When the owner of a historic Georgetown row house married, he and his wife hired Ame Gold to turn his thrown-together bachelor pad—including the living room—into a space that would merge their tastes and feel like a home.
| Then | Now |
| The fireplace wall was dated-looking, with niches for art that took up space but were not useful. | The niches have been closed up and wood shelves display accessories, with a built-in cupboard on one side. |
| A black-painted fireplace surround was dark and boring; plain white walls didn’t help. | Mother-of-pearl mosaic tile surrounds the fireplace, while the interior was lightened with white paint. A grasscloth wall covering draws the eye. |
| A sparse mishmash of furnishings left the room feeling empty, with no place to gather. | An existing sofa was repurposed in the living room; coffee tables from Lexington Home Brands and a Century armchair make the space inviting. |
| A ceiling fixture and undressed windows left the room cold. | Recessed lights and Kravet draperies convey warmth. |
Interior Design: Ame Gold, Patricia Gold Interiors, Inc., Fairfax Station, Virginia. Photography: Gwin Hunt.
The owners of a rambler in McLean hired Anthony Wilder Design Build to renovate portions of its interiors while also adding curb appeal to the mundane front façade of the house.
| Then | Now |
| The front was flat and featureless and the single roofline was boring. | A den extends from the front. The roofline is varied by a square window in an A-frame structure. A gable on the other side of the entry adds interest. |
| The front door was nondescript, offering only a narrow overhang that provided no shelter from the weather. | There is space for a covered entryway and a bench. A decorative arch is a focal point. |
| The door was unappealing, with an ugly screen door in front of it. | The screen door is gone and the front door is painted dark, with new hardware. |
| A retaining wall and large, unwieldy shrubs hid the house. | New landscaping features a winding walkway that draws the eye to the front door. |
Renovation Architecture: Anthony Wilder, Marian Vaias, AIA, Anthony Wilder Design Build, Cabin John, Maryland. Photography: Morgan Howarth.
The original dining room of the 2015 Baltimore Symphony Decorator Show House was somber and dark. When she signed on to redesign it, Paula Henry envisioned the opposite: a bright, colorful space that, she says, “would honor the older home but feel contemporary.”
| Then | Now |
| The walls and wainscoting were painted dingy green, with lots of ornate decorative moldings. | White millwork contrasts with abstract watercolor art that has been digitally printed on wallpaper. The original moldings on the walls frame each section. |
| Dark-stained, traditional furniture looked dated and boring. | A lacquered sideboard from Century complements the colors while white Bernhardt furniture “lets the walls be the star.” |
| A built-in china cabinet added nothing to the space. | A wine rack, installed by Summerhill Cabinets, holds bottles and glasses. |
| Sconces were the only source of light. | A chandelier by Visual Comfort and lamps from Arteriors illuminate the space. |
Interior Design: Paula A. Henry, Simply Put Interiors, Inc., Reisterstown, Maryland. Decorative Art: Dee Cunningham, Cunningham Studios, Ellicott City, Maryland. Photography: Alain Jaramillo.
A South Riding, Virginia, couple shared a large master closet that was essentially an empty shell. Tired of trying to create a place for everything in the builder-grade space, they tapped Deb Cantrell to make their closet stylish, functional and organized.
| Then | Now |
| The only way to store clothes was on two single rods with an attached shelf. Shoes were lined up on the floor. | An extensive closet system offers many options for hanging clothes, as well as shelves with easy access to store and display shoes. |
| There were no convenient surfaces for laying out personal items or storing jewelry or accessories. The husband had no place to hang his ties. | A peninsula offers counter space; it includes drawers for jewelry and accessories. Pullout racks store the husband’s ties conveniently. |
| There was no place to sit down. | A window seat enables the couple to put on shoes while seated. |
| The space was unappealing, with beige wall-to-wall carpet and dull lighting. The slanted ceiling felt low and oppressive. | Hardwood floors and decorative lighting dress up the space. The antique-white cabinetry creates a lighter, airy look. |
Closet Design: Deb Cantrell, Closets By Design, Manassas, Virginia. Photography: Suhail Mir.
