Seven years ago, a couple walked into Randall Kipp’s office and asked him to design their dream house on the water—in about five years. They had just purchased a seven-acre lot on the western shore of Little Bay, a Chesapeake Bay tributary in Virginia’s Northern Neck, with Kipp in mind. “That’s how they wanted to approach it,” recalls the architect, known for his modern portfolio. “They said, ‘We found this property, we think you’re the guy who can do it justice. We don’t have any money now but we’ll be back.’”
Sure enough, the couple returned five years later, ready to start the process. Both endure a hectic daily commute from New Jersey to Manhattan, where the wife works as a tax attorney and the husband is a day trader. They were looking for a refuge from the chaos—a retreat for holidays and weekends and, ultimately, for retirement. They wanted contemporary style and water views galore.
Kipp began by walking the property—no easy feat, since “it was so overgrown we literally had to have it cleared before we could get to the water,” he recalls. Once there, however, views capturing peaceful, scenic Little Bay at the point where it opens into the Chesapeake were worth it.
Kipp sited the house with this panorama in mind. “There are views in both directions,” he notes, “and the beauty is that they are never static; they are different in each direction. We wanted to get both.” He, therefore, designed a structure that angled at its center to accentuate vistas to the north and south.
The 4,000-square-foot building is elevated above sea level by a four-foot-high plinth that protects it from flooding and lends it presence when approached from the water. As further insurance, the lower level is clad in heavily rusticated concrete that resembles stone. “I figured in any severe weather event the building was certain to get scuffed up and I wanted to provide a material that could take the abuse,” the architect explains. Polished-concrete floors on the lower-level interiors also protect against possible flooding.
Builder Joe Heyman of The Allen Group was tasked with making Kipp’s complex design a reality. He and his team framed the building out of steel to ensure that it could withstand hurricane-force winds and accommodate massive, heavy expanses of glass. “We used two-story window systems with frameless glass corners that are supported by steel beams and bar joists,” Heyman says. “They are all triple-pane windows from the German company Unilux, with hurricane-rated glass.” Challenges included installing a floor-to-ceiling, lift-and-slide door that spans 24 feet; it joins with a glass pocket door at one corner without employing any visible framework.
The house is composed of two volumes separated by a three-story atrium. At its center, an elevator shaft is wrapped by a cantilevered, three-story steel staircase. Glass bridges connect the volumes on the second and third levels, creating a line of sight down to the first floor and “a delicate, treehouse effect,” says Kipp.
One volume contains the public spaces: an open living/dining room, kitchen, powder room and screened porch on the second level and a home office and a hearth room with a fireplace and TV on the third. The other volume houses the master suite on the second floor and a solarium on the third. Guest rooms, rec room, kitchenette, laundry, and mudroom occupy the lower level, which leads out to a spacious carport below the master-bedroom wing.
The emphasis throughout is on light and views. Openings in the floors and ceilings connect each level, with balconies on the second and third levels overlooking the floors below and glass walls adding to the sense of openness. Part of the second floor’s airy, open-plan living area spans two stories, while floor-to-ceiling windows bring the outdoors in. The lift-and-slide wall of glass stacks to one side, extending the living space seamlessly out to the adjacent screened porch. The solarium, a contemplative space, features a corner wall of floor-to-ceiling glass with vistas of Little Bay on one side and the Chesapeake on the other.
Kipp embraced what he calls “a marriage of modern and industrial” for the minimalist interiors. He left the steel columns exposed, painting them bronze. Custom railings of powder-coated bronze steel and ipe, designed by the architect and fabricated by local metal worker Jeffrey Darden, maintain openness inside and out. Rift-cut oak clads the floors on the second and third levels, and the windows are set deep into alder wood frames. The kitchen and master bath are sleek and modern, with custom alder wood cabinetry and quartz countertops.
Off the screened porch, Kipp designed a triangular deck that resembles the prow of a ship. “The location on the water lent itself to the design,” he explains. “I wanted to echo those nautical influences.”
Architecture: Randall J. Kipp, AIA, NCARB, Randall Kipp Architecture, Irvington, Virginia. Builder: Joe Heyman, The Allen Group, Inc., Urbanna, Virginia.
When it comes to real estate, the word “development” conjures images of bland neighborhoods stocked with cookie-cutter houses. Yet the DC area brims with charming residential enclaves that are, in fact, developments. Representing eras ranging from late-Victorian to Mid-Century Modern, many boast their own architectural vernacular. Case in point: a wide, tree-shaded street in Northwest DC lined with foursquare, post-Victorian homes. All are clad in painted stucco, adorned with gracious porches and bordered by picturesque picket fences.
