A recent addition to Bethesda’s ever-growing array of high-end condominiums, The Lauren is ideally situated on the (relatively) quiet corner of two one-way streets near Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues—home to Bethesda Row’s abundance of shops and restaurants.
This spot was exactly what developer 1788 Holdings was looking for when the company decided to build in Bethesda. “We wanted the property to raise the standard for high-end condos in the DC area,” says principal Larry Goodwin. The Lauren, he says, “is a cut above what is typical for DC’s high-end condominium market.”
Miami-based Robert M. Swedroe Architects & Planners designed the two-tone granite building, which was built by Davis Construction. Alexandria-based interiors firm Akseizer Design Group was responsible for all the public spaces as well as one of the models.
In keeping with the developer’s vision for the property, the design team selected luxurious materials and finishes throughout. “We mixed modern materials with organic textures for timeless appeal,” explains principal Jeff Akseizer. The two-story lobby is clad in limestone with ebony Macassar panels and illuminated by a custom chandelier with 300 hand-blown glass tubes. The wine lounge/screening room, with walnut panels and onyx accents, features individual wine lockers, custom furniture, and a large, flat-screen TV. The expansive roof deck offers “amenity zones” delineated by stone pavers and îpe flooring, with seating areas furnished by JANUS et Cie and Dedon.
The fitness lounge is a cardio-intensive space “designed to dress up fitness to a luxury level,“ says Akseizer. Anti-microbial carpet tiles and a walnut accent wall impart a high-end feel, while personalized cubbies, towels, and water are available.
The Lauren offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units starting at 1,440 square feet for a one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath residence with a den and a private terrace. The top three floors house penthouse units, with the seventh-floor penthouse spanning 5,750 square feet with a 1,600-square-foot terrace.
Akseizer and his team created a transitional look for the model, which encompasses two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, and a den. It features an open-plan living/dining area and an adjoining kitchen with an island. Wide-plank walnut floors unify the rooms and a vented gas fireplace creates a focal point in the living area. In the kitchen, custom cabinetry is paired with Calacatta Gold marble countertops and backsplash, white appliances by Sub-Zero/Wolf are concealed behind panels. Calacatta Gold marble also clads the spa-like master bath, complementing a white custom vanity; alternatively, some units offer baths with dark-stained cabinetry and limestone. All bath fixtures are from Waterworks.
Other features in the units include floor-to-ceiling windows, home-automation systems, and automated shades. Some residences boast direct-access elevators. Twenty-four-hour concierge, valet parking, guest suites and a porter service are among the perks available to residents.
FACTS & STATS
The Lauren encompasses 29 units on seven floors. Floors five, six and seven house penthouse units with large private terraces. At press time, 14 of the building’s units had been sold. Prices begin at $1.475 million for a one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath unit with a den and a terrace. The furnished model is available for $2.55 million and the top-floor penthouse is priced at $10 million.
1788 Holdings also developed The Estate Condominums at Quarry Springs, which is located on the border of Bethesda and Potomac.
INQUIRIES: The Lauren, 4901 Hampden Lane, Bethesda,
Maryland 20814 • 301-273-1164 • thelaurenresidences.com
Each year, a panel of building-industry professionals is selected to judge new homes and communities in the Mid-Atlantic region and to choose their nominees for the Great American Living Awards. Sponsored by the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association, the Washington Metropolitan Sales & Marketing Council and the Maryland Building Industry Association, the GALA awards, held last fall at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, honor excellence in new home architecture, interior design, sales and marketing in our region. The 2016 entries filled 43 categories; those pertaining to architecture and design included single- and multi-family homes, townhomes and condominiums, and custom-home and remodeling projects.
Home & Design covered the winners in the custom-builder categories in the November/December issue; the photos above spotlight the remaining Grand award-winners in the architecture and design categories.
Views of Easton’s scenic Peach Blossom Creek first attracted a couple looking to build a bay-area vacation home. Working with architect Scott L. Rand on the traditional abode, they specified a first-floor master suite with easy outdoor access and “maximum water views,” says Rand. French doors spill out onto a stone patio; transoms above the windows and doors ensure plenty of natural light.
The bedroom’s sitting area boasts a direct-vent gas fireplace between walls of windows. Designer Chris Gefucia kept the furniture and fabrics simple, so as not to compete with the vista. “The room faces due south,” says Rand. “So it gets beautiful afternoon sun.”
Architecture: Scott L. Rand, AIA, Scott Rand Architects, Annapolis, Maryland. Interior Design: Chris Gefucia, Toronto, Canada. Contractor: West & Callahan, Inc., Easton, Maryland. Photography: Scott L. Rand.
“I grew up on the Eastern Shore,” says architect David Jameson. “One of the amazing things there is the way the horizon plays an important role in every space.”
