Tropical Getaway
Opened in late 2013, The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba occupies an enviable spot on pristine Palm Beach. Its 265 guest rooms and 55 suites boast balconies with views of the Caribbean Sea. The resort is also home to the island’s largest spa, plus four restaurants including Madero Argentinian Grill, featuring poolside dining (pictured). Rates from $629; ritzcarlton.com
Alpine Aerie
A five-minute walk from Switzerland’s St. Moritz ski resort, Giardino Mountain is housed in an old hotel that’s been dramatically transformed. Beyond its traditional façade, modern interiors unfold. Seventy-eight guest rooms and suites blend natural woods with tactile fabrics and offer stunning mountain views. A spa, two restaurants, and a children’s program round out the action off the slopes. Rates from $355; designhotels.com
Modern Update
Overlooking Thomas Circle, DC’s Donovan House, a Kimpton Hotel is fresh from a multi-million-dollar renovation. Inspired by the travels of its namesake, “Wild” Bill Donovan who founded the precursor to the CIA, the new interiors by Boston-based CBT are influenced by sleek Asian and European design. Rooms boast canopy beds swathed in Frette linens and minimalist workspaces. Weekend rates from $140; donovanhoteldc.com
On the Road
James Beard award-winning chef RJ Cooper of DC’s Rogue 24 has opened Gypsy Soul, a new restaurant in Fairfax’s Mosaic District. Cooper was inspired to create a spot where his wife Judy and their twins Ava and Bridgett (pictured with the chef, inset) could enjoy casual American fare made with ingredients from local farms. Interiors with cast-metal and leather accents pay tribute to Cooper’s love of motorcycle riding. 703-992-0933; gypsysoul-va.com
New Hot Spot
Matt Baker, formerly of The Occidental, is now executive chef at City Perch Kitchen & Bar in North Bethesda’s new Pike & Rose development. The concept menu by California chef Sherry Yard incorporates seasonal American fare, from rotisserie meats to raw bar seafood (pictured), along with handcrafted cocktails. 301-231-2310; cityperch.com
Just Dessert
Pastry chef Meredith Tomason (pictured), a veteran of Tom Colicchio’s Craft Restaurant in New York, has opened the RareSweets bake shop in the new CityCenterDC. Guests enjoy heirloom cakes, cookies, ice creams (inset) and breakfast pastries in a modern setting designed by CORE, featuring an open kitchen. 202-499-0077; raresweets.com
SHIFT INTO SPRING Adrianna Papell’s Split Front Shirttail Shift Dress makes a smooth transition into warmer weather. Uniquely detailed with a notched neckline and exposed back zipper, it comes in cobalt, red and black and regular and petite sizes. $118; nordstrom.com
SILK ROAD The Maison des Carres scarf playfully documents the creation of an Hermès silk square, from concept and creation to final sale. Made of hand-rolled silk twill, it is available at Hermès boutiques nationwide. $450; hermes.com
TWO-WAY STYLE MCM’s Petal Visetos reversible belt sports bright orange leather on one side and coated canvas on the other. It makes a bold and versatile statement, either way, you wear it. $295; bloomingdales.com.
