Owner and CEO Roger Blattberg founded Great Falls Construction in 1979 with a focus on building custom homes. Over the years, the company adjusted with the times, developing more than 60 lots in Northern Virginia during the ’80s and ’90s—though its preference for custom construction never wavered. Today, GFC focuses on a wide range of projects, from small-scale, kitchen-and-bath remodels to transformative, whole-house renovations and sprawling custom homes. “We are true custom builders in that each project represents the interests of the client and is unique,” Blattberg says.
Great Falls Construction cultivates a team-player attitude during a process that begins with extensive dialog with the client. “We feel we’re a key member of a collaborative effort,” Blattberg notes. “We don’t do things on the fly; we try to work out all details before the first shovel hits the ground.” The result is an upfront understanding of materials, timeframes and costs, spelled out in a comprehensive contract.
While the company doesn’t employ an architect on staff, Blattberg and his team work regularly with local architecture firms and will often suggest architects they think will best suit a clients’ plan. A typical project is assigned to a dedicated superintendent and project manager, though this may vary depending on a project’s size and scope. In all cases, the team works with experienced, time-tested subcontractors. “We think it’s important to upgrade our capabilities through high-quality subcontractors,” Blattberg explains. “We tap into the best subs—those who are intent on upping their game.”
He and his team also stay current by keeping up with new products and attending industry shows; their projects incorporate state-of-the-art electronics and integrated systems for lighting and appliances. Blattberg advocates a judicious use of engineered building materials. “There’s something about the texture and substance of real stone or stucco,” he says. “It conveys an ageless quality. A home can speak to you through time-honored products.”
Great Falls Construction stays intentionally small, currently employing a staff of 10 that, in a given year, takes on a limited number of custom homes and about 15 renovations. Projects currently underway include a 9,000-square-foot custom home on five acres in Great Falls; a master-suite renovation in Herndon, complete with an elevator; extensive site work on an Oakton property, including in-ground utilities, landscape and hardscape; and a whole-house transformation in Vienna that will triple the home’s size and completely alter its
aesthetic. “We spread our footprint across a broad area,” Blattberg observes.
He adds, “A few things set us apart. We conduct ourselves proficiently as a business and the quality of our work is high, incorporating good design and materials. But our best asset is our ‘people resources.’ Being part of a dynamic project—it never gets old.”
Facts & Stats
Great Falls Construction’s affiliate firm, Riverbend Custom Cabinetry & Millwork, handles smaller kitchen-and-bath projects, providing both cabinetry and design services.
Inquiries:
737 Walker Road, Suite 2, Great Falls, Virginia 22066; 703-759-6116 • greatfallsconstruction.com
A family of four loved their McLean, Virginia, neighborhood—but not so much their 1998 house,
which was poorly constructed with a problematic layout. They asked architect Bruce Wentworth
to overhaul both the kitchen/family room and the master-bedroom suite using high-quality building materials and better space planning.
Wentworth and his team began by gutting the kitchen. “It didn’t work for their family,” he says.
“They hated the two-level island in the center and the cooktop on it, with its hood dominating the room.”
He replaced the island with a wide peninsula and installed a range with a decorative mosaic-tile backsplash on the far wall as a focal point. An additional window above the sink brings in light; though it replaced a row of upper cabinets, Wentworth supplied storage opposite, where a wall of gray-painted cabinetry features pantry cupboards, a coffee station, a beverage bar and glass-fronted display cabinets.
Upstairs, “the master suite was enormous, with wasted space taken up by a superfluous sitting room,” Wentworth recounts. “We reconfigured it to accommodate a second-floor laundry and a walk-in closet.” A vestibule was designed at the entry to the bedroom; it leads conveniently to all the new spaces—including the restful, marble-clad bath.
Renovation Architecture & Contracting: Bruce Wentworth, AIA, Wentworth, Inc., Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Tracy Morris grew up in Northern Virginia, so when she married in 2017 and moved from DC’s Glover Park neighborhood to McLean, it felt like coming home. She and her husband, Justin Li, chose a spacious townhouse in easy walking distance to restaurants and shops in the downtown area. “What I love about McLean is that it’s a quiet, older town full of small businesses,” Morris says. “There are almost no chains here—it’s a real community.”
The couple’s abode is part of a 1980s enclave with a distinctly “Chippendale Virginia look,” as Morris describes it: a brick exterior and interior spaces embellished with traditional millwork and trim. She and Li bought their home from a local designer, Theo Thompson; he had purchased it as an investment, redoing the kitchen and master bath in classic white with marble surfaces and the two and a half other baths in travertine before putting it on the market. It was in move-in shape when its new owners arrived. “I was able to just come in and decorate,” Morris recounts. “I hardly bought anything; it all came from my previous condo and from a weekend retreat I had recently sold in the Northern Neck.”
