An unusual home sits atop a hill in a neighborhood of ramblers, with a forested hillside as its backdrop. Located on two acres, the dynamic, modern structure belongs to Ed Slattery and uniquely reflects his life and vision.
The home’s story began six years ago when a trucker, asleep at the wheel, barreled into the car Slattery’s wife was driving; the couple’s two sons, Peter, 16, and Matthew, 12, were also in the vehicle. Sadly, Susan was killed and both boys badly injured. But while Peter recovered, Matthew sustained severe injuries that resulted in cognitive and visual disabilities. Henceforth, he would need to rely on a wheelchair for mobility. The family’s lives were changed forever.
Matthew endured six months in a coma before he was well enough to come home. His father began to consider how to create a space that would make his son’s life the best it could be; Ed’s sister has cerebral palsy, so he already understood the needs of a wheelchair user. “I wanted a house where Matthew could go everywhere and do whatever he wanted to do,” Slattery says. “I knew what the requirements were.”
After purchasing a lot in Timonium, Slattery, a retired economist, tapped Alter Urban Design Collaborative to create a universally accessible home that would also address another goal dear to his heart: sustainability. John Coplen and partners John Sage and Adam Bridge enthusiastically enlisted, making universal design the main priority but designing the project through a highly energy-efficient lens.
“A big goal was that the house not feels institutional,” says Coplen. “Matthew had spent enough time in hospitals; he needed something functional but beautiful.”
Alter Urban envisioned an open, wheelchair-friendly floor plan. An abundance of wood appealed to Ed’s rustic sensibility; the rest of the design is clean-lined and modern. A simple material palette includes cedar-paneled walls and ceilings, Douglas fir beams, accent walls of reclaimed barn wood and concrete floors with inlaid carpets that delineate living areas. “We thought about how universal design elements address different issues,” Coplen comments. “For Matthew’s impaired vision, we offered bright colors and changes in patterns and surfaces that help orient him in each space.”
Twelve-inch baseboards protect the walls from bumps and cantilevered built-ins accommodate wheels. Pocket doors and swing-away hinges ensure wheelchair movement from room to room and push buttons at the front and back entries and on his chair allow Matthew to open doors. The design also leveled the steeply sloped property enough so an all-terrain wheelchair would be able to navigate it.
In the kitchen, shelves and a convection cooktop can be raised and lowered at the touch of a button while a low-hung second sink allows Matthew to wheel up to it. All the bathrooms are universally designed; Matthew’s features a harness that helps him get in and out of the walk-in tub on his own. Down the hall from his bedroom, an indoor resistance pool with an underwater treadmill beckons.
The home consists of four volumes. The center one, housing the public spaces, is protected by cedar planks that provide a rain screen about two inches away from the exterior walls. “It’s a shade structure that creates a cooler pocket of air,” Coplen explains. Two flanking volumes are clad in white HardiPlank—one housing the bedrooms and garage are topped with a living roof, while the other contains guest bedrooms. In the back of the property, a three-story tower offers a quiet, meditative space with dramatic views.
In the tower, a chair lift designed by Versicor—an engineering firm run by Coplen’s sister—calibrates weight and creates resistance to match the user’s capability. “Matthew can pull himself to the top or just use it as an elevator,” Slattery explains.
Outside, sustainable features abound. A concrete wall, created with a single pour, encloses one side of the house. It extends along the driveway in front and wraps around the tower in back. A “green screen” covers the garage in climbing vines. Solar and geothermal systems and robust insulation ensure energy efficiency. A previous driveway absorbs runoff, and the landscape, designed by Betsy Boykin, highlights non-invasive species. In back, a patio slopes to a meadow of wildflowers.
Bisecting the green roof, a recycled-rubber path connects the upper floor of the tower and the loft, overlooking the home’s main living area. The loft was designed for Peter, who recently graduated from college. “The house had to be for Matthew,” says Slattery. “But the loft gave Peter one space that was his.”
Inspired by Matthew’s progress, Slattery, who recently remarried, launched Finding a New Normal (findinganewnormal.com) in 2014. The foundation raises money for people who need universal accessibility for loved ones at home; John Coplen sits on the board. “My long-term goal is to surround families in crisis with the resources they need,” Slattery says. “Not everyone is as lucky as I was.”
