The first day of spring heralds the coming warm weather— and the American Society of Interior Designers Washington Metro Chapter’s annual Spring Spruce-Up. This popular program offers homeowners an opportunity to meet with local ASID interior designers at the reduced rate of $100 an hour; home consultations, lasting one to two hours, are aimed at clients who have never worked with a designer before. Online sign-up begins on March 20 at 9 a.m. Proceeds support ASID’s educational initiatives. asiddcmetro.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GWIN HUNT
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010
For their newly built weekend home in St. Michaels, a Davidsonville, Maryland, couple wanted a classic look—comfortable yet more formal than a typical beach house. The home has numerous windows overlooking the water, so they turned to designer Cristina Uria of Carlos Interiors, Inc., to dress them up without obstructing the scenery. Pictured above, the daughter’s bedroom features bishop’s sleeve window treatments with wrap-around swags in a soft-lined, sheer fabric from Fabricut in aubergine and gold. Gold tassels and hardware pick up the gold accents in the room.
In the dining room the homeowners chose a decorative inlay on the floor rather than a rug, so Uria softened the lines of the room using wrap-around swags with flat-pleated panels in a luxurious fabric from Kravet.
In the spacious kitchen (below), panels in the seating area impart a sense of height to the room; a corner pleated valance in the same Kravet fabric maintains an unobstructed view in the dining area. Over the kitchen sink, a soft cascade wrap-around swag in a complementary fabric from Duralee lends interest to space.
WINDOW TREATMENTS: Cristina Uria, Carlos Interiors, Inc., Crofton, MD.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENNETH M. WYNER
JULY/AUGUST 2009
When Mariana and Jack White moved into their 1988 center-hall Colonial in Fairfax Station, Virginia, they loved their home’s spaciousness and bucolic setting. Over time, however, their aesthetic changed and they began to feel that the house lacked the visual impact they wanted. The family room was dark; the living and dining rooms were a mishmash of colors. “We had what I called an Easter egg house,” Jack White recalls. “It was full of Colonial colors like blue and pink.” The Whites wanted to lighten the space, to create a more sophisticated palette. They also wanted the house to have a sense of architectural detail, yet feel fresh and modern.
To accomplish this challenging list of goals, the couple turned to McLean, Virginia-based interior designer Barbara Hawthorn, whose work Mariana White had seen in the pages of HOME & DESIGN. “I said to Barbara, ‘I need light,’” Mariana says. “She said with the right colors it would be sunny every day.”
The Whites put their faith in Hawthorn, who devised a plan that would emphasize the home’s classic lines while infusing it with a modern flair. As the designer explains it, Jack White had gone to Oxford and loved the ornate woodwork inside its venerable buildings. Hawthorn was inspired to create a space “reminiscent of Oxford, with a sense of Old World craftsmanship, but do it in a modern way.”
The result is an interior in which intricate millwork and architectural finishes such as moldings, cornices and friezes all figure heavily into the design scheme. At the same time, clean-lined, simple furnishings communicate a more contemporary aesthetic and offset the elaborate backdrop of walls and trim.
The architectural finishes are particularly prevalent in the entryway, a two-story space that feels both airy and elegant. To achieve the effect they wanted, Hawthorn and her clients pored over catalogs, choosing a mix of Greek-, Roman- and Victorian-themed cartouches in the shapes of grape leaf clusters, flowers and acanthus leaves. “Each cartouche is different,” Hawthorn says.
All the decorative moldings in the entryway, and the door frames, were handcrafted by Warrickshire Woodcrafters of Reston, Virginia, using Indonesian mahogany. Hawthorn added large-scale dark-stained frames to the wide doorways leading into the living and dining rooms, integrating the existing window transoms above them into the design with faux-paint treatments. In fact, the interior doors in the foyer area are all “plain old builder doors,” says Jack White. Rather than replace them, Hawthorn saved money by having them faux-painted to look like heavy mahogany with an inlay of lighter fruitwood. “I had to find just the right value that was golden and had depth,” Hawthorn recalls. She turned to decorative painter Paul Levy for the job.
