MAY/JUNE 2010
Regency-period furniture, an ornate 18th-century clock from China’s Qing Dynasty and artwork by John Singer Sargent are only a tiny sampling of the monumental collection vintner and philanthropist Patricia Kluge has amassed over 30 years in Albemarle House, her 45-room estate near Charlottesville. On June 8 and 9, Sotheby’s will auction her entire collection—worth more than $13.5 million—on the estate’s grounds.
Interested parties can view the collection from May 31 to June 7 at Albemarle House, which is on the market itself; the Kluge estate is now listed at $48 million—down from its original price of $100 million. For more information, visit www.sothebys.com/kluge.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living. Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.
MAY/JUNE 2010
Regency-period furniture, an ornate 18th-century clock from China’s Qing Dynasty and artwork by John Singer Sargent are only a tiny sampling of the monumental collection vintner and philanthropist Patricia Kluge has amassed over 30 years in Albemarle House, her 45-room estate near Charlottesville. On June 8 and 9, Sotheby’s will auction her entire collection—worth more than $13.5 million—on the estate’s grounds.
Interested parties can view the collection from May 31 to June 7 at Albemarle House, which is on the market itself; the Kluge estate is now listed at $48 million—down from its original price of $100 million. For more information, visit www.sothebys.com/kluge.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living. Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Perched on a peninsula jutting into the South River is an intriguing house with spectacular water views and a distinctive cupola centered high up on its roof. Six miles away lies the home’s remarkable inspiration: the historic Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, built in 1875 just south of Annapolis in the Chesapeake Bay—the only screw-pile lighthouse in the U.S. still in its original location.
Not surprisingly, the owners of this riverside manse were taken with its unusual nautical connection. However, when they bought the house in 1997 they were less enthused by its contemporary style and inefficient use of space. “I didn’t care for the finishes,” the wife explains. “The house just didn’t feel substantial enough.” After living there for a while, the couple tapped Hammond Wilson Architects to realize their vision, which included an addition and a reconfiguration of the main living space into a larger, more open environment.
“The house told us what it wanted because the form was already there,” says architect Leo Wilson. “Its cruciform [cross-shaped] plan provided panoramic views but it also resulted in small, poorly organized spaces.” He adds, “The new design exemplifies how to use space efficiently.” At ground level, the house now boasts a light-filled front entry, mudroom, full bath, billiard room and home theater. It opens onto a backyard with pool, spa and outdoor fireplace and kitchen.
A curved, floating staircase ascends from the entryway to the second level, which now has an open plan encompassing a dining room, living room, conservatory, library and bar. “The original space was very geometric,” Wilson says. “We took out the angular walls and staircases and replaced them with curves, creating softer lines.” The open area leads to a separate family room and kitchen with a newly added breakfast space and built-in desk for the wife.
A staircase at the back of the house leads to the third floor—a wide, circular balcony with an open central well overlooking the dining room area. Four bedroom suites branch off from the balcony. With three boys, the couple needed plenty of space, so dormers were added to the bedrooms to increase their size and to accommodate separate bathrooms for each. From the third floor balcony, a spiral staircase leads to the cupola, now a loft retreat with a dramatic 360-degree view of the South River and the Chesapeake Bay. This is the husband’s home office, complete with a giant hanging lantern—a nod to the lighthouse, where a similar beacon would have shone for sailors at night.
According to Wilson, they tried “to keep the lighthouse connection but bring up the level of richness of the home.” For instance, in the foyer the floor is embellished with an eye-catching medallion in the shape of a compass rose made from water-jet carved limestone. And in the entryway, a wall of steel-plated windows and broad, steel-plated glass front doors brings in light while echoing the screw-pile construction at the base of the lighthouse.
The couple turned to Texas interior designer Jane-Page Crump to help them with décor. Crump imbued the home with a luxurious sensibility, using sumptuous, high-quality finishes. Upstairs, walnut floors create warmth and the dark-cherry-paneled bar adds an extra touch of opulence. The kitchen combines pecan-stained and black-glazed alder wood cabinetry with three-inch-thick countertops of swirled granite—also from Texas. Coffered ceilings, crown moldings, walnut and wrought-iron banisters, a carved limestone fireplace and ornate chandeliers all add to the lavishness of the space. The furnishings mirror the home: formal yet comfortable. “I love it,” says the wife. “It’s exactly the way we live.”