Photographer Rachel Sale splits her time between Washington, DC, and Los Angeles.
ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN: JOHN COPLEN, ADAM BRIDGE, AIA, and JOHN SAGE, AIA, Alter Urban Design Collaborative, Washington, DC. CONTRACTOR: J Paul Builders, Stevenson, Maryland. INCLUSIVE DESIGN CONSULTANT: INGRID M. KANICS, OTR/L, Kanics Inclusive Design Services, LLC, New Castle, Pennsylvania. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: BETSY BOYKIN, ASLA, LEED AP, Core Studio Design, Baltimore, Maryland. LANDSCAPE INSTALLATION: Maxalea, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland.
Two Maryland artisans have added the craft of wallpaper design to their portfolios. Decorative painter Stacey Tranter and textile designer Victoria Larson both bring special skills and perspectives to their work.
“It was a natural progression for me,” says Tranter. “We used our faux-finishing techniques and applied them to paper instead.” Tranter’s handcrafted wallpapers rely on stencils and texturing. Her collection includes French linen- and velvet-textured papers and Gold Thistle, pictured in gold leaf.
Larson’s collection was inspired by her textile designs. Fleur de Sel is “a modern take on damask,” Larson says. “It’s hand screen-printed by Peter Fasano, a master of the process. I wanted the depth of that technique.” Three other patterns—two on grasscloth and one on paper—will be digitally printed. staceytranter.com; victoria-larson.com
Sponsored by the Maryland Building Industry Association, the annual Custom Builder Awards honor quality architecture, construction and remodeling projects in the Greater Washington, DC, area. Following is a list of all 2016 MBIA winners; Gold-Award winners are pictured here.
CUSTOM TRADITIONAL HOME
GOLD—GTM Architects. Builder: PKK Builders. Photography: Diego Valdez. SILVER—Three Brothers Land Company. Architecture: Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC. Photography: Real Tour Inc.
CUSTOM CONTEMPORARY HOME
GOLD—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC. Architecture: GTM Architects. Photography: Michael Kress Photography.
SILVER—Studio Z Design Concepts. Builder: Sandy Spring Builders, LLC. Photography: Marlene Dennis Designs.
CUSTOM TRANSITIONAL HOME
GOLD—Finecraft Contractors, Inc. Architecture: Thomson & Cooke Architects. Photography: Suzie Soleimani.
SILVER—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC. Architecture: GTM Architects. Photography: Michael Kress. BRONZE—Douglas Construction Group, LLC. Architecture: Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC. Photography: Doug Monsein.
SPECULATIVE TRANSITIONAL HOME
GOLD—Carter, Inc. Architecture: Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC. Photography: Melissa McGowan. SILVER—Laurence Cafritz Builders. Architecture: GTM Architects. Photography: Stu Estler. BRONZE—Jeffco. Architecture: GTM Architects. Photography: MPI.
SPECULATIVE GREEN HOME
GOLD—Mid-Atlantic Custom Builders. Architecture: Lessard Design. Photography: TruPlace.
CUSTOM HOME 3,500-5,000square feet
GOLD—Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC. Builder: Chase Builders. Photography: Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC.
SILVER—Castlewood Consulting, LLC. Architecture: James McDonald Associates Architects. Photography: Marlon Crutchfield. BRONZE—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC. Architecture: Studio Z Design Concepts. Photography: Michael Kress.
CUSTOM HOME 5,000-7,500square feet
GOLD—Baldwin Homes, Inc. Architecture: Robert Berry Jr., AIA. Photography: Baldwin Homes, Inc. SILVER—GTM Architects. Builder: Allegheny Builders. Photography: Diego Valdez. BRONZE—Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC. Builder: Cheshire Homes. Photography: HomeVisit.
CUSTOM HOME 7,500-12,500 square feet
GOLD—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC. Architecture: GTM Architects. Photography: Michael Kress.
SILVER—Battaglia Homes, LLC. Architecture: GBL Custom Home Design Inc. Photography: Battaglia Homes, LLC. BRONZE—Washington Metropolitan Homes. Architecture: Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC. Photography: HomeVisit.
CUSTOM HOME over 12,500 square feet
GOLD—Castlewood Consulting, LLC. Architecture: Castlewood Consulting, LLC. Photography: Marlon Crutchfield.
