When DC’s streetcar system screeched to a halt in 1962, it left a network of tunnels and platforms forgotten beneath the city’s streets. However, the abandoned station under Dupont Circle is about to come to life again.
Dupont Underground, a nonprofit group, has leased the 75,000-square-foot space with plans to repurpose it into a venue for art exhibits, performances, pop-up shops and more. In one of the group’s first moves, it partnered with the National Building Museum to transport 650,000-plus plastic balls from “The Beach,” the museum’s popular exhibit last summer, to the station, where they will be re-used in an art installation. Look for an early 2016 debut.
“It’s an opportunity to do something grand,” says Dupont Underground managing director Braulio Agnese, “and, we hope, new and compelling.” dupontunderground.org
On a whim, while visiting a client’s job site in 2001, architect Mark Kohler walked down to the end of the wooded street to see a lot for sale. Taken by the beautiful, park-like site that sloped down to the pristine Occoquan Reservoir, he went out on a limb and bought the five-acre Woodbridge, Virginia, parcel as an investment. “We had no plans, but it was a challenge for me as an architect to figure out how to build on this difficult lot,” says Kohler, principal of KohlMark Group, an architecture and construction firm.
Little did Kohler know, more than a decade later he would call the property home.
Over the years, he and his wife June would spot the site while kayaking in the reservoir. “I looked up at the houses,” June recalls, “and told Mark, ‘You could do a really spectacular house on that property.’” Idle talk eventually turned serious as the couple decided to trade their suburban Colonial in Springfield for a rustic retreat that would make them feel like they were on vacation all year round.
The dramatic drop-offs that attracted Kohler in the first place would prove to be his greatest obstacle since they left him with only a narrow ridge of buildable space. “We staked this thing out so many times,” recalls the architect. “It evolved, like a sculpture.”
His first priority was laying the foundation without disrupting the surrounding vegetation. “I’m a tree hugger,” explains Kohler, who hired an arborist to protect roots and fortify trees. “I didn’t want to do any grading. The idea was to save all the trees and make it look like we just dropped the house from a helicopter.”
To devote all buildable land to the home, the architect located a pair of pitch-roofed parking pavilions on either side of the driveway, which also proved instrumental as staging ground for material deliveries. “The pavilions are our ‘wow’ factor and provide a sense of entry,” says Kohler. “We wanted it to feel almost like you’re pulling into a national park.”
The Kohlers envisioned a rustic retreat crafted from natural wood, stone, and glass. When Mark’s drawings were near completion, he engaged Farmington, New York-based New Energy Works to supply Douglas fir timber framing and reclaimed antique heart-pine flooring for the house. “You associate timber framing with vacation homes in Colorado,” notes Mark. “It adds to the character and warmth.”
He carefully orchestrated the home’s layout to play up nature at every turn. As an architect and a builder, Kohler enjoyed the freedom to allow the design to unfold organically, unsaddled by the need to negotiate change orders. He even waited until walls were framed to place windows so that he could be sure to capture the best possible views. “Mark wanted to stand in the actual house and see the views to decide where the glass would be,” recalls project manager Eric Pohler.
Today, guests approach the finished home on a walkway reminiscent of a boat dock. A glassed-in front entry connects the music room on the left to the main living space on the right. The latter houses an open-plan great room, dining area, and kitchen. A secondary entry leads from the garage through a covered breezeway and into a mudroom/butler’s pantry off the kitchen. On the second floor is the Kohlers’ lofty master suite, as well as a bedroom for their daughter, Monica, a grad student at the University of Virginia. An open stair anchored by a wall of dry-stacked stone leads to the lower-level media room, guest suite, and home office, where June runs the Kohlers’ property management company at a desk with a mesmerizing view of the Occoquan.
The Kohlers turned to Mary Meade Sampson Interior Design to help them select finishes and furnishings. “There are so many choices out there that it’s overwhelming,” remarks June Kohler. “Mary and her team were really good about directing us.” Sampson gravitated toward simple furniture and neutral fabrics that would complement—not compete with—the home’s organic materials and views of nature.
More than 12 years after Mark Kohler first walked the property, he and his family finally moved in last year—the realization of a long-time dream. As Eric Pohler recalls, “When Mark hired me back in 2000, he told me I was going to build his house someday. He spent two years at the drawing table designing a house to fit on this challenging lot. Finally, his vision has become a reality.”