Though the designer carried the Oxford theme into the rest of the house, the living and dining rooms were transformed largely through paint (trading the “Easter-egg” colors for soft creams), upholstery and new, more modern carpets. “We took the traditional furniture and reupholstered it in modern fabrics,” says Hawthorn. “They have beautiful pieces that weren’t showcased enough so I created vignettes with the furniture and their art to draw attention to them.” Decorative wood moldings over the fireplace in the living room were shadowed and glazed to bring them into relief.
The family room, which adjoins the kitchen, underwent a major transformation. “We wanted to lighten the space and make it feel bigger,” Hawthorn explains. She replaced the traditional fireplace with a wider, more contemporary one, which has the effect “of making the room seem stretched out.” The new fireplace surround is made of eye-catching honey onyx and Walker Zanger glass tiles, and the hearth is limestone. Columns to either side are actually pull-out-drawers that hold videos. Laser-cut lattice doors above conceal a 62-inch TV.
The walls were painted a soft yellow and woven Conrad shades replaced the draperies so as not to obstruct the natural light. Wherever possible, Hawthorn installed LED lighting.
Prior to the remodel, knee walls had separated the kitchen area from the family room. Under the auspices of Cabin John, Maryland, architect Robert Wilkoff, these half-walls were replaced by columns, which served to open up the room. The door to the powder room was strategically moved out of kitchen view and tray ceilings trimmed with architectural accents were added above the dining and kitchen areas, along with chair rails and crown moldings to connect the family room and kitchen with the rest of the house. Wilkoff drew up an elevation of the family room area to show the Whites how the room would look.
Back in the entryway, a huge chandelier hangs from the second-floor ceiling. It epitomizes what Hawthorn was trying to create: a perfect balance of old and new. “It had to be simple so as not to interfere with the moldings,” she says. In its elaborate setting, it is simple and elegant and a little bit modern. “At night,” says Jack White, “the chandelier disappears, and all you see is lights.”
Photographer Kenneth M. Wyner is based in Takoma Park, Maryland.
RENOVATION ARCHITECT: Robert Wilkoff, NCARB, Archaeon, Inc. Architects, Cabin John, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Barbara Hawthorn, Barbara Hawthorn Interiors, McLean, Virginia. LIGHTING DESIGN: Wayne Hinson, Hinson Design Group, Washington, DC.
** Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs. Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENNETH M. WYNER
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
Jeff Carpenter spent 20 years working with big, impersonal construction companies before deciding to shift gears and hang his own shingle. “I’d been building hundreds of homes a year,” he recalls. “I wanted to do less running around supervising personnel and have closer involvement with homeowners.”
He founded Monticello Homes in 1990 and it quickly took off. Twenty years later, the Fairfax Station, a Virginia-based company builds from two to five houses a year and tackles remodeling projects—which works just fine for Carpenter. “I love it,” he says. “I have a small staff and we emphasize personal relationships and quality.”
Most of Monticello Homes’ business is located in Northern Virginia. To keep the company small, Carpenter doesn’t invest in subdivisions; homeowners tend to approach him to build on a property they already own, or more often, to help them find a property to build on. Monticello Homes builds in all styles. “That’s the fun part,” Carpenter says. “There are a million styles between contemporary and traditional and we do them all.”
Facts & Stats
Monticello Homes emphasizes energy management and conservation.
SPECIALTIES
Founder of the Custom Builders Council and
partner and founder of the CB/USA, a national builder buying group.
INQUIRIES
Monticello Homes, Inc.,
7829 Manor House Drive
Fairfax Station,
Virginia 22039
703-425-0001
monticello-homes.com
email: info@monticello homes.com
ARCHITECTURE: Robert Wilkoff, AIA, Archeon Architects, Cabin John, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Barbara Hawthorn, Barbara Hawthorn Interiors, McLean, Virginia.