A newly single homeowner tapped KUBE Architecture to update the Northwest DC row house he had just purchased into an open, modern bachelor pad. Richard Loosle-Ortega utilized a bold lighting plan to create a sophisticated space centered on the sleek, streamlined kitchen.
| Then | Now |
| Pendants above the island and a couple of recessed lights provided inadequate lighting in the dated kitchen area. | A dropped ceiling with horizontal fluorescent lights delineates the kitchen. Recessed halogens illuminate the rest of the room. |
| There was no under-cabinet or task lighting. | LED lights are installed under cabinets, while soffits have been deconstructed into planes that hide more LED lighting. |
| The design and style of the mundane, traditional home were not visually compelling. | The lights on the cabinet side of the room are all horizontal. On the opposite wall, they are all vertical for interest. |
| The lights were all uniform white, not dimmable and only operable by wall switches. | The dimmable lighting system is operable via iPhone. The colors of the lights can be changed. |
Renovation Architecture: Richard Loosle-Ortega, RA, KUBE Architecture, Washington, DC. Contractor: Lenny Ilkovich, Washington, DC. Photography: Greg Powers.
A dilapidated row house in DC’s gentrifying Shaw neighborhood desperately needed an overhaul. Architect Will Couch was tapped to create a light-filled, modern home; his plan transformed the stairwell from dark and cramped to bright and beautiful.
| Then | Now |
| The switchback staircase was narrow and inconveniently blocked off from the rest of the space by walls. | The wide staircase faces the entry and is centrally located. The walls around it have been removed, creating an open floor plan. |
| There was no line of sight from the front entry to the back door, so the house felt closed off and dark. | It’s easy to see around the stairs to the back of the house, where glass doors opening out to the backyard admit natural light. |
| The stairs were an eyesore, with a rickety old wood railing. | The clean-lined staircase combines blocks of wood and a glass railing that emphasize their sculptural shape. |
| The stairs were too narrow and closed off to admit light from the second floor. | Two skylights above the stairwell bathe the main floor in natural light. |
Renovation Architecture: Will Couch, AIA, LEED AP, Foundry Architects, LLC , Washington, DC. Builder: Washington Landmark, Washington, DC. Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg.
After completing a dramatic, glass-walled addition to their Q Street row house, a young couple enlisted Morgan Washburn of Botanical Decorators to landscape their small, urban backyard so that it would relate to the modern aesthetic of the renovated home.
When the project began, the yard was a blank slate surrounded by a cedar privacy fence. It measured 20 by 30 feet, with a dogleg to one side. The owners, who have numerous dogs and cats, hoped to create a beautiful, comfortable space where they could entertain—but making it pet-friendly was a must.
Washburn designed a patio using staggered Pennsylvania Bluestone pavers that mirror the size of the window mullions. A table in the middle of the space creates the perfect oasis for outdoor dining. A water feature abutting the house cascades from a stone plinth into a small pool that is up-lit at night.
With pets in mind, the couple requested AstroTurf rather than real grass. “AstroTurf is gaining in popularity,” Washburn observes. An irrigation system not only cleans the material but also sprays the area with an organic mosquito repellant.
A grilling area occupies the dogleg, which contains vertical-form sweeping magnolias that soften the view of the side of the house. Shrub-like, non-invasive bamboo provides lush texture to the garden, which also includes summer snowflake viburnum. Upright European hornbeam lines the outside of the fence, and pots are filled with annuals such as coleus and sedum.
Landscape Design: Morgan Washburn, Botanical Decorators, Olney, Maryland. Architecture: Darrel Rippeteau, AIA, Rippeteau Architects, PC, Washington, DC. Photography: Jasper Colt.
Other Rooms We Love:
The owners of a circa-1980s house in Northwest DC tapped a design team that included Barnes Vanze Architects and designer Barry Dixon to complete a total renovation of their abode. Embracing a traditional aesthetic, the designers updated the home to include a lavish, spa-like master bath.