Jameson had this fact in mind when he was designing a 22,000-square-foot vacation residence on Hooper’s Island near Maryland’s Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. The design—a series of cabins—includes “the lodge,” a separate structure from which the owners can enjoy views of the Honga River. “The room celebrates elemental architecture as it connects to the water and horizon,” Jameson says. Natural building materials include poured-concrete floors and vertical-grain Douglas fir walls. Lead-coated copper clads the structures beyond the windows, which help frame the view.
Architecture: David Jameson, FAIA, David Jameson Architect, Washington, DC.
TILE TIME Koi Fish is a delicate, hand-cut addition to Sara Baldwin’s Delft Collection of mosaics for New Ravenna. Shown in Lapis Lazuli, Iolite, and Covellite, with an Absolute White glass background. Price on request. newravenna.com
SUR LA TABLE A vibrant fish motif distinguishes the Sardina collection of earthenware dishes from Anthropologie, which are dishwasher- and microwave-safe. Prices start at $12 for a small plate. anthropologie.com
TIP THE SCALES Jonathan Adler’s playful Fish Scales Shower Curtain is printed on cotton-duck canvas with grosgrain borders on top and bottom. Coordinating bath towels are available. $68. jonathanadler.com
WINSOME WALLPAPER The Acquario pattern in Cole & Son’s Fornasetti II wallpaper series combines a soft, washed background with whimsical fish in neutral, charcoal and shades of deep-sea blue (pictured). $296 per roll. cole-and-son.com
A Bethesda couple had fallen in love with Rehoboth Beach years before they decided to buy a vacation home there. Children in tow, they made the trek each summer to savor the wide, sandy beaches and quaint downtown strip.
When their four kids were grown, they finally purchased a property on the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal that held a cottage with a vista of pristine wetlands. They wanted something small enough for two, but large enough to keep the family coming back. “We lived there on our vacations for three years to see if it worked,” recounts the wife. “But there was just not enough space when the kids were visiting.” In fact, the abode was too small even for the husband and wife; a litigator and law professor respectively, they needed space to work.
So they contacted architect Amy Gardner, whose practice focuses on building sustainably—a major priority for the couple. The idea was to renovate, but it quickly became clear that tearing down the dated, uninsulated cottage and starting afresh made more sense.
Gardner and project architect Brittany Williams traveled to Rehoboth and spent time observing the couple’s lifestyle and the way their current house worked—and didn’t. The new home’s sustainable elements would “focus on passive strategies to decrease energy demands,” says Gardner. Geothermal heating and cooling, a high-performance building envelope and an energy-recovery ventilator would minimize costs, while operable windows and skylights—particularly in the open stairway—allowed for natural ventilation. Reclaimed and recycled materials and LED lighting were also part of the package.
“The first challenge was how to orient the house on the site,” Gardner recalls. “The water is to the west, and that is the hottest, least pleasant exposure.” She and Williams conceived an L-shaped abode that faces west to maximize views of the canal and wetlands but is buffered by a courtyard shaded beneath carefully preserved trees and sheltered from the wind.
Integrating the stunning natural scenery into the design was another challenge. “We wanted to ensure that the home would engage fully with the outdoors,” says Gardner, who designed a glassed-in entry foyer that connects the two wings of the house and opens out to the backyard. “It’s a continuous view from the street side through the foyer and out to the canal and marsh,” she explains. Walls of windows on the canal side frame views to the courtyard and beyond, and a boardwalk deck offers a transition from the house to the outdoors. The 3,600-square-foot house is sited as close to the canal as permitting would allow, making the water views more dramatic.
The owners tapped landscape architect Holt Jordan to enhance the connection between the house and its setting. “The idea was to celebrate the canal and the marsh,” Jordan says of his overall plan. “We used existing persimmon trees to tie the landscape to its location and floated a deck so the trees are coming out of it.”
In lieu of a traditional lawn, native grasses are planted all over the property, punctuated by ornamentals and framed by paths of crushed clam shells surrounding slabs of bluestone.
The two-story main wing houses the open-plan kitchen/living/dining room with the master suite above. The other wing—christened “the bunkhouse”—holds two bedrooms (one double as the husband’s office) with a shared bath. The name “bunkhouse” derives from the fact that the bedrooms are open on one side, facing glass doors leading to the courtyard with only heavy canvas curtains for privacy. “It drove my kids crazy when they were here last,” remarks the wife, laughing, “but I love the openness.”
While sustainability was a given, the couple was less sure about the direction they wanted the house to take in terms of style. After poring over pictures online, the wife “focused on a ‘rustic modern’ look,” she says. “I like simplicity, so we tried to keep it simple.” Cedar shingles and siding on the exterior convey a farmhouse sensibility, while expanses of glass keep it modern. A cedar-and-steel pergola covers the boardwalk, which is made of a durable hardwood called machichi. Motorized rollout shades on the pergola can be lowered to shield the interiors from the sun, and slatted cedar barn doors slide over the glass doors to the bunkhouse. “We were looking for elements that move, to change the light in the space,” Gardner explains.
