Launched in 1987, Belfort Furniture has expanded from one modest location into a campus-like operation with four distinct stores encompassing 150,000 feet of retail space. The company offers a wide array of furniture for every room in the house, including unique, one-of-a-kind finds from around the globe. Luxury brands include Bernhardt, Vanguard, Hooker Furniture, Lexington Home Brands, Tempurpedic and more. Customers enjoy complimentary in-store and at-home design services as well as “red-carpet” delivery.

22250 Shaw Road, Dulles, Virginia 20166; 703-406-7600; belfortfurniture.com

Founded in 1985, Architectural Ceramics is a family-owned and operated company that offers a one-stop shopping experience. The company boasts an extensive inventory of ceramic, porcelain, natural-stone, glass and metal tiles, including products from more than 30 specialty vendors. Architectural Ceramics has also won multiple Designers’ Choice awards for top flooring vendor. Vignette installations in all six show­rooms provide plenty of design inspiration. Complimentary consultations with in-house designers help customers navigate tile from both the aesthetic and functional perspectives.

Rockville; Chevy Chase; Baltimore; Alexandria; Vienna; Atlanta; 301-217-4126; architecturalceramics.com/hd

Reliability is key when it comes to home security, and many of the latest products—running the gamut from DIY to professional—will provide that valuable peace of mind. Here are a few of our favorites:

The Ring video doorbell is battery-operated or hardwired with options in video quality, offering a high-definition view and two-way communication from anywhere in the world. ring.com

Alarm.com combines traditional security monitoring—where call centers respond to alarms and notify homeowners—with the benefits of modern technology. Remote-control arming and disarming of the system and detailed notifications are among its features. Pictured right, the mobile app. alarm.com

Axis Communications’ Companion, originally designed for small businesses, is our first choice for homeowners looking at full-scale video surveillance. Built to commercial standards, the company’s network security cameras address every possible need. axis.com

YUCK OLD PAINT was founded in response to the limited options that exist for the safe and eco-friendly disposal of old cans of paint. For a small fee, the company collects latex (water-based, enamel and acrylic) and oil-based paints. Still-usable products are distributed to re-use channels including humanitarian construction projects, theater groups and licensed contractors. Paint that is not usable is processed for proper disposal per Virginia Department of Environmental Quality regulations. Pick-ups available. yuckoldpaint.com

COMMUNITY FORKLIFT is a non-profit re-use center accepting donations of home-improvement supplies. Goods are distributed to non-profits in need or resold in a 40,000-square-foot warehouse five minutes over the Northeast DC line in Edmonston, Maryland. This treasure trove of modern and vintage building materials offers lighting, appliances, antiques and more. Pick-ups available. communityforklift.org

SECOND CHANCE deconstructs buildings and homes, salvages usable materials and sells them to the public at its 200,000-square-foot warehouse in Baltimore. The non-profit accepts everything from old windows and doors to appliances, bathroom fixtures, lighting, architectural elements and more. Revenue provides job training and workforce development for locals with employment obstacles. Pick-ups available. secondchanceinc.org

“Outside is the new inside,” declares realtor.com, alluding to what the site terms 2018’s major outdoor-living trend. Items that bring luxury décor outdoors are particularly popular—including the vast array of chic, water- and mildew-resistant outdoor fabrics on today’s market. Bold stripes, playful patterns and saturated hues are as much at home in the living room as they are on the patio. Pictured above: Halo in Mustard  and Cajun  from Wendy Jane by Gabby—part of a new collection of more than 600 indoor/outdoor performance pillows, available in all shapes and sizes. gabbyhome.com

	Eastern Redbud The Eastern redbud’s explosion of flowers lets you know spring has arrived, and its heart-shaped leaves turn yellow, gold and orange in fall.

	Virginia Sweetspire Fragrant, spire-shaped flowers give Virginia sweetspire its name. This compact, deer-resistant shrub becomes bright red in fall.