SPECULATIVE HOME 3,500-5,000 square feet
GOLD—Washington Metropolitan Homes. Architecture: Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC. Photography: HomeVisit.
SPECULATIVE HOME 5,000-7,500 square feet
GOLD—Zander Homes. Architecture: Joseph Brandli. Photography: Lauren Neivod. SILVER—Castlewood Consulting, LLC. Architecture: Castlewood Consulting, LLC. Photography: TruPlace. BRONZE—Washington Metropolitan Homes. Architecture: Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC. Photography: HomeVisit.
When a couple purchased their Baltimore home, the three-acre property came with a whimsical water feature in the form of a sculpture. Inspired by the classic musical “Singin’ in the Rain,” the custom-designed brass figure of a dancing man, umbrella raised against the rain, captivated the homeowners. During a landscape redesign by Chapel Valley Landscape Company, the feature was moved from a pond on the property to a more visible spot by the house. Chapel Valley designed a stone pool for it with an electric pump beneath it that pushes water up through the sculpture to the umbrella, where it showers back down. The water circulates hourly and the pool refills automatically when evaporation lowers its level.
Not all water features are as unique as this one, but gone are the days when a swimming pool was the only way to integrate water into a landscape. Possibilities range from traditional fountains to gurgling brooks that span whole backyards. “They’re fun to design because each one is unique,” says Chapel Valley designer Lucas Castor.
SMALL SCALE Clients working with Surrounds Inc., enhanced their Clifton, Virginia, garden with a simple water feature: three ceramic planters fitted with a pump that gently forces water up, creating a pretty tableau and an appealing sound. “These are the most cost-effective features,” says Surrounds landscape architect Howard Cohen, adding that almost any container will work that allows water to spill over. “We’ve used basalt columns, granite blocks, even boulders with holes drilled through them. You can add lighting and the birds love them.”
To create this ceramic-planter feature, Cohen and his team dug a hole for a submersible pump and an underground basin designed to support up to 2,000 pounds. They covered the basin with a porous surface and placed the planters on top. The water drips back down into the basin through a layer of gravel.
The owners maintain the fountain in summer with pool chemicals to keep the water clear and shut it down in winter so the equipment doesn’t freeze. But a heater with a thermostat could be added to keep the system running year-round.
LIVING LARGE At the other end of the spectrum, an elaborate project designed by Ryan Davis of McHale Landscape Design created an Asian-style Zen garden in Darnestown, Maryland, with a pagoda and a koi pond. Punctuated by waterfalls, a meandering stream flows down to the pond.
This design required a more complicated system. “When you get into large-scale water features with fish, filtration is key because you have to keep the water healthy,” Davis says. Pool skimmers hidden in the rocks pre-filter the water and a bead filter breaks down algae and other gunk, converting it into healthy bacteria. The filter should turn over all the water in the pond every hour, and the whole body of water should be back-flushed weekly.
According to Davis, the right size filter is imperative—too small and it won’t do its job; too large and it will move the water too fast to be effective. The volume of water, elevation of the land, length of pipe and power of the pump are all factors to be considered during the planning stage. Partial shade also helps keep the water healthy; lily pads are a better bet than shade trees, which drop leaves that will need to be removed.
A rubber liner is typical for the pond bottom, but, “Liners can be tricky to install,” says Cohen. “Water wants to get out, and one mistake can result in a leak.” He prefers gunite, which is commonly used for pool surfaces and costs more. To winterize a fish pond, he suggests covering it with a reusable net. Leave the water where it is and when it drops to a certain temperature, the fish will go into hibernation until spring.
Whatever water feature you choose, keep in mind that water itself is a powerful element that can have adverse effects on your materials and design. A stone water feature requires a dense material like granite that will withstand the slow erosion that water causes. “Consider how everything reacts to water,” suggests Castor. “Remember, water is always going to win.”
When it comes to water features, anything is possible. “Find something you connect with from a creative standpoint,” he advises. “There’s really no limit to what you can do.”
On the eve of its September 24 grand opening, the long-awaited Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture beckons from its spot beside the Washington Monument. As unlike the iconic obelisk, as it could be, the 400,000-square-foot structure was a long-term collaborative effort by four acclaimed architecture firms.