A couple purchased one of these abodes in the mid-1980s, hired DC architect David Schwarz to update it, then got on with the chaotic business of raising four daughters. It wasn’t until the girls were grown and gone that they were ready to embark on a real change.
“When we had little kids, we didn’t want to invest in anything,” explains the wife, a photographer. “And when they were teenagers we felt the same. Things never really got pulled together.”
She and her husband, a lawyer, tapped designer Joe Ireland to redesign the interiors, requesting a fresh aesthetic that would maintain the spirit of their five-bedroom, circa-1908 home. “We went for classic style, but updated with a younger feel,” Ireland says.
Leaving the layout intact, he and his team transformed the house from the ground up, gutting and redesigning the basement, bathrooms, and kitchen, adding architectural flourishes and furnishing many spaces anew. “We introduced elements of the designs created by the architect into other rooms to keep the look consistent,” Ireland notes. “Consistency was one of the springboards for the design.”
For instance, the designer and his team brought cove lighting from the dining room into the living and family rooms and duplicated cabinet-door styles on additional built-ins. They squared off an archway that bisected the living room to match the openings to the entry hall, which are flanked by decorative columns—then added the same columns to the living room.
Ireland and his clients also took an editor’s approach to the material palette. The four-and-a-half baths all feature vertical-grain, honey-hued oak cabinetry, White Fantasy marble countertops and white-stone mosaic tile from Architectural Ceramics on the floors and tub and shower surrounds. The same marble also tops the anigré kitchen cabinets and clads the living room fireplace.
With new architectural elements in place, Ireland tackled the décor. Influenced by the wife’s penchant for purple, he introduced soft lavender, gray and cream, creating an understated backdrop for elegant yet comfortable furnishings. Twin Diamond Studios faux-finished the living and dining room walls: cream in the living room with a touch of mica to give it a little sparkle, and lavender glaze in the dining room to complement a large-scale, abstract canvas on one wall. Like the rest of the house, the dining room windows are dressed with both wood shutters and Roman shades.
Though his clients were ready to replace much of their furniture, Ireland found ways to incorporate a number of old favorites. In the living room, he took cues from matching Biedermeier chests already belonging to the owners that, he says, “exemplified their style.” At one end of the room, a Holly Hunt sofa faces a silk-velvet sofa and matching kidskin chairs by Josef Frank. At the other end, another Holly Hunt sofa pulls up to a custom coffee table with a sofa and chairs from The Bright Group in an abstract stripe. “We took things that were classic and put an updated spin on them,” Ireland explains. “We went contemporary but in a subtle way.”
Accent pieces from the online antique resource 1stdibs enhance the classically refined feel. These include Biedermeier occasional tables, Art Nouveau wood-framed chairs, graceful floor and table lamps and an Edwardian-era, glass-fronted cabinet beside the fireplace. A carpet by Stark was customized to fit the irregular space.
Ireland’s understated design allows the owners’ artwork—including a wealth of family and travel photography by the wife—to take center stage. The designer uniformly framed and hung pieces in galleries throughout the house.
Despite its formality, the home comfortably welcomes frequent visits from family members, including grandchildren. The guest bedrooms and renovated basement feature built-in daybeds. The sunken family room is all about comfort, with a Minotti sectional for TV viewing and a shag rug from Georgetown Carpet.
The owners are happy with the results of their makeover, which perfectly fits their changing needs as well as their idyllic, time-honored neighborhood.
Interior Design: Joe Ireland, JD Ireland Interior Architecture & Design, Washington, DC. Contractor: BOWA, McLean, Virginia.
RESOURCES
GENERAL
Paint: benjaminmoore.com. Faux Finishes: twindiamonds.com. Built-ins, Columns, Cove Ceilings, Kitchen, Baths: bowa.com. Window treatments: Potomac Drapery.
LIVING ROOM
Wall treatment: twindiamonds.com. 1930s Biedermeier Occasional Tables; Danish Modern Floor Lamps; French Blown-Glass 1040s Table Lamps; Edwardian Glass-Fronted Cabinet by Fireplace; Art Nouveau Chairs: 1stdibs.com. Window Shade Fabric: romo.com. Coffee Table by Fireplace & Biedermeier Chests: Clients’ collection. Twin Sofas: hollyhunt.com. Striped Sofa & Armchair: thebrightcompany.uk. Twin Armchairs & Velvet Sofa by Josef Frank: 1stdibs.com. Piping on kidskin chairs: samuelandsons.com. Brass-and-Parchment Coffee Table: Custom design by jdireland.com. Coffee Table Fabrication: woodsandstyle.com. Carpet: stark.com. Frames for Photos: Framesmith DC; 202-518-2500.