	Flowering Dogwood This tree is marked by a profusion of white or pink petals that look like large blooms in spring. The dogwood produces bright red fruit that is a favorite of local birds.

	American Wisteria Showy American wisteria is perfect for pergolas and trellises, displaying drooping clusters of flowers during May and June. It grows to 30 feet and tolerates full sun to shade.

	Coreopsis The low-growing threadleaf coreopsis is a cheerful flower that blooms bright yellow from May to August. It loves well-drained soil in full sun.

“I select backsplash tile that is timeless—so if the cabinets last 30 to 50 years, the tile will too. I shy away from patterns because it’s easy to get tired of them and they can date a material. I love the texture of tone-on-tone or small stone mosaics. Hand-cut tiles feel spa-like and natural.” —J.G.

	Mosaic House carries Zellige, a handmade, glazed Moroccan mosaic reminiscent of Delft tile. We typically install it in four-by-four- or three-by-six-inch formats. mosaichse.com

	New Ravenna’s patterns are contemporary, traditional and everything in-between. These small, hand-clipped stones are part of a collection by Giovanni Barbieri for New Ravenna. The textured, tone-on-tone Calcutta marble is pictured in a Timeworn finish. newravenna.com

	Island Stone creates a contemporary look with Crescent Interlock porcelain tile, which resembles woven stone in a honed finish. Pictured above, Crescent Rustic in Sandstone. islandstone.com

	I love the Walker Zanger Duquesa series. These cement and ceramic tiles have a mandala-like pattern yet are calm enough not to become tiresome. Shown here, ceramic in the Fatima colorway. walkerzanger.com

	Artistic Tile uses Calacatta marble in a new, multi-dimensional way with this honeycomb pattern. The embossed geometric of Piatti Calacatta Gold creates soothing shadows. artistictile.com

While updating a master bath, Case Design/Remodeling’s Ellen Linstead Whitmore and Greg Polen separated the space into two rooms on either side of a central entry—a vanity area with a WC, and the latest trend in bath design: a wet room.

This open, water-proof space encompasses a freestanding Wyndham tub and a Kohler shower with main and hand-held showerheads. Tiles from Daltile protect the floor and walls, one of which sports an accent wall of large-format, bright-blue tiles. “The owners enjoy the wet room concept more than they anticipated,” says Whitmore. “The kids use the tub with no worries about splashing, and the wife can take a bath, then shower off right there.”

While shades of gray continue to dominate, “We’re enjoying a powerful resurgence of color across the industry, in all style categories,” says Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance. Trending shades that might be too much for a whole room perfectly complement those popular gray hues. Pictured above: an armchair by Sam Moore, a rug by Jaipur Living and a Miles Talbott lumbar pillow.

• Ceiling height helps determine the scale of your furniture. If you have high ceilings, incorporate items with a larger presence—but remember that scaling up can encroach on traffic patterns.
• Outline furniture dimensions on your floor with painter’s tape to visualize the space a sofa and coffee table will take up. Take chairs into account when measuring your dining table.
• Area rugs and open bookcases will define spaces within an open concept. Placing the front legs of a seating arrangement on the rug will further define the arrangement. Select furniture that looks good from every angle. Remember, furniture will appear smaller in a 2,000-square-foot showroom than it will in your living room.
• Buy quality pieces that will weather trends. Purchase one or two special pieces to anchor your space; you will cherish these items as your life and tastes evolve.
• Solid hardwood is a sign of quality. Plastics, veneers and particle board are not designed with longevity in mind.

An Annapolis home boasts a wide porch overlooking Spa Creek. Its exterior features HardieShingle siding—chosen to withstand the elements—installed over a rain screen. "Composite materials withstand the elements better than others, hold paint longer and don’t rot. For roofing, we recommend long-lasting asphalt or slate shingles or standing-seam metal," suggests Dave Carlisle of Bayview Builders. However, he and his design team made a different choice on this project, selecting a roof of cedar perfection shingles for both durability and beauty. Says Carlisle, “In this case, the patina that the shingles create over time is impossible to replicate with composite materials.”