The museum’s three-tiered exterior was designed by architect David Adjaye using 3,600 bronze-hued, cast-aluminum panels. Drawing on imagery from both African and American history, it evokes ornate ironwork created by slaves in 19th-century New Orleans. The panels admit daylight through their dappled surface, while openings frame views of the Washington Monument, the White House and other landmarks, reminding visitors that they are viewing the world through the distinctive lens of African American history and culture.
Designed by architect Philip Freelon, the interiors span nine levels—four of them below ground—housing exhibition galleries, educational spaces, a 350-seat theater, auditorium, café, and shop. The museum’s collection will trace 500 years of history, from 15th-century Africa to the present day. Highlights include the Harriet Tubman collection; an early-1800s slave cabin from South Carolina; a segregation-era Southern railway car; a Tuskegee Airmen trainer plane; an Angola Prison guard tower; and Chuck Berry’s red Cadillac. An 1874 log house built and inhabited by free slaves in Poolesville, Maryland, will also be on view. Visit nmaahc.si.edu.
LEAD DESIGNERS: DAVID ADJAYE, OBE; PHILIP FREELON, FAIA, Freelon, Adjaye, Bond/SmithGroupJJR. CONSTRUCTION: Clark/Smoot/Russell.
To an equestrian, it is no small thing to be able to walk out the door and climb right onto your horse—no car rides to the barn or trailers necessary. No wonder it took designer Natascha Folens and husband Luke Dejager—devoted riders, fox hunters and owners of three statuesque steeds—two years to find just the right weekend retreat in Virginia’s Hunt Country. “We wanted to be able to ride out with the horses,” Folens explains. “That’s a big reason we bought this house.”
With a stable and paddock just steps from the front door and views hard by of grassy, fenced spaces where their horses frolic, the couple and their two kids, ages 10 and 18, got what they were looking for. Their 240-year-old stone abode nestles amid 22 acres of pastoral rolling hills and crumbling stone walls. Alongside it is a guest house that Folens rents out on Airbnb (she also rents out the main house when she and her family are at their full-time home in Great Falls).
The building began life as a low-ceilinged structure housing the existing kitchen and dining room and an upstairs bedroom. Over the years, a spare room off the foyer and a family room off the back were added. Today, the house measures almost 2,500 square feet and encompasses two upstairs bedrooms, two baths, four original fireplaces and a porch with breathtaking backyard views.
Not surprisingly, the house had developed problems over the years. But Folens, a Belgian native who prefers older homes with their innate character and sense of history, knew she could breathe new life into it. She lightened rooms that were painted in dark neutral colors and tackled an outdated kitchen and an inconvenient upstairs layout where the master bedroom could only be accessed through another bedroom. “I wanted to respect the architecture—that was number one,” she says. “I also wanted it to feel like a country house—since it’s in the country—but casual, comfortable and light, so the outside can come in.”
Folens overhauled the kitchen, retaining the original ceiling beams but adding fresh drywall between them. A waterproof plaster surface called Tadelakt, popular in Morocco and Greece, covers the cabinetry and countertops, with cabinet doors made of 200-year-old Chinese elm wood found in Paris. A French white oak table is paired with Australian basket chairs from Holland and a white oak bench custom-made to match the table. A solid-wood door out to the adjacent patio was replaced with one of steel-framed glass that lets in the light.
Upstairs, spaces have been reorganized to create a master bath and a hall leading from the staircase directly to the master bedroom. In the master bath, limestone floors and concrete walls are spare backdrops to a custom bronze-and-marble vanity from Italy and a wide Mastella soaking tub. “I didn’t want the room to be busy,” explains Folens. “I wanted an open feel where everything would blend and the vanity would stand out.”
Folens brought her European sensibility to each room, combining modern touches with historic architectural elements such as original heart pine floors, paneled window niches and a coffered ceiling in the family room. Yet mantels have been removed from fireplaces, walls are painted in off-white hues and windows are unadorned. Sculptural, exposed heat pipes from Belgium and metal light fixtures with bare bulbs add an industrial vibe.
As a designer, Folens imports virtually everything from Europe. Her own home reflects her eclectic, international eye. For example, a painting of a horse by New York artist Joe Andoe anchors the family room, where the rugs are kilims from Morocco, the coffee table is an African daybed found in Brussels, and the desk is made of Belgian bluestone. “I don’t like a lot of knickknacks, but I do like a bohemian architecture feel,” Folens observes. “I try to bring that in with materials.”