The 11-foot-tall room presented challenges because there was relatively little wall space to work with—“ though this, of course, makes the room more beautiful since the windows are Southern exposure,” architect Anthony Barnes points out. He designed a space that encompassed a bay for the tub and separate rooms for the shower and water closet. “The tub faces out, addressing the room,” Barnes says. “It harkens back to a traditional, European look.”
Dixon and Barnes turned to Waterworks to source everything in the bathroom. “This was the starting point for the look of the space,” observes Dixon. “It’s timeless and classic.” Oversized Calacatta Gold marble subway tiles were used as wainscoting, topped with a chair rail of marble mosaic tile that also clads the shower interior. The floor is Calacatta Gold with onyx accents “for a little excitement,” says Barnes.
Dixon selected a retro-inspired sink rather than a vanity to keep the space open. “When there’s a beautiful floor, I try not to obstruct it,” he explains. Linen draperies from his collection for Vervain bring the tall windows down to a more human scale, and the chaise, beside the oval, spider-pattern window, is covered in terrycloth so the owners “can sit on it even if they’re wet,” he says.
Renovation Architecture: Anthony S. Barnes, FAIA, LEED AP, Barnes Vanze Architects, Inc., Washington, DC. Interior Design: Barry Dixon, Barry Dixon, Warrenton, Virginia. Builder: Horizon Builders, Crofton, Maryland. Photography: Anice Hoachlander.
Other Rooms We Love:
Gary Inman was selected to transform a room in the 2014 Richmond Symphony Orchestra League Designer House before its host residence had even been built. After studying the floor plan, Inman chose the master bedroom. “I loved the bay window, the location, the light,” he enthuses. “It’s not huge, but with a ceiling pitched up to 14 feet, it feels gracious and dramatic.”
During construction, Inman, now a designer with Richmond architecture firm Baskervill, spoke to the owners of the new home, wishing to factor their lifestyle into the design. “They have small children,” he explains, “so I kept coming back to the idea of a sanctuary, of young parents needing a retreat.”
To create a sense of tranquility, the designer chose Benjamin Moore’s Skyscraper— a robin’s egg blue—for the walls. Schumacher draperies in aquamarine added to the fresh palette, and a hand-knotted Tibetan rug grounded the space.
Inman selected classic furnishings and objects—but with a particular agenda. “Wherever possible, I wanted to highlight the talent in Richmond,” he explains. He designed a mahogany vanity and had it made by local company Vanguard Woodworks; the Grantham Chest—part of Inman’s “Downton Abbey”-inspired collection for Moore Councill—occupied a niche. A white-painted table from Richmond-based McKinnon and Harris stood near a wall that showcased a series of pressed flowers by local artist Anne Blackwell Thompson.
Other furnishings included a sofa and dresser from Kindel and a bedstead, bench and mirror by Niermann Weeks.
Interior Design: Gary Inman, Allied ASID; Catherine Stanley, CID, Glavé & Holmes Architecture, Richmond, Virginia. Builder: Joe Hill, Bel Arbor Builders, Chesterfield, Virginia. Photography: Kip Dawkins.
Other Rooms We Love:
During the conversion of a pre-war row house to three condos in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Northwest DC, Davida Rodriguez was brought in to design kitchens that would mirror the fresh, modern aesthetic the developer sought. “I wanted to make the kitchens feel extravagant on a budget,” she says.
Rodriguez played off contrasting elements in her designs. In our favorite, pictured here, she chose textured black and high-gloss, white-painted cabinets by Canada-based Miralis. The hood, encased in white glass tile, creates a strong visual block, while an attached panel made of black-painted drywall floats above the island to impart an airy feel. The same glass tile in black forms the backsplash. A niche for decorative items breaks up a solid wall of cabinetry. “I like to play with positive and negative space,” Rodriguez explains. “Any kind of opening or floating element creates drama, openness, and lightness.”
Between the refrigerator and wall ovens, a line of cabinets in aluminum and frosted glass lengthens the room visually while adding interest. Engineered quartz in Arctic White brings a crisp, clean feel to the countertops, which on the island boast a waterfall edge. Taking advantage of the kitchen’s 11-foot height, Rodriguez specified ceiling-height cabinets; the hood and floating panel cleverly fill the space created by the high ceilings, while recessed lights in the panel illuminate the island. Concrete floors convey an industrial vibe. Stainless-steel Bosch appliances and chrome counter stools complement the room’s contemporary feel.