Inside, a natural material palette combines rugged reclaimed-oak floors with spare, stainless-steel stair railings and Douglas fir woodwork. Gardner and Williams collaborated with Jennifer Gilmer on a kitchen design that perfectly reflects the wife’s “rustic modern” preference. Two cabinet styles—one resembling textured barn wood and the other a sleek, gray wood surface—are framed in hot-rolled steel that conveys the look of industrial-style furniture. Expenses of exposed ductwork and open shelving unify the kitchen and sitting area, while beyond the dining area, a spacious screened porch beckons.
Upstairs, the airy master suite is accessed via a passageway with a built-in, reclaimed-oak desk 16 feet long that easily accommodates several workspaces. Overlooking the canal on two sides, the master bedroom boasts a vaulted ceiling embellished by Douglas fir beams suspended on steel rods. For continuity, all the baths feature marble-look porcelain-tile surfaces and Douglas fir vanities topped with quartz countertops and basin sinks by Scarabeo.
The architects helped the wife outfit the house with clean-lined furniture from Ligne Roset, keeping the rooms spare so as not to detract from the view. “I love the wetland,” says the wife. “It’s spectacular and changes all the time. The sunsets are incredible.”
Photographer John Cole is based in Silver Spring.
ARCHITECTURE: AMY E. GARDNER, FAIA, LEED AP, principal; BRITTANY WILLIAMS, AIA, LEED AP, project architect; Gardner Architects LLC, Silver Spring, Maryland. KITCHEN DESIGN: JENNIFER GILMER, CKD, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath, Ltd., Chevy Chase, Maryland. BUILDER: ROBERT PURCELL, Beachwood, Inc., Showell, Maryland. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: HOLT JORDAN, ASLA, PLA, Jordan Honeyman, Washington, DC. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: 1200 Architectural Engineers; 12ae.com.
RESOURCES
GENERAL Flooring: Random width and length white and red oak. Woodwork: Douglas fir. Deck: Machiche. Cable Rails on Stairs: agsstainless.com. Metalwork on Beams and Porch & Barn Door Hardware: ashtonwelding.com. Windows: Integrity by Marvin; marvin.com. Doors: loewen.com. Barn Doors: Alan Wierengo through beachwoodinc.com.
KITCHEN Cabinetry: artcraftkitchens.com. Countertops & Backsplash: inhomestone.com. Appliances: mieleusa.com; rangecraft.com. Dining Table & Chairs: ligne-roset.com. Pendants over Island: kichler.com. Pendants over Table: rh.com.
LIVING AREA Sofa, Matching Chairs, Geometric Occasional Tables: ligne-roset.com. Wood-Burning Stove: us.rais.com. Fan: minkagroup.net.
BATHROOM Gray Tile in Master Bath: daltile.com through inhomestone.com. Light Tile in Master and Other Baths: anatoliatile.com through inhomestone.com. Sinks: scarabeoceramica.com. Tub in Master Bath: kohler.com. Bath Fixtures: totousa.com; grohe.com; kohler.com; americanstandard.com.
MASTER SUITE DESK AREA Desk Fabrication: Alan Wierengo through beachwoodinc.com; ashtonwelding.com. Chairs: hermanmiller.com.
Beginning October 27, a stroll through Atrium Interiors’ showroom in Tysons Galleria will reveal four chic new room vignettes. They will showcase individual custom furniture collections masterminded by established DC-area interior designers Paula Grace Halewski, Skip Sroka, Marlene Weiss-Alexander and Lisa Bartolomei. The pieces are handcrafted for Atrium Interiors, which carries traditional and contemporary custom furniture, lighting and accessories. “The craftsmanship is unique,” says Halewski of the store’s wares. “The furnishings—including our collections—are all made in a small town in Portugal where each craftsman has their specialization.”
The vignettes will occupy 200-square-foot spaces in the 2,600-square-foot showroom. New collections will be introduced every six months, and the designers will rotate rooms.
Grace Notes A sophisticated dining room vignette by Paula Grace Halewski of Paula Grace Designs will highlight her Away Dining Table, which will be paired with Ode to Thomas O chairs upholstered in Kravet leather. Halewski also designed the wool-and-silk Link Rug for the collection. Sculpted-glass chandeliers by Fine Art Lamps will be on display.
Approachable Luxury Lisa Bartolomei of Bartolomei & Co. defines her collection as “luxury-minded items built at an approachable price.” Her living room vignette will feature case goods: a rosewood bar cabinet with a laser-cut brass front; a chest of drawers in Macassar ebony with brass accents; a marble-and-brass coffee table; and an end table of anigre and ebony. Upholstered pieces will include a slipper chair inspired by a 1940s French design, as well as a contemporary sofa.
