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
As a child growing up in the Philippines, Charles Almonte kept his Lego and crayon collections close at hand. “I always knew I was going into the creative field,” he explains.
He studied architecture in Manila and earned a master’s degree in historic preservation at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Almonte then landed in DC at an architectural firm, where he specialized in preservation as well as interiors.
“I guess my boss saw something in me,” he recalls. “I kept getting interiors work from her, so I figured I should take exams for architecture and interior design.”
After a stint at Thomas Pheasant, in 2008 Almonte decided to venture out on his own. He says that in his practice today, most projects involve both interior design and construction.
Almonte sees his role as design arbiter. “People know what they like,” he says. “It’s a matter of us helping them execute it. I tell clients, ‘We’re here to guide you and apply principles of design—color, symmetry, and balance—but you have to tell us what you like. Because in the end, you’re going to be living here, not me.’”
Interior Design: Charles Almonte, AIA, ASID, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Ever since she fashioned “rooms” in the bamboo forest near her childhood home in Silver Spring, Kate Ballou knew she wanted to be a designer. Her mother, a ceramics artist, encouraged her to take art courses at the Corcoran during high school and build a portfolio. “I was lucky to have that push from home,” she recalls.
Ballou studied textile design at the Rhode Island School of Design before earning an interior design degree at Parsons. After college, she landed prestigious positions at Matthew Baird Architects in New York and, following a move back to DC, Jacobsen Architecture and Robert Shields Interiors. “I couldn’t have asked for better experience,” she reflects. “I learned very quickly what to do and what not to do.”
Since launching her own studio in 2013, Ballou has completed residential projects and is also designing The Avery Georgeton, a boutique luxury inn opening this fall.
Working with Baird and Jacobsen, both minimalists, shaped Ballou’s design process. “I’ve been trained to look at furniture in a very specific way,” she explains. “I like basic forms and that definitely stems from those influences.”
Interior Design: Kate Ballou, Hendrick Interiors, Washington, DC. Photography: Aboudi Kabbani.
When Nicole Lanteri first began dating her future husband, she waited a month or two before helping him fix up his New York apartment. “I got him new furniture too and, unbeknownst to him, matched it to mine in case things worked out,” recalls Lanteri, who was a corporate lawyer at the time.
Things did work out. But after practicing law for five years, Lanteri decided to make a career change and dove into interior design. “I’ve always been into design and spatial arrangements and had an appreciation for how good space can make you feel,” she says. The couple moved to an Arlington loft which Lanteri decorated, and in 2009 she founded her eponymous design firm.
She did her first job for free. “It was an amazing feeling to help someone with their space,” she recalls. “My client cried, just like on TV.”
Lanteri brings a playful, modern aesthetic to her work. “I make each space feel like the client,” she reflects. “One of the best compliments I can get is when someone says, ‘This doesn’t look a designer came in and did my house. This looks like the best version of me.’”
Interior Design: Nicole Lanteri, Nicole Lanteri Design, Arlington, Virginia.
Liza Holder entered the design field almost by accident. It all started when the former lawyer and healthcare-policy consultant began decorating her family’s new Bethesda home. “Oddly enough,” she recalls, “I became obsessed with Etsy when we moved and I was buying artwork for our home.”
Holder saw an opportunity and started to sell her curated Etsy finds at trunk shows. Customers loved her taste and asked her to help them fix up a room or two in their homes. Before she knew it, she had quit her day job and launched Homegrown Decor.
Two and a half years later, Holder helps clients design interiors that reflect every member of the family. “I go in wanting to understand who the family is—not just the person who called me,” she explains. “And I design for reality, understanding what people’s busy lives are like but also that they want to love where they live.
“When you walk into your home, that’s your refuge and your escape,” Holder continues. “That’s where you should be the happiest and the most comfortable. It has to be able to be dressed up when you have people over, but live for real life every day.”
Interior Design: Liza Holder, Homegrown Decor, LLC, Bethesda, Maryland.
If the mark of a successful landscape is that it looks as though it’s been in place forever, then Scott Brinitzer’s recent project in McLean, Virginia, fits the bill. The landscape architect organized a quarter-acre of empty front and back lawns into a lush retreat with inviting living areas, colorful beds and secret gardens connected by stone pathways.
Brinitzer had several challenges to overcome. One was blending the house—newly built on a teardown lot—into its neighborhood of 1940s-era homes. An “intermediate bed” in the front yard planted with liriope, Miami crape myrtle and Endless Summer hydrangea softens the façade and affords privacy; it shields a lawn where the owners’ two children play volleyball and badminton.
Another goal was to mediate a steep slope from the front entryway walk to the driveway, which leads to a lower-level garage. Indiana limestone steppers now connect the driveway to a new front walk. “The children love to run up and down the steps,” says Brinitzer.
In the backyard, a spacious terrace encompasses an outdoor kitchen and dining area, a fireplace and a seating area. A custom iron trellis enveloped in wisteria defines the space and, as Brinitzer explains, “gives overhead ‘protection’ to the big, open area.”
Adjacent to the terrace, a laurel hedge conceals a vegetable patch where the kids experiment with new crops every spring. In addition to this “special hidden nook,” says Brinitzer, a pea gravel walk leads through beds of ornamental grasses to a 30-foot-square play lawn “large enough for a good soccer game.”
Brinitzer, who carefully planned the project to evolve for generations to come, takes pride in how much joy the kids derive from it. “This garden is meant for roasting s’mores in the fireplace and digging in the dirt,” he says. “It’s meant to be enjoyed and not just looked at.”