A curved staircase dominates the vestibule, which is adorned with a diamond motif on the painted floor. The open space flows down two short stairways—into the living room on one side and towards the open-plan kitchen/family room on the other. The vestibule walls reach only to chair-rail level, revealing the family room beyond the dramatically curving stair and the dining room/living room ahead and to the right. Upstairs are the master suite, guest room and a home office for Li, an entrepreneur.
Morris brought her signature elegant, restful style to each room. Fortunately, the previous owner had selected quiet paint colors that fit her vision. “I am drawn to a neutral palette,” she observes. “Not only do I design that way, I live it. Cream, beige and plum are my main colors; it’s just easy to keep things neutral and add color when you need it.” A tranquil blue-green by Farrow & Ball covers the walls on the main floor and in the hall upstairs, while bedrooms are painted beige with white trim.
Morris repurposed most of her existing furniture and art—without argument from Li, who clearly didn’t mind surrendering most of his own furniture to the cause. “I just stay out of the way, then come in and go, ‘Wow!’” he says happily. “Everything is always beautiful.”
The living room combines pieces from Morris’s Northern Neck house with a sofa and chaise from Li’s former apartment—all atop a custom Oushak rug the designer had in inventory. The adjoining dining room combines a Lillian August sideboard with antique architectural prints Morris framed herself.
Washington’s Cleveland Park neighborhood is known for ornate Victorians nestled along tree-lined streets. Perched atop a gently sloping lot on a picture-perfect block, the Wedding Cake House exemplifies the venerable district’s offerings. Over the years, its curvaceous front porch, tiered architecture and frothy, decorative frieze have earned it this moniker—and thanks to historic-district regulations, the distinctive front façade remains happily intact.
However, when new owners—a government affairs executive and his wife, a scientist, and professor—purchased the house in 2015, they had a list of improvements they wished to make inside. “The bones were in great shape,” recalls the husband. “But the last time the house had been touched was during a renovation in the early ’80s, so we wanted a more modern-day update.”
The couple tapped architect Jane Treacy, who had worked on their previous home, and designer Annie Elliott to make the house more modern and functional while respecting its considerable history and charm. The 6,200-square-foot abode already contained three large, finished levels, so “it was plenty big,” Treacy says. “We knew we weren’t going to add to it, but there was some rearranging we wanted to do inside.” Changes would include overhauling the kitchen, butler’s pantry, and bathrooms; creating a spacious and functional master suite; improving bedroom closets for the couple’s two kids; and reorganizing the main-floor rooms for better use.
Embarking on the kitchen renovation, Treacy and her clients worked within the room’s original footprint but removed a wall separating it from a small mudroom/laundry by the back door. “Taking advantage of that space gave the kitchen a visual connection to the rear yard,” says the architect, whose airy redesign enlarged a bank of existing windows and added a built-in window seat with storage cubbies.
Reconfigured around a new center island, the renovated kitchen flows into an existing breakfast nook. The butler’s pantry has been enlarged with space borrowed from the adjacent powder room. Cabinetmaker Stroba, Inc., which installed all the millwork, worked with Elliott and the owners on finishes that included kitchen cabinetry in Benjamin Moore’s Kensington Blue, Bianco Crystal granite countertops and a backsplash in white ceramic by Waterworks that mimics the look of tin ceiling tiles.
Upstairs, the master bedroom and adjoining sitting room/study remained intact. But, Treacy recounts, “the missing piece was a good dressing room, master bath, and closets. We absorbed a small adjacent bedroom to create those elements.” The finished space features a spacious dressing room, complete with built-ins, that opens onto his-and-her closets and an elegant, marble-clad bath.
One of the clients’ first design decisions was to flip the living room—formerly to the right of the foyer—with the dining room at the back of the house. A swinging door was installed between the butler’s pantry and the new dining room. In a playful nod to the Victorian penchant for wallpaper, Elliott papered the dining-room ceiling with blue-gray Phillip Jeffries grasscloth. “The clients didn’t want color on the wall here and I knew if we left the ceiling white it would look washed-out,” she explains. The new living room, painted soft yellow, feels cozy with its large bay window and easy access to the side porch.
Elliott’s goal for the décor was “to make it fresh and make it work for a young, active family,” she says. “We were looking to go traditional but a little bit cleaner.” Along with vibrant art picked up on their travels, the couple brought numerous antiques to their new home.
However, they specified that they didn’t want the rooms to be overly formal. “We have two teenagers and two dogs,” observes the husband. “It’s a very busy house.”