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 and Marketing Council and the Maryland National Capital Building Industry Association, the venerable GALA Awards, held on October 9, 2014, at the McLean Hilton at Tysons Corner, have honored excellence in new home architecture, interior design, sales and marketing in our region for more than 50 years. The 2014 entries filled 37 categories; those pertaining to architecture and design included single- and multi-family homes; town homes and condominiums; and custom home and remodeling projects.
Home & Design covered the winners in the custom-builder categories in the November/December issue; on the following pages, we spotlight the remaining winners in the architecture and design categories. An alphabetical list of winning companies appears below.
The GALA Awards honored close to 100 winners in 2014.
Below are the award recipients for projects in one or more of the design and architecture categories.
Advantage Homes
Arcadia Communities
Brookfield Residential
Comstock
Corbelis
Creaser/O’Brien Architects
D.R. Horton
Devereaux & Associates
EYA
Evergreene Homes
Fraser Wallace Advertising
GPS Designs
Integrity Homes
K. Hovnanian Homes
KTGY
Lessard Design
Miller & Smith
NVHomes
OPaL, LLC
Piet Boon Architecture
Post Properties
Ryan Homes
SK+I
Shalom Baranes Associates Architects
W.C. Ralston Architects
Willowsford, LLC
Wormald Homes
Great American Living 2013 Awards
The Sherman Building—a 160-year-old National Historic Landmark known as the “Old Soldiers’ Home”—was among several important DC buildings damaged by the 2011 earthquake. Entire sections of masonry collapsed and the 130-foot clock tower was visibly cracked. More than 200 stones fell from the structure and 180 had to be removed for safety. The hazardous conditions left the building, a long-time home for retired veterans, vacant for the first time in its history.
In 2012, Quinn Evans Architects was selected to lead a painstaking restoration of the building, located in Brookland. Since plans for the structure didn’t exist, the team had to document the original building using data from a laser scanner that evaluated how it was damaged and knocked out of plumb. “The load-bearing masonry had never been reinforced,” says Quinn Evans senior associate Thomas Jester. “During the redesign, we added pins, stainless-steel dowels, and anchors, depending on the location.” The top portion of the clock tower had to be disassembled, labeled and cataloged, then reassembled around a new, hidden steel support. Some 3,000 stones on the marble façade were meticulously restored and 84 custom-carved to replicate those beyond repair.
Veterans Administration offices now occupy the building. The project took just over a year to complete and earned Quinn Evans Architects a 2014 citation for Technical Excellence of Repairs (Historic) from AIA Northern Virginia.
ARCHITECTURE: Quinn Evans Architects, Washington, DC. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: The Christman Company, Reston, Virginia. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Keast & Hood Structural Engineers, Washington, DC. PRESERVATION CONSULTANT: PRESERVE/scapes, Washington, DC. MASONRY & STONEWORK: R. Bratti Associates, Alexandria, Virginia. PHOTOGRAPHY: Dustin Johnson.