In the same vein, the dining room combines a B&B Italia table, a Belgian rug and a light fixture by Ochre, while the master bedroom boasts an elm console and a woven chair from Vincent Sheppard. Folens has draped a deerskin over the chair to evoke the idea of a hunting lodge—a perfect touch, considering the name she and Dejager have given the house: “Hunter’s Retreat.”
Photographer Gordon Beall is based in Bethesda.
INTERIOR DESIGN & CONTRACTING: NATASCHA FOLENS, NF Interiors, Great Falls, Virginia.
RESOURCES
Foyer Concrete Tile: designtegels.nl through nfinteriors.com. Light Fixture: abchome.com.
Dining Room/Reception Area Round Table: maxalto.it. Light Fixture above Table: ochre.net. Rug: le.be through nfinteriors.com.
Family Room Horse Painting: Joe Andoe. French Wine Tasting Table & Desk Light: flamant.com through nfinteriors.com. Blue Glass Vase: henrydean.be through nfinteriors.com. Heaters: through nfinteriors.com. Antler Chandeliers anthropologie.com. Sofa: Custom. Coffee Table: Antique. Woven Bench & Sheepskins: bloomingville.com. Moroccan Kilims: Vintage. Pair of Chairs: vintage by Arne Sorensen. Blue Throw On Sofa & Sheepskin Pillows: maisondevacances.com. Desk: sempre.be through nfinteriors.
Porch Coffee Table: flamant.com through nfinteriors.com. Four Chairs: through nfinteriors.com.
Patio Sectional & White Rattan Chairs: vincentsheppard.com. Zinc Coffee Table/ Ice Holder: domain.co.nz through nfinteriors.com. Yellow Throw & Cushion: maisondevacances.com.
Kitchen Dining Table: heerenhuis.be through nfinteriors.com. Basket Chairs: bonluxat.com. Custom Bench: through nfinteriors.com. Pillows On Bench: flexformny.com. Pendants over Table: tierlantijn.com through nfinteriors.com. Grain Platter over Fireplace: Antique. Countertops: tadelaktlondon.co.uk. Cabinet Doors: Antique Elmwood through nfinteriors.com. Limestone Floor: stonesource.com.
Master Bath Soaking Tub: mastelladesign.it through nfinteriors.com. Plumbing Fixtures: hansgrohe-usa.com. Limestone Floor: architecturalceramics.com. Vanity: altamareabath.it through nfinteriors.com. Sconces over Vanity: lumens.com
Master Bedroom Console: bloomingville.com. Woven Chair: vincentsheppard.com. Bedding & Deerskin: maisondevacances.com. Bedside Fixtures: sempre.be through nfinteriors.com. Chandelier: Vintage.
Guest Room Bedstead & Nightstands: flamant.com through nfinteriors.com. Rose-Colored Throw: maisondevacances.com. Bedside Lights: Vintage. Rug: ostacarpets.com through nfinteriors.com.
The principals of Green Owl Design, Erica Riggio and Angela Justice first met on a job site where both had been called in to consult. They immediately discovered a kinship on outlook, design sensibilities and goals. After teaming up on other projects, they eventually launched their firm together. “We prefer designing as a collaborative process and have been creating and having fun ever since,” Riggio comments. Their Green Owl Design boutique in Hyattsville’s burgeoning arts district followed in 2013.
Riggio and Justice both bring advanced interior-design degrees to their work, as well as keen artistic perspectives (Justice is also a painter). They value the opportunity to wear more than one hat on any given day. “I think when you’re creative you need to be stimulated a lot, and this is a career path that does that,” Justice observes.
Today, about 70 percent of the firm’s projects are commercial and the rest are residential. “I enjoy the personal side of residential design, where you really get to know your client,” says Justice.
At 1,000 square feet, Green Owl Design houses both the design studio and the shop. It showcases local artisans’ work, from coasters and candles to vintage and custom-designed furniture. The two enterprises are complementary. “The space inspires us creatively,”Riggio says. “We’re surrounded by things we love.”
Interior Design: Erica Riggio and Angela Justice, Green Owl Design, Hyattsville, Maryland.