DINING ROOM
Table, Chairs, Artwork & Asian Cabinet: Clients’ collection. Shade fabric: hollyhunt.com. Trim: and stroheim.com. Dining Chair Upholstery: kerryjoyce.com.
FOYER
Glass-Topped Console: 1stdibs.com
PORCH
Wicker Furniture: Clients’ collection. Fabric for pillows and cushions: pindler.com, perennialsfabrics.com and sunbrella.com.
FAMILY ROOM
Sofa: minotti.com. Rug: georgetowncarpet.com. Ceramics: Clients’ collection. Eames Stool: dwr.com.
KITCHEN
Cabinetry: Custom through Bethesda Kitchens. Appliances: ferguson.com through bowa.com. Table: arudin.com. Chairs & Counter Stools: thosmoser.com. Marble Countertops: glbtileandmarble.com.
MASTER BEDROOM
Eucalyptus Bedstead, Nightstands & Dresser, Walnut Bench: Custom design by jdireland.com. Fabricator: woodsandstyle.com. Rug: georgetowncarpet.com. Bed Linens: frette.com.
MASTER BATH
Cabinets: custom design by jdireland.com. Fabrication: bowa.com. Marble: glbtileandmarble.com. Tile: architecturalceramics.com. Hardware: nanz.com.
A couple who owned three unkempt acres in Oakton asked landscape architect Katia Goffin to transform their disordered property into a clean-lined, modern landscape. “They wanted contemporary style with very strong geometry,” Goffin says. “But they also wanted it to feel like a haven out in the country.”
A modern addition to the farmhouse-style home was in progress, so Goffin collaborated with the architect and builder to create a seamless whole. The addition—encompassing a garage clad in bluestone veneer with a cedar-and-glass master suite above it—houses a new, glassed-in front entry.
The owners wished to turn the former front of the house into a garden, “so we reorganized the way the house and traffic flowed around the property to accommodate that,” Goffin explains. She relocated the driveway from the front of the house to the side—where the new entry is—and devised a fresh approach through custom-designed, cedar-and-stainless-steel gates. The driveway courtyard of poured concrete is scored in a geometric pattern, and a wide bluestone path extends from it through the house and out to the backyard—creating flow between indoors and out.
The property is now divided into two garden areas. In the back, Goffin updated the existing pool and its surroundings, adding an ipe deck with a limestone water feature at its far end.
An outdoor kitchen is tucked into a niche beside the house and a square expanse of lawn provides space to pitch a tent for entertaining. A thermal bluestone patio and steps, pea-gravel paths and rows of boxwood punctuated with linden trees create order and symmetry. Beyond the garden, a rolling expanse of lawn forms a bucolic vista.
Located in the former front yard, the side garden is accessible from the house via what was a traditional front door—now replaced by a wide, industrial-chic glass door of Goffin’s design that complements both the older wing of the house and the contemporary landscape. “The front yard was empty, like a prairie,” Goffin recounts. “I created a sense of geometry with boxwoods and retaining walls.”
A smaller limestone fountain at the far end of the garden lies on a direct axis with the door; bluestone steppers lead to it over swaths of grass and pea gravel. Parallel to the fountain, Goffin planted an allée of conical boxwood and American hornbeam beside a pea-gravel path—one of many on this property. “I create paths to encourage clients to explore their garden, to give destination points and to set up views,” she explains.
Such a neat, orderly landscape requires some upkeep—though, says Goffin, not as much as a garden heavy on beds full of perennials and flowers would demand. “Everything should be trimmed two or three times a year to retain its shape and scale,” Goffin advises. “The landscape is like a beautiful puzzle where everything fits. The key is that it has to feel like it’s always been there.”
Landscape Architecture: Katia Goffin, ASLA; Kameron Aroom, CLA, Goffin Gardens, McLean, Virginia. Architecture: Stefan Schwarzkopf, AIA, NCARB, Allied8, Seattle, Washington. Contractor & Landscape Installation: Jopal Construction Company, Rockville, Maryland.