Creative Cabinetry
Alexandria interior designer Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey—a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America—is partnering with Christiana to craft SCW Interiors Custom Cabinetry. Her high-end line boasts mortise-and-tenon joinery, soft-close drawers, top-of-the-line hardware, dovetailing and more. Look for locking liquor cabinets, in-drawer charging stations and hidden compartments— among many special features. scwinteriors.com
Sleek + Seamless
Porcelanosa has introduced the new Emotions Collection, a high-end line of kitchen cabinetry available in 64 different finishes. It features larger cabinet sizes; new drawer finishes including fingerprint-resistant laminates; and all-wood inserts. Laser technology gives each unit a sleek, seamless edge. porcelanosa-usa.com
Pro Style
The Thermador Professional Series Steam and Convection Oven combines the benefits of steam cooking and traditional convection baking. Pre-programmed modes automatically set temperature and humidity in the 30-inch stainless-steel wall oven, which has a professional look with restaurant-style knobs and handle. thermador.com
Industrial Chic
The industrial look of early 20th-century ironworks inspired the Artesso kitchen collection by Brizo, which debuted in September 2014. The kitchen faucet comes in a single-handle, pull-down design or one with a two-handle bridge (pictured). A bar faucet and soap dispenser are also part of the mix.Finish options include polished chrome, stainless, bronze and polished nickel. brizo.com
Beautiful Blend
Designed and manufactured by Ceramiche Caesar in Italy, Verse is a collection of Italian porcelain tile that introduces a multi-stone look blending marble, travertine, quartzite, limestone and cement. Available through Best Tile in five- or 10-by-30-inch planks in four contemporary colors (shown here in Sugar), it’s suitable for all floor and wall tile applications. besttile.com
Home on the Range
Located near Venice, Italy, ILVE manufactures custom, stainless-steel ranges and cooktops in multiple sizes, colors and trims. Pictured here, the Majestic 48-inch dual fuel range in Antique White with Bronze trim. Imported exclusively by EuroChef USA and available through Southern Kitchens, Inc., in Alexandria. ilveappliances.com; southernkitchens.net
Farmhouse Fashion
Kohler’s Whitehaven apron-front sink conjures a streamlined farmhouse sensibility. The durable enameled cast-iron basin measures nine inches deep and the shortened apron makes it easy to retrofit to existing standard cabinet sizes. Available in an assortment of colors, it’s pictured here in the Hayridge design. us.kohler.com
Pure Geometry
Intricate, interlocking mosaics form a curving geometric pattern in Country Floors’ newest line of water-jet stone tiles. The Dimensions collection comes in a palette ranging from soft white to olive green meant to inspire your next kitchen design. Country Floors is located in Bethesda. countryfloors.com
Custom Color
Italo Ceramica in Rockville now carries custom cabinetry by Showplace. Options include a variety of woods, finishes, styles, sizes and decorative panels. If the 14 standard paint colors on offer are not what buyers are looking for, they can choose among 1,000 Sherwin Williams colors; hand-glazing is available in 84 combinations. showplacewood.com; italoceramica.com
Product Launch
The recently opened, 4,200-square-foot Miele Center-Washington, DC in Northern Virginia’s Fairfax Square is showcasing a new cooktop line: the Range series. It offers different power configurations including dual fuel, gas, electric and induction—and boasts a touchscreen interface and an extensive recipe database. The range is compatible with Miele’s new Generation 6000 appliance series. mieleusa.com
Modern Revival
Boffi’s Xila kitchen is a re-issue of a classic 1972 design by Italian architect Luigi Massoni. Distinguished by a smooth silhouette with grooved aluminum rails instead of handles, the cabinetry has been updated with a range of new panel materials, including frosted or painted glass doors, stainless steel, Corian, aluminum and veneer or solid wood. boffi.com
Highly Reflective
Architectural Ceramics’ Tozen backsplash tile is handcrafted out of reflective glass. The one-by-four-inch mosaic tiles fit together in a brick pattern; they come in numerous color combinations and in a Silk or Natural finish. Pictured here, the Ahou colorway. architecturalceramics.com
Bold Statement
Big Chill manufactures cutting-edge, professional-quality kitchen appliances in bold, distinctive colors. Pictured here in French blue, the Pro-Line Fridge offers 12 hues and houses adjustable glass shelves, clear crisper drawers and a bottom freezer. bigchill.com
The eighth annual DC Design House will showcase the work of more than 20 local designers in a new, 8,870-square-foot, farmhouse-style residence in McLean. Designed by Harrison Design and built by Artisan Builders, this will be the first DC
Design House in Virginia. “It’s a shot of adrenaline for us,” comments the organization’s co-founder, Skip Singleton, of the fresh locale. “A host of new designers has shown interest. Now we’ll have been in three jurisdictions.”
The home, pictured here, is located at 956 Mackall Farm Lane. During Bare Bones day on February 28, visitors can see the spaces and designers’ concept boards before the transformation begins. The house will be open for tours from April 11 to May 10. Proceeds benefit Children’s National Health System; admission is $25. dcdesignhouse.com
It all started with the bowling alley. Its long expanse of professional-grade lanes fills the lower level of a sprawling, custom stone house in Woodbridge, Virginia—a dream fulfilled for the owners, who built their home with this beloved sport in mind.