TASTE OF PERU José Andrés celebrates Peruvian cuisine, along with its Chinese and Japanese influences, at the new China Chilcano in Penn Quarter. Designed by Spanish architect/designer Juli Capella, the colorful spot boasts a dramatic mural and red neon lighting that evokes ancient indigenous art. Featuring one of the largest pisco selections in the U.S., the bar serves a mean Machu Pisco. 418 7th Street, NW; 202-783-0941. chinachilcano.com
DOUBLE PLAY: KAPNOS TAVERNA Mike Isabella has opened a second Greek restaurant, Kapnos Taverna, in Ballston. He and executive chef/partner George Pagonis (a Season 12 “Top Chef” contestant) will run the new outpost, focusing on the cuisine of coastal Greece and its islands. (The DC Kapnos serves Northern Greek fare.) Streetsense designed the new restaurant’s rustic, Mediterranean-style interiors. 4000 Wilson Boulevard; 703-243-4400. kapnostaverna.com
SAFE HARBOR Azumi is making waves in the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore. Though its name means “safe harbor” in Japanese, this new restaurant dishes up a daring menu crafted by native Tokyo chef Eiji Takase. Take, for example, the live Santa Barbara sea urchin. Interiors by Patrick Sutton. 725 Aliceanna Street, Baltimore; 443-220-0477, azumirestaurant.com
ITALIAN ESCAPE The St. Regis Venice San Clemente Palace debuts in April on a private island in the center of the city’s lagoon. Housed in a former monastery, the property’s 191 guest rooms and suites were restored and redesigned by Hirsch Bedner Associates and GA Design. A private boat service connects guests to the city’s many attractions (which include the requisite gondola ride). From $625, including breakfast. stregis.com
ZEN SANCTUARY Perched on the top six floors of a high-rise in the financial district, the new Aman Tokyo marries traditional Japanese design with modern style. Designed by Kerry Hill Architects, the 84-room property boasts three restaurants, a swimming pool and a sprawling wellness facility with dramatic views of the city skyline. Rates from $630. amanresorts.com
MODERN RETREAT Designed by GCA Architects Associates, Barcelona’s ABaC Restaurant & Hotel encompasses a new building integrated with a former home that historically served as the American Embassy in Spain. Today the 15-room property boasts sleek, modern guest suites with Bang & Olufsen TVs and sound systems and Hermès toiletries, a spa and a lounge adjoining a restaurant with two Michelin stars. Rates from $244. abacbarcelona.com
March 21, 2015, will mark the opening of a new building housing the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. Designed by Hartman-Cox Architects, the six-floor, state-of-the-art structure recently earned LEED Gold certification. The building adjoins historic Woodhull House, which has been renovated as part of the museum.
Finally relocated after the 2011 announcement that it would join the GW campus, The Textile Museum will continue to showcase its collection of more than 19,000 objects. The complex will also house the Albert H. Small Center for Washingtoniana Collection and serve as a hub for arts education and special events.
The museum is located at 701 21st Street, NW. museum.gwu.edu
John Haslett had a clear vision in mind when he set out to transform a Reston penthouse from a builder-grade shell into a contemporary, Manhattan-style loft showcasing his art collection. The only catch: Much of the artwork—from paintings and sculpture to one-of-a-kind light fixtures and place settings—had yet to be created.
“I thought it would be a one-year process,” he reflects. “But that year turned into three because of my commitment to finding exactly what I wanted. If it didn’t exist, I found someone to build it.”
Unlike most homeowners who rush the design and build-out process, Haslett savored every moment. The financial-planning executive had recently retired to pursue a second career as a painter—though he hadn’t picked up a brush in more than 20 years. So he viewed this project as an opportunity to interact with artisans of all kinds, not only to realize his urban dream home but also as a refresher course in the creative process.
While Haslett purchased or commissioned art on whirlwind trips around the country, he entrusted the overall design of his two-bedroom penthouse to Alice Busch and Lucas Trunnell of Great Falls Distinctive Interiors, Inc. The mother-and-son team set out to create bespoke interiors that would reflect a level of refinement and attention to detail equal to their client’s art.
“With Alice’s more traditional background and her son Luke, who does more contemporary work, I thought they were a good combination,” Haslett explains. “Getting the best of both generations was going to meet the criteria I was looking for.”
From the entry hall, where niches in the Venetian plaster walls display works in blown glass, metal and ceramics, to the master bedroom with its suspended bed and metal “wave wall,” the completed residence is full of custom finishes and millwork fabricated by RKI, Inc. “We were inspired by a mix of materials such as wood, stone, and concrete,” explains Trunnell. “We wanted to make it feel like a very special environment that you would not see anywhere else.”
Delineating the living room’s two seating areas, a bulkhead in a faux-concrete finish provides a rough contrast to the Kravet sofas covered in soft chenille. Along one wall, horizontal stainless-steel reveals in the mahogany paneling align with grooves in the adjacent Delano marble housing a fireplace and flat-screen TV.
“We carried the exact reveal from the wood into the marble, continuing the linear pattern,” Trunnell remarks. “We worked with the millwork company and the granite studio to make sure it was all perfect.”
An abstract stainless-steel sculpture by Lyle London creates a focal point in the adjacent dining area, which boasts a Venetian plaster accent wall in lavender, one of Haslett’s favorite hues. In lieu of a traditional chandelier—which would have been impossible to center in the asymmetrical space—the team designed a custom fixture. Inspired by the clouds floating by outside his 21st-floor abode, Haslett commissioned California-based Lusive Décor to create a metal-mesh “cloud fixture” through which LED lights shimmer like stars.