Bruce Bennett is a photographer based in Houston, Texas.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Leo Wilson, AIA, LEED AP, Hammond Wilson Architects, P.C., Annapolis, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: R. Bret Anderson, Pyramid Builders, Annapolis, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Jane-Page Crump, Jane Page Design Group, Inc., Houston, Texas. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: McHale Landscape Design, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Nestled on a gently rolling, tree-lined block in Chevy Chase, Maryland, the Tudor-style house Susan Liss and her husband purchased in 1998 remains as warm and inviting as it did when it was first built in 1931. However, the home has seen its share of changes—beginning with a 1950s porch addition that was later enclosed to create a family room. When the Lisses moved in, they redid the kitchen. Though they discussed remodeling other rooms, Susan’s husband unfortunately became ill and it was not until after he passed away in 2005 that she could focus on a real overhaul. She hired Gilday Renovations for the job, which—like so many remodeling projects—grew incrementally as it progressed.
It all started with the family room, which Liss describes as drafty and uncomfortable. “I wanted to put in new windows everywhere, and redo the bathrooms,” she recalls. “The only truly functioning tub was the hot tub outside!” Ultimately, rotting wood and poor insulation caused builder Tom Gilday to gut the family room and start from scratch, enclosing part of the adjoining deck to create a screened-in porch. He installed a spacious new master bedroom suite above the family room, renovated most of the home’s four full and four half-baths, and transformed a musty, unpleasant storage area above the garage into a roomy closet lined with built-in shelving and cabinetry.
According to Gilday, the home’s footprint did not change. “We even built the deck and porch above the existing, irregular footprint,” he explains. The builder did encounter some zoning issues, however. A massive elm in the backyard could not be removed, so the current deck was designed to wrap around it.
Additionally, the original plan was to add a Tudor-style overhang on the second floor, which would have increased the size of the master bedroom. But setbacks prohibited the overhang from being built, so Gilday architect Dan Morales settled instead for what turns out to be a striking, two-story bay window.
“We made it a bay in order to get a 180-degree view from the back of the house,” says Morales. A vista of trees and slate-roofed homes stretches out behind the house, which occupies a triangle-shaped corner lot on a downward slope. This airy panorama—lush and green in summer—is visible from both the family room and the master bedroom.
The generous master suite encompasses a large walk-in closet and a spacious master bath. Both occupy what used to be a smaller bedroom and are accessible from a short hallway that connects the master bedroom to the rest of the second floor.
Liss adores her new bedroom suite. “It’s very much an oasis,” she says. “I take a deep breath whenever I walk in.” The bay window, flanked on both sides by built-in bookshelves, offers plenty of light along with the views. In fact, Liss installed room-darkening shades for early morning comfort.
The home was also updated to reflect a more modern sensibility. “Susan has a contemporary eye,” Morales says. “She wanted a cleaner, crisper look to the house.” Gilday removed many of the home’s Tudor elements and added crown moldings, recessed lighting and, in the living room, a new mantel and granite fireplace surround. The idea was to create a transitional style that would meld the classic lines of the home with Liss’s more contemporary furniture. To create better flow, they widened the doorway between the family room and dining room and borrowed three feet from the deck to increase the dining room’s length. French doors now open directly from the dining room onto the deck. The wood-paneled doorway between the living and family rooms features a new set of pocket doors, replacing original clunky bi-folds.
For her newly refurbished home, Susan Liss chose soothing neutral paint colors, bright, vivid artwork and a clean, uncluttered look. She couldn’t be happier with the results of her renovation, which landed Gilday a Contractor of the Year award in the residential addition category. “It was a great house,” she says. “It’s a four-billion-percent better house now!”
Kenneth M. Wyner is a photographer in Takoma Park, Maryland.
RENOVATION CONTRACTOR: Tom Gilday, principal, CR, CKD, GAC; ARCHITECTURE: Dan Morales; PROJECT MANAGER: John Lowe; FOREMAN: Mike Gindlesperger; RENOVATION INTERIOR DESIGN: Ellen Gilday-Witts, Gilday Renovations, Silver Spring, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Karen Westreich, Karen Westreich Interiors, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Perched on a peninsula jutting into the South River is an intriguing house with spectacular water views and a distinctive cupola centered high up on its roof. Six miles away lies the home’s remarkable inspiration: the historic Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, built in 1875 just south of Annapolis in the Chesapeake Bay—the only screw-pile lighthouse in the U.S. still in its original location.
Not surprisingly, the owners of this riverside manse were taken with its unusual nautical connection. However, when they bought the house in 1997 they were less enthused by its contemporary style and inefficient use of space. “I didn’t care for the finishes,” the wife explains. “The house just didn’t feel substantial enough.” After living there for a while, the couple tapped Hammond Wilson Architects to realize their vision, which included an addition and a reconfiguration of the main living space into a larger, more open environment.
