backyard Discovery, which boasts a sleek, modern design. An easy-to-operate wand cranks the louvers open and shut; when they’re closed, rain is channeled through a drainage system in the posts. backyarddiscovery.com |
 | SPACE SAVER Its folding structure allows the MrX gazebo, designed by Marco Acerbis for Talenti, to open from two legs to four, creating a square, shaded area. Extruded-aluminum posts in a choice of graphite finishes support a weather-resistant canvas top. en.talentispa.com |
 | THROW BACK With mid-century style in mind, designer Vincent Van Duysen devised Kettal’s V Pavilion with aluminum louvers and a cantilevered canopy. Openings between columns can be customized with glass, louvers, curtains or solid panels. Climate-sensitive elements include solar panels and heat-insulation. kettal.com |
 | LIVING COLOR Miguel, a metal pendant from Linea Light Group, brings vibrant hues to the fore by combining a colorful shade with a white, light-reflective interior. Available in black, gray, red, blue and green. linealight.com |
 | GAME DAY A pick-up-sticks game inspired pic-a-stic by Ingo Maurer for Foscarini. The fixture comprises more than 50 colored wooden rods that can be gathered into different configurations with a rubber ring. Find in black and white or red and blue. foscarini.com |
 | BRASS BAND The Halo Pendant by Castro Lighting assembles plated-brass tubes banded together at the center, encircling six bulbs that provide both up- and down-lighting. Choose between gold (shown) and nickel finishes. castrolighting.com |
 | UNDER GLASS Contrasting glass globes and a bronze-plated frame form the hourglass silhouette of Elodie, a fixture by Mitzi, part of Hudson Valley Lighting Group. Finishes include Aged Brass (shown) and True Bronze. hvlgroup.com |
 | SLENDER SILHOUETTE Formaminima’s Single Suspension pendants feature a ceiling rose of satin brass supporting a rectangle of stone or wood from which light glows through Limoges porcelain sheets. Seen in Polished Green Alpes marble. formaminima.com |
 | FLOWER POWER Vintage Scandinavian design inspired L&D + Huey, a collaboration between Light & Dwell and Huey Lightshop. Pictured: The Flora Pendant’s pleated or flat, linen shade resembles a flower; brass rod-and-ball finial details complete the look. hueylightshop.com |
 | VINTAGE VIBE Maxim Lighting’s Rockport 1-Light Pendant features a hammered-metal dome in glossy enamel paint for a nostalgic sensibility. Find in a 10- or 12-inch diameter, in Sage Green with a white interior (shown) or Glossy Black with Antique Copper. maximlighting.com |
 | WOVEN WONDER Two shallow shades woven of abaca fiber are stacked to create the Landry 1 Light Bronze Leaf Pendant by Troy Lighting. A chunky, vintage chain of gold leaf supports the fixture, which comes in 20- and 30-inch widths. troylightinglights.com |
Howard Cohen, PLA, Surrounds Landscape Architecture + Construction | D. Blake Dunlevy, D.A. Dunlevy | Paulo Trindade, Grow Landscapes | Chris Vedrani, Planted Earth Landscaping
“Use native plants that have not been treated
with insecticides: lavender, coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans.
They are most resilient.”
—Paulo Trindade
“What pollinators do you want to attract? Anything that has berries will attract birds,
and Monarch butterflies lay eggs in milkweed. We tend
to overlook bats, which like wet areas where mosquitoes are prevalent. ”
—Chris Vedrani
“A pollinator garden starts with trees—they are the magnets.
Consider natives like oaks, river birch and
maple as well as cherry trees, black gums and beeches.”
—Howard Cohen
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“People are taking cues from indoor kitchens
with islands and waterfall countertops. Modern looks great
in stainless steel or aluminum. And Dekton is a popular
countertop surface, as it doesn’t retain heat.”
—Paulo Trindade
“Seating for a few friends is key. We try to make
the cooking space social with a counter and bar stools.”
—D. Blake Dunlevy
“Stone countertops and veneers are invincible.
We typically run gas from the home, not from a separate tank.
And remember to install an electrical outlet so you have power.”
—Chris Vedrani
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“Hire someone familiar with local conditions who will
do soil tests to avoid surprises; for instance, Alexandria may
have marine clay while Loudoun County will be rocky,
which is costly to work with.”
—Paulo Trindade
“Choose an open area with lots of sunlight
and accessibility to the house. Overhanging trees
will drop seeds and leaves in the pool.”
—Howard Cohen
“If you site a pool too far away from the house and
it becomes a destination, you won’t want to use it as much.
And your equipment shouldn’t be kept under mature trees
because of root systems.”
—Chris Vedrani
“Excited owners installing a pool may
forget to maximize the rest of the property. Think of the pool
as one piece of a much larger landscape puzzle.”
—D. Blake Dunlevy