The 2016 Kitchen & Bath Design Awards, organized by the Baltimore-Washington Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), welcomed 119 entries from area designers. Sponsored by Home & Design, the annual contest invites industry professionals from our region to judge the submissions. This year’s jury included Cathy Purple Cherry of Purple Cherry Architects; Jason Hodges of Jason Hodges & Associates; Ann Unal of Unal Kitchens, LLC; Mark White of Kitchen Encounters; and Sharon Jaffe Dan, editor in chief of Home & Design.
River’s Edge
LARGE KITCHEN—1st place
Scarlett Breeding, AIA, with Richard Anuskewicz, Sarah Favrao and Angela Phelan, Alt Breeding Schwarz Architects
Crisp + Contemporary
LARGE KITCHEN—2nd place
Paul Bentham, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath
Classic Style
LARGE KITCHEN—3rd place
Joan Zimmerman, Design Solutions, Inc.
Strong Reflection
Honorable Mention 86
Paul Bentham, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath
Modern Farmhouse
MEDIUM KITCHEN—1st place
Jennifer Gilmer, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath
Timeless Appeal
MEDIUM KITCHEN—2nd place
Sarah Turner, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath
Easy Entertaining
MEDIUM KITCHEN—3rd place
Kamila Kvitkova, Balaton Builders
Ingenious Solution
SMALL KITCHEN—1st place
Meghan Browne, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath
Living Large
SMALL KITCHEN—2nd place
Sarah Turner, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath
Sculptural Style
SMALL KITCHEN—3rd place
Davida Rodriguez, CKD, Davida’s Kitchen and Tiles, LLC
Soothing Retreat
LARGE BATH—1st place
Paul Bentham, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath
Long-Term Plan
LARGE BATH—2nd place
Scarlett Breeding, AIA, with Richard Anuskewicz, Sarah Favrao and Angela Phelan, Alt Breeding Schwarz Architects
Rare Vintage
SPECIALTY ROOM—1st place
Donald Lococo, AIA, Donald Lococo Architects
Rachel Dougan’s distinctive design aesthetic conveys the bold confidence of many years of experience—yet she’s been designing interiors for a relatively short time. After years in branding strategy and graphic design, she was looking for something more creative—and a home renovation showed her the way. “I had no idea I was interested in interior design, but I couldn’t stop working on our home,” she recalls. “When I landed on it, my husband was so happy—he said, ‘Great, now you can leave our house alone and move onto other people’s houses!’”
An international background informs Dougan’s work. Born in Vietnam and raised in Southeast Asia, she went to school in Europe before ending up in the U.S. She partnered with the late Washington designer Jerry Copeland for several years before launching ViVi Interiors about a year ago. “My approach to design is layered and textured, with lots of different concepts and patterns coming together,” she says. “I think this is from having experienced so many cultures.”
Dougan’s artful blend of styles, eras, textures and price points creates surprising, harmonious spaces. Her firm’s carefully chosen name reflects her design philosophy. “Vivi means ‘living’ in Latin,” she says. “I wanted to help people celebrate how they live with their spaces and their routines. These are not things that should just be cobbled together every day.”
Interior Design: Rachel Dougan, ViVi Interiors, Washington, DC.
Downtown Baltimore’s historic Mercantile Trust and Deposit Co. Building has been rejuvenated, courtesy of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. The 1885 stone-and-brick Romanesque Revival structure, with its slate roof and Roman arches, had been employed as a nightclub from 2002 until 2012, when the CSC took possession. “Everyone fell in love when they saw it,” says architect George Holback of Cho Benn Holback + Associates, who spearheaded the $6.7 million transformation that won an AIA Maryland 2015 Citation Award.
“It was a cube, as tall as it was wide,” says Holback, pointing out that this meant the redesign could approximate Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre, a symmetrical (though round) space with shallow rows of benches rising high above the stage.
To create a Shakespearean-style layout, a core steel structure was inserted in the building’s interior, modifying an existing mezzanine level and supporting a new third-floor balcony. Seating faces the stage on three sides. The building’s ornamental interiors—including Corinthian columns and an ornately carved ceiling—were painted in bold, vibrant hues.
Surprisingly, the former bank adapted well to its new life as a theater. One-time vaults in the basement now house dressing rooms, costume storage and a green room, and are accessed via spiral and regular staircases. Tunnels leading to the vaults are now used for storage while a catwalk above the stage was original to the building.