Though he’s been designing and building homes for more than 30 years, Kohler admits that his new home is unlike anything he’s ever done before. “It was all new to me and new to Eric,” he says, “but I loved every minute of the challenge.”
Photographer Greg Hadley is based in Fairfax, Virginia.
ARCHITECTURE: MARK KOHLER, AIA, KohlMark Group, Burke, Virginia. BUILDER: MARK KOHLER, principal; ERIC POHLER, project manager, KohlMark Group. INTERIOR DESIGN: FRANCIE MEADE and MARY MEADE SAMPSON, Mary Meade Sampson Interior Design, Ashburn, Virginia. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: PHILIP KLENE and CECILIA PALMER, West Winds Nursery, Sudely Springs, Virginia.
Located on a bluff high above a mighty river, a multi-tiered stone, wood and stucco home would look right at home in Aspen or Big Sur. Which is exactly what makes its presence along the Potomac River in the Palisades neighborhood of DC, mere minutes from Georgetown, even more surprising.
Harry and Rachel Weller bought the land in 2011 after outgrowing their 100-year-old Victorian a few blocks away. They envisioned a new home that would be everything their old one was not: modern, full of light, open for entertaining and energy efficient. As sports and nature enthusiasts, they also wanted to maximize river views that reminded Rachel of her native Colorado.
The Wellers hired architect Ankie Barnes to design the home, which would replace a small, 1940s-era house on the property. When he asked them to articulate their aesthetic likes and dislikes, they filled a leather portfolio with photos and copious notes. Weaving the images together was what Barnes dubbed a “consistency of spirit”—clean, modern lines; a propensity for natural materials; and multiple references to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.
“What I like about Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings is that they’re ship-shape like Japanese structures tend to feel,” explains Harry Weller, a general partner in the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates. “They feel well-made while still being modern. I appreciate the clean lines, but also the warmth that Wright and the Japanese are able to create by using materials like wood, stone, and brick.”
The album also included a shot of one of the Wellers’ two young sons and a hand-written dare to “build something this kid can’t destroy.” This was just one of many challenges facing Barnes and project architect Matthew Fiehn. Though its views across the Potomac are vast, the property itself is only 50 feet wide, leaving a mere 34 feet of buildable width. To counteract its narrow footprint, they would make the house as tall and long as possible, but filtering light into its depths would be tricky.
On the now-completed house, the front façade features a nod to Wright, with large corner columns that straddle an open porch, a central volume, and a hip roof. “Like in Wright’s Prairie houses,” explains Barnes, “long bands of windows, big roof overhangs and a corner window imply there’s a view worth looking at.”
In organizing the interiors of the four-level home, the architects achieved a sense of both openness and embrace. On the ground level, sight lines extend from the front door to the rear garden to avoid a feeling of confinement. In the front living room and the rear family room, NanaWalls open seamlessly to the outdoors. To economize on space, the plan omits corridors and rooms overlap. And instead of walls, wooden “clouds” suspended from the ceiling delineate the kitchen and dining areas.
The second floor houses the master suite, the boys’ bedrooms and shared bath and a comfy lounge lined with bookshelves where the family winds down at night. A guest room occupies the top floor, along with a glassed-in office overlooking the river for Rachel, a medical writer. “I grew up next to the Colorado National Monument where you can see for miles, so I almost feel claustrophobic [in DC],” she relates. “Having this visibility means I can breathe.” The lower level features a gym, Harry’s home office/man cave with a full suite of deejay equipment and a wine cellar.
The home’s east-west orientation assured that the breakfast area at the back of the house would be bathed in morning light while the front porch would make a prime spot for cocktails at sunset. “The challenge,” says Barnes, “was the middle of the day. We still needed to bring the sun into the house so it’s happy at all times.” The solution was to turn the four-story stair in the heart of the home into a giant “sun catcher” surrounded by glass.
“Designing the stair carriage was a three-dimensional puzzle,” recalls Matthew Fiehn. “One of the biggest challenges in this project was figuring out all the modern detailing so that it looked like it took no effort whatsoever.”
From the dry-stacked stone walls to the granite countertops and white-oak floors, the interiors convey a warm, organic vibe. Interior designer Miriam Dillon took inspiration for the home’s material and furnishings palette from its lush surroundings. “I gravitated toward bringing the outdoors in,” she says.