Design Synergy Skip Sroka of Sroka Design, Inc., designed his collection in response to a growing trend: clients requesting spaces that serve more than one function. Sroka’s library vignette “combines work and dining—it’s a synergy with what is happening to our homes,” he says. A buffet opens into a desk with storage beneath it and an étagère offers storage and display space. The Corey Chair—named for Sroka’s late, beloved pet—boasts whimsical dog legs that harken back to early Egyptian and Greek designs. All of the pieces are finished in lacquered mahogany.
Mother of Pearl Marlene Weiss-Alexander of Weiss Alexander Design Group took inspiration for her bedroom vignette from a mirror she had designed for a client using a mother-of-pearl wall covering by Innovations. The iridescent surface now accents nightstands and a headboard covered in fabric from Great Plains by Holly Hunt. A dresser is made of pau ferro wood with wenge ebony accents and a bench of wenge ebony is upholstered in Romo fabric.
Atrium Interiors, 2001 International Drive, McLean, Virginia; 703-883-1134; atrium-interiors.com
With its classic brick exterior, slate roof and stately presence, a center-hall colonial built in 1926 is a perfect fit for its southern Virginia locale. The owners, who moved in 19 years ago with a blended family of six children, only recently decided it was time for a thorough makeover. Though the kids are now grown, 11 grandchildren have entered the scene and the couple felt the need for more functional space to accommodate their visits.
They tapped architect Robert Paxton to expand the home’s cramped, dated kitchen and family room, bring in more light and integrate the indoor and outdoor spaces. “We needed a nice kitchen/sitting area for the kids,” says the wife. “We wanted the whole family to be comfortable when they’re here, and to have more usable space inside and out.”
Paxton and his team got to work sketching ideas for opening up the floor plan to the outdoors. “It was like a lot of these houses, built in the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s,” the architect observes. “I call them introverted—built with service kitchens and minimal closet space and little connection to the landscape.”
Achieving better flow from the inside out meant also making the outdoors more accessible. The house is sited so that the driveway leads to the rear of the property, where a back door serves as the main entry. Paxton and his team replaced the uninviting back door with one of glass flanked by sidelites, then added a wide portico over it to impart a sense of scale. The driveway—formerly paved in asphalt that “looked like a road,” as Paxton recalls—is now cobblestone, connected by a picturesque, curved stone stairway.
Around the corner near the kitchen, an unused side yard sloped up awkwardly from the house. Collaborating with landscape architect Rachel Lilly, Paxton devised a way to dig out the slope and create an outdoor room in its place. They installed a slate patio complete with a fountain and a brick retaining wall; lush landscaping finished the new al fresco living area.
Meanwhile, the plan for the kitchen makeover moved forward. Extending out 10 feet from the original kitchen and spanning 32 feet in width, the addition creates ample room for an updated, functional kitchen and family room. Along with the glassed-in back entry, three sets of French doors, which spill out to the patio from this spacious new area, bring the outdoors into the open-plan space. “I could sit there all day long; you don’t even feel like you’re inside,” the wife says. “And the patio is fabulous.”
A breakfast nook with a built-in banquette is tucked beneath the back stairway. A French limestone fireplace from Chesney’s of London in the sitting area creates a focal point. Reclaimed heart-pine ceiling beams delineate the kitchen, with its white-painted cabinetry, limestone countertops, and backsplash. Antique, wide-plank European oak floors are stained light and distressed.
As is often the case, a small renovation project soon grew in scope. “Once [the owners] saw our ideas, they wanted us to do more,” Paxton says. An overhaul of the master suite, including a poorly designed dressing room and bath, created a more functional layout. The new dressing room shares space with adjoining his-and-her baths—one feminine with Venetian plaster walls and cream-colored millwork; the other masculine, with dark-wood cabinets and ceramic wall tiles. Limestone floors and counters unify the spaces. On the second floor of the addition, a bath was added along with an improved laundry room containing plenty of storage.
The husband’s study received a facelift, with a fireplace and built-ins, while Paxton updated the wife’s home office with another French limestone fireplace from Chesney’s of London, paneled walls, a stone floor, and new built-in shelving. Windows with fewer mullions in all the remodeled spaces admit more light.
The wife, a retired interior designer, worked with designer R. David Craig on the home’s interiors. “We wanted to lighten the house up,” she says. “The prominent colors are lime green, soft blue, khaki, and off-white. We have Oushak carpets and vibrant art, so we needed a soft, neutral palette to make them pop.”
The couple “had lived there so long, nothing really flowed,” Craig says. “They needed a plan that would make the interiors feel cohesive.” He reupholstered the furniture to fit the new, lighter décor, with notable additions like a round dining room table and antique dining chairs, and a new sofa with matching armchairs in the living room. Dining room millwork was freshly painted and soft linen now covers the living room walls. The family room addition was furnished from scratch, beginning with an antique carpet and textured-plaster walls that provide the backdrop for a comfortable sofa and armchairs gathered around an antique coffee table.