“The house told us what it wanted because the form was already there,” says architect Leo Wilson. “Its cruciform [cross-shaped] plan provided panoramic views but it also resulted in small, poorly organized spaces.” He adds, “The new design exemplifies how to use space efficiently.” At ground level, the house now boasts a light-filled front entry, mudroom, full bath, billiard room and home theater. It opens onto a backyard with pool, spa and outdoor fireplace and kitchen.
A curved, floating staircase ascends from the entryway to the second level, which now has an open plan encompassing a dining room, living room, conservatory, library and bar. “The original space was very geometric,” Wilson says. “We took out the angular walls and staircases and replaced them with curves, creating softer lines.” The open area leads to a separate family room and kitchen with a newly added breakfast space and built-in desk for the wife.
A staircase at the back of the house leads to the third floor—a wide, circular balcony with an open central well overlooking the dining room area. Four bedroom suites branch off from the balcony. With three boys, the couple needed plenty of space, so dormers were added to the bedrooms to increase their size and to accommodate separate bathrooms for each. From the third floor balcony, a spiral staircase leads to the cupola, now a loft retreat with a dramatic 360-degree view of the South River and the Chesapeake Bay. This is the husband’s home office, complete with a giant hanging lantern—a nod to the lighthouse, where a similar beacon would have shone for sailors at night.
According to Wilson, they tried “to keep the lighthouse connection but bring up the level of richness of the home.” For instance, in the foyer the floor is embellished with an eye-catching medallion in the shape of a compass rose made from water-jet carved limestone. And in the entryway, a wall of steel-plated windows and broad, steel-plated glass front doors brings in light while echoing the screw-pile construction at the base of the lighthouse.
The couple turned to Texas interior designer Jane-Page Crump to help them with décor. Crump imbued the home with a luxurious sensibility, using sumptuous, high-quality finishes. Upstairs, walnut floors create warmth and the dark-cherry-paneled bar adds an extra touch of opulence. The kitchen combines pecan-stained and black-glazed alder wood cabinetry with three-inch-thick countertops of swirled granite—also from Texas. Coffered ceilings, crown moldings, walnut and wrought-iron banisters, a carved limestone fireplace and ornate chandeliers all add to the lavishness of the space. The furnishings mirror the home: formal yet comfortable. “I love it,” says the wife. “It’s exactly the way we live.”
Bruce Bennett is a photographer based in Houston, Texas.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Leo Wilson, AIA, LEED AP, Hammond Wilson Architects, P.C., Annapolis, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: R. Bret Anderson, Pyramid Builders, Annapolis, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Jane-Page Crump, Jane Page Design Group, Inc., Houston, Texas. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: McHale Landscape Design, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Nestled on a gently rolling, tree-lined block in Chevy Chase, Maryland, the Tudor-style house Susan Liss and her husband purchased in 1998 remains as warm and inviting as it did when it was first built in 1931. However, the home has seen its share of changes—beginning with a 1950s porch addition that was later enclosed to create a family room. When the Lisses moved in, they redid the kitchen. Though they discussed remodeling other rooms, Susan’s husband unfortunately became ill and it was not until after he passed away in 2005 that she could focus on a real overhaul. She hired Gilday Renovations for the job, which—like so many remodeling projects—grew incrementally as it progressed.
It all started with the family room, which Liss describes as drafty and uncomfortable. “I wanted to put in new windows everywhere, and redo the bathrooms,” she recalls. “The only truly functioning tub was the hot tub outside!” Ultimately, rotting wood and poor insulation caused builder Tom Gilday to gut the family room and start from scratch, enclosing part of the adjoining deck to create a screened-in porch. He installed a spacious new master bedroom suite above the family room, renovated most of the home’s four full and four half-baths, and transformed a musty, unpleasant storage area above the garage into a roomy closet lined with built-in shelving and cabinetry.
According to Gilday, the home’s footprint did not change. “We even built the deck and porch above the existing, irregular footprint,” he explains. The builder did encounter some zoning issues, however. A massive elm in the backyard could not be removed, so the current deck was designed to wrap around it.
Additionally, the original plan was to add a Tudor-style overhang on the second floor, which would have increased the size of the master bedroom. But setbacks prohibited the overhang from being built, so Gilday architect Dan Morales settled instead for what turns out to be a striking, two-story bay window.
“We made it a bay in order to get a 180-degree view from the back of the house,” says Morales. A vista of trees and slate-roofed homes stretches out behind the house, which occupies a triangle-shaped corner lot on a downward slope. This airy panorama—lush and green in summer—is visible from both the family room and the master bedroom.
The generous master suite encompasses a large walk-in closet and a spacious master bath. Both occupy what used to be a smaller bedroom and are accessible from a short hallway that connects the master bedroom to the rest of the second floor.