Keeping an eye on the environment, the Wellers and their design team implemented a number of measures—from geothermal heating to solar panels—to minimize the home’s carbon footprint. Barnes credits the contractor, Horizon Builders, for taking a “science-savvy” approach and implementing a range of high-performance materials. “It could easily qualify as a LEED house, but the Wellers were not interested in a badge,” says Barnes. “They were interested in a well-built house that lasts a long time, that’s kind to the planet and that’s healthy to live in. And the energy bills are low.”
When the architects unveiled their initial plan, recalls Harry, “We teared up. We said, ‘That’s it. Done.’ I give them a lot of credit because usually it’s an iterative process. Putting together what we asked for in the way they did was a remarkable accomplishment.”
With mountain bikes and fly-fishing equipment ready to go in their new detached garage, the Wellers make the most of their home on the rim of the C&O Canal National Park. “It’s our little bit of Colorado,” marvels Harry. “If we were to take a picture out the front window and ask people what city we were in, no one would ever guess it was DC.”
Maxwell MacKenzie is a photographer in Washington, DC.
ARCHITECTURE: ANKIE BARNES, FAIA, LEED AP, principal; MATTHEW FIEHN, AIA, LEED AP, project architect, Barnes Vanze Architects, Washington, DC. INTERIOR DESIGN: MIRIAM DILLON, ASID, Associate AIA, Barnes Vanze Architects. BUILDER: Horizon Builders, Crofton, Maryland. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: MARY MAY, San Diego, California.
During the recent makeover of an Alexandria home, interior designer Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey went for a bold look in the master bath. “The rest of the house is quite energetic, with lots of big colors,” she explains. “It was important that the bathroom maintain the same level of energy without feeling overwhelming.”
The room is centered on an oversized steam shower clad inside and out in richly grained Calacatta marble. The same marble plays a starring role in the floor tile, paired with contrasting London Grey marble in a glamorous Walker Zanger motif called Hollywood Grand. Cavin-Winfrey ran a white-stone border around the floor’s perimeter “to create uniformity and definition.”
Mirrored walls not only anchor the tub and twin Wood-Mode vanities but also reflect light throughout the space. Medicine cabinets are recessed into the mirrored surfaces.
On the remaining walls, striped Harlequin wallpaper forges an unexpected visual connection between the floor motif and shower tile. “Most people would say this is the opposite of Zen,” Cavin-Winfrey admits, “but the pattern plays help to balance the busyness in the marble. It’s all about the blend.” From the main space, separate his-and-her water closets lead to graceful dressing rooms for each spouse.
Cavin-Winfrey says the finished bathroom feels proportionate rather than cavernous, despite its size. “It’s a luxurious spot to have a steam shower or bath,” she says. “It’s a place to enjoy and relax.”
INTERIOR DESIGN: SHAZALYNN CAVIN-WINFREY, SCW Interiors, Alexandria, Virginia. ARCHITECTURE: STEPHANIE DIMOND, Dimond-Adams Design Architecture, Alexandria, Virginia. CABINETRY: NADIA SUBARAN, Aidan Design, Silver Spring, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Finn Construction, Alexandria, Virginia.
For two more retreats also see:
The shower leaked, the whirlpool tub was collecting dust and the dark marble finishes and brass trim had long overstayed their welcome in the master bath of a Potomac Falls, Virginia, home. So when the owners decided to renovate, there was no question the bathroom had to go.
They enlisted Jonas Carnemark to mastermind a whole-house renovation that would recast their traditional interiors with a clean-lined, modern aesthetic. “The clients are fascinated with art and brevity in architecture,” the designer explains. “They wanted to make everything cleaner and more organic.”
The new bathroom boasts a soothing, pared-down vibe. A SieMatic vanity and pair of Robern medicine cabinets—all equipped with hidden electrical plugs—keep clutter at bay. Two Alape sinks in glazed steel and an Artemide light fixture in hand-blown Venetian glass speak to a precise, refined sensibility. The pale gray grain of the statuary granite lining the shower wall and vanity backsplash recalls billowing clouds.