Against a backdrop of original heart-pine floors and Oriental rugs, Elliott sourced furniture to complement her clients’ antiques. In the living room, a custom-cut carpet from The Floor Gallery grounds an antique Heriz, a custom sofa in Robert Allen fabric and armchairs in a plaid Thibaut pattern. “We started with the rugs, then used their traditional reds and blues for the upholstery,” the designer notes.
An antique Mahal rug in the dining room shares space with a dining table from Jonathan Charles and a George III mahogany-and-ebony sideboard. Elliott’s selection of deep blue custom drapes trimmed in red completes the room—now one of the first things you see as you enter the house. “It’s the details,” Elliott says. “They are what makes this house so fun and interesting.”
Renovation Architecture: Jane Treacy, Treacy & Eagleburger Architects, PC, Washington, DC. Interior Design: Annie Elliott, Bossy Color, Washington, DC. Builder: deMarne+Day, Potomac, Maryland. Landscape Design: Renee Bullock, Arbor Green Landscapes LLC, Washington, DC.
RESOURCES
THROUGHOUT
Drapery & Upholstery Fabricator: Pilchard Designs, Inc.; 202-362-4395. Cabinetry & Built-ins: stroba.com.Foyer & Stairway. Lamp: visualcomfort.com. Stair Carpet: thefloorgallery.com. Chest: Italian, circa 1820-30; arcanummarket.com. Art on Stair Landing: lizahouston.com
LIVING ROOM
Sofa: Custom. Sofa Fabric: robertallendesigns.com. Armchair Fabric: thibaut.com. Carpet: thefloorgallery.com. Rug: Antique Heriz. Coffee and Round Side Tables: centuryfurniture.com. Pillow Fabrics: Schumacher.com Chandelier: visualcomfort.com. Statue of Horse: Antique. Portrait by Door: Vintage Chinese.
DINING ROOM
Rug: Antique Mahal. Sideboard: George III circa 1810; whitehallantiques.com. Chandelier: visualcomfort.com. Lamps on Sideboard: curreycodealers.com. Drapery fabric: robertallendesigns.com. Art above Sideboard: lizahouston.com. Dining Table: jonathancharlesfurniture.com. Host Chairs: Custom. Host Chair Fabric: clarencehouse.com. Small Console: Owners’ collection. Wallpaper on Ceiling: phillipjeffries.com.
KITCHEN
Art over Fireplace: georgerodrigue.com. Window Seat & Dining Chair Fabric: Duralee.com. Pillow Fabric on Window Seat: schumacher.com. Chandelier over Table: visualcomfort.com. Cabinetry: Custom. Paint Color on Cabinetry: benjaminmoore.com. Cabinet Hardware: rh.com. Backsplash & Sink: waterworks.com. Faucet: franke.com. Granite Countertops: unitedstatesmarbleandgranite.com. Curtains: romo.com.
MASTER BEDROOM
Bedstead & Nightstands: henredon.com. Lamps on Nightstands: curreyandcodealers.com. Bedding: sferra.com. Window Treatments Fabric: romo.com. Trim: duralee.com.
MASTER BATH
Cabinetry: Custom. Wall & Floor Tile: mosaictileco.com. Bathtub: signaturehardware.com. Tub Filler: perrinandrowe.com through rohlhome.com.
Architect Carmel Greer has a knack for enhancing projects with stylish, creative interiors. A charming brick Victorian in DC’s LeDroit Park proved to be a perfect vehicle for her talents. When its owner purchased the home, “it had been badly renovated and was a hodgepodge of different visions, eras, and tastes,” Greer recalls. “And things were sloping that shouldn’t have been sloping.”
Tasked with an overhaul in the original footprint, Greer restored the front parlor and dining room, which boasted 11-foot ceilings and elaborate crown moldings. Completely reorganizing the back rooms, she removed a wall that separated the kitchen and family room; relocated the powder room; created a mudroom; and got rid of a butler’s pantry and dated spiral staircase to enlarge the kitchen. Upstairs, a master suite now features an adjoining office that was carved out of an adjacent bedroom. The owner, an international business consultant, is thrilled with the results. “I am really happy with how it turned out,” she says. “It works well for me and the way I live.”
WHAT WAS YOUR VISION FOR THE UPDATE?
I always try to do what’s appropriate, and this house is so spectacular I thought it should be allowed to be what it wanted to be. I tried to limit “invasive” changes to places where the house had already been meddled with, like the back area.
HOW DID YOU ENSURE THE FRONT AND BACK WOULD FLOW TOGETHER?
We opened a door between the dining and family rooms. The owner wanted to keep the definition between rooms, which I think is appropriate in an older house. We also added complementary crown moldings in the family room but made them smaller as the ceiling is lower, about nine feet high.