Liss adores her new bedroom suite. “It’s very much an oasis,” she says. “I take a deep breath whenever I walk in.” The bay window, flanked on both sides by built-in bookshelves, offers plenty of light along with the views. In fact, Liss installed room-darkening shades for early morning comfort.
The home was also updated to reflect a more modern sensibility. “Susan has a contemporary eye,” Morales says. “She wanted a cleaner, crisper look to the house.” Gilday removed many of the home’s Tudor elements and added crown moldings, recessed lighting and, in the living room, a new mantel and granite fireplace surround. The idea was to create a transitional style that would meld the classic lines of the home with Liss’s more contemporary furniture. To create better flow, they widened the doorway between the family room and dining room and borrowed three feet from the deck to increase the dining room’s length. French doors now open directly from the dining room onto the deck. The wood-paneled doorway between the living and family rooms features a new set of pocket doors, replacing original clunky bi-folds.
For her newly refurbished home, Susan Liss chose soothing neutral paint colors, bright, vivid artwork and a clean, uncluttered look. She couldn’t be happier with the results of her renovation, which landed Gilday a Contractor of the Year award in the residential addition category. “It was a great house,” she says. “It’s a four-billion-percent better house now!”
Kenneth M. Wyner is a photographer in Takoma Park, Maryland.
RENOVATION CONTRACTOR: Tom Gilday, principal, CR, CKD, GAC; ARCHITECTURE: Dan Morales; PROJECT MANAGER: John Lowe; FOREMAN: Mike Gindlesperger; RENOVATION INTERIOR DESIGN: Ellen Gilday-Witts, Gilday Renovations, Silver Spring, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Karen Westreich, Karen Westreich Interiors, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
This year marks the Washington Capitals’ 35th season, and local artist and avid Caps fan John Kiernan of Blueline Studios found his own unique way of commemorating the milestone. A season-ticket holder, hockey player and coach, Kiernan decided to meld his passions for the sport and his art with a lithograph depicting many of the team’s players (above). He was thrilled with the experience of painting something “that means so much to me,” he says. “I enjoy being an artist, but this felt like something more.”
Kiernan, who specializes in murals and faux finishes, sold the 18-by-24-inch limited-edition lithographs at Capitals’ games throughout December 2009; they are now available for $75 from his studio in Warrenton, Virginia. For more information, call 540-349-2792 or visit www.blueline studios1.com.
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
A sprawling, 1905 Beaux Arts home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which once hosted an inauguration party for Harry S. Truman, is the impressive site of the 2010 DC Design House. This annual fundraiser for the Children’s National Medical Center showcases the creativity of some of the area’s top designers; this year, 19 designers (listed below) have been chosen to redecorate spaces in the landmark home. A committee selected the team based on drawings and “boards” they created for specific rooms in the house, including designer Victoria Sanchez’s elegant schematic for the library (above). On February 27—Barebones Day—visitors may tour the house before the designers begin their work leading to the opening on April 9.
“With the caliber of the designers and the community support, it’s shaping up to be the best DC Design House to date—and a leading fundraiser for Children’s National,” says DC Design House co-chair P.L. Skip Singleton, Jr. CNMC is the largest non-governmental provider of pediatric care in the DC area, providing more than $50 million a year in uncompensated services. HOME & DESIGN is a co-sponsor of the DC Design House.
The home is located at 3911 Bradley Lane; admission is $20 per person. For more information, visit www.dcdesignhouse.com.
2010 DC Design House Designers
Andrew Law, Drawing Room Terrace
Barry Dixon, Drawing Room
Victoria Sanchez, Library
Shazalynn Cavin Winfrey, Entry and Stair Hall
Nestor Santa-Cruz, Reception Room
Frank Babb Randolph, Living Room
Sarah Wessel, Sunroom
Basha White, Dining Room
Rosi Kallivokas, Butler’s Pantry/Kitchen/Porch
Sally Steponkus, Master Bedroom
Celia Welch, Master Dressing Room
Rose DiNapoli, Study
Michael Hampton, Guest Bedroom
Barbara Franceski, Guest Sitting Room
Lisa Adams, Boy’s Bedroom/Bathroom
Page Palmer, Girl’s Bedroom
Kelley Proxmire, Family Living Room
Tracy Morris, Artist’s Studio
Cynthia Ferranto, Landscape Design
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
This year marks the Washington Capitals’ 35th season, and local artist and avid Caps fan John Kiernan of Blueline Studios found his own unique way of commemorating the milestone. A season-ticket holder, hockey player and coach, Kiernan decided to meld his passions for the sport and his art with a lithograph depicting many of the team’s players (above). He was thrilled with the experience of painting something “that means so much to me,” he says. “I enjoy being an artist, but this felt like something more.”