The dining area is open to the kitchen, where a sleek bar of Trunnell’s design replaced a lackluster pantry. “The kitchen is one of my favorite rooms,” says Busch. “Behind the bar there’s a frosted acrylic back with LED lighting. John can create any color he wants.”
Once the penthouse was complete, Haslett resided there for a year before he purchased a loft in Chicago that now serves as his permanent home and studio. However, he still returns to the Reston apartment monthly for business meetings. “It feels like I’m in a luxury resort,” he says of his visits.
As he delves into painting, Haslett credits the renovation with helping him transition from a structured business environment to the “free-flowing” career of an artist. “For me, it was about drawing on the experience of these artisans and designers—and decades in their craft—to help me find my creative vision,” he reflects. “It was a learning experience that just happens to be a home.”
Photographer Bob Narod is based in Herndon, Virginia.
INTERIOR DESIGN: ALICE BUSCH, Allied Member ASID; LUCAS TRUNNELL, Assoc. AIA, Allied Member ASID, LEED AP, BD+C, Great Falls Distinctive Interiors, Inc., Ashburn, Virginia. CONTRACTOR: ROGER C. VASSILIADIS, RCV Real Estate, Great Falls, Virginia.
Buying real estate was not on Tom Gilday’s agenda when he took a family ski trip to Montana back in 2004. But on a drive to see a friend’s new vacation property, he spotted a split-level home for sale at the edge of a pristine lake with an idyllic view of the Swan Mountains—and was smitten.
“It was breathtaking. You look across the lake and the mountains are right there,” recalls Gilday, vice president of Silver Spring-based Gilday Renovations. “The house is on a peninsula. If you stand in the living room and look right and look left, there’s nothing but water.”
Gilday and his wife Karen considered the possibilities and commitments of owning a vacation getaway 2,700 miles away from their Maryland residence. The idea of skiing and ice skating in a winter wonderland and spending summers hiking in nearby Glacier National Park won them over. They bought the property and have gone West—with four kids and their dog in tow—once or twice a year ever since.
Though lackluster in style, the 1990s-era, five-bedroom house had good bones, was well insulated and made a perfect base for the family’s outdoor pursuits. But over the years, Tom Gilday studied architecture prevalent in the area and gathered ideas for a future renovation. “The original house didn’t take advantage of the views,” he says. “I kind of knew what was possible but it took me a while to figure out how to do the transitions.”
A few years ago, the Gildays decided the time was right to update the house in order to improve the views and also to create an aesthetic that would better reflect its surroundings. While Gilday’s design would add about 108 square feet to the existing structure, it would ultimately create a more spacious feel by reconfiguring rooms and introducing more windows.
First, he eliminated the raised front entry door and split-level staircase and landing. A new front door on the ground level now opens to a streamlined staircase, making room for a large closet in the entry foyer and built-in bookcases in the living room above.
On both gabled ends of the second floor, walls with modest windows were traded for great expanses of glass. In the living room, Gilday added a large fireplace—curiously missing in the original home, given its location—and bumped out new glass windows to offer unencumbered mountain views. A new covered porch on the west-facing dining room side helps eliminate solar gain and offers a perfect outdoor perch.
Gilday also shifted the master bedroom to the mountain side of the house for better views, expanding it by four feet. A new master bath built into the bedroom left space for a home office in the bedroom’s former location. He completely gutted the kitchen, replacing it with new cabinetry, Silestone countertops and updated appliances.
Gone are the builder-grade drywall and painted masonite exteriors, replaced by a rugged material palette that lends the home authentic Western style inside and out. Working with J. L. Halverstadt of Wild Wood Eccentrics in Whitefish, Montana, Gilday selected a wide range of reclaimed materials to be used throughout the property for style and sustainability. “All the lumber, siding, stone, everything used in the house was reclaimed—the beams, the siding on the inside and the outside and the horizontal logs. This is about as green as you can get,” he says.
Montana-based Brian Quay oversaw construction on-site for Gilday, who managed the project remotely. One of the most challenging details was executing Gilday’s window design: The glass was installed into notches in massive reclaimed-wood beams. “It looks like the glass comes out of the beams themselves,” explains Gilday.
Karen Gilday furnished the interiors in comfortable, rustic style and selected all of the kitchen and bath cabinetry and materials to complement the home’s new look. Artwork the couple has acquired in the region also reflects a Western theme.