When charged with designing a waterfront retreat on a narrow lot facing the Severn River, architect Melanie Hartwig-Davis got creative. She replaced a 1930s fishing shack with a multi-level, 20-foot-wide structure boasting views at every turn. The house is perched atop a terraced landscape that descends towards the water via ipe decks bordered by stainless-steel cable rails that retain a sense of openness. At water level, Hartwig-Davis transformed a former well house into a 14-by-24-foot, ipe-clad game room that affords easy access to the dock—and an intimate water view. Accessible through a 10-foot-wide NanaWall system, “it’s a true man cave,” says the architect. “It maximizes waterfront storage and provides an oasis on hot summer days.”
Architecture & Interior Design: Melanie Hartwig-Davis, AIA, LEED AP, BD+C, HD Squared Architects, LLC, Edgewater, Maryland. Contractor: Bayard Galey, Bayard Construction, Bowie, Maryland. Landscape Design: McHale Landscape Design, Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Architect Cathy Purple Cherry and interior designer Arlene Critzos collaborated on a traditional waterfront home in Annapolis’s historic Bay Ridge community, overlooking the Chesapeake. While Purple Cherry designed the home to reflect its owners’ affinity for Nantucket style, with wide porches, cedar shakes, and dormer windows, Critzos created “a clean, traditional look” for the interiors that gave the views center stage. In the restful second-floor study, a comfortable Fairfield chair pulls up to an elegant writing desk from Hooker Furniture, positioned beneath windows framed by custom drapes. A Lee Industries bench is a relaxing perch adorned with a throw from Saro Trading. Like the rest of the house, says Critzos, “It’s not over-decorated; it’s just at ease.”
Architecture: Cathy Purple Cherry, AIA, LEED AP, CAS, Purple Cherry Architects, Annapolis, Maryland. Interior Design: Arlene Critzos, Joyce Pearl, Samantha Sopp-Wittwer, Interior Concepts, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland. Builder: Guy Pilli, Pilli Custom Homes, Millersville, Maryland.
While renovating their condo in the Ritz-Carlton Residences on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the owners asked designer Teresa Buchanan to transform the two-bedroom abode—which encompassed an open-plan living/dining area with expansive water views—into a luxurious pied-à-Terre. Employing a blue-and-yellow palette that echoes her clients’ Swedish heritage, Buchanan framed the windows in gold-silk drapery panels with tassel trimmings from Scalamandré and woven-grass shades by Hartmann & Forbes that operate at the touch of a button. The round, glass-topped dining table is paired with Artistic Frame dining chairs covered in blue linen velvet. The elegant table is set with Waterford crystal, silver flatware, and blue-and-yellow china. A vase from Wisteria completes the look.
Interior Design: Teresa Buchanan, ASID, Designline, Annapolis, Maryland. Contractor: Kinsley Construction, York, Pennsylvania.
DINNER TIME
Italian importer Abbiamo Tutto conjures the Mediterranean with its hand-painted Italian ceramics. The dishwasher-safe collection includes a set of six dinner plates for $196. Available through graciousstyle.com
IN THE DETAILS
The Boat Knob by Michael Aram is pictured here in silver plate, but the handcrafted hardware also comes in blue-coated aluminum; $5.50 apiece. michaelaram.com
AGAINST THE WALL
Washable and strippable, York Wallcoverings’ Maritime wallpaper evokes the sea in four colorways, including Aqua/Black (shown). $44 per roll. yorkwall.com
OUT TO SEA
Simple forms create a whimsical sailboat motif, part of Duralee’s Playtime Print Collection of cotton fabrics. Available in Navy (shown) and Aegean. $39.50 per yard. duralee.com
ROCKING THE BOAT
Pottery Barn Kids’ Organic Hudson Sailboat sheets, duvets and pillow shams are made of 200-thread-count, organic cotton. Sheet sets start at $69. potterybarnkids.com
A physician and his wife purchased a traditional 1995 house in Oakton, Virginia, with big plans to bring its outmoded main floor up to date. On their wish list: a clean-lined kitchen with a large central island; a butler’s pantry; a redesigned mudroom and laundry; and an airy, transitional aesthetic. They also wanted an open floor plan that would create flow between the kitchen and adjacent family room.