At the husband’s suggestion, the design team brought in Boston-based Lam Partners, a lighting firm, to install museum-quality lighting that would enhance the owners’ extensive art collection. Craig combined that lighting plan with one of his own, creating layers of light that now beautifully illuminate the refurbished home. “Lighting is always big,” he observes, adding that this house was no exception. “When you walk into one of the well-lit rooms, you know it’s right—even when you don’t know why.”
The late Philip Beaurline was an architectural photographer in Charlottesville.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN: ROBERT L. PAXTON, AIA, principal; SHAWN A. MULLIGAN, AIA, project architect; R. DAVID CRAIG, director of interior design, Dalgliesh Gilpin Paxton Architects, Charlottesville, Virginia. CONTRACTOR: Worth, Inc., Roanoke, Virginia. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: RACHEL M. LILLY, Rachel Lilly Landscape, Port Republic, Virginia.
Carrington Homes specialize in building high-end projects in the regions of Fairfax and Loudoun Counties—but according to marketing manager Kristen Brittingham, that is as far afield as the company plans to go. “We prefer to keep the scope of the business small,” she explains. “This is our niche, right here.”
Carrington Homes builds 40 to 50 houses a year—usually, in communities, it owns, but also in established, multi-builder developments. The firm has a portfolio of about 20 architectural plans, ranging in style from French Country and Craftsman to Shingle and Colonial Revival—all designed by architect James McDonald of James McDonald Associate Architects. Once a buyer has decided on a particular style, McDonald will customize it in a collaborative process to accommodate the clients’ wishes.
In addition to the houses Carrington Homes builds in Loudoun and Fairfax communities, the company has also launched a build-on-your-lot program for buyers who already own their properties. Homes in this program are currently poised for construction in Vienna, Oakton, McLean, Great Falls and Clifton. “These are true custom homes designed by James MacDonald, and they can be built on lots in a wide range of sizes,” explains Brittingham. Available home styles include Craftsman, French and English Country and American Farmhouse.
Carrington works with buyers to customize elevations, making changes to doors, porches and front entries as well as floor plans. A wide range of square footage options is available. Kitchen, bath and interior design services are also on offer; designers on staff help with interior paint colors, furniture placement, flooring selections, lighting, finishes and more.
When it comes to construction, the company places a premium on high-quality construction materials. Exteriors showcase metal and copper accents, mahogany front doors, HardiePlank siding, Cushwa molded brick and quarried stone. Distinctive architectural flourishes like gable and hip roofs, dormers, porches, porticos and window and door details impart character to each home. Inside, custom millwork and built-ins abound. “We are passionate about architectural details,” Brittingham explains. “So all interiors feature extensive woodwork throughout.”
Recent Carrington properties have also featured a smaller, detached structure termed an accessory house, with a full kitchen and bath, one to three bedrooms and an option for its own one-car garage. Designed with the extended family in mind, it visually complements the main structure.
Model homes on display at any given time represent all the classical styles Carrington Homes offers. Houses start in the $600s for a 3,000-square-foot residence in Loudoun County, and in the $800s for a 3,500-square-foot residence in Fairfax County.
FACTS & STATS
Carrington Homes has a staff of 16, including project supervisors, purchasers, and a designer. The company employs a stable of sub-contractors on a nearly full-time basis.
Specialties—The company has homes in six communities in Loudoun County and three communities in Fairfax County. Homes in the build-on-your-own-lot program may be in other locations.
Inquiries—Kristen Brittingham, marketing coordinator; Christina Sanders, executive vice president, Carrington Homes; 703-665-6701; [email protected]; carringtonbuilder.com
When clients in the Northern Virginia suburbs asked Jay Graham to landscape their small, undeveloped property, they opted for a swimming pool with a sheltered seating area beside it. To complement the traditional house with its stone façade, Graham conceived a plan for a pool bordered by a stately stone structure. “The owners have a view of it from the house, so we wanted it to be pleasing to the eye,” he explains. “We decided to create a classical structure that would be architecturally correct.”
In the completed project, stone columns supporting a cedar pergola are classically proportioned, narrowing gently towards the top in an architectural device that harkens back to Greek and Roman times. They sit directly on the Pennsylvania bluestone coping that surrounds the adjacent pool. At the far end, a fountain empties into a concrete urn—meant to evoke an ancient olive oil jar—by Lunaform. Between stone pilasters in the wall, stucco panels frame decorative limestone openings while shade-loving plants line the wall at its base.
Graham met the grading challenges on the property with three levels of terracing; about half the height of the pergola’s back wall doubles as a retaining wall. The pergola is sited to provide views of the ground as it falls away below the pool; one of its walls also conceals a neighboring house. “It was a tight solution for an urban garden,” Graham comments.
A strategic lighting plan by Bethesda-based Outdoor Illumination serves the pergola’s interior. It also lights the area behind the wall so that in the evening, the decorative limestone openings glow.
Landscape Architecture: Jay Graham, FASLA, Moody Graham, Washington, DC. Landscape Contractor: Rob Tilson, Tilson Group, Fairfax, Virginia. Photography: Allen Russ.