HOW DID YOU SALVAGE THE FLOORS?
The floors are mostly original, and where we patched we tried to make them look original. They are the heart of pine, which can have an orange cast to it. To avoid that, we added a coat of stain topped with polyurethane that creates a strong sheen.
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WHY DID YOU PAINT ONE ROOM DARK BLUE WHILE THE OTHERS ARE NEUTRAL?
I think every house should have one surprise room in an intense, dark color. One dark room feels special among light rooms and the light rooms feel lighter by contrast. Here, the dining room is painted Benjamin Moore’s Dark Harbor.
HOW DID YOU APPROACH THE KITCHEN?
The goal was for it to fit the house. Everything in it is new, but it suits an older home. The owner and I both like kitchens without a lot of upper cabinets, so we put on a ledge along the wall above the stove where she can keep things. We created a wall of cabinetry on the other side to accommodate storage.
WHAT FEATURES MAKE THE KITCHEN FEEL UNIQUE?
There was a fireplace niche on one wall that used to hold the stove. We uncovered the brick behind it. Because of the way we reoriented the kitchen, the stove is now on a different wall. It’s a fun stove from Big Chill that’s the same color as the dining room walls.
WHERE DO THE BEAMS COME FROM?
In opening the space up, there was one structural beam that had to stay. We put in others to add interest; otherwise, it’s just a plain expanse of a ceiling. I painted the beams the cabinetry color because white beams would look awkward intersecting with the cabinets.
HOW MANY FIREPLACES ARE THERE?
This house has seven fireplaces, most of which are decorative, however, we were very keen to do fireplace makeovers so we converted the one in the living room to gas. We kept the wood mantels and marble surrounds intact but added honed-granite hearths that modernize them. They are a plausible material for space.
DID YOU CHOOSE THE FURNITURE?
The owner had all the furniture and art. It was amazing stuff and my job was to create a backdrop for it with color, lighting, and materials.
HOW DID YOU DETERMINE THE OWNER'S TASTE?
During our conversations, it became clear that she didn’t want all one thing; she preferred to be eclectic. She’s done a lot of traveling, especially in China, and has wonderful Chinese artwork and furniture.
HOW DID YOU ALTER THE MASTER SUITE?
With the bedroom and bath configurations in old houses, you have to make major changes. Here there wasn’t a proper master with a closet. I took the middle bedroom, which opened onto the hallway, and made it a walk-in closet and a little office off the bedroom with built-ins. It was what the client needed and didn’t impinge on the integrity of the house. A small room that might have been a nursery at one time became the master bath.
DESCRIBE THE THIRD-FLOOR BATH.
We ripped it out and started over with the same intention as the kitchen: that it should not feel like a jarring disconnect from the home. Like the other baths, it has marble elements and a timeless feel.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESIGN TASK?
I like the phase where I look at pictures and figure out what clients like and how we can marry that to the house.
ARE THERE TRENDS YOU CAN'T STAND?
I am pretty white marbled-out in the kitchen. It’s always beautiful, but I’ve done it a lot. Also, I’m bored with stainless steel. I love colorful appliances.
WHAT IS YOUR DESIGN PET PEEVE?
The notion that when you move into a new house, you get rid of everything and start from scratch. Without those oddball furniture pieces, it feels a little canned. This also applies to architecture. I don’t like ripping out things that have merit.
DO YOU HAVE ANY KITCHEN-DESIGN TIPS?
Be judicious with using glass cabinets. Things should look uncluttered—and you don’t want to show the Cheerios.
HOW DO YOU MELD CONTEMPORARY AND TRADITIONAL LOOKS?
I think art and lighting can bridge the divide. The living room in this home would feel very different from a traditional chandelier.
Renovation Architecture & Interior Design: Carmel Greer, AIA, LEED AP, District Design, Washington, DC. Builder: Precision Capital General Work, LLC, Takoma Park, Maryland.
FOUR SEASONS
A distinguished presence in rarified Washington circles, the late socialite and philanthropist Bunny Mellon was also accomplished in garden design—having masterminded the White House Rose Garden during the Kennedy era and the formal gardens of Givenchy’s château in France. The Gardens of Bunny Mellon, by Linda Jane Holden, pays tribute to Mellon by capturing four seasons at Oak Spring, the Mellons’ beloved Upperville, Virginia, estate, in images by acclaimed local photographer Roger Foley. The Vendome Press, October 2018. $60.