Sonny Nazemian of Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes was tapped for the job. After hearing his clients’ objectives, he and his team first set to work on the structural changes that would have to take place. They removed the load-bearing wall that separated the kitchen and family room, replacing it with structural beams but leaving a column, clad in
decorative millwork, that delineates the two spaces. “We borrowed space from an adjacent closet to create the butler’s pantry,” says Nazemian. He also removed a bay window and sliding door in the kitchen to accommodate the new floor plan. “We took over the back wall with a large picture window and flange windows above the sink,” he explains.
Removing the wall between the kitchen and family room meant completely reconfiguring the layout of the kitchen, as that shared wall had held the lion’s share of the cabinetry and appliances. Nazemian instead ran the cabinetry along the back wall, where the bay window and slider had been. With this configuration, “we were able to install a 22-foot-long central island with seating for four,” he says. It also allowed him to eliminate a dedicated breakfast area that the couple didn’t want. Along the former breakfast-area wall, he cited the range flanked by casement windows, a chef-size fridge and a wall of pantry cupboards.
Nazemian was also charged with improving the existing laundry/mudroom space. First, he and his team shifted the washer/dryer location, freeing up additional space for the butler’s pantry. In the mudroom area, a series of traditional closets has been replaced with an attractive and convenient built-in unit boasting hooks, cubbies, and seating on a Fantasy Brown quartzite-topped ledge.
Designers on Nazemian’s team selected wide-plank, engineered-wood floors in a distressed finish for the kitchen and family room, with complementary true-body, porcelain-tile floors in the laundry/mudroom. The driftwood-gray island and white peripheral cabinetry are topped with the same quartzite, while a backsplash of tumbled marble “creates a clean look and a natural feel,” says Nazemian. Professional-grade Thermador appliances make food prep easy, and Kichler glass pendants add a modern touch.
The now-open family room boasts new French doors to the outside deck. To modernize the room’s look, the traditional fireplace mantel has been replaced with a wall of stacked ledger stone. It perfectly reflects the home’s improved look and functionality. The owners are thrilled with the results. “They are excited to entertain in their new kitchen,” Nazemian reports.
Renovation Design & Contracting: Sonny Nazemian, CID, CKBR, Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, Fairfax, Virginia.
Nestled in 51-acre Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods in Columbia, Maryland, The Chrysalis is part architecture, part art installation. The brainchild of New York-based firm Marc Fornes/TheVeryMany, it’s an amphitheater with a lofty vision. “We wanted to provide not just a destination but an experience,” says architect Fornes. “This is an architectural structure, a treehouse, and a public artwork, ready to be engaged.”
Built on a gentle slope, the structure is a collection of cascading arches that vary in size and function; two arches frame stages with space for equipment and lighting, while smaller arches on the sides and at the back double as loading docks and backstage entrances. An engineered terrain of steps nestles into the hillside, forming seating and other spaces for socializing, concerts and public performances.
Sixty-four feet tall at its highest point and 120 feet wide, The Chrysalis is formed from an exoskeleton of galvanized-steel tubing supporting a system of Zepps Profile Panels; a pleated shell made of 7,700 shingles clads its 12,000-square-foot surface. Four shades of green coat the outside of The Chrysalis, connecting the airy structure to its bucolic locale.
Design: Marc Fornes, Marc Fornes/TheVeryMany, New York, New York. Fabrication: Zahner, Kansas City, Missouri. Landscape Design: Mahan Rykiel Associates, Baltimore, Maryland.
Marble Systems’ Boise Porcelain Tile Collection conveys weather-worn style indoors and out with a durable, easy-to-clean, wood-look surface. Available in a range of patterns and colors and as tile, mosaic, paver or base. marblesystems.com
The iconic Walk of Fame outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood inspired AtraFloor’s playful Fame flooring, with its star motif. The durable, vinyl surface resembles terrazzo; made in England, it ships worldwide in four to six weeks. atrafloor.com
Spanish ceramics company Argenta recently launched Powder, an industrial-chic collection of glazed floor and wall tiles boasting a wide array of patterns and textures. The concrete-look tiles come in a palette of grays, whites and earth tones that can be combined for a one-of-a-kind look. tileofspainusa.com
Armstrong’s Paragon engineered-wood flooring combines solid Appalachian oak and hickory with the company’s Diamond 10 Technology, which incorporates cultured diamond particles from scratch- and wear-resistance. Available in brushed, smooth and scraped finishes, in five hues. armstrongflooring.com
Replicating the look of marble, XLight Premium by Porcelanosa is an ultra-thin, through-body porcelain tile that comes in large-format sheets. Available in a polished or matte finish and in a range of marble hues. Aged Dark is pictured here on both walls and floor. porcelanosa-usa.com
Pictured in an Oak Clear finish, Lipso I is a new addition to Mafi’s Carving collection of tongue-and-groove, natural-wood floors, which are characterized by surfaces that are laser-cut to create a patterned effect. The eco-friendly floors are simply brushed and oiled. mafi.com
A 110-year-old row house in DC’s Columbia Heights neighborhood went from dingy and dated to fresh and modern in the hands of Finesse Design Remodeling. The design/build firm rebuilt the dilapidated front porch, enhancing the home’s historic character with fixes to the front façade. Inside, original parquet floors were restored and matching millwork added.