Architecture: Scarlett Breeding, AIA, Alt Breeding Associates. Contractor: Bayview Builders. Landscape Architecture: Campion Hruby Landscape Architects. 

	Awning These windows are hinged on the top of the frame and swing outward.

	Double Hung With two operable window sashes, double-hung windows offer multiple ventilation options and ease of use.

	Casement Hinged on the side, casement windows can either swing inward or outward, depending on desired style.

	Direct Glaze These non-operating windows are set directly into the frame  to create a large expanse of glass.

	Glider These user-friendly windows slide open from side to side.

All photos provided by Marvin Windows and Doors

Greenspring Valley, Maryland, is a national historic district in Baltimore County characterized by vintage buildings and park-like swathes of land. No wonder a couple building a house in these bucolic environs wanted an Old World look for their custom home. They tapped architect Vincent Greene, who collaborated with Pyramid Builders to create the sprawling, gabled structure they were looking for.

Measuring 13,000 square feet, the residence features public and private wings flanked by volumes containing his-and-her garages. The layout creates a courtyard centered around a commanding front entry made of precast limestone blocks in a brick pattern.

“They wanted a stone house,” recounts Pyramid vice president Mark Sanders, “but with a more formal front entry. Most of the house is rustic, irregular stone with an over-grouted look like an old English cottage. We did probably a dozen mock-ups to get the grout mixture right.”

Timber trusses above the entry are made of dark-stained, salvaged oak, as are columns supporting the copper-roofed entry portico. Classic elements include a turret to the right of the entrance, eyebrow dormers and a steeply pitched, Tudor-style roofline. The roof is made of slate.

Pyramid used a Hope’s steel window system for the glass front door and wide sidelites, then worked with Loewen to replicate the thin profile of steel in a more affordable, complementary metal-clad version.

Shingles mingle with stone on the rear façade “to make the house feel softer and more approachable for the family spending time outdoors,” Sanders explains. “It’s a nice interplay of materials.”

ASK MARK

What was this project’s biggest hurdle?
Meeting timeline and budget while integrating contemporary interior detailing with traditional architecture.

How do you decide on materials?
We look for longevity and durability for a building shell that will last generations without requiring excessive maintenance.

What materials are most difficult to work with?
Installing stonework is truly an art form. We have in-house masons and resources for this purpose.

Most challenging architectural vernacular?
Modern architecture requires the most precision. Unlike traditional architecture, there is very little trimwork, which provides a higher level of tolerance.

Architecture: Vincent Greene, AIA, Vincent Greene Architects, Baltimore, Maryland. Builder: Mark Sanders; Jay Miller and Mike Zittinger, project superintendents, Pyramid Builders, Annapolis, Maryland. Landscape Design: Bob Jackson Landscapes, Inc., Owings Mills, Maryland. 

Longtime clients asked designer Andrea Houck to update their kitchen, which flows into the adjacent dining room. With an eye on resale, they specified a neutral palette for the kitchen but were otherwise willing to embrace a bolder look. Houck’s plan improved both spaces, employing complementary design elements to ensure a strong visual connection between the two.

The project began with a simple structural change. “A breakfast bar flanked by columns awkwardly divided the kitchen and dining room,” she recounts. “Luckily, the columns weren’t load-bearing, so we got rid of the entire bar. This opened the space up and made the dining room much better.”

Working with Judy Bracht of Stuart Kitchens, which supplied the cabinetry, Houck redesigned the kitchen around an L-shaped island. Dark-stained cherry cabinetry offsets Caesarstone counters and iridescent backsplash tile.