Kitchen Design: Davida Rodriguez, CKD, Davida’s Kitchen & Tiles, Gaithersburg, Maryland. Developer & Builder: Rashid Salem, Q Street Development, Washington, DC. Photography: Bob Narod.
Other Rooms We Love:
A couple building a custom, Nantucket-style home in McLean tapped Kristin Peake to tackle the interiors. The designer envisioned elegant but casual spaces with a sense of longevity—and her design for the dining room perfectly exemplifies this vision.
Peake worked with architect Mark Sullenberger and builder Patrick Latessa to create millwork that would convey the sensibility of an older home. “We specified the moldings and trim and applied the paint with an aged-brushstroke, striaed look,” she says. “It added an Old World, nostalgic element.” Because the owner wanted an uncluttered look, the team constructed a hidden closet by the fireplace for storage in place of a built-in china cabinet.
The highlight of the room is a custom wall stencil by Washington, DC-based Swatchroom depicting delicate branches entwined in an intricate, wispy pattern. Peake had the inspired idea of faux painting panels on the walls, which impart depth to the surfaces while adding to the room’s older-home look. She explains that the walls were otherwise left unadorned to allow “the murals to be the art.”
A palette of beige and gray enhances lightly distressed furniture in a worn patina that looks “vintage rather than country,” says Peake. The table, by Lorts, is paired with shaped Napoleon chairs sporting pewter nail-head trim; host chairs are done in a textured fabric by Lillian August. Linen draperies with an embroidered pattern by Lee Jofa soften the windows and a custom chandelier in antique glass by Dana Creath Designs adds interest above the table.
Architecture: Mark R. Sullenberger, AIA, Custom Design Concepts, McLean, Virginia. Interior Design: Kristin Peake, Kristin Peake Interiors, LLC, Rockville, Maryland. Builder: Patrick Latessa, The Galileo Group, McLean, Virginia. Photography: Geoffrey Hodgdon.
Other Rooms We Love:
In the hands of Mary Drysdale, the living room of a Bethesda home is a study in contrasts. Part of a whole-house renovation, it reflects the age and traditional style of the 100-year-old house while adding fresh, contemporary flair.
Drysdale had already designed numerous homes for the owners when she was called on for this one. The couple requested a living room for “gracious entertaining.” But measuring a massive 44 by 22 feet, space needed some architectural detailing to define it. Drysdale imparted symmetry with an extra, non-working set of doors at each end that balance the existing, functional ones. Crown moldings were also installed.
Since the living room provides access to four other rooms in the house, “it had to transition from those other rooms and work with them all,” Drysdale explains, because each room is painted a strong, vivid hue. She chose pale green walls and off-white silk drapes and linen upholstery and had the original wood floors glazed off-white with a subtle tone-on-tone stripe. Around their periphery, a floor stencil echoes the shape of the Wendell Castle coffee table that Drysdale selected to add punch to the room.
Other furnishings include the owners’ antique settees and chairs, now glazed and reupholstered; occasional tables from Hickory Chair; Louis XV chairs that flank the fireplace; and an ottoman customized by Drysdale Design Associates.
Orange-and-white abstract paintings by Donald Judd and a circular abstract over the fireplace by Linling Lu infuse the room with vibrancy and interest. Matching orange throw pillows complete the space.
Interior & Architectural Design: Mary Douglas Drysdale, Drysdale Design Associates, Washington, DC. Contractor: Jim Gibson, Gibson Builders, LLC, Washington, DC. Photography: Ron Blunt.
Other Rooms We Love:
Sponsored by the Maryland Building Industry Association, the annual Custom Builder Awards honor quality architecture, construction and remodeling projects in the Greater Washington, DC, area. Following is a list of all 2015 MBIA winners; Gold Award winners are pictured on these pages.