The family now enjoys vacations in the newly completed home more than ever. In the summer, they gather with neighbors around the fire pit and enjoy meals on the new porch. “The family is always together out there,” says Gilday. “We play chess, read—and there’s not as much emphasis on TV.
“The first time I went out there when it was all done,” he recalls, “I remember sitting on the porch and looking through the house towards the mountains at dusk. They turned purple, then they turned golden when the sun set. It’s a magical place.”
Photographer Heidi Long is based in Kalispell, Montana.
RENOVATION DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION: TOM GILDAY, principal and designer; KAREN GILDAY, interiors, Gilday Renovations, Silver Spring, Maryland. CARPENTER: BRIAN QUAY, Kalispell, Montana.
“It gets better,” whispers architect Scarlett Breeding, touring a new home she designed near Annapolis. Surveying this virtually transparent steel, glass, and stone creation with sweeping water views, a visitor wonders what could possibly get any better than this.
The sheer simplicity instills guests with a sense of calm—precisely what its owner, CEO of a high-tech company, had in mind for this weekend getaway. “My company provides technology that is all about accountability and transparency,” he says. “I wanted this house to have those qualities. I did not just want to blur the lines of inside and outside; I wanted there to be none.”
The owner assembled a team of experts he knew could create the modern retreat he imagined. Scarlett Breeding, landscape architect Kevin Campion, builder Bret Anderson and interior designer Helen Sullivan had already collaborated on his DC home and other residences. Together, they delved into the project—possibly one of their most challenging to date.
As a starting point, Breeding found inspiration in the local vernacular. “The form comes from the traditional Chesapeake cottage, with its simple gabled roof,” she explains. “There is one gable form in the middle and matching ones on either side. We reduced them to their simplest elements, then subtracted out the roof and wall planes so they became far more transparent, to maximize light and views.” Even the garage doors are glass.
Dormers and skylights create lofty second-story spaces, yet allow the house to maintain a single-story presence. “It has large room volumes but does not feel inappropriate for the neighborhood, which is primarily cottages,” says Breeding.
The pure geometry makes a powerful statement. In fact, the structure is built on a single plinth without changes in grade on the ground level, from the water threshold at the front door to the curb-less shower entries and glassy backyard pool. “The biggest challenge,” says landscape architect Kevin Campion, “was integrating vulnerability when it comes to water—our friend and enemy at the same time. We also had to respect architecture so pure that it has no gutters on the vertical roofs.” The team devised a subterranean system that filters water away from the house. Catchments of black Mexican pebbles in the driveway and perimeter of the house capture water and serve as a strong design motif.
The home’s three connected volumes form an “L.” One stretches from the street toward the water houses the garage and guest suite and upstairs, a bunkroom with built-in beds and an office commanding views of the river. Perpendicular to this volume is the central, most transparent one containing the great room, dining pavilion and kitchen and another on the same axis housing the master suite and a bedroom for the owner’s son. A lower level includes a nanny suite, rec room, and wine cellar.
Throughout the interiors, a clean-lined, pared-down aesthetic prevails. Conventional building details are either nonexistent or so well hidden that nothing competes with the simple palette of bluestone floors, stone walls, steel, and glass. As the owner explains, “We wanted a seamless transition from inside to out and vice versa. Everything is elemental, honest and true.”
In the great room, exposed trusses counterbalance the loftiness. “The trusswork gives intimacy and warmth to this glass house,” says Breeding. “We’ve succeeded in making a very contemporary house not feel cold.” A massive stone chimney adds context and texture. It houses a fireplace and TV on the seating room side and on the other, anchors kitchen appliances and cabinetry. Made by Premier Custom-Built Cabinetry, casework in the kitchen and throughout the home cleverly eliminates clutter and enriches the material palette with German raked-oak surfaces. The precise fit of each detail, from air diffusers recessed in the stone floors to floating staircases, presented challenges at every turn. In fact, one of the cabinet installers nicknamed the house “Scarlett’s Rubik’s cube.”
“In modern construction,” says builder Bret Anderson, “everything is a zero-tolerance fit and is exposed. How these materials come together sets the quality level of the project. All of the interior trim and millwork in this house is integrated in such a way that it is seamless and holds the design together.”
