Clients with severe time constraints were looking to upgrade their home- technology system while also fitting out a new media room in their basement. They called on Encore Custom Audio Video to incorporate new, cutting-edge technology throughout their home.
| Then | Now |
| Limited lighting and basic HVAC controls were split and didn’t work together. The system was convoluted, with manual switches and redundant functions. Wireless access was difficult to navigate. | Encore centralized control distribution, introducing new A/V and HVAC zones and integrating zones of audio, video and lighting. Controls are now user-friendly. |
| In the home theater, the sound system was inadequate for the owners’ needs. | Acoustical treatments clad each wall. Custom sub-woofers are under the screen, behind which speakers create theater-quality sound. |
| The bland, bare-bones home theater was open to the rest of the basement, with a necessary but unattractive bulkhead obstructing the space. | The home theater is a separate room. It has a second bulkhead for symmetry. A coffered ceiling holds recessed light boxes and the screen is recessed for a cleaner look. New furniture invites viewers to relax. |
THEATER DESIGN & CONTRACTING: Ian Williams, Encore Custom Audio Video, LLC, Chantilly, Virginia. INTERIOR DESIGN: Nicolette Bozsik, Allied ASID, Nicolette Interiors, LLC, Alexandria, Virginia. PHOTOGRAPHY: Gwin Hunt.
A Bethesda family tapped Ali Honarkar of Division1 Architects to replace their dark, 1950s-era home with a prefab abode, as money was a concern. Honarkar instead created a new house on the same footprint that answered his clients’ requirements without breaking the bank.
| Then | Now |
| The house was dilapidated, with vinyl siding and an impractical raised deck. | The new house is clad in warm- hued cedar siding accented by metal panels. The functional deck is at ground level. |
| A problematic slope required steep stairs down from the deck to access the backyard. The owners couldn’t easily get outdoors from the house. | The public spaces in the new house are on the lower level so the living areas open out to the yard. In the kitchen (right of frame), the counter extends outside to house a built-in grill. |
| A product of its era, the house was cramped and dark, with very little natural light. | Abundant windows admit natural light. Outside the two- story living room (left), structural louvers filter the light. |
ARCHITECTURE: Ali R. Honarkar, AIA, Division1 Architects, Washington, DC. BUILDER: Renovations Unlimited, Inc., Washington, DC. PHOTOGRAPHY: Debi Fox.
The area’s top landscape professionals gathered at the Gaithersburg Marriott, Washingtonian Center, for the 2009 Excellence in Landscape Awards sponsored by the Landscape Contractors Association MD-DC-VA (LCA).
Photos by Stacy Zarin Goldberg.
The 2009 IIDA Mini Golf Classic at the Washington Metro City Center gave attendees a chance to play on a special nine-hole mini-golf course designed by members of the International Interior Design Association. Guests also enjoyed cuisine from the Dogfish Head Alehouse, raffle prizes and entertainment by a deejay. Proceeds from the event benefitted the National Building Museum’s Sustainability and School Program Funds.
Photos by Lydia Cutter.
the Baltimore/Washington Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association held its Hall of Fame awards at the Pooks Hill Marriott in Bethesda.
Photos by Bob Narod.
On September 29, HOME & DESIGN was a sponsor of GALA 2009, the Great American Living Awards celebrating excellence in new home building and residential home marketing. Click on the thumbnails below to see photographs from the event, which was held at The Ritz Carlton
Tysons Corner.
Photos by Bob Narod.
On July 8, 2009, HOM|E & DESIGN was a sponsor of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry Metro DC Chapter's monthly dinner meeting at the Hilton Hotel in Rockville. The event honored newly certified professional graduates.
Photos by Randall Hill.
Our annual home show at the Sheraton Premiere in Tysons Corner featured nearly 100 exhibitors and speakers on April 25 & 26. Click on the thumbnails below to see photographs from HOME & DESIGN's Luxury Expo.
H&D and Carnemark Studios partnered to celebrate at its new Bethesda showroom the launch of KONST, the metro area’s exclusive SieMatic dealer on May 7. Click on the thumbnails below to see photographs from the event.
Photos by Bob Narod.
H&D greeted guests at the AIA Chesapeake Bay Chapter’s tour of the stunning Fleischer Residence on May 14, 2009. Click on the thumbnails below to see photographs from
the event.
Photos by Stacy Zarin Goldberg.
The Maryland Chapter of ASID and the Baltimore Chapter of IFDA held an industry networking event at Gutierrez Studios in Baltimore's Clipper Mill. HOME & DESIGN was a co-sponsor of the event, which included a tour of the 20,000 square-foot-production facility, housed in a restored 19th-century foundry. Click on the thumbnails to see photos from the event.
Photos by Stacy Zarin Goldberg.
HOME & DESIGN partnered with Porcelanosa for the CEU program “Trends in Design” for designers and architects featuring guest speaker Patti Fason, a ceramic tile expert on May 20, 2009. Click on the thumbnails below to view photographs from the event.
Photos by Michael Ventura.
Studio Santalla hosted a reception at their Georgetown office to celebrate the publication of HOME & DESIGN's feature story on a client project on January 29, 2009. Click on the thumbnails below to view photographs from the event.
Photos by Bob Narod.
H&D partnered with Roche Bobois to unveil their new To The Trade program to guests from the design community on February 26, 2009, shown here enjoying cocktails and networking amidst the luxurious home furnishings showroom in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Click on the thumbnails below to see photographs from the event.
Photos by Michael Ventura.
Every year, HOME & DESIGN polls hundreds of industry professionals to find out whom they consider to be the past year’s leaders in architecture and design. The winners of the survey were featured in HOME & DESIGN’s 2010 Sourcebook—and celebrated at a special event held in Architectural Ceramics’ fabulous Chevy Chase showroom.
Photos by Bob Narod.
The Washington Design Center unveiled its DreamHome: Jewel Tones of Design show house with a special reception. Eight design teams created rooms using jewelry as inspiration. Home & Design is the media sponsor of the DreamHome, which remains open until December 9th.
Photos by Bob Narod and Melody Rush.