Custom Traditional Home
GOLD—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC. Architecture: Studio Z
Design Concepts. Photography: Michael Kress Photography.
Custom Contemporary Home
GOLD—Lang, and Company. Architecture: Cynthia Shoup
Schiffrin, AIA. Photography: A.F. Wright Photography.
Custom Transitional Home over 5,000 square feet
GOLD—Laurence Cafritz Builders. Architecture: Sutton-Yantis Associates Architects. Photography: Kenneth M. Wyner.
Custom Transitional Home under 5,000 square feet
GOLD—Anthony Wilder Design/Build, Inc. Architecture: Sean Mullin, AIA. Photography: Morgan Howarth.
SILVER—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC. Architecture: Studio Z Design Concepts.
Speculative Traditional Home
GOLD—Mid-Atlantic Custom Builders. Architecture: Custom Design Concepts. Photography: HomeVisit.
SILVER—Chuck Sullivan Homes. Architecture: Studio Z Design Concepts.
Speculative Transitional Home
GOLD—Three Brothers Land Co. Architecture: Claude C. Lapp, AIA. Photography: Scott Goodson.
SILVER—Mid-Atlantic Custom Builders. Architecture: Custom Design Concepts.
Custom Home under 3,500 square feet
GOLD—Douglas Construction Group, LLC. Architecture: Studio Z Design Concepts. Photography: Doug Monsein.
Custom Home between 3,500-5,000 square feet
GOLD—TailorCraft Builders, Inc. Architecture: Spire Architecture. Photography: Brian Landis.
SILVER—Three Brother’s Land Co. Architecture: GTM Architects.
Custom Home between 5,000-7,500 square feet
GOLD—Studio Z Design Concepts. Builder: Sandy Spring Builders. Photography: Stu Estler.
SILVER—GTM Architects. Builder: Gibson Builders.
BRONZE—Castlewood Consulting, LLC. Architecture: Castlewood Consulting, LLC.
Custom Home between 7,500-12,500 square feet
GOLD—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC. Architecture: GTM Architects. Photography: Michael Kress Photography.
SILVER—Battaglia Homes, LLC. Architecture: GBL Designs/
Greg Little.
Speculative Home between 3,500-5,000 square feet
GOLD—Castlewood Consulting, LLC. Architecture: James McDonald Associate Architects. Photography: TruPlace.
SILVER—Douglas Construction Group, LLC. Architecture: Claude C. Lapp, AIA.
Speculative Home between 5,000-7,500 square feet
GOLD—Bethesda Builders, Ltd. Architecture: GTM Architects/Luke Olson. Photography: Cesar Olivares.
SILVER—Mid-Atlantic Custom Builders. Architecture: Custom Design Concepts.
Speculative Home over 7,500 square feet
GOLD—Castlewood Consulting, LLC. Architecture: Castlewood Consulting, LLC. Photography: Tru Place.
Established in 2005, the Washington Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art advances the practice and appreciation of classical tradition in architecture and the allied arts. This year, the chapter launched an annual design competition to recognize fine classical work in the region.
The awards are named after John Russell Pope (1874-1937), a New York-based architect who also designed significant buildings in Washington, DC, including the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art. After a Philadelphia jury of experts selected the winning projects, the chapter announced its inaugural awards at a gala held on April 17 at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC. The winning residential projects are pictured, while landscape and non-residential winners are listed on these pages. For more information, visit classicist-washington.org.
NEW RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER 5,000 SQUARE FEET
Hamady Architects, LLC. A Mountain Home in West Virginia.
Honorable Mention: Donald Lococo Architects, LLC, Linnean House, Washington, DC.
RESIDENTIAL RENOVATION OR ADDITION OVER 5,000 SQUARE FEET
Neumann Lewis Buchanan Architects, Badger Hill Farm, Upperville, Virginia.
INTERIOR DESIGN
Thomas Pheasant Interiors, Gardenside, Southampton, New York.
Honorable Mention: Sroka Design, Norton Manor, Potomac, Maryland.
NEW RESIDENTIAL DESIGN UNDER 5,000 SQUARE FEET
Anne Decker Architects, Distilled Traditional, Bethesda, Maryland.