Kiernan, who specializes in murals and faux finishes, sold the 18-by-24-inch limited-edition lithographs at Capitals’ games throughout December 2009; they are now available for $75 from his studio in Warrenton, Virginia. For more information, call 540-349-2792 or visit www.blueline studios1.com.
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
A sprawling, 1905 Beaux Arts home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which once hosted an inauguration party for Harry S. Truman, is the impressive site of the 2010 DC Design House. This annual fundraiser for the Children’s National Medical Center showcases the creativity of some of the area’s top designers; this year, 19 designers (listed below) have been chosen to redecorate spaces in the landmark home. A committee selected the team based on drawings and “boards” they created for specific rooms in the house, including designer Victoria Sanchez’s elegant schematic for the library (above). On February 27—Barebones Day—visitors may tour the house before the designers begin their work leading to the opening on April 9.
“With the caliber of the designers and the community support, it’s shaping up to be the best DC Design House to date—and a leading fundraiser for Children’s National,” says DC Design House co-chair P.L. Skip Singleton, Jr. CNMC is the largest non-governmental provider of pediatric care in the DC area, providing more than $50 million a year in uncompensated services. HOME & DESIGN is a co-sponsor of the DC Design House.
The home is located at 3911 Bradley Lane; admission is $20 per person. For more information, visit www.dcdesignhouse.com.
2010 DC Design House Designers
Andrew Law, Drawing Room Terrace
Barry Dixon, Drawing Room
Victoria Sanchez, Library
Shazalynn Cavin Winfrey, Entry and Stair Hall
Nestor Santa-Cruz, Reception Room
Frank Babb Randolph, Living Room
Sarah Wessel, Sunroom
Basha White, Dining Room
Rosi Kallivokas, Butler’s Pantry/Kitchen/Porch
Sally Steponkus, Master Bedroom
Celia Welch, Master Dressing Room
Rose DiNapoli, Study
Michael Hampton, Guest Bedroom
Barbara Franceski, Guest Sitting Room
Lisa Adams, Boy’s Bedroom/Bathroom
Page Palmer, Girl’s Bedroom
Kelley Proxmire, Family Living Room
Tracy Morris, Artist’s Studio
Cynthia Ferranto, Landscape Design
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
A walk through the changing neighborhood of East Baltimore affords visitors a glimpse of history in the dramatically restored American Brewery Building. Part of the National Registry of Historic Places, this five-story Victorian began life in 1887 and functioned as a brewery until 1973 when it nose-dived into disrepair.
In 2004, Humanim—a non-profit organization providing services to low-income individuals with disabilities—bought the space and hired Cho Benn Holback + Associates, Inc., to restore it to its original glory and “to uplift the neighborhood,” as project manager Anath Ranon explains it.
The architects retained the original, elegant façade, utilizing features of the brewery—the grain chute is now a lobby—as well as the original brick, wood and steel to create a welcoming, modern office building. The project won the 2009 AIA Maryland award for Public Building of the Year. “It’s not your typical office space,” Ranon says. “It’s a presence in the community.”
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: George Holback, AIA, principal in charge; Anath Ranon, AIA, project manager; Ann Powell, AIA, project architect; Allison McElheny, designer, Cho Benn Holback + Associates, Inc., Baltimore, MD. DEVELOPER: Gotham Development, Washington, DC. CONTRACTOR: Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, Baltimore, MD.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
Aziz and Badria Azimi purchased a traditional Falls Church, Virginia, Colonial for its scenic, private grounds, which include a meandering creek. Though the property was everything they wanted, the 2001 home, with its small windows and closed-in rooms, made it difficult for the couple to appreciate its surroundings. They decided to build an addition that would provide the openness the house lacked, and turned to Forma Design architect Andreas Charalambous to do the job.
However, Charalambous had other ideas. At 7,000 square feet, he told them, the house was large enough. What it needed was for the first floor to be reconfigured and opened up. “There were a lot of chopped-up rooms,” he says. “They didn’t need an addition; they needed a space without all those walls and doors.”
Eventually, the architect was able to persuade the couple to change tracks—a task made easier by the fact that Badria had always wanted an open, contemporary-style home—and work within the existing footprint of the house. The result is a clean-lined, modern expanse full of light, with easy access to the picturesque, quarter-acre yard and nearby Lake Barcroft.
Charalambous began by opening up the entryway, replacing the traditional, curved stairwell with a straight, open-backed staircase of oak treads and white-painted steel railings intended “to let light come through.” Instead of a solid wall at the top of the stairs, a steel railing imparts a contemporary feel. A newly widened hallway runs along the staircase to the back of the house, which has been dramatically transformed into a large, airy living space delineated by columns and dropped ceilings that, says the architect, “are all about defining the area and differentiating space.”