After inserting a TV unit into the bedroom wall on the reverse side of the vanity, the designer cleverly took advantage of the resulting “push me, pull you” effect in the bathroom by creating an art niche near the tub where the owners hung one of their favorite paintings, a vibrant abstract. The sculptural Waterworks tub sits under a large picture window that Carnemark designed to replace two standard double-hung windows. “It looks like a painting,” reflects the designer, who located the new WC closer to the master bedroom for convenience—and also to make this spa-like bath “a destination of its own.”
BATH DESIGN & RENOVATION: JONAS CARNEMARK, CKD, Carnemark Design + Build, Bethesda, Maryland.
For two more retreats also see:
MADE IN ITALY
At seven by nine inches, Fendi’s Peekaboo Mini Python Satchel packs a lot of punch. It comes with a top handle and an adjustable shoulder strap, in blue or red. $4,950; saksfifthavenue.com
SEA WORLD
Inspired by creatures of the deep, this black opal and diamond pendant is part of Tiffany’s 2015 Blue Book Art of the Seas Collection. Price available upon request. tiffany.com
AUTUMN CHIC
The new CH Carolina Herrera boutique in CityCenterDC is showing off the designer’s latest looks to help you step into fall in style. Pictured here: leather trousers ($2,125), a brown wool-blend coat ($1,280)and black satin sandals. ($300). 202-408-1921. carolinaherrera.com
GAME ON
Golfers can analyze every element of their swing with the club-mounted M-Tracer from Epson America, Inc. The lightweight device sends data to an iOS or Android phone, providing feedback to help players of all levels improve their techniques. $250; epson.com/golf
STRAIGHT ARROW
Best Made’s American Longbow allows archers of all abilities to develop their form without the distractions of sights, pulleys or counterweights. The bow is handmade in the U.S. with a hickory core and hand-stitched leather grip. $690; bestmadeco.com
LEAN & GREEN
BMW’s first plug-in hybrid, the i8 combines sustainability with the aerodynamic design and robust performance of a luxury sports car. The model goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, yet consumes a fuel-efficient 76 miles per gallon. Drivers can track their i8’s performance on an Apple Watch or mobile phone using BMW’s i Remote app. $137,400; bmwusa.com
TROPICAL TREAT Located near the cultural mecca of Ubud, the Viceroy Bali houses guests in 25 villas, each with its own pool.Guests can soak in the scenery by the main pool with a swim-up bar, take a beginners yoga class or enjoy a spa treatment. CasCades restaurant onsite wins accolades for its gourmet cuisine. Rates from $680; viceroybali.com
WINDY CITY Soho House has opened its latest outpost in Chicago’s West Loop district. A members’ club and hotel, Soho House Chicago inhabits a renovated 1907 warehouse and includes 40 guest rooms, two restaurants, a gym, a spa and a rooftop deck, featuring a 60-foot swimming pool and views of the city skyline. From $290; sohohousechicago.com
ENGLISH COUNTRY At the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire—set in a restored, 18th-century Georgian manor—an equestrian center lets guests realize their “Downton Abbey” fantasies with jaunts around the property’s 500 manicured acres. A spa, croquet and skeet shooting round out the offerings at this getaway an hour southwest of London. From $450 nightly. fourseasons.com
RIVIERA STYLE
Fig & Olive, a newcomer in CityCenterDC, focuses on the coastal cuisines of Spain, Italy, and France. The chain’s eighth outpost features a swanky bar, a crostini station, and a second-level dining room. Among the Mediterranean highlights: paella with black tiger shrimp, scallops, and mussels. 202-559-5004; figandolive.com
FLYING SOLO
Chef Rob Weland, formerly of Poste, has opened his own restaurant in DC’s Barracks Row. Garrison will spotlight seasonal American cuisine with an emphasis on sustainably grown ingredients. Think nettle and ricotta ravioli with chanterelles and soft herbs. 524 8th Street, SE; 202-506-2445. garrisondc.com
COCKTAIL HOUR
Known for its seafood-centric offerings, Washington’s DC Coast also pours a mean martini, with a choice of nearly 100 vodkas. The K Street Martini combines Yacht Club Vodka, white grape juice and an iced grape garnish. 1401 K Street, NW; 202-216-5988. dccoast.com
Housed in a revived home in the Mt. Vernon district, The Ivy Hotel on East Biddle Street ushers an unprecedented level of luxury onto Baltimore’s hospitality scene.