STORY TIME
Baltimore designer Patrick Sutton sees his vocation as storytelling. “I seek out the spirit that inhabits a place,” he notes, “and weave in the hopes and dreams of my clients to craft a tale that is uniquely theirs.” Storied Interiors: The Designs of Patrick Sutton and the Stories that Shaped Them showcases 10 residences and four hotels and restaurants, captured in 300 photographs by Roger Davies. Sutton shares thoughts on creating interiors by finding your own story. Images Publishing, October 2018. $55.
A three-year, $10.4 million transformation, overseen by Marks, Thomas Architects for The Walters Art Museum has rejuvenated its nearby annex, a Greek Revival mansion at 1 West Mount Vernon Place. Opened in June, the newly climate-controlled interiors gleam with restored plaster panels painted with fleur-de-lis reliefs; ornate Baccarat-style chandeliers; a grand spiral staircase; and a Tiffany stained-glass skylight.
Against this rich backdrop, pieces from the Walters’ collection, including 19th-century paintings, sculpture and decorative arts, blend perfectly on the first floor, which also showcases new works by ceramicist Roberto Lugo. Ceramics are displayed on the second floor, which is home to changing exhibits and community art projects. In a “maker space,” visitors can pursue their own artistic endeavors.
Says the Walters’ executive director Julia Marciari-Alexander, 1 West Mount Vernon Place “represents the next step in the museum’s evolution. It’s a place where we can collaborate with the public to create exceptional experiences.” thewalters.org
When Marymount University decided to rebuild its aging Ballston Center, located at the corner of a busy Arlington intersection, it embraced an unusual paradigm. In addition to housing the business school and graduate programs, the new center would also lease space to local businesses, creating a bridge between academic and private-sector entities that would allow students to learn in a business environment.
Marymount and the Shooshan Company, a local developer, tapped Gensler to design the building. Now finished, the nine-story Ballston Center is clad in a layered façade of glass, metal and terracotta tile. A view of the east façade (pictured above) reveals a floating stair with landings opening onto student lounge areas. Structural slabs, pipes and ductwork are accented in different colors on each floor, creating a vibrant spectrum. The stairs overlook a lively plaza shared with The Rixey, a new building offering apartments, graduate-student housing and retail outlets.
The LEED Gold-certified Ballston Center measures 165,000 square feet and features an auditorium, research labs, conference rooms, an art gallery and a chapel—among other amenities. Businesses occupy the top three floors. The project earned Gensler a 2018 AIA Northern Virginia Award of Merit for Institutional Architecture.
Exterior Architecture: Duncan Lyons, RIBA, LEED AP BD+C; Interior Design: Jill Goebel, IIDA, LEED AP, Gensler, Washington, DC. Exterior Contractor: Clark Construction Group, Bethesda, Maryland. Interior Contractor: HITT Contracting Inc., Falls Church, Virginia.
A Washington, DC, couple on the lookout for a weekend retreat purchased a circa-1910 cottage a block from the beach in Rehoboth. In addition to its alluring location, the property boasted a guesthouse on the premises that would provide their college-age kids with a modicum of privacy. With its weathered-shingle exterior, the main house perfectly fit its quaint, beachside neighborhood—as well as its owners’ needs.
However, there were some drawbacks. The interiors were dated and, as with most homes of its era, rooms were small and choppy. “It was in horrible shape when we bought it,” the wife recalls with a laugh. “We did a quick renovation and kept it for a number of years before deciding to make it nicer and more useful. Our main goal was to open up the rooms on the main level and give it a relaxed, beachy feel. And we wanted it to be stylish.”
The couple hired Rob Brown and Todd Davis, who had renovated a home in Florida for them, to work their magic again. While the owners would have preferred to add onto the three-bedroom structure, they were hampered by Rehoboth’s restrictions for historic properties, which limited the scope of their work to the home’s existing footprint.
“The house was basic, no frills—just a functional place on the beach,” says Davis. “Our first directive was to create openness and flow, so we took out the doorway between the foyer and the sitting area and created a bigger opening from the sitting area to the breakfast room.” A peninsula that separated the small kitchen from the breakfast room was demolished to make way for a large, efficient kitchen centered around an island big enough to seat five.
An operable NanaWall in the kitchen opens completely to a dining area on the existing porch, seamlessly connecting indoors and out. The porch wraps around the house to the front entry, providing plenty of outdoor living space. Transparent sheets on electric rollers protect it from the elements and extend its use into the cooler months.
The house has a low vintage charm inside so Brown and Davis recommended a dramatic interior makeover emphasizing millwork in an updated traditional style. “It was a modest cottage, utilitarian and blocky. We restored and improved the original so it felt like a higher-quality space,” Brown explains. “We made sure that the new architectural elements were appropriately cottagey. We thought, ‘It’s a cottage, so let’s make it as charming and cozy as possible.’”