Like Elizabethan audiences, those today—who sit on benches not more than six rows deep—enjoy communal, intimate performances. “The philosophy is interactive movement with the audience,” Holback says. “The actors perform in the audience, on the spiral stairs, on the catwalk. It’s a three-dimensional experience.”
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS: GEORGE HOLBACK, AIA, LEED AP, Cho Benn Holback + Associates, Baltimore, Maryland. DEVELOPER: Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Baltimore, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Southway Builders, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAN GILBERT.
Illuminated bamboo orbs and ovals from his lighting collection swayed gently overhead while David Trubridge discussed the role of beauty in design during his May 18 talk, “Beauty Matters,” at the New Zealand Embassy in DC. Born in England and trained as a shipbuilder, he spent 10 years sailing the world with his family before settling in New Zealand. Trubridge began making furniture and burst onto the design scene in 2001 with his Body Raft, an ingenious recliner that was snatched up by Cappellini. Today, lighting is his main focus—and sustainable design is his passion. Trubridge sat down with H&D during his visit to the capital.
What inspires your work? When I’m on my own in nature, that’s when something happens. I don’t see a finished piece, but I access my subconscious, where ideas come from. You can’t force creativity. You have to understand the conditions in which it happens and create them.
What are your guidelines for creating sustainably? Absolute sustainability is impossible. Timber is easily replenished—globally, it’s growing faster than it’s being cut and it keeps carbon out of the atmosphere. We use bamboo, which is good, but the machine process of cutting it into sticks, gluing and stripping them is bad. You choose the least bad option and do what you can.
Explain your thesis in “Beauty Matters.” Art and beauty are fundamental parts of who we are. Beauty is not separate from usefulness. People will take care of something beautiful longer; I believe if our world is beautiful, we will take better care of it.
What is next for you? I’m designing a windsurfer using a traditional Polynesian sail, which is incredibly efficient. I love Polynesian culture and history and this will help call attention to the environmental issue of these people’s homes being threatened by rising sea levels.
David Trubridge designs are available in the Washington area through Apartment Zero.
Architect Scarlett Breeding blended Shingle-style exteriors with minimalist interiors in her design of a house on the Magothy River near Annapolis. “It was important for the kitchen to keep the same language in order to integrate with the rest of the house,” she explains. Taking her cues from the architecture, she designed glass cabinet transoms to echo the architectural windows, integrating and concealing the appliances to retain a streamlined look; appliances around the cooktop are hidden away but within easy reach via flush lift systems.
Quartzite countertops and backsplash are grain-matched to create a clean-lined, unified effect. The range is a focal point, with an elongated stainless-steel hood and stainless-steel cabinets on either side; polished stainless-steel vertical wall cabinet doors define the beverage bar area. Breeding selected a soothing gray palette for the millwork, which complements the soft hue of the quartzite. It’s a combination that perfectly reflects the serene mood of the waterfront scenery outside.
The Details ARCHITECTURE & KITCHEN DESIGN: Scarlett Breeding, AIA, principal; Richard T. Anuszkiewicz, Sarah Favrao, Angela Phelan, project team, Alt Breeding Schwarz, Annapolis, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Helen Sullivan, Helen Sullivan Design, Washington, DC. BUILDER: Pyramid Builders, Annapolis, Maryland. CABINETRY: premiercb.com. COUNTERTOPS: rbratti.com. APPLIANCES: mieleusa.com, subzero-wolf.com. SINKS: Julien through rohlhome.com.
The emphasis was on aging in place in the design of a contemporary Annapolis master bath by architect Scarlett Breeding of Alt Breeding Schwarz. In keeping with the home’s streamlined, modern style, she accentuated long, linear lines in the bath—while also ensuring long-term function with a curb-less shower, seated vanity area, oversized W.C., strategically placed grab bars and extended tub platform.
The vanity, which boasts two sinks, is made of an etimoe wood grain-matched veneer that echoes the furniture in the adjacent master bedroom. The wall-to-wall vanity mirror brings in light and a sense of openness and a dropped canopy above the counter houses the proper illumination.
A polished stainless-steel base reveals with integrated lighting creates a safe path for travel around the tub—and a wonderful glow that almost makes the tub deck appear to float. Large-scale, neutral-hued limestone tiles and complementary Lagos Azul limestone countertops convey a warm, restful vibe.