By contrast, the dining room boasts deep-red Zoffany wallpaper embossed with a gold flower motif and eclectic furniture in warm wood tones. “Colorful, patterned fabric or wallpaper can be a springboard for your design,” says Houck. “The key is balance.” A Century table is adorned with a diamond-pattern ebony inlay. Host chairs upholstered in Pollack fabric are paired with woven guest chairs. A distinctive bar cabinet combines rosewood and ebony. Hammered-iron pendants in a dark bronze finish hang above the table and a light-hued rug from Surya introduces softer hues.

To unify the spaces, Houck employed the same Cowtan & Tout fabric on both the kitchen shades and dining room drapes. Tracy Glover pendants over the island pick up the dining room colors, while a refinished-oak floor spans both rooms.

ASK ANDREA

What makes neutrals interesting?
Neutrals can be elegant, but an all-neutral space can seem flat. In the absence of color, texture makes all the difference.

What is your personal style?
I’m drawn to “eclectic modern.” I love mixing modern furnishings with heirlooms, found objects and collected artwork.

Advice for clients embarking on a project?
Start with a solid overall plan. Making decisions without one can lead to costly mistakes and a non-cohesive result.

How do you select furnishings?
We take inventory of existing pieces to see what we can incorporate, then consider style preferences, functional requirements and physical needs. If someone is tall, seat depths should accommodate that.

What is your favorite part of the job?
I love presenting a design concept to clients and seeing happy looks on their faces that say, “You nailed it!”

Interior & Kitchen Design: Andrea Houck, ASID, IFDA, A. Houck Designs, Inc., Arlington, Virginia. Contractor: Kevin Chung, Chung’s Home Improvement, Fairfax, Virginia. 

Gilday Renovations was asked to remodel the outdated kitchen of a 1960s Bethesda abode. The owners specified a classic white palette with brass accents—and a much larger footprint.

“The original kitchen was about 10 feet by 18 feet, including a cramped breakfast area,” says principal Tom Gilday. “We doubled the size of the space by replacing a wall with a steel beam and expanding.” A peninsula that separated the kitchen and breakfast area was removed; now, a central island dominates the space, with a roomy breakfast area and a new screened porch beyond.

The couple had an extensive wish list for their remodeled kitchen. In addition to keeping their existing brick fireplace, they wanted an authentic wood-burning pizza oven, a wine room and a bar cabinet with a French bakery-style brass shelf system. “They’d show us pictures of what they wanted and we’d find it or have it made,” recounts Gilday kitchen designer Tina Keppler. “It was a matter of working it all into the space.”

Measuring in at 54-by-54 inches, the wood-fired pizza oven by Mugnaini required the most planning. It tucked into a wall opposite the island in a brick surround that matches the fireplace brick; both are painted white. The wine room found a home inside the former pantry closet. “There is a lot going on in this kitchen,” observes Keppler. “They both love to cook, so the goal was a space where both of them could work. Luckily, she likes the stove—and he’s all about the pizza oven.”

Ask Tina

Advice before embarking on a kitchen renovation?
List what you like and dislike about your existing kitchen. Gather images of kitchens that appeal to you for functionality, style and color. Review with your designer.

What elements impart a timeless look?
Kitchens that complement a home’s architecture can feel timeless. A transitional kitchen with Shaker-style cabinets and natural-stone counters will work in a traditional house, while a modern house will look good with flush cabinet doors in wood veneer and an engineered-stone counter.

What are your favorite surface materials?
My favorite natural-stone countertop material is quartzite; it looks like marble and has the durability of granite. Among manmade materials, I prefer Caesarstone for its colors, patterns, durability and stain-resistance.

What trends have you spotted?
I’m seeing brass and gold; rift- or distressed-oak and walnut; and manmade countertops and cabinet finishes. Clients are choosing gray cabinets over white and porcelain floor tile over natural stone.

Renovation Architecture & Kitchen Design: Tom Gilday, principal; Tina Keppler, B. Arch., Gilday Renovations, Silver Spring, Maryland.