With its proximity to the Magothy, guests in the dining pavilion almost feel as though they’re on a yacht. Glass panels slide open to expose the room to the elements. Automated screens bordering the kitchen shield the house from insects. The room’s only adornment, a balsa wood light fixture, floats above the table; it is one of three commissioned by the owner, who loves the glow they cast at night. “In the wind,” he says, “they look like a modern, Asian-inspired homage to Calder.”
The glass-walled master bedroom and guest suites flank the dining pavilion. The guestroom appears to hover above the pool, installed so completely flush with the stone deck that it resembles an aquamarine pane of glass. From the master bath, a door leads to an outdoor shower and hot tub sunken in stone.
In furnishing the home, designer Helen Sullivan sought pieces with an organic feel, from their colors and shapes to the fabrics. “Everything is soft and mellow,” she explains. “More than just comfortable, the house is very calming. It has a Zen quality.”
Behind the home, lawns terrace down to the river, rimmed by native grasses and perennials. “The plantings manage stormwater and connect the site to the Chesapeake,” says Campion.
After arriving at his new retreat on weekends, the owner admits, he rarely leaves. “This team executed perfection,” he insists. “Who would want to leave?”
Photographer David Burroughs is based in Annapolis.
ARCHITECTURE: SCARLETT BREEDING, AIA, Alt Breeding Schwarz Architects, Annapolis, Maryland. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: KEVIN CAMPION, ASLA, Campion Hruby Landscape Architects, Annapolis, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: HELEN SULLIVAN, Helen Sullivan Design, Washington, DC. BUILDER: BRET ANDERSON, president; STEVE MICEK, project manager; BRUCE HART, site supervisor, Pyramid Builders, Annapolis, Maryland.
Visiting the DC Design House is a rite of spring on Washington’s design calendar. On board for the 2015 event, 24 design teams will transform a new farmhouse-style residence in McLean designed by Harrison Design and built by Artisan Builders.
Visitors can enjoy the first glimpse of designers’ creations on April 11th’s Preview Day—along with light bites served by “Top Chef” Bryan Voltaggio’s restaurants. That evening, Voltaggio will host a Preview Night wine dinner at Aggio restaurant in Friendship Heights, where he’ll sign copies of his new cookbook, Home.
Proceeds from all events benefit Children’s National Health System. Admission is $50 on Preview Day and $250 for Preview Night. Regular admission is $30; closed on Mondays. The house is located at 956 Mackall Farm Lane. For more information and a list of designers, visit dcdesignhouse.com.
When self-taught chef Patrick O’Connell opened The Inn at Little Washington in a former auto repair shop in 1978, few would have wagered that the venture would not only succeed but would garner top accolades from restaurant critics for decades to come.
Though it has grown to include 24 guest rooms in the original structure (which also houses the restaurant and public spaces) and several outbuildings, the Inn still recalls another time and place. Inspired by notable European properties, O’Connell’s fanciful creation centered on the main streets of rural Washington, Virginia (population: 150), transports guests into a world where walls are painted in monkey motifs, cheese is served atop an anatomically correct cow sculpture and ceilings are bedecked in kaleidoscopic cutouts of designer wall coverings—and that’s just for starters. No two guest rooms are alike.
“What is lacking today [in hospitality] is a sense of place, an identity, an authenticity, a personality,” says O’Connell. “We want guests to feel like they’re in someone’s home and we want it to look as if it has been here a long, long time.”
To O’Connell, nailing the ambiance and timeworn patina is just as critical as serving an impeccable foie gras. “Your eye can never be bored, just as your palate can never be bored,” he says. “It’s all parallel, to keep guests intrigued and amused and to sustain that fascination.”
O’Connell grew up in “big” Washington, where he studied theatre at Catholic University. One could argue that he hasn’t strayed far from his first calling. In his forthcoming book, The Inn at Little Washington: A Magnificent Obsession (Rizzoli, New York, April 2015; $50), O’Connell reveals that in his mind the Inn is a “healing cocoon” and a “folly and stage set for whatever drama is being played out” in guests’ lives.
If the Inn is theatre, O’Connell’s leading lady is Joyce Conwy Evans, a London-based set designer who has decorated every room on the property—most of them sight unseen. After she receives a blueprint of a new project, he explains, “Joyce goes into a trance and starts painting a rendering in watercolor. She has a vision and then steps into it. It’s been a wonderful collaboration for over 35 years.”
In addition to guest quarters, Evans also collaborates with O’Connell on his private residences on the “campus.” One of these was Claiborne House. After O’Connell