The couple shares the hospitable, 13,000-square-foot house with their dog, Sarge, and a regular stream of visiting family and friends. “We wanted the house to hold everyone,” says one of the owners. “We knew, with the bowling alley, it would have to be big, but we wanted it to feel lived in, not like a museum.”
After purchasing a 10-acre site that curves down to the Occoquan River, they assembled a team that started with builder Mike Garcia, who sold them the land. Architect Sandhya Gorur, tapped to design the home, was given a wish list that went beyond the bowling alley to include an indoor swimming pool, screened and covered porches, five bedrooms, and seven baths. “The challenge was to keep the house from being too long and narrow because of the bowling alley,” Gorur recalls. “I didn’t want long corridors and too many rooms.”
The couple hired interior designer Lorna Gross-Bryant before they broke ground. “Involving Lorna from the start was essential,” observes one homeowner. “We didn’t want to wait to the end to hire a designer when there were so many decisions to be made.”
By dint of a 70-foot retaining wall, the house was positioned to straddle a deep ravine bordered by woods that reveal river views in the winter. Wood and stone surfaces throughout convey an organic sensibility and the floor plan is open, “but with divisions that allow you to define the spaces,” says Gross-Bryant. For example, Gorur delineated the living and dining areas to either side of the entry with pillars and arches, while Gross-Bryant used sisal rugs under decorative area rugs to differentiate spaces, grouping furniture atop them to encourage gathering and conversation.
I understood the owners’ personalities. They’re relaxed, not pretentious. A bowling alley means you want to have fun, right?
—Lorna Gross-Bryant
After getting to know the owners, Gross-Bryant decided on a look that would be warm and inviting in spite of the home’s size. “I understood their personalities right away,” she observes. “They’re relaxed—not pretentious. A bowling alley means you want to have fun, right?”
A refined mix of fabrics and finishes gives each room a sophisticated presence, while comfortable seating throughout allows visitors to relax. Hand-scraped hardwood floors add a casual, rustic touch, but are stained dark for a hint of elegance.
As per the owners’ request, the curving staircase is hidden from the foyer, positioned instead in the great room, which lies straight ahead from the entry. Beyond the stairs, the spacious kitchen flows into a breakfast area and family room; Gorur designed the kitchen so guests can be seated nearby—but out of the way—when cooking was in progress. The indoor pool is visible from the family room through a wall of windows. “We wanted to highlight the pool area and have it relate to the house,” explains one owner. Chairs beside the windows swivel so guests can observe the action in the pool from a comfortable perch.
Also adjacent to the family room is a three-season screened porch that can be closed off from the elements by glass panes that draw down over the screens. The porch leads to an expansive patio, beyond which lies another porch—this one covered but not screened. It features archways that frame views of the backyard.
Downstairs, the bowling alley beckons. The lanes are clad in the same laminated flooring found in professional alleys, and the elaborate operating system is concealed in its very own room. Vintage game boards and posters adorn the walls.
The bowling alley is part of an open-plan space that includes a media center, a full bar decorated with original Guinness ads from the 1920s and an alcove that holds a game table and custom banquette. A workout space occupies an adjacent room.
“I refer to this house as a ‘staycation home,’” Gross-Bryant says. “The owners like to spend time at home, and this house offers everything they need. Other than an occasional trip to the grocery store, they never have to leave!” v
Photographer Angie Seckinger splits her time between Potomac, Maryland, and Spain.
ARCHITECTURE: SANDHYA GORUR, Associate AIA, Another Angle Design Services, Centreville, Virginia. INTERIOR DESIGN: LORNA GROSS-BRYANT, ASID, Lorna Gross Interior Design, Bethesda, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: MIKE GARCIA, Mike Garcia Construction, Inc., Woodbridge, Virginia.