RESIDENTIAL RENOVATION OR ADDITION UNDER 5,000 SQUARE FEET
3north, Classicism Redux, Richmond, Virginia.
Honorable Mention: Jones & Boer Architects, Queen Anne Revival, Chevy Chase, Maryland.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Honorable Mention: Barnes Vanze Architects, Flemish Revival Townhouse, Washington, DC.
OTHER WINNERS:
COMMERCIAL, INSTITUTIONAL & ECCLESIASTICAL DESIGN Hartman Cox Architects, American Pharmacists Association Headquarters, Washington, DC. Honorable Mention: Glavé and Holmes Architecture, Carole Weinstein International Center, Richmond, Virginia.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION Hartman Cox Architects, Francis L. Cardozo High School, Washington, DC.
LANDSCAPE DESIGN Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, Seven Ponds Farm, Albemarle County, Virginia. Honorable Mention: Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, The Cedars, Old Brookville, New York.
URBAN PLANNING Michael Watkins Architect, LLC, Union Village, Lebanon, Ohio.
ARTISANSHIP Gaston & Wyatt, Monticello Venetian Blinds, Charlottesville, Virginia.
The AIA Northern Virginia chapter gathered on June 4 for its annual Design Awards celebration at the recently completed Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon. A jury of Raleigh, North Carolina, architects judged the competition, which included 131 submissions. To view a winners’ gallery, visit aianova.org/DA15.
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Robert M. Gurney, FAIA Architect, Twining Road Renovation, Potomac, Maryland.
AWARD OF MERIT
Anne Decker Architects, LLC, Distilled Traditional, Bethesda, Maryland.
AWARD OF MERIT
Shinberg/Levinas Architectural Design Inc., Woods Residence, Easton, Maryland.
AWARD OF MERIT
Robert M. Gurney, FAIA Architect, Sharma Mathur House, Washington, DC.
JUROR CITATION
Carter + Burton Architecture, PLC, River House, Madison, Virginia.
JUROR CITATION
John Michael Day Architect, Night Watchman, Washington, DC.
NON-RESIDENTIAL WINNERS:
HERLONG AWARD AECOM, Riyadh Metro Project, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS, Woodley Wardman, Washington, DC • Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS, 11141 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland. • Gensler, Intelsat, McLean, Virginia. • Gensler, Tysons Tower, McLean, Virginia. • Shinberg/Levinas Architectural Design Inc., Kol Shalom, Rockville, Maryland.
AWARDS OF MERIT AECOM, Integrated Engineering Services Building, Hampton, Virginia. • Cunningham | Quill Architects, Charlottesville Strategic Investment Area Plan (unbuilt), Charlottesville, Virginia. • DBI Architects, Inc., Summit Consulting, LLC, Washington, DC. • David Jameson Architect, Sherber + Rad, Washington, DC. • FOX Architects, 1400 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia. • Gensler, Lynn University International Business Center, Boca Raton, Florida. • MTFA Architecture, East Feliciana Parish Courthouse, Clinton, Louisiana.
JURORS’ CITATIONS Hickok Cole Architects, CSIS, Washington, DC. • Jacobs, Modular Air Control Tower.
Throughout the Baltimore-Washington region, experienced interior designers bring a high level of expertise and innovation to the local residential-design scene. No matter what their style and budget, area homeowners are fortunate to have such a diverse talent pool at their disposal. The links below introduce some of the region’s top interior designers and share examples of their work.
Melissa Broffman, Melsissa Broffman Interior Design
Arlene Critzos & Andrea Blamphin, Interior Concepts, Inc.
Susan Gulick, Susan Gulick Interiors Ltd.
Barbara Hawthorn, Barbara Hawthorn Interiors, Ltd.
Andrea Houck, A. Houck Designs
Kori Keyser, Keyser Interiors, Inc.
Kristin Peake, Kristin Peake Interiors, LLC
Annette Phillips, Inspired Design, LLC
Joanne Rodriguez, Joanne Rodriguez Interior Design
Skip Sroka, Sroka Design, Inc.