Charalambous’ innovative design decisions all reflected his goal of creating an open environment. He raised the family room’s sunken floor to establish the sense of an uninterrupted plane. Windows now line the whole rear wall of the home, admitting light as well as views of nature. A 10-foot-wide EcoSmart fireplace has replaced the traditional hearth; it separates the main seating area from the front hall without obstructing the light or creating a barrier. Furnishings are light and contemporary, occupying the space without dominating it. A wide, wrap-around deck with cable railings offers access to the outdoors with a virtually unobstructed view.
While he removed most of the walls on the main floor, Charalambous left the wall that separates the front hall from the kitchen intact to provide a visual and structural anchor. He painted the wall brick red, then added red and burnt-orange accents throughout the house “to animate the space.”
For owner Badria Aziz, the kitchen was the most important part of the renovation. The couple, who owns an engineering and management-consulting firm, has family and friends over all the time. “I love to cook,” Badria says, “so I needed a space I enjoy being in.” Traditional cabinetry made way for a striking combination of dark wenge and glossy white-lacquer cabinets and Silestone countertops. The island was extended to include a table-height section big enough to seat five. Charalambous took down upper cabinets along the outside kitchen wall, substituting an extended bay window. He eliminated the large pantry cupboard, which blocked the kitchen from the formal dining room, then installed cabinetry on the wall opposite the window. Nearly transparent shades let in light while softening the lines of the room.
The final component of the project was the basement, which the Azizes envisioned as a party and recreation area, with a media center, bar and plenty of space for large gatherings. As you descend the staircase, “it feels like you’re going to a basement but you’re definitely not,” Charalambous says. “It’s very unexpected.” The stairs lead to a landing with an exercise room off to the left; turn the corner and the staircase widens to reveal an imposing space with 18-foot ceilings (made possible by the steep slope on which the house is built). Spare, contemporary furnishings echo the reds and oranges from upstairs. A concrete-topped gas fireplace occupies the center of the room.
Tucked into one corner there’s a big, gracefully curved bar topped with black granite; at the other end of the room, a media center offers “a more intimate area,” as Charalambous describes it. “The ceiling is about eight feet high and it comes out like a theater marquee.” Outside the wall of windows, the creek burbles along, bringing the outdoors in.The Azizes couldn’t be happier with their renovation—and they enjoy the contrast between the exterior and interiors. “People are amazed when they walk in,” Badria says. “From the outside it looks totally different.”
Geoffrey Hodgdon is a photographer based in Deale, Maryland.
ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN: Andreas Charalambous, AIA, IIDA, Forma Design, Washington, DC. RENOVATION CONTRACTOR: EHO Construction, Alexandria, Virginia.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010
Clearing the clutter can be a bear. Even the most fastidious homeowners find that the detritus of daily life catches up with them, making their homes more disorganized than they’d like them to be—while for the rest of us, getting organized can seem like a lost cause. Fortunately, attractive storage solutions abound for every room in the house. Closet organization companies, interior designers and kitchen designers offer innovative storage solutions that can be adapted for bedrooms, libraries and home offices, kitchens, baths, entertainment areas, laundry rooms and garages.
“Behind most custom cabinetry is a need for cleanliness, but you also need to have clean lines in a room so it flows,” says interior designer Vivianna Irizarri, who works with custom cabinetry maker Anthony Rifino of Anthony Rifino, LLC, to create one-of-a-kind storage solutions that double as beautiful furnishings. On these pages, we feature a variety of projects—from closet to kitchen—that illustrate the newest trend in home organization: Storage solutions that are as beautiful as they are practical.
Clean-Lined Closet
The owners of an Arlington, Virginia, home wanted to convert an irregular space full of recessed corners and nooks into a well-organized master bedroom closet. They called on California Closets to tackle the job, which involved custom-cutting and fitting some of the storage units on site to accommodate the room’s irregularities. The owners chose California Closets’ Classic Line, which is made of light-stained solid cherry and veneers, to complement the style of their home. The finished closet includes shelving for shoes, glass-fronted cabinets for easy viewing of contents and an island with a convenient surface for emptying pockets. DESIGN: California Closets, Fairfax, VA.
Designer Alternatives
Vivianna Irizarri used her designer’s ingenuity for a variety of storage solutions: A corner entertainment unit of lacquered maple furnishes a basement with storage and a sleek, sophisticated look; a home office gets a facelift via a built-in desk and cabinetry of pecan-stained maple with French wire-screened doors so books are visible yet somewhat concealed; a playful harlequin design imparts color and light to a kitchen storage area, which includes shelving for glassware and a built-in bench with storage under the seat . DESIGN: Vivianna Irizarri, Allied Member, ASID, Cachet Furnishings & Interiors, Oakhill, VA. CUSTOM MILLWORK & FABRICATION: Anthony Rifino, Oakhill, VA.