A couple renovating a home in Potomac tapped Nestor Santa-Cruz to redesign the interiors. On their wish list was “a master bath that feels like a high-end hotel,” recalls Santa-Cruz, who set about creating this luxurious space for his clients.
He conceived a symmetrical layout with glass enclosures at either end of the room—one house a two-person shower and the other, behind frosted glass, houses a W.C. Between the two, the tub is positioned beneath a large window. Twin vanities on the opposite wall flank storage cabinets.
The couple wanted a contemporary look, so Santa-Cruz sourced modern, Italian-made materials at Boffi in Georgetown. Sleek, floating vanities in high-gloss white lacquer are balanced by a squared-off acrylic tub with a lacquered surround and built-in shelving. In lieu of sconces above the vanities, he selected mirrors by Boffi boasting integrated lighting. The tall cabinets between the vanities, made of an eco-friendly ebony veneer, keep clutter at bay.
To counteract the minimalism, Santa-Cruz incorporated the clients’ belongings, including an African stool that anchors one end of the room. “Even in the bath, it’s important to add personal elements,” he says. “They give personality to space.” Wallpaper from Elitis in a mother-of-pearl pattern reminiscent of mosaic tile covers the walls. Above the tub, the window is partially concealed by shades from IKEA that slide like Shoji screens, while IKEA Flokati rugs soften the walnut floor. “Combining high and low is fun,” Santa-Cruz explains. “But the trick is that no one should ever know what’s low.”
Bath Design: Nestor Santa-Cruz, IIDA, Nestor Santa-Cruz Decoration, Washington, DC. Renovation Architecture: David Knudson, AIA, Ely, Minnesota. Bath Installation: Boffi Georgetown, Washington, DC. Contractor: Jason Levinson, Maryland Heritage Custom Builders, Frederick, Maryland. Photography: Jamie Cobel.
A couple with a new home in McLean envisioned their master bedroom as a pleasing refuge where they would be able to comfortably read or watch TV. Designer Jennifer Wagner Schmidt—who was hired to decorate the interiors—suggested a “light and bright,” all-white sanctuary; since their only child is nearly grown, she felt her clients’ lifestyle could support the pristine décor. The chic concept appealed to the wife, who requested all new furniture to fill the reimagined space.
The bedroom is large enough to accommodate separate sleeping and lounging areas, so Wagner Schmidt positioned cozy seating at the foot of the bed facing a TV on the opposite wall. Chenille-covered swivel chairs from Calico Corners are grouped around a coffee table from Candelabra with custom X benches by California-based Liven Up, also upholstered in chenille. The linen-clad Crate & Barrel bedstead is flanked by nightstands from Made Goods that combine light-hued wood frames and mirrored drawers. A sideboard found online at One Kings Lane occupies one wall.
Adhering to her tone-on-tone theme, Wagner Schmidt started with a custom, textured-white rug over which she layered fabrics and finishes in shades of ivory and white. Limed and whitewashed wood pieces keep the space light, while accents of gold in the picture frames and accessories add a touch of glamour. So does a faux fur throw that adorns the bed. “My clients are sophisticated and I think we achieved that with our approach,” says the designer. “It’s a beautiful yet relaxed, comfortable space to live and rest in.”
Interior Design: Jennifer Wagner Schmidt, JWS Interiors, Ashburn, Virginia. Styling: Charlotte Safavi.
A couple with a property in Emmitsburg, Maryland, tapped Jim Rill to design a rustic home for them that would fit into its rural, lakeside location. Rill conceived a log cabin-style structure outfitted on the inside with hand-hewn wood columns and beams.
Within two years of the home’s completion, the owners were ready to enlarge the kitchen and called on Rill to devise an addition that would house an expansive new one. The goal was to combine top-of-the-line features with a warm, rustic look.
“The kitchen is supposed to look like it’s always been there,” Rill explains. He employed rough-hewn fir columns and beams to convey a timeworn vibe. Doors and windows trimmed in light-stained fir impart warmth, as does the ceiling made of V-groove fir panels.
Open to the adjacent family room, the kitchen is delineated by varied ceiling heights and an island that the owner uses as a baking station. A larger central island offers a prep sink and plenty of workspaces. Custom cabinetry from Quality Cabinets has been painted, distressed and glazed for an Old World look. The peripheral cabinets are sage-colored and topped by leathered black granite with a rock-face edge, while the islands are painted black and topped with slabs of butcher block.
Rill collaborated with kitchen designer Robin Lynch to select the cabinetry and finishes. Oil-rubbed bronze faucets, a copper sink, and a custom copper hood add to the rustic country style. ”It’s always fun to do something a little different,” Rill observes of the inviting space. “It’s good to do research and work with different materials.”
Architecture: James F. Rill, AIA, Rill Architects, Bethesda, Maryland. Kitchen Design: Robin Lynch, Robin Lynch Designs, Gaithersburg, Maryland. Contractor: Rob Segal, West Wing Builders, Inc., Warrenton, Virginia. Photography: James Ray Spahn.