Clients in Annapolis wished to renovate their circa-1980s open-plan kitchen/family room, where they spend the majority of their time. They hired designer Erin Paige Pitts to create a more functional layout and a fresh, modern sensibility.
What surprised Pitts was the couple’s wish for a contemporary aesthetic, which contrasted strongly with the traditional style of the rest of the house. “They came to me with lots of pictures of very modern spaces,” she recalls. To bridge the contrast, she opted for what she calls “a layered modern look with wonderful finishes that convey warmth and interest.”
Dropped soffits and an awkwardly angled peninsula gave the original kitchen a dated look. Pitts removed the soffits and replaced the peninsula with a long, spacious island that would be convenient to every part of the kitchen and provide a spot for casual meals. Silestone counters and textured backsplash tile from Porcelanosa add to the modern vibe.
To keep the room bright, Pitts combined gleaming, white-lacquered upper cabinets with warm, gray-stained wenge lower cabinets that ground the space and create visual interest. She installed a wet bar at one end of the island, using frosted-glass cabinets and a metal mosaic-tile backsplash that complements the rest of the space.
Metallic light fixtures from Urban Electric hang above the island and sleek, modern stools offer plenty of seating. Open shelves in front of the windows hold purple accent pieces that pick up the colors in the rest of the room. v
• DETAILS •
Cabinetry & Stools: Snaidero USA; snaidero-usa.com. Countertops: Silestone through Atlas Stone Fabricators; atlasstonefabricators.com. Appliances: Sub-Zero and Miele through Ferguson; ferguson.com. Backsplash: Porcelain tile through Porcelanosa (porcelanosa-usa.com); metal mosaic tile through SICIS; sicis.com. Sink & Faucets: Brizo; brizo.com Lighting: The Urban Electric Company; urban electricco.com. Flooring: Walnut, Carlisle Wide Plank Floors; wideplankflooring.com.
INTERIOR & KITCHEN DESIGN: Erin Paige Pitts, Erin Paige Pitts Interiors, Gibson Island, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Pyramid Builders, Annapolis, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: Geoffrey Hodgdon.
Other Dream Kitchens:
A Crucial Connection
Mary Douglas Drysdale revives a Bethesda kitchen with vibrant color and a new floor plan
Sleek & Simple
Paul Bentham marries practicality and panache in a contemporary Georgetown kitchen
Playful Style
Marika Meyer’s bold design delivers fun and function to a Georgetown kitchen
Row House Redo
Jonas Carnemark imparts style, convenience and flow to a Georgetown kitchen
A 1940s row house in Georgetown was sorely in need of an update. When a young couple purchased the house, they tapped Jonas Carnemark of Konst: Kitchen Interior Design to tackle the problematic layout while giving them a spacious new kitchen.
To create a more functional floor plan in the same footprint, Carnemark assigned new roles to the rooms. The cramped kitchen, sandwiched between the dining and breakfast rooms, became a butler’s pantry. The kitchen now occupies the back of the house where the dining room used to be and the dining room is at the front. “We puzzled for a while over how to make it work,” Carnemark recalls. “When we made the decision to move the kitchen to the back, everything fell into place.”
The homeowners selected matte-lacquered SieMatic cabinetry in the Beaux Arts style for both the kitchen and butler’s pantry, with quartz countertops and backsplash. On the island, where stools clad in cowhide provide seating, a wood slab fabricated by a family friend delineates the eating area.
The couple are “food connoisseurs,” Carnemark says. “They also love to mix drinks, so we went for it with a cocktail wall on one side.” This bartender’s dream includes beverage cabinets with solid and glass doors, a custom table for mixing and pouring and a Sub-Zero beverage fridge; the cabinetry is stained dark to set it apart from the rest of the kitchen.
French doors bordered by sidelites bring in natural light and pendants over the island finish the space.