The Details ARCHITECTURE & BATH DESIGN: Scarlett Breeding, AIA, principal; Richard T. Anuszkiewicz, Sarah Favrao, Angela Phelan, project team, Alt Breeding Schwarz, Annapolis, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Helen Sullivan, Helen Sullivan Design, Washington, DC. BUILDER: Pyramid Builders, Annapolis, Maryland. CABINETRY: premiercb.com. COUNTERTOPS: rbratti.com. Wall & Shower Tile: architecturalceramics.com. TUB: mtibaths.com. PLUMBING FIXTURES: hansgrohe-usa.com.
To make a small kitchen in Chevy Chase light and accessible, designer Meghan Browne first removed a wall separating the kitchen and family room, flooding both spaces with natural light. She then added a door to the dining room from the kitchen’s prep area for better flow between spaces. A cleverly planned layout concentrated the sink, dishwasher, double ovens and refrigerator along one wall—where Browne was able to create more functional storage by placing the sink off-center beneath the window to accommodate a larger lower-level cabinet.
Crisp, white floor-to-ceiling cabinetry by Decor is combined with a glazed ceramic subway-tile backsplash and honed Calacatta marble countertops to create a clean-lined, transitional look. Along one wall, the cabinetry is stained dark with frosted-glass doors that display dishware and decorative objects. An island with an extra-thick countertop provides space to eat as well as work, while airy, geometric pendants add a final, modern touch.
The Details KITCHEN DESIGN: Meghan Browne, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath, Ltd., Chevy Chase, Maryland. CONSTRUCTION: Paul Lappas, Lappas Construction Co., Bethesda, Maryland. CABINETRY: decorcabinets.com. APPLIANCES: mieleusa.com, bosch-home.com. COUNTERTOPS: classicgranitemarble.com. BACKSPLASH: architecturalceramics.com.
When the owner of an open-plan, garden-level condo in Logan Circle tapped designer Sarah Turner to renovate his kitchen, she conceived a functional space that would feel like a seamless extension of the adjacent living room. A paneled pantry door with traditional trim was replaced with a slab door painted to match the wall so that the adjacent spaces would flow together visually. An integrated Sub-Zero refrigerator-freezer, a paneled dishwasher and a sink made of the same Caesarstone as the countertops all contribute to the seamless look.
Turner selected Zonavita cabinetry in warm wood tones and a flat-fronted modern style that complements the living area nearby; the cabinets are larger than their predecessors, with better storage. The island countertop with waterfall ends provides a comfortable perch, furnished with rattan stools. Double ovens, a built-in Miele espresso machine, and a U-Line wine fridge make entertaining easy.
The Details KITCHEN DESIGN: Sarah Turner, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath, Ltd., Chevy Chase, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Nolan Brook, Brook Custom Remodeling, Oakton, Virginia. CABINETRY: zonavita.com. APPLIANCES: subzero-wolf.com, mieleusa.com, u-line.com, bosch-home.com. COUNTERTOPS: caesarstoneus.com. BACKSPLASH: Limestone mosaic through architecturalceramics.com.
In the mid-century modern home of a commercial architect in Silver Spring, Davida Rodriguez transformed a 1980s kitchen that had been a pass-through space into a vibrant central area where the owners and their guests can congregate. She began by removing a wall to create an open plan that would make the kitchen easily accessible from the family room, dining area, and backyard. Her design also borrowed space from an adjacent bath for a pantry that optimizes storage.
Drywall soffits in an accent color and waterfall countertops made of quartz convey a sculptural sensibility that’s “more reminiscent of art than of function,” says Rodriguez. Dark-stained cabinetry adds warmth and the two-tiered island with double-sided cabinets conceals part of the prep area. Sleek, double-sided frosted-glass cabinets hanging from rods maintain a sense of openness between the living room and kitchen. Stainless-steel appliances and a glass-tile backsplash lend the kitchen a clean, reflective quality.
The Details KITCHEN DESIGN: Davida Rodriguez, CKD, Davida’s Kitchen & Tiles, LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Sergei Tsoy, Modern Style Construction, Silver Spring, Maryland. CABINETRY: wood-mode.com. COUNTERTOPS & BACKSPLASH: Through davidaskitchenandtiles.com. APPLIANCES: kitchenaid.com, thermador.com.