The project transformed a vacant 1889 residence into an 18-room boutique hotel. Two Baltimore firms—Ziger/Snead Architects and Azola Companies—tackled the architecture and construction, respectively, while San Francisco-based Joszi Meskan designed the interiors.
The overhaul respects the building’s architectural legacy. “It was exciting for us to work on a project that’s emblematic of the lifestyle that existed in Mt. Vernon from the mid-1800s,” says architect Jamie Snead.
In her eclectic design of the public spaces, Meskan imagined residents who have spent years traveling to exotic locales and collecting furniture and art on every adventure.
Today, The Ivy lavishes guests with champagne on arrival, afternoon tea, and private car service. All guest rooms boast four-poster beds, gas fireplaces and luxe bathrooms with heated limestone floors. “Each room,” says Meskan, “is colorful, unique and filled with joy.”
Meanwhile, chef Mark Levy, most recently of The Point in the Adirondacks, is creating joys of his own in the hotel’s Magdalena restaurant. Room rates start at $475. For more information, call 410-514-6500 or visit theivybaltimore.com.
Long-time Los Angeles resident Debbi Morgan never imagined moving to Maryland—until she met her future husband, telecommunications engineer Jeffrey Winston while visiting a cousin in Delaware. “I was returning to ‘All My Children,’ which was taping in New York at that time, so I decided I’d commute back and forth,” recalls the actress, who is best known for her 30-year portrayal of Dr. Angie Hubbard on the popular daytime drama.
After Morgan and Winston married in 2009, they bought a new four-bedroom home in an upscale Upper Marlboro development. Though it was a far cry from breezy, laid-back California, Morgan appreciated the fact that the house wasn’t a “boring” Colonial. “I didn’t want a cookie cutter that looked like every other house,” explains the actress, whose natural warmth and radiant smile are as captivating in person as they are on screen. “I wanted a sense of comfort, where you could relax and throw your feet up. I didn’t want rooms decorated just for show.”
When a friend introduced Morgan to interior designer Lorna Gross-Bryant, the two immediately clicked and started transforming the house—then a blank slate—into a stylish, comfortable home. “I have my own ideas, but I like to have a second eye,” explains Morgan. “Sometimes Lorna gets me more than I get myself.”
Starting with the library, Gross-Bryant honed in on a style that reflected her client’s personality. “Debbi is sophisticated, but there’s something very natural about her,” says Gross-Bryant. Neutral colors and organic textures—such as the woven jute rug by Stark—are dressed up with glamorous details, from the gold metallic paint treatment on the dining room ceiling to crushed velvet drapes in the family room.
“I think the color is really what warmed the house up dramatically,” explains Gross-Bryant.
Now that the main floor is complete, designer and client plan to decorate the lower level. “I want it to be comfortable, but also to have a very sexy look to it,” says Morgan. A two-story addition with a sunroom and loggia are also in the works.
“My home is truly my sanctuary,” observes Morgan. “It’s tranquil, it’s peaceful and it’s like a warm hug.”
Home has always been important to the actress, who was born in North Carolina and raised in Harlem. As a teen, she performed in school plays and later joined the New Federal Theatre Company in New York. Her career took off with numerous roles in stage, film and television productions, including “Roots: The Next Generations.” She is the only African American woman to receive a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress (1989) for “All My Children.” Her many film credits include roles opposite Samuel L. Jackson (Coach Carter) and Denzel Washington (The Hurricane).
Morgan considers her award-winning portrayal of Mozelle Batiste in Eve’s Bayou (1997) to be her most challenging to date. “I was scared to death,” she admits. “But I was dealing with fears in other aspects of my personal life and making giant headway. I had to do the same thing taking on this role. It became a personal triumph for me.”
Off camera, Morgan has long grappled with the trauma of witnessing both her mother and grandmother suffer as victims of domestic violence. The actress reveals how she finally overcame these demons in her memoir, The Monkey on My Back (Simon & Schuster, New York; June 23, 2015; $16). The book “helped me come to the realization that I was actually stronger than I gave myself credit for,” she says. “I hope it will encourage women to seek therapy.”
In August, Morgan will perform a one-woman play based on the book at the 2015 National Black Theater Festival in North Carolina—which she will co-chair with her “All My Children” co-star, Darnel Williams. She will also appear on Oprah Winfrey’s “Where Are They Now?” and has a new television concept in the works.