• DETAILS •
Cabinetry: SieMatic through Konst: Kitchen Interior Design; konstsiematic.com. Countertops & Backsplash: Quartz composite through SieMatic. Appliances: Sub-Zero and Wolf through SieMatic. Stools: Calvin Klein through Arteriors; arteriorshome.com. Pendants: Harper through lampsplus.com.
ARCHITECTURAL & KITCHEN DESIGN: Jonas Carnemark, CR, CKD, Konst: Kitchen Interior Design, Bethesda, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Falcon Construction, Rockville, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: Anice Hoachlander, Hoachlander Davis Photography.
Other Dream Kitchens:
A Crucial Connection
Mary Douglas Drysdale revives a Bethesda kitchen with vibrant color and a new floor plan
Sleek & Simple
Paul Bentham marries practicality and panache in a contemporary Georgetown kitchen
Playful Style
Marika Meyer’s bold design delivers fun and function to a Georgetown kitchen
Layered Modern
Erin Paige Pitts remodels an Annapolis kitchen in warm, contemporary style
Clients with a Victorian in Georgetown hired Marika Meyer to update their outmoded home, including the kitchen, which was functional but felt dated with its monochromatic palette and finishes. “We wanted a total transformation without a total renovation,” Meyer says.
The designer kept the original layout, opting to paint the existing beige cabinetry crisp white and install new hardware. Cream-colored countertops were replaced by Carrara marble in cool gray tones, while the walls were painted a deep gray to complement the veins in the marble, which is also used as the backsplash.
The island remained in the same spot, but Meyer enlarged it by 14 inches with a false panel in the center; the panel allows for extra storage beneath and a larger work surface.
To add what she calls “an extra level of individuality” to the space, Meyer persuaded the homeowners to paint the pale white-oak floors a playful gray-and-white striped pattern that ties in with the wall color. “I was lucky,” she recalls, “because [the owner] was open-minded and willing to be bold.” The three-tone stripe by decorative paint company Billet Collins lends the room a vibrant extra dimension.
While the kitchen is traditional in style, Meyer added a couple of elements to give it “modern, youthful energy:” a light fixture above the island from Design Within Reach; and Series 7 bar stools, an iconic Mid-Century design by Fritz Hansen. “It’s actually amazing,” the designer comments. “With just a few changes you can get a brand new kitchen.”
• DETAILS •
Cabinetry: Custom-painted through Glass Construction; gcidc.com. Countertops & Backsplash: Carrara through United States Marble & Granite; usmarble-granite.com. Appliances & Fixtures: Existing. Decorative Floor Paint: Billet Collins Studio; billetcollins.com. Light Fixture: Moooi through Design Within Reach; dwr.com. Stools: Series 7 by Fritz Hansen through Contemporaria; contemporaria.com.
INTERIOR & KITCHEN DESIGN: Marika Meyer, Marika Meyer Interiors, LLC, Bethesda, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Glass Construction, Washington, DC. PHOTOGRAPHY: Angie Seckinger.
Other Dream Kitchens:
A Crucial Connection
Mary Douglas Drysdale revives a Bethesda kitchen with vibrant color and a new floor plan
Sleek & Simple
Paul Bentham marries practicality and panache in a contemporary Georgetown kitchen
Row House Redo
Jonas Carnemark imparts style, convenience and flow to a Georgetown kitchen
Layered Modern
Erin Paige Pitts remodels an Annapolis kitchen in warm, contemporary style
When severe flood damage necessitated a whole-house renovation, the owner of a Georgetown townhouse tapped designer Paul Bentham of Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath to overhaul the ruined kitchen. This time around, she wanted a simple, streamlined space with a modern, European sensibility—as well as a more practical layout.
Bentham started by shifting the refrigerator and pantry cupboards to one side of the kitchen and the double ovens to the other, then centered the cooktop in between. He maximized the length of the island, which houses the sink, and topped it in Caesarstone with a waterfall edge to create a clean, uniform look. Semi-custom cabinets by Canada-based Zonavita Kitchens offer the sleek, contemporary lines of European brands.