How well a client trusts me makes all the difference,” says designer Kelley Proxmire, who is known for the strong use of vivid color in her work. This was certainly the case during a project for a Vienna couple with young children, who asked her to redecorate their colonial-style house over the span of several years. Proxmire suggested a palette of bright primary hues throughout—and the wife embraced her vision.
They started in the foyer with yellow-and-white striped wallpaper from Thibaut, combined with a blue carpet and a vintage settée that Proxmire discovered and reupholstered in coral linen from Clarence House. The colors set the tone for the home. “It’s happy and youthful when you walk in,” Proxmire explains.
The designer enjoys decorating with color—as a glance through her portfolio will confirm—but she has definite rules regarding how it should be used. “The biggest thing about color is it has to flow between spaces,” she says. “You have to be able to see from room to room that it all connects.”
Throughout this house, shades of blue, green, yellow and red—all inspired by fabrics that caught Proxmire’s eye—crop up in varying combinations. The living room picks up the adjacent foyer’s blue and red hues, adding fresh green on the walls. The dining room walls are deep blue striae, enhanced by bold yellow silk drapes with custom blue trim. In each room, white woodwork and white-painted furniture create a crisp contrast to all the colors.
In the master bedroom, Proxmire dialed back the intensity of the palette to a more restful level, giving the owners an inviting refuge. But the kids’ rooms are playful, ranging from pink and purple to blue and green. “Working with color is more of a challenge than neutrals,” Proxmire observes. “And I like that no room looks like the next.”
Interior Design: Kelley Proxmire, Kelley Interior Design, Bethesda, Maryland.
A client who purchased a condo in The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown hired Paul Sherrill of Solis Betancourt & Sherrill for a redesign that would reflect her taste and needs. “She bought it sight unseen and we took it down to the bare bones,” says Sherrill. “She wanted it light and airy; she loves the Art Deco aesthetic, so we referenced that with a more current, contemporary feel.”
In the spacious living room, the walls and columns are clad in travertine slabs and the floor is covered in Silver Wood travertine that continues into the adjacent entry, where it’s inlaid with Thassos marble. To create a sense of height, the living room ceiling has been finished with glossy Venetian plaster. The doors—including a pocket door to the dining room—are lacquered in white pearl with panels framed in white-gold leaf. A fireplace is framed in polished nickel and flanked by built-in shelves displaying antique, leather-bound books.
Most of the furniture was custom-designed for space. In the entry, a painting by Serge Poliakoff hangs above a 1970s console table. The living room sofas, upholstered in white velvet from Romo, boast fluted bases trimmed in white-gold leaf. Vintage slipper chairs have been recovered in Rubelli fabric and a sculptural floor lamp by Rose Tarlow illuminates the far end of the room. A custom pedestal holds a pair of antique Chinese temple dragons belonging to the owner. “They’re up-lit at night,” says Sherrill. “It’s a striking effect.”
Interior Design: Paul Sherrill, Solis Betancourt & Sherrill, Washington, DC. Photography: Pieter Estersohn.
In the venerable Edgemoor neighborhood of Bethesda, the most successful new homes combine fine architecture with a sense of belonging. Houses on these quiet streets lined with mature trees do not look alike—but their eclectic styles and range of eras harmonize amidst lush landscaping. There are very few sore thumbs here.
A recently completed home by Anne Decker is no exception. When the architect was tapped to build a new house for longtime Edgemoor residents Linda Mann and her husband, one of the clients’ directives was “a home that would fit into the neighborhood,” Decker says. “They wanted to be good neighbors.”
The couple with three grown children were downsizing from a much larger home nearby. An attractive stone house already occupied the lot they’d bought, but it had been poorly maintained and they were forced to tear it down. Mann ultimately embraced this turn of events. “It was exciting in that we got the experience of designing a new house and working with Anne,” she says.
The homeowner and architect hit it off immediately and were soon “finishing each other’s sentences,” Mann says, laughing. Decker understood her client’s vision right away. Formerly an interior designer, Mann favored crisp lines, walls of steel-framed windows with an industrial vibe and rooms sized to accommodate her collection of antiques, art, and heirlooms.
She also envisioned a house that wouldn’t overwhelm its site. “We didn’t want to loom over anybody,” she says. In response to this preference, Decker designed an undulating roofline that combines gables with flat-roof expanses. This design partially conceals the home’s second story, which houses three bedrooms, giving the impression of a less imposing abode. It also communicates a more modern aesthetic.
“Linda appreciates both traditional and modern design,” Decker explains. “So I took a traditional look and distilled it to incorporate both.”