A Place for Everything
A Bowie, Maryland, homeowner hired Eco-Nize Closets to give her
the closet of her dreams. Designer Noel Sweeney converted a former bedroom for the purpose, closing off a door and opening an entry to the new master bedroom. “I analyzed the client’s belongings and tried to accommodate them,” he says of the wall of shelving he installed for her 100 pairs of shoes and eight velvet-lined drawers for jewelry. The homeowner had a dark-stained table she wanted to center in the space, so Sweeney selected eco-friendly mocha-colored laminated cabinetry to match. Crown moldings were added for visual interest. DESIGN: Noel Sweeney, Eco-Nize Closets, Clifton, VA.
Wonderful Wood
A McLean couple wanted to update their family room and connect the space visually with the adjacent kitchen, which is full of cherry cabinetry. They tasked Richard Forbes of Absolute Kitchens—who had previously designed the kitchen and sunroom—with realizing their vision, which included plenty of storage space for games, books and electronics equipment. Forbes’s design more than answered the homeowners’ needs: A wall of built-in shelving and cabinetry in warm, glazed natural cherry flanks the limestone-faced fireplace. Cherry paneling, mantel and millwork complete the look, imbuing the warm and welcoming feel the couple had wanted. DESIGN: Richard Forbes, Absolute Kitchens, Vienna, VA.
Patrons of Josephine, an upscale nightclub in a prewar building in downtown DC, must travel down to the basement level to enjoy the uniquely atmospheric space. It’s worth the trip. Opened in 2008, the 6,000-square-foot club was designed by Studios Architecture—an international firm with offices in DC—and won a 2009 AIA Washington, DC, Excellence Award in Interior Architecture.
Because of Josephine’s location, the architects had to contend with low ceilings, exposed pipes and an irregular column grid. They used the low ceilings to create a sense of intimacy and focused the lighting downward onto select surfaces to give the club the appearance of a theatrical set. They also designed a sunken pit for the dance floor.
Josephine’s two rooms showcase different looks: One boasts saturated colors on the walls, columns trimmed with custom-made graphic wallpapers and plush, moveable seating. The other is gold with a mica-flecked ceiling, bronze sconces and mirrored tables. The club is located at 1008 Vermont Avenue, NW; www.josephinedc.com.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Greg Keffer, design principal, Brian Miller, project designer, Melissa Funky, project architect, Studios Architecture, Washington, DC.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010
Chill Out
Miele introduces the Independence Series refrigerator and wine storage unit. The handcrafted refrigerator comes in a stainless-steel finish or can be concealed behind custom cabinetry. The wine storage unit offers three independently controlled cooling zones and Miele’s ClearView lighting system, which illuminates bottles without altering their temperature. www.mieleusa.com.
Glass Blox
This new line of glass tiles from Crossville, Inc., boasts a palette of 44 colors ranging from dazzling brights to subtle neutrals, available in a variety of sizes. Buy Glass Blox (pictured) at any Mosaic Tile location, and a percentage of the profits will be donated to The Common Thread for the Cure Foundation, which raises funds within the design industry for battling breast cancer. www.mosaictileco.com.
A Technology First
Anvil Motion’s innovative computerized cabinetry system has motion sensors that allow doors and panels to rise and fall vertically in response to a hand wave, while drawers glide open and shut at a touch. Anvil Motion integrates with your home’s automated lighting, HVAC, security and media systems, and features biometric security to control access to areas that may contain valuables or dangerous items. www.anvilmotion.com.
The Poetry of the Curved Line
The cabinetry system LaCucina Alessi was designed by Alessandro Mendini with Gabriele Centazzo for LaCucina. With its undulating curves and cut, painted, etched and stain-resistant glass fronts and surfaces, it’s not only unusual, it’s also eco-friendly: All materials are recyclable and only water-based paints are used. www.alessi.com.
Decorative Detail
Kohler’s Artist Editions apron-front kitchen sinks equally enhance
a traditional or contemporary space with intricate, carved patterns and textures. Here, a cursive design adorns the Alcott undercounter sink in Translucent Cashmere. These sinks are made from fireclay that’s been glazed to highlight their carved texture. www.us.kohler.com.
Steel Art
German manufacturer Blanco is known for its trademark
STEELART stainless-steel sinks and faucets. The new Blanco Quadris kitchen faucet offers a sleek geometric design that hides a convenient pull-out spray feature. The fixture has a solid brass body; it’s available with a polished chrome or stainless-steel finish. www.blancoamerica.com.