The peripheral cabinets and those under the island are clad in durable melamine with a gray-hued, horizontal oak grain; to either side of the cooktop, high-gloss cabinets in a warm shade of brown-gray provide contrast and “create a reflective quality for depth,” says Bentham. He added a soffit at ceiling height throughout to create a clean visual line. Caesarstone tops the remaining counter space, while the backsplash above the cooktop is gray-painted glass.
For a final touch, Bentham installed eye-catching contemporary light fixtures in a shiny, metallic finish over the island. “I felt that with the grays and browns, the room needed something with punch that would tie into the overall look but give it an edgy feel,” he says. Sleek, modern stools in chrome and white complete the space.
• DETAILS •
Cabinetry: Zonavita; zonavita.com. Countertops: Caesarstone Haze through Stone & Tile World; stoneandtileworld.com. Backsplash: Back-painted glass by Hutchison Glass & Mirror, Inc.; hutchison glassandmirror.com. Appliances: Miele USA; mieleusa.com. Lighting: lightingdirect.com.
KITCHEN DESIGN: Paul Bentham, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath, Chevy Chase, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Paul Davis Restoration, Gaithersburg, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: Bob Narod.
Other Dream Kitchens:
A Crucial Connection
Mary Douglas Drysdale revives a Bethesda kitchen with vibrant color and a new floor plan
Playful Style
Marika Meyer’s bold design delivers fun and function to a Georgetown kitchen
Row House Redo
Jonas Carnemark imparts style, convenience and flow to a Georgetown kitchen
Layered Modern
Erin Paige Pitts remodels an Annapolis kitchen in warm, contemporary style
Long-time clients with a home in Bethesda turned to Mary Douglas Drysdale to design a whole-house renovation for them. The kitchen, which is central to the traffic flow of the house, was outdated, inconvenient and needed an overhaul. “The kitchen is sort of the L joint between the family room/breakfast area and the living room,” explains Drysdale. “The way it was, it just didn’t work with how my clients wanted to use the space.”
The designer developed a floor plan that linked these spaces via the kitchen while creating a beautiful new breakfast area and modern family room. The clients had requested separate islands for cooking and casual dining, so Drysdale designed a furniture-like island for gathering at one end of the kitchen and a larger one in the center that provides plenty of space to work and also holds the sink. An existing professional-grade Wolf range that the homeowners wished to retain was relocated to a wall opposite the sink. Countertops and the backsplash behind the range are Caesarstone, while the remaining backsplash is wood paneling.
Color was an important decorative element for Drysdale, who selected a dark teal hue from Sherwin Williams and applied it in varying shades in a striped pattern on the walls. The cabinets were painted to match. “In a project where there is a desire for design at a reasonable price, I often develop a striped paint pattern on the drywall and coordinate it with the paint color of the millwork,” Drysdale explains. “It’s a custom look without a high cost.”
• DETAILS •
Cabinetry: Lewistown Cabinet Center; lewistowncabinetcenter.com. Countertops: Caesarstone; caesarstoneus.com. Appliances: Wolf, Sub-Zero, Bosch. Paint: Custom by Sherwin Williams; sherwin-williams.com
INTERIOR & KITCHEN DESIGN: Mary Douglas Drysdale, Drysdale Design Associates, Washington, DC. CONTRACTOR: Jim Gibson, Gibson Builders, LLC, Washington, DC. PHOTOGRAPHY: John Cole.
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Located on the waterfront in Harbor East, Charleston is often considered one of Baltimore’s finest restaurants. It boasts an imaginative menu influenced by a combination of French cuisine and the Low Country fare of South Carolina. Chef Cindy Wolf offers a tasting menu that changes daily and may include items such as rich lobster soup with arugula and curry oils, wild rockfish with lemon beurre blanc or grilled veal sweetbreads. Sommelier Tony Foreman curates a cellar of more than 600 wines, chosen to complement the cuisine. Fabric-padded walls and plush seating conjure the atmosphere of this restaurant’s namesake. charlestonrestaurant.com