Between trips to New York and L.A., Morgan couldn’t be happier in her adopted home. “I love going into DC to restaurants and the Kennedy Center and Warner Theatre,” she says. “And my best friend on the entire planet lives right around the corner. Between her and my husband, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Photographer Angie Seckinger splits her time between Potomac, Maryland, and Spain. Jesse Snyder is based in Huntingtown, Maryland.
INTERIOR DESIGN: LORNA GROSS-BRYANT, ASID, Lorna Gross Interior Design, Bethesda, Maryland.
There is nothing pretentious about Joe Ireland’s apartment, located in a 1917 building near DC’s bustling U Street. Its sunny, playful attitude is a spot-on reflection of the designer himself, with his preppy look, boyish smile and boundless energy.
On a steamy Washington morning in May, Ireland kept his cool while hosting a photo shoot in his home, orchestrating a pop-up shop his firm was launching at Union Market and trying, unsuccessfully, to locate his cat. “I haven’t seen Moo all morning,” he remarks while genially offering a tour of his place.
Ireland acquired the one-bedroom residence 13 years ago, “when everyone was scurrying to buy,” he recalls. “The apartment’s laid out nicely and I like the pre-War formality of it. Plus, my office is only a 10-minute walk away.”
As a principal of J. D. Ireland Interior Architecture + Design, Ireland keeps busy working on projects ranging from urban condos to estates on the Eastern Shore. Recently, he also found time to update his own home, which he now shares with his spouse, journalist Richard Jordan.
With its mix of Mid-Century finds, antiques, and art, the interiors blend periods and styles with a healthy dose of whimsy. Ireland took inspiration from a Paris pied-à-Terre where he and Jordan have stayed. “Our home is happy. It’s unique. It’s collected,” he says.
Ireland has a way of injecting a space with humor without becoming trite. For example, he remedied the foyer’s lack of symmetry by hand-painting yellow panels rimmed by paint-pen “molding” to trick the eye. A signed Jules Leleu light fixture in chrome from the 1930s and Franz Kraus illustrations from the same era lend the space gravitas.
A paint treatment in the dining room also makes a statement. “The walls needed some life,” explains Ireland, who stresses that design is all about working with the space at hand. He devised a pattern of free-form dashes rimmed in gold, then enlisted Jordan to start painting. “It’s random, free-hand and completely unique to space. It breathes,” the designer says. “And because it’s a pre-War building with all these beams and random columns, it gives the idea of a more squared-off space.”
Though Jordan is also happy with the outcome, he quips, “After this project, I retired.”
The dining room opens to a small game room, which Ireland assumes was once a smoking porch. With walls in vibrant Light Mint by Behr and vintage wire-mesh chairs painted blue, it conveys a Caribbean vibe. Throughout the home, the designer had the original floors painted white.
But some aspects of the recent update involved more than paint. Ireland widened doorways, overhauled the kitchen and bathroom and knocked out a panel in the wall between the dining and living rooms to relate the spaces visually. “I didn’t want to rip out all the walls and create a loft-style apartment,” he explains. “This is just enough of a detail to open the space up without destroying the architecture.”
Most of the home’s vintage furniture was sourced from locally owned shops such as Good Wood, Miss Pixie’s and Off The Beaten Track. According to Jordan, Ireland can’t resist buying pieces he loves and figuring out a home for them later. “Our home is always evolving,” Jordan says. “I think the only thing that limits Joe now is that we don’t have that much space.”
On the lookout for larger digs, Ireland and Jordan are eyeing a row house in Northeast DC. But in the meantime, they’re enjoying the latest iteration of their current abode. “Everyone’s so serious in DC,” Ireland concludes. “Our house is a reflection of where I’d like to take some of our projects. A house should be a reflection of you, but it should also be something you can play with.”
Angie Seckinger splits her time between Potomac, Maryland, and Spain.