Photographer Roger Foley is based in Arlington.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: SCOTT BRINITZER, Scott Brinitzer Design Associates, Arlington, Virginia.
Golfers looking to combine a few rounds with a relaxing holiday might consider the Golf Escape package at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa, and Marina in Cambridge, Maryland. The package includes unlimited golf for two on the resort’s 18-hole, waterfront course designed by Keith Foster, cart rental, club storage and rental and discounted golf lessons. After hitting the links, golfers can unwind in the spa or Water’s Edge Grill—one of seven dining spots on the property. The package starts at $289 through December 31. 410-901-1234; chesapeakebay.hyatt.com
Chef Robert Wiedmaier (Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck) has opened an outpost of his Mussel Bar & Grille in Baltimore’s Harbor East. Recalling nightspots of the chef’s native Brussels, the new restaurant features a bar serving a wide selection of craft and Belgian beers. General manager Pete Stalla presides over the restaurant that dishes up fresh Cove mussels from Washington State prepared in a variety of ways, along with appetizers such as pepper- and coriander-grilled rare ahi tuna, soups, salads and entrées. 1350 Lancaster Street; 410-946-6726. musselbar.com
For more than a century, the Baltimore Harbor Light has served as a beacon for ships entering Maryland’s largest port. More recently, the historic lighthouse guided DC architect Cynthia Shoup Schiffrin in the design of a weekend getaway on the nearby shore. In 2011, Schiffrin and her husband discovered a waterfront property near Annapolis and fell in love with its views of the Magothy River at its confluence with the Chesapeake Bay. A fisherman’s cottage on the lot posed too many problems to be a candidate for renovation, so they decided to tear it down and build anew.
The modern home Schiffrin designed pays homage to the lighthouse—as well as its estuary habitat—in more ways than one. “My goal was to build something simple that didn’t put any more strain on the environment than was necessary,” she says.
Based on county regulations, the size of the new house was limited to 2,500 square feet. Despite its compact footprint, Schiffrin managed to create an open, airy structure, completed last year. A central, two-story volume houses a living, dining and kitchen space, while a lofted area above forms a raised section in the roof that echoes the lighthouse shape. “I love looking at the lighthouse,” Schiffrin explains. “The house is oriented to acknowledge it and capture the warmth of the winter sun. Meanwhile, the center section is a gesture towards our own lighthouse.”
Schiffrin and her husband, who have a teenage son, purchased the property jointly with her brother and sister-in-law, who have two kids in their 20s. So her design needed to accommodate all seven family members comfortably. She created two identical master suites with private baths for the couples—one on the ground floor and the other directly above. Two additional bedrooms include one shared by Schiffrin’s son and nephew and another for her niece. A TV room on the main level with a sleep sofa welcomes guests.
Getaways to the house revolve around the outdoors, especially in balmy weather. A screened porch off the kitchen with a sundeck above and an expansive rear deck overlooking the pool provide plenty of al fresco options. “We spend as much time outside as possible,” affirms the architect. “In the summer, we eat most meals on the screened porch. And we also like to sit down on the dock.”
Committed to designing a sustainable home, Schiffrin adhered to the principles of Passivhaus, a German building standard she discovered at a recent American Institute of Architects conference. “The concept is to build a house that is highly insulated, airtight and makes use of passive heating and cooling,” she explains. Before construction began, Schiffrin hired Baltimore-based salvage company Second Chance to dismantle the cottage and recycle as much material as possible. Wood was used instead of steel in every support beam and roof truss in the new home since steel can cause condensation that leads to mold. The house is oriented for passive solar heating, with large, operable windows taking advantage of natural ventilation. In addition to a highly insulated roof and walls, Schiffrin employed an exterior layer of mineral wool insulation. “Almost like a jacket,” she says, “it cuts down on heat gain and loss.” The white rubber roof reflects heat and triple-glazed Intus windows provide airtight seals.
Outdoors, Schiffrin converted the existing pool from chlorine to saltwater to minimize the use of chemicals and selected native plants in the landscape. A rain garden filters runoff before it flows into the bay.
The families now enjoy the house in all seasons. Whether she’s relaxing in the loft space or the hot tub, Schiffrin loves watching vessels passing on the water. “We get cruise ships, container ships and sailboats coming by,” she says. “We’ve all been captivated by the ever-changing moods of the water and the sun. The colors of the house were chosen to reflect those various moods.”
Schiffrin, whose architecture practice has focused primarily on non-residential work, had never designed a house before this one. Despite what she describes as a “learning curve” during the design phase, the outcome was familiar. “I really enjoyed coming out here during construction and our contractor, Rich Lang, was a terrific collaborator,” she recalls. “It was so exciting seeing the house come to life. That’s one of the things I enjoy most about being an architect—seeing something you’ve done on paper become reality.”
Judy Davis is a principal at Hoachlander Davis Photography in DC.
ARCHITECTURE: CYNTHIA SHOUP SCHIFFRIN, AIA, Washington, DC. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Keast & Hood Co., Washington, DC. CONTRACTOR: RICH LANG, Lang, and Company, Arnold, Maryland.
There’s nothing more relaxing than a day spent cruising the Chesapeake. Watermark offers a variety of motorized cruises and private charters on a fleet of 13 vessels embarking in Annapolis and Baltimore, from early spring to fall. Its flagship, 95-foot Catherine Marie, accommodates up to 240 guests in style for private catered events. Scheduled public cruises include a jaunt to watch Annapolis’s Wednesday evening regattas and a trip to view a Blue Angels show. cruisesonthebay.com; yachtchartersonthebay.com