She embraced a pared-down sensibility for the 4,100-square-foot home, inspired by the Bauhaus movement of 1920s Germany with its industrial flavor and clean lines. Her “distilled traditional” design reduces classical forms to their essence in terms of massing and interior details. “We like to juxtapose elements so you appreciate one for the other,” she explains. For example, trim-less windows and exterior doors contrast with the interior doors, which boast high-gloss black paint and dressy, eye-catching hardware.
Inside, traditional architectural elements are rendered with a minimalist hand. The ceilings favor plain, painted-oak beams over coffers and in the kitchen, the beams have been distilled to “just a drywall articulation,” Decker says. In the deep archway that connects the front hall to the living room, glossy millwork clads the interior of the opening, but trim has been left off. The millwork cleverly conceals basement stairs and a coat closet behind jib doors that disappear when closed. “We didn’t want to be distracted in the foyer by lots of doors, so we hid them when we could,” the architect comments.
Mann loves natural light, so Decker designed 10-foot-four-inch ceilings that convey an airy feel. Strong axial alignments mean that "everywhere you look there's a window that pulls the outside in," Decker says. She combined steel-framed windows and doors by British manufacturer Crittall with dark-painted, wood-framed windows by Loewen throughout the house.
The landscape design by Lila Fendrick mirrors the home’s aesthetic. “We made it subtle to showcase the house and create privacy,” she explains. Each set of windows in back looks out to its own garden view and has its own privacy hedge. Layers of plantings including holly, arborvitae, crape myrtle and magnolia conceal the property from the bordering side street and the house behind.
When it came to decorating the interiors, Mann let the architecture dictate her direction. “I found that the house almost fought me,” she observes bemusedly. “Every time I tried to bring in more color, I had to back it off.” The result was a subdued palette of grays, oatmeals, and whites, complementing natural materials like hand-hewn, limed-oak floors and stonework.
“Everything defers to the outside,” Decker comments. “The views are so important, we didn’t want to distract from them.”
Mann took pains regarding the room dimensions, ensuring such key pieces as a massive 19th-century library table fit comfortably into the living room. “We practically designed the whole space around it,” Mann recalls. “I was not parting with that table!” Sofas and chairs were reupholstered and artwork carefully showcased.
The kitchen was designed by Decker around a large island with plenty of workspaces. White custom cabinetry is topped with two-inch-thick Imperial Danby marble counters, and above the island, oversized pendants by Kay Douglass add drama. In lieu of a formal dining room, the breakfast bay at one end of the spacious kitchen is fitted out with an elegant dining room table. A wall of windows overlooks a stucco-clad outdoor fireplace of Fendrick’s design. Mann loves the view from this spot. “It’s a beautiful space by the table looking out,” she says. “You feel really good about it, with the windows all around.”
Photographer Tom Arban is based in Toronto.
ARCHITECTURE: ANNE Y. DECKER, AIA, lead architect, and JOSHUA MOHR, AIA, LEED Green Associate, Anne Decker Architects, Bethesda, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Potomac Valley Builders, Bethesda, Maryland. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: LILA FENDRICK, Lila Fendrick Landscape Architects, Chevy Chase, Maryland.
RESOURCES
Architecture: Anne Decker Architects; annedeckerarchitects.com. Contractor: Potomac Valley Builders; potomacvalleybuilders.com. Landscape Architecture: Lila Fendrick Landscape Architects; fendrickdesign.com.
THROUGHOUT Steel Windows: crittall-windows.com. Wood-Framed Windows: loewen.com through thesanderscompany.com.
LIVING ROOM Sofas: rjones.com. Fabric: janechurchill.com. Fabrication: trustinteriors.com. White-Framed Armchairs: Owners’ collection. Faux Paint on Chairs: lenorewinters.com. Chair Fabric: donghia.com. Library Table: Mid-19th-century antique. Art above Library Table: Robert Kevin Meyers; robertmeyers.com. Art by Windows: Elinore Schnurr; elinoreschnurr.com. Mirrored Geometric Occasional Table: westelm.com.
KITCHEN Kitchen Counters: rugostone.com. Cabinetry: annedeckerarchitects.com. Pendants: South of Market; 404-995-9399. Appliances: subzero-wolf.com; kitchenaid.com.
DEN Sofa, Club Chair & Coffee Table/Ottoman: Thom Filicia for vanguardfurniture.com. Rug: coecarpetandrug.com. Art over Sofa: William R. Miller; williammillerart.com.
ENTRY Marble-Topped Chest: Family heirloom. Animal Print Rug: starkcarpet.com.
MASTER BEDROOM Bedstead: Owners’ collection. Faux Finish on Bedstead: lenorewinters.com. Bedding: rh.com. Rug: stantoncarpet.com through coecarpetandrug.com. Nightstands: Alexa Hampton for hickorychair.com. Sofa: rjones.com. Fabric: leejofa.com. Coffee Table: niermannweeks.com. Wood-Framed Chair: northwoodantiquesanddesign.com.
MASTER BATH Vanity: Custom by annedeckerarchitects.com. Marble Counter: rugostone.com. Soaking Tub: americh.com.