INTERIOR DESIGN: JOE IRELAND, J. D. Ireland Interior Architecture + Design, Washington, DC. CONTRACTOR: P.A. Portner, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
NEW TRIFECTA
Designed by Los Angeles architect Michael Francis of Queue LLC, Maketto combines a Chinese-Cambodian restaurant, a café serving locally roasted Vigilante Coffee and a menswear boutique under one roof. 1531 H Street, NE, Washington, DC; maketto1351.com
DENIM DELIGHT
Though it features a traditional shoulder strap, Sara Battaglia’s studded-denim clutch also boasts a fringed leather handle as a playful note. The bag is 11 inches wide and eight inches high. $1,095; intermixonline.com
IN THE SWIM
Pum Lefebure, co-founder of DC’s Design Army, has dipped into fashion design with the debut of her 2015 swimwear collection, created in collaboration with Karla Colletto. Dubbed “Swim at Your Own Risk,” it’s sold locally at Bare Necessities and Everything But Water.
JEWEL TONES
Ippolita’s Lollipop Collection includes diamond mini-stud earrings made of 18k yellow gold encasing an assortment of stones, from mother of pearl to peridot, pink opal, turquoise and more. $995; bloomingdales.com
GALAPAGOS GETAWAY
Eco-friendly Pikaia Lodge treads lightly on Santa Cruz island near Ecuador’s Galapagos National Park. With its spacious, modern rooms and gourmet restaurant, the lodge makes an ideal base for adventure travelers, who can explore the park’s wonders on half- or full-day guided excursions aboard a private yacht. Three- to seven-day packages from $7,560 for two. pikaialodge.com
CITY OF LIGHT
Paris’s luxe Hôtel Plaza Athénée is fresh from a year-long renovation, with many of its 154 rooms and 54 suites redecorated by French designer Marie-José Pommereau. The hotel treats guests to an Alain Ducasse restaurant, Europe’s only Dior Institute spa—and bird’s eye views of the Eiffel Tower. Rates from $1,085. dorchestercollection.com
SLEEK RETREAT
The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto, Japan’s first urban resort, debuted last year to rave reviews. Interiors by California designer Peter Remedios and Toyko–based Spin Design Studio pay homage to Japanese tradition. The lobby lounge boasts wooden lattice screens while at the heart of the hotel, a four-story waterfall culminates at the serene spa. Rates from $850, including breakfast. ritzcarlton.com
BEST OF CLASS
With delivery late this summer, the Mercedes 2016 GLE 450 Coupe combines the sporty nature of a coupe with the robust character of an SUV. It features a nine-speed automatic transmission, permanent all-wheel drive, and a dynamic handling control system. Price to be announced. mercedes-benz.com
WICKET FUN
Jaques of London, Britain’s premier croquet manufacturer, has unveiled its eight-player Sandringham Croquet Set. It includes top-of-the-line balls and mallets, cast-iron wickets, championship flags and other accouterments of the game, all housed in a solid mahogany cabinet. $5,000; jaquesamerica.com
ARTFUL TRIBUTE
Paying homage to Portugal’s traditional painted tiles, the Azulejo III guitar by Malabar Emotional Design combines music and fine art in a bright and colorful way. This rendition of Portugal’s uniquely shaped Fado guitar is hand-painted and varnished to create the illusion of a tiled surface. $2,520; malabar.com.pt/azulejo-iii-guitar.html
PERFECT TIMBRE
Cube Speakers, designed and fabricated by Richmond-based Fern & Roby, are made of heart pine salvaged from a late-19th-century Virginia factory. The base comes from scrap generated in the company’s own workshop. The interior is engineered for optimal sound. $1,150. fernandroby.com
BUON APPETITO
Local Chef Amy Brandwein has opened her first solo venture, Centrolina, in CityCenterDC. Designed by CORE, the Italian restaurant will serve a changing menu of antipasto, main courses and pastas—including chitarra with carrots and saffron. In addition to its 48-seat dining room, Centrolina also features a market selling imported goods plus local meat, fish and produce. 974 Palmer Alley, NW; 202-898-2426. centrolinadc.com
TURKISH DELIGHT
Newly opened in Dupont Circle, Ankara serves a variety of Turkish dishes, from traditional cuisine to twists on the classics. Adam Mayhew of Dila Development and Construction oversaw the design of the interiors, which blend Old World elements and modern style. 1320 19th Street, NW; 202-293-6301. ankaradc.net
HOT ON THE HILL
Chef David Guas has opened the second outpost of his Bayou Bakery on Capitol Hill, in a historic carriage house sanctioned by President Lincoln. Restored, exposed-brick interiors are accented with antiques collected in the South. The menu features New Orleans fare, including the chef’s famous beignets. 901 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; 202-664-5307. bayoubakerydc.com