A modern, two-story addition measuring six-by-10 feet created a sunny nook in the clean-lined kitchen, which is now open to the adjacent dining area. The addition also encompasses a powder room tiled in vibrant blue. The second level was reconfigured to accommodate two new master-bedroom suites; one master bath, lined in marble, occupies the addition.
In contrast to the front, the rear façade is bold and contemporary. The addition is clad in smooth, vertical HardiePlank siding in a charcoal hue, while a sliding-glass door opens to a new deck backed by a brick wall painted chartreuse.
Renovation Design & Contracting: Elizabeth Mitchel, Finesse Design Remodeling LLC, Springfield, Virginia. Photography: Kenneth M. Wyner.
British-born designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard goes global in his latest wall-covering collection for Cole & Son. Among its eclectic offerings, two sumptuous designs evoke the intricate fretwork and ornamental motifs found in the exotic bazaars and byways of Marrakech. Bahia, meaning “brilliance,” frames a palatial door; surrounding it, the complementary Jali Trellis was inspired by patterned temple stonework. Available at Kravet in DC; to the trade only. cole-and-son.com; kravet.com
The geometric landscape of Marrakech inspired the Areca Palms rug from Eskayel. The bamboo silk-and-wool flat-weave comes in two colorways; Chlorosis pictured. Priced at $56 per square foot. eskayel.com
Urbanest’s Moroccan-inspired medallion drapery pullbacks come in four finishes and are inlaid with mosaic glass or pearl. $16.99 each. urbanestliving.com
Arteriors’ Osgood Pendant is handcrafted in elaborate style out of rustic, gold-finished leaves that are diamond-shaped and pieced together to form a dome. $900. arteriorshome.com
With its ornate curves, the Ballerina Ottoman imparts a touch of Eastern flair. Available locally through Century Furniture in fabric or leather with nail-head trim. $1,950 with fabric as shown. centuryfurniture.com
Islamic geometric art inspired Medina, a jewel-glass mosaic designed for New Ravenna. Part of Paul Schatz’s Miraflores collection, it is shown here in aquamarine, shell , and agate. $128 per square foot. newravenna.com
The Morocco Hexagonal Side Table by Worlds Away pairs an antiqued-mirror top with a metal base finished in Gold Leaf, in a stylized leaf pattern that conjures a pared-down Eastern vibe. $460. worlds-away.com.
A couple in Oakton, Virginia, hired Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes to transform their mundane patio into an outdoor-living space with lots of room for entertaining. Principal Sonny Nazemian enlarged the cramped, existing patio to 700 square feet and added zones for gathering.
A gazebo doubles as a porch when screens are lowered from the paneled ceiling; it boasts a TV that can be raised when not in use and heating elements that keep it comfortable in colder weather. On the other side of the patio, a bar is topped with two levels of granite counters for a polished look. It features a sink, built-in grill and beer on tap. An adjacent dining area seats six.
The existing fireplace was extended and refaced. “We added an extra chimney,” Nazemian explains, “so they can have really big fires without worrying about smoke.”
The patio floor is made of through-body porcelain, while retaining walls of engineered stone are capped with flagstone. String lights adorn the gazebo and under-lights illuminate the bar. “What makes this project special is the amenities,” Nazemian observes. “It really is a hub for entertaining.”
Renovation Design & Contracting: Sonny Nazemian, Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, Fairfax, Virginia.
A narrow lane hugs the western shore of a Chesapeake Bay tributary in Virginia’s picturesque Northern Neck, revealing an eclectic mix of waterfront homes. Tucked between traditional houses, a one-story, glass-enclosed aerie stands out. Its owners, who hold 460 acres in this peaceful domain, lived in a stately, Civil War-era home on the property for many years. When they decided to build a new residence next door, they opted for a radical change in style.