Internal Affairs
This year, semi-custom cabinetry maker Diamond is introducing some additions to its line of Logix kitchen organization
cabinets, including the SuperCabinet (pictured here), with
sliding and adjustable shelves and double wire pullout racks designed to hold any and every small appliance a home chef could ever want. www.diamondcabinets.com.
Pro Level
Italian appliance manufacturer Bertazzoni has introduced a new line of professional-grade ranges called the Master Series. It includes the company’s signature one-piece worktop, a large-capacity gas convection oven and infrared gas broiler, as well as triple-ring burners, a dedicated simmer burner, matching backsplashes, adjustable ventilator hoods and more. www.bertazzoni-italia.com.
**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.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010
Aziz and Badria Azimi purchased a traditional Falls Church, Virginia, Colonial for its scenic, private grounds, which include a meandering creek. Though the property was everything they wanted, the 2001 home, with its small windows and closed-in rooms, made it difficult for the couple to appreciate its surroundings. They decided to build an addition that would provide the openness the house lacked, and turned to Forma Design architect Andreas Charalambous to do the job.
However, Charalambous had other ideas. At 7,000 square feet, he told them, the house was large enough. What it needed was for the first floor to be reconfigured and opened up. “There were a lot of chopped-up rooms,” he says. “They didn’t need an addition; they needed a space without all those walls and doors.”
Eventually, the architect was able to persuade the couple to change tracks—a task made easier by the fact that Badria had always wanted an open, contemporary-style home—and work within the existing footprint of the house. The result is a clean-lined, modern expanse full of light, with easy access to the picturesque, quarter-acre yard and nearby Lake Barcroft.
Charalambous began by opening up the entryway, replacing the traditional, curved stairwell with a straight, open-backed staircase of oak treads and white-painted steel railings intended “to let light come through.” Instead of a solid wall at the top of the stairs, a steel railing imparts a contemporary feel. A newly widened hallway runs along the staircase to the back of the house, which has been dramatically transformed into a large, airy living space delineated by columns and dropped ceilings that, says the architect, “are all about defining the area and differentiating space.”
Charalambous’ innovative design decisions all reflected his goal of creating an open environment. He raised the family room’s sunken floor to establish the sense of an uninterrupted plane. Windows now line the whole rear wall of the home, admitting light as well as views of nature. A 10-foot-wide EcoSmart fireplace has replaced the traditional hearth; it separates the main seating area from the front hall without obstructing the light or creating a barrier. Furnishings are light and contemporary, occupying the space without dominating it. A wide, wrap-around deck with cable railings offers access to the outdoors with a virtually unobstructed view.
While he removed most of the walls on the main floor, Charalambous left the wall that separates the front hall from the kitchen intact to provide a visual and structural anchor. He painted the wall brick red, then added red and burnt-orange accents throughout the house “to animate the space.”
For owner Badria Aziz, the kitchen was the most important part of the renovation. The couple, who owns an engineering and management-consulting firm, has family and friends over all the time. “I love to cook,” Badria says, “so I needed a space I enjoy being in.” Traditional cabinetry made way for a striking combination of dark wenge and glossy white-lacquer cabinets and Silestone countertops. The island was extended to include a table-height section big enough to seat five. Charalambous took down upper cabinets along the outside kitchen wall, substituting an extended bay window. He eliminated the large pantry cupboard, which blocked the kitchen from the formal dining room, then installed cabinetry on the wall opposite the window. Nearly transparent shades let in light while softening the lines of the room.
The final component of the project was the basement, which the Azizes envisioned as a party and recreation area, with a media center, bar and plenty of space for large gatherings. As you descend the staircase, “it feels like you’re going to a basement but you’re definitely not,” Charalambous says. “It’s very unexpected.” The stairs lead to a landing with an exercise room off to the left; turn the corner and the staircase widens to reveal an imposing space with 18-foot ceilings (made possible by the steep slope on which the house is built). Spare, contemporary furnishings echo the reds and oranges from upstairs. A concrete-topped gas fireplace occupies the center of the room.
Tucked into one corner there’s a big, gracefully curved bar topped with black granite; at the other end of the room, a media center offers “a more intimate area,” as Charalambous describes it. “The ceiling is about eight feet high and it comes out like a theater marquee.” Outside the wall of windows, the creek burbles along, bringing the outdoors in.The Azizes couldn’t be happier with their renovation—and they enjoy the contrast between the exterior and interiors. “People are amazed when they walk in,” Badria says. “From the outside it looks totally different.”
Geoffrey Hodgdon is a photographer based in Deale, Maryland.
ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN: Andreas Charalambous, AIA, IIDA, Forma Design, Washington, DC. RENOVATION CONTRACTOR: EHO Construction, Alexandria, Virginia.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