To convey the “beachy” vibe the couple wanted, the designers, who split their time between offices in DC, Miami Beach and Los Angeles, went nautical. They replaced a window in the foyer and two flanking the fireplace with circular “porthole” openings. From wide-plank oak floors washed in a driftwood stain to the wood-paneled walls and board ceilings and beams, “the house is almost ship-like,” notes Brown.
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The original brick fireplace was also transformed. “If there is an opportunity to have a fireplace as a focal point, we take it,” Brown says. “In this case, we really dressed up the fireplace with millwork.” The wood-burning fireplace is now fitted with a gas element, providing a modern touch amidst traditional paneling.
The NanaWall also injects a modern note. “We try to make architectural renovations feel as if that’s the way they were designed in the beginning,” Davis explains. “But sometimes we’ll decide to say, ‘This is new, this is modern living. This house has been updated with the latest.’”
The clean-lined, crisp-white kitchen combines custom cabinetry with marble countertops and backsplash. A Mid-Century Modern light fixture makes a statement over the island, setting the tone for chic furnishings with nautical flair; for instance, the bar stools were designed to look like they belong aboard a cruise ship, with leather seats and chrome bases.
Brown Davis custom-designed virtually all of the furnishings in the home. The pieces embrace a sophisticated, mid-century vibe, from the mahogany-and-brass console in the entry to the coffee table, which combines lacquered live-edge oak on a brass base with splayed legs. The wood-paneled sofa back was inspired by the work of iconic Hollywood decorator Billy Haines, whose client roster included Joan Crawford and Nancy Reagan.
“What’s really nice about customizing furniture for clients is that we’re able to draw in the exact size needed,” observes Brown. “Size, seat height, firmness—we ensure that everything is a perfect fit in each space.”
Upstairs, bedrooms were reconfigured to add closet space. A faux-wood wall covering by Jerry Pair imbued the master bedroom with a rustic, beachy feel.
The chic new look is exactly what the homeowners wanted. “We’re in Rehoboth for most of the summer,” says the wife. “It’s where we go to relax. We’re at the beach every day, surfing, paddleboarding, playing tennis. We wanted the house to reflect that beach-going lifestyle.”
Renovation Architecture & Interior Design: Rob Brown and Todd Davis, Brown Davis Interiors, Inc., Washington, DC, Miami Beach, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. Contractor: Oak Construction Company, Lewes, Delaware.
RESOURCES
THROUGHOUT
Super White Paint on Millwork: benjaminmoore.com. Windows: marvin.com.Flooring: Custom finished, engineered European white oak. Millwork: Designed by browndavis.com; fabricated by oakconstructioncompany.com. Custom Furniture & Drapery Design and Fabrication: browndavis.com.
PORCH
Hanging Chair: cb2.com. Pillow & Upholstery Fabrics: thibaut.com. Rug: dwr.com
ENTRY
Console: browndavis.com. Table Lamp: westelm.com.
LIVING ROOM
Sectional, Sofa & Coffee Table: browndavis.com. Sectional & Sofa Fabric: romo.com. Patterned Pillow Fabrics: romo.com, China Seas fabric through quadrille.com. Fireplace: 42 Cosmo Unit with Ebony Glass through heatnglo.com. Floor Lamps: arteriors.com. Fan: Aviation through minkagroup.net.
KITCHEN
Chandelier: modhausliving.com.
MASTER BEDROOM
Wall Covering: jerrypair.com. Hanging Lamps: relaxhouse.com. Art above Bed: Client’s Collection. Window Seat Cushion & Patterned Fabrics: Travers through hinescompany.com, raoultextiles.com. Nightstands: straussfurniture.com. Dresser: westelm.com.
MASTER BATH
Mirror: rh.com. Floor: Penny round mosaic tile.
Stuart Nordin has always relished what she calls “the hunt for wonderful, unique things.” So when she decided in 2012 to launch her firm, Stuart Nordin Home & Design, in Old Town Alexandria, she simultaneously opened a retail shop that would double as a design studio. “I wanted to find special things that showcase my aesthetic while also meeting clients and doing design work,” she recounts. “It was the best thing I ever did.”
In 2016, Nordin moved to Richmond with her husband, who is in the military, and their three children. Undaunted by the change, she established a second studio there and began splitting her time between Richmond and Old Town—though she did shutter her storefront. Now, clients in both cities embrace her practical yet elegant sensibility. “I think because I have kids I want to be comfortable,” Nordin reflects. “I want everything to look nice and elegant and tied together, but I don’t want to be afraid to live in it.”
Interior Design: Stuart Nordin, Stuart Nordin Home & Design, Alexandria and Richmond, Virginia.