Local architect Randall Kipp, who specializes in modern design, spearheaded the project. The couple requested a home with “a lot of transparency,” he says. “They really wanted the house to flow, inside and out.”
Kipp devised a plan for a single-story abode with a rear façade entirely open to breathtaking river views via floor-to-ceiling expanses of glass. The front door is set into a wall of windows that allows an unimpeded line of sight from the front yard through the house and out to the water beyond.
Inside, an airy central gallery with a 20-foot ceiling facilitates this visual connection. It also “acts as a bridge between the personal and public spaces,” Kipp explains. On one side, a volume houses a master suite, den and home office, plus workout and meditation rooms. The opposite volume contains the dining area and kitchen, which opens to a screened porch and a guest suite; a short hallway leads to the powder room, mudroom and garage.
The property lies only seven feet above sea level, so Kipp sited the house on a slightly raised base to prevent flooding and afford a better view of the water. The owners tapped landscape architect Shinichiro Abe, principal of the design-build firm ZEN Associates, Inc., to design a plan for what was a flat, empty expanse around the house. Taking his cues from the home’s spare, minimalist architecture, Abe conceived an Asian-inspired courtyard garden leading to the front entry. “I wanted to convey a sense of arrival, an invitation,” he explains. The garden sets the tone for the house, communicating both serenity and drama through its use of stone and water. Abe had boulders transported from New England and carefully positioned within the landscape. “The boulders are the main composition,” he says. “They invite you towards the house.”
Pea gravel, Mexican beach pebbles and flame-finished granite slabs, punctuated by irregular areas of large-format porcelain tile, comprise the walkway to the front door. Abe points out the asymmetrical path they take—around boulders, beside a lily pond and past a sculptural ceramic basin that doubles as a water feature. “A Japanese garden is asymmetrical,” he says. “The path is almost like a painting.”
As Kipp explains it, “Shin defined the property in relation to the house and the water. The garden spaces provide the transition from the undeveloped area to the house.”
To unify the residence and landscape even further, the design team repeated materials used in the front garden inside as well as in the backyard. The porcelain tile from outside clads the floor of the gallery, dining area and kitchen and the patio in back, where it is bordered by Mexican beach pebbles and flame-finished granite. The same tile is laid in irregular patches on the lawn below to create a visual path to the water. In another bold move, a boulder was split so that one half nestles amid Mexican beach pebbles in the gallery while the other rests on the patio, just outside the window. “It marries the outside and the inside,” Kipp observes.
Inside, stone and glass surfaces are warmed by extensive woodwork. Black-walnut panels wrap the walls on either end of the gallery; at one end, they deftly conceal a coat closet and beverage bar. Deep-set window frames are made of alder, and teak built-ins in the den house the television and books. Ipe panels cover the screened porch walls, while floors in the guest suite and private wing are made of wide-plank, light-stained maple.
But it’s the massive front door that takes center stage. Designed by Kipp on a pivot, it measures seven feet wide and 11 feet tall and is covered in teak on the outside and walnut on the inside. “It took seven guys to install it,” recalls the architect ruefully.
Interior designer Rina Okawa of ZEN Associates decorated the interiors, which reflect a spare, Asian-inspired aesthetic. The owners “like sleek, clean lines but also texture and warmth,” Okawa says.
Throughout the house, contemporary furnishings are grouped atop hand-knotted rugs sourced at Fort Street Studio in New York. Recessed LEDs from Tech Lighting keep the views open—except for a Davide Groppi pendant in the gallery and a PH Artichoke fixture by Louis Poulsen, selected by the owner to hang over the dining room table.
Okawa collaborated with Bulthaup on the kitchen, which combines Miele appliances with cabinetry in horizontal-grain elm and vertical-grain walnut. A walnut slab was integrated into the island to create space for eating on Bonaldo stools. A backsplash of white-painted glass by Bulthaup works seamlessly with crisp, white quartz countertops. A Hellman-Chang Z Round Table and Cassina 684 chairs provide a spot by the kitchen window for casual meals.
Measuring 3,800 square feet with just two bedrooms, the house boasts an outdoor kitchen on the patio, paneled in ipe and sunken four feet into the ground so as not to interrupt the view. Another highlight is the meditation room, a peaceful, glass-walled space that opens out to the serene lily pond and courtyard. Like the rest of the house, it seems meant for contemplation.