“I have been an art and design addict since I was a little kid,” declares Caryn Cramer with enthusiasm. “I was always into color, texture, form, and fabric—I am obsessed with fabric.”
After briefly practicing law, Cramer returned to her first love, earning a master’s degree in design from the Corcoran and becoming a visiting scholar at Copenhagen’s Royal Danish School of Design, where she printed fabrics for a textile designer while completing her thesis. Back in DC, she launched her firm, Caryn Cramer, in 2011. Since then, she has transformed many clients’ homes and also developed a collection of sustainable fabrics that she designs and paints by hand, then prints digitally on Belgian linen. Along with a new line of wall coverings printed on wood veneer, her textiles are available locally at A Mano in Georgetown.
“I love a creative challenge,” Cramer says. “Getting color and texture right, scale and balance, positive and negative space. And I love seeing through my clients’ eyes.” Positive thinking and space leads to success.
Interior Design: Caryn Cramer, Caryn Cramer, Washington, DC.
French-born Romain Baty arrived in the U.S. in 2016, leaving behind a burgeoning interior-design career inspired by years of art direction in elite Paris fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent and Dior. “I always wanted to live abroad,” he says. “When my husband was offered a job in Washington with the IMF, I said, ‘Yes!’”
The move turned out to be an opportunity for Baty, who now works on both sides of the Atlantic—currently completing a project on Capitol Hill while embarking on another in Paris. The designer espouses an eclectic sensibility. “I bring together different styles, shapes, and forms for contrast,” he explains. “This is what is interesting to me. I want to draw out my clients’ tastes but also expose them to something new.
“People have different values and cultures,” he continues. “Home is about intimacy and that means different things to different people. How you furnish your house is what you say to others about yourself.”
Interior Design: Romain Baty; Romain Baty, Washington, DC.
The Danish Embassy nestles within a rolling woodland by Rock Creek Park—a bucolic locale that inspired Henrik Kauffmann, Denmark’s ambassador to the U.S. from 1939 to 1958, to build a new embassy with an attached residence there during his tenure. He tapped modernist Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen to create a design that would reflect a modest, sensible aesthetic combining clean lines, beautiful materials and fine craftsmanship. Lauritzen conceived what visitors see today: two Functionalist structures full of windows and light, connected by a simple glass corridor.
The embassy residence is currently home to Ambassador Lars Gert Lose, his wife, Ulla Rønberg, and their three children, ages 18, 15 and 7. When they arrived in 2015, the streamlined, circa-1960 building envelope was juxtaposed with traditional interiors full of oil paintings and Persian rugs. Lose and Rønberg began making changes immediately. “Our idea was to create something different, a more contemporary look that would be a new point of departure for events and guests,” says the ambassador.
Rønberg, formerly a project leader at the Danish Agency for Culture, collaborated with the Danish Arts Foundation and the Danish Ministry of Culture on an initiative called Art in Embassy to bring thought-provoking, contemporary artworks to the embassy residence. “The foundation is the biggest source of federal funding for the arts in Denmark,” she explains. “They buy art and lend it to public institutions for 10-year periods.” As part of the initiative, Danish visual and performing artists will also share their culture in cities throughout the U.S., including Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, Detroit and Chicago, via talks, workshops and performances.
Today, the residence’s public rooms showcase a diverse gallery of modern Danish art on loan, including large mixed-media pieces, photography, colorful ceramics, sleek sculptures and avante-garde installations. Danish Modern design furnishings by Finn Juhl—who decorated the ambassador’s residence when it was first completed—and Arne Jacobsen complement the surroundings. “Because the architecture is so iconic in its expression of the ’60s, we felt it was important to show contemporary Denmark through the art,” Rønberg says. “But we also wanted to show how the furniture designed in the ’60s still works today.”
The art forwards the embassy’s mission to create dialog and connection between Denmark and the U.S. “It definitely is an ice-breaker,” says Lose, smiling as he gestures to an abstract installation made of cable wire by Tina Maria Nielsen that adorns the wall behind him. “When they ask us to explain the wire, then things get interesting.”
Lose hosts four to six events weekly at the residence, from meetings and evening receptions to breakfasts, lunches and panel discussions that take place on a lower-level stage. “The informal setting allows for a deeper dialog and makes it easier to discuss some of the more difficult issues. We wouldn’t be able to do this without the residence,” he observes.
Favorite events for Lose and Rønberg include Constitution Day, held June 5 each year, during which 700 to 800 guests congregate in tents on the lawn to celebrate the 1849 signing of the Danish constitution. Also popular is May’s EU Open House, when all European Union embassies open their doors to the public. The festivities spill out to the embassy parking lot, with Danish delicacies and Lego activities for kids. “It’s an opportunity to talk about the embassy and Denmark, to share our culture,” says Lose of the event, which lured 6,000 visitors this year.
Danish delicacies—and all other meals—are prepared by chef Jens Fisker, a Dane who has lived and worked in the U.S. for 20 years; his cuisine “is Nordic in mindset, with fresh, local vegetables and a lot of fish,” says Rønberg. “We don’t ship a lot from Denmark; that is not the Danish way. We do a lot for sustainability, healthy lifestyles and fighting food waste.” During a recent dinner party, guests donned aprons and prepared their own meals while Fisker supervised, using food that was about to be thrown away so it wouldn’t be wasted. “This is an example of how we think,” Rønberg notes.
Adds Lose, “The Danish are not formal people. Part of the goal for the embassy’s architecture was to reflect Danish values. It’s small scale because we are a small nation, and it’s full of windows not only for light but also for transparency. It represents openness.”
Opening to the public on June 21, The Observation Deck at CEB Tower in Rosslyn showcases 360-degree views of the nation’s capital—and far beyond—from its perch atop the tallest building inside the Beltway. The 12,000-square-foot, 31st-floor space is part of a whole-building design by architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle. “The observation deck was an integral part of the plan,” says lead designer Hany Hassan. “The building is sculptural, culminating at the top with this special amenity.”
Inside the oval, glass-walled space, dark-blue, non-reflective paint covers most surfaces for unimpeded evening viewing; lights embedded in the ceiling resemble stars in a night sky. Varying in height from 15 to 30 feet, the ceiling is faceted in prismatic forms that deflect sound. An upper level opens onto a cantilevered terrace. And a café occupies the center of the space.
JBG Smith, the developer behind CEB Tower, tapped Legends—creator of New York’s One World Observatory—to make The Observation Deck a must-see attraction. It boasts interactive displays and audio programs that weave DC’s history into the viewing experience; theviewofdc.com
Architecture: Hany Hassan, FAIA, buildpartner-in-charge and lead designer; Jessica Anderson, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, project manager; Hau Bui, Associate AIA, LEED AP, project architect, Beyer Blinder Belle, Washington, DC. Contractor: Clark Construction, Bethesda, Maryland.
SOFT PALETTE
Marika Meyer has updated the Spring 2017 collection of her eponymous fabric line in a softer palette; pictured above are Pompeii, San Michele and Laurel Leaf in new, neutral colorways. In addition, the designer will soon debut a Summer 2018 collection inspired by 19th-century botanical engravings. Marika Meyer Textiles are available at Guerin Design Collective. marikameyertextiles.com
DESIGN INSPIRATION
Barry Dixon’s first wall-coverings line for Vervain boasts motifs ranging from botanical prints and landscapes to abstract striaes and geometric patterns. The 12 designs are produced using laser-printing and digital-imaging techniques as well as hand-printing, flocking and beading. Pictured above: Limonium, rendered from 19th-century, hand-colored specimen studies owned by Dixon. Available through Fabricut at J. Lambeth. vervain.com
UPDATED TRADITIONAL
The Tidewater Collection of tables, chests and accent pieces by Easton, Maryland-based Jamie Merida for Chelsea House marries Chinoiserie and Chinese Chippendale motifs with updated materials and finishes. Pictured above: Trio Tables, made of marble and iron finished in antiqued gold leaf. Available at Merida’s Easton store, Bountiful Interiors. jamiemerida.com
A cramped McLean rambler had become chaotic and cluttered for a family with six children ranging in age from five to 19. The owners tapped interior designer Laura Fox to bring style and order to their abode. One of the main priorities: a welcoming, kid-friendly basement redo with plenty of storage. “My clients wanted a space where the family could hang out together, where the parents could entertain friends and the kids would also want to spend time on their own,” Fox explains.
To organize the large lower-level space, Fox created several convenient zones. She delineated a cozy seating area in front of the TV; a mudroom lined with cubbies that store outdoor items near the back door; and a crafts-and-homework zone where she designed a wall of built-in cabinetry to keep art projects and toys in order. She also borrowed space from a storage room and closet to create a wine cellar and designed a teak structure for it that holds 550 bottles.
Dated wood paneling has been replaced by drywall painted white with off-white trim, while accents of Sherwin Williams’ Whirlpool blue keep things bright and cheerful. A dingy brick fireplace has been narrowed and white-washed; attractive built-in bookshelves now flank it on both sides.
Interior Design: Laura Fox, Laura Fox Interior Design, LLC, Kensington, Maryland. Contractor: SugarOak Corporation, Herndon, Virginia.