Architecture: Randall J. Kipp, AIA, NCARB, Randall Kipp Architecture, Irvington, Virginia. Interior Design: Rina Okawa, LEED AP; Landscape Architecture: Shinichiro Abe, ZEN Associates, Inc., Woburn, Massachusetts and Silver Spring, Maryland. Builder: Joe Heyman, The Allen Group, Inc., Urbanna, Virginia.
RESOURCES
GENERAL
Porcelain-Tile Floors: stonesource.com. Walnut Paneling: conkit.com. Recessed Lighting: techlighting.com.
OUTDOORS
Water Basin & Fire Bowl: concretecreationsla.com. Outdoor Table Base: varaschin.it. Outdoor Table Top: Plexiglass by 3-form.com. Outdoor Chairs: minotti.com.
GALLERY
Sofa & Grouping of Four Chairs & Coffee Table: minotti.com. Slipper Chairs: hollyhunt.com. Console Table: liaigre.com. Pendant over Chairs: davidegroppi.com. Rugs: fortstreetstudio.com
DINING AREA
Dining Table & Bench: Custom by hudsonfurnitureinc.com. Dining Chairs: giorgettimeda.com. Light Fixture: louispoulsen.com. Rug: fortstreetstudio.com.
KITCHEN
Cabinetry & White-Glass Backsplash: bulthaup.com. Countertops: quartz through bulthaup.com. Counter Stools: bonaldo.it. Appliances: mieleusa.com. Round Table: hellman-chang.com. Chairs: cassina.com.
DEN
Fabricator of Built-Ins: woodworkingcabinetshop.com.
MASTER SUITE
Fabricator of Bedstead & Shelving: woodworkingcabinetshop.com. Mosaic Bath Tile: annsacks.com
After remodeling their historic DC residence, the owners were ready to address its run-down, quarter-acre yard. They hired Colao + Peter Outdoor Environments to create a landscape that would complement the home’s aesthetic while conveying a fresh, modern vibe.
“They wanted a pool with a resort-like atmosphere,” recounts landscape architect James R. Peter. “Privacy was the main goal—and everything had to be approved by the Historical Society.”
Before work began, the home’s ragged backyard opened up to a municipal baseball field. Colao + Peter craned in 20-foot-high Green Giant arborvitae and Southern magnolia along the border for privacy, then screened the rest of the yard with fastigiata hornbeam and tree form Burford holly.
A new 16-by-40-foot pool occupies center stage, while an adjacent spa is shielded from neighbors by a stone wall and shaded by a cantilevered cedar pergola. Copper scuppers spill water into both pool and spa. A gentle slope elevates the pool 18 inches above ground on one side, where Colao + Peter installed a fire pit and seating area.
Carderock-stone walls are capped with thermal bluestone, which also paves the patio. Combining only Limelight and oakleaf hydrangea and red hardy hibiscus, the effect is spare and elegant. Teak furniture from Barlow Tyrie completes the look.
Award: Grand Award, Outdoor Living Area. Landscape Architecture & Contracting: James R. Peter, RLA, ASLA, Colao + Peter Outdoor Environments, Fairfax, Virginia. Photography: François Verhoeven.
A Brookville, Maryland, couple with three active kids wanted to turn their small lot into an al fresco playground for guests of all ages. So they tapped Don Nesmith of Land & Water Design, Inc., to create an ambitious plan for the back and side yards, featuring zones for a pool, water slide and spa; a sport court; an outdoor kitchen; two dining areas; and a lounge area with a granite fire table.
The existing backyard sloped eight feet from the property line down towards the house. “My vision was to put the pool at the bottom of the slope so the water slide could empty into it,” explains Nesmith. He designed a fieldstone retaining wall at the bottom of the slope; above it, lush landscaping de-emphasizes the fiberglass slide.
Techo-Bloc pavers connect all the spaces. There’s an ipe deck near the back door, and ipe pergolas cover one of the dining areas and the kitchen, which is equipped with Viking appliances. Stone Forest granite fire bowls illuminate the lounge area. On one side of the house, a 25-by-35-foot sport court is a magnet for neighborhood kids.
Weeping Douglas fir, Austrian pine and leyland cyprus create privacy along the property line, while viburnum and euonymus add texture. Above the pool, ornamental dwarf fountain grass and miscanthus combine with aster and spirea, softening the hardscape. Perennials such as Black-Eyed Susans, hydrangea and verbena add color.
Award: Grand Award, Outdoor Living Area. Landscape Architecture: Don Nesmith, RLA, Land & Water Design, Inc., Haymarket, Virginia. Photography: George E. Brown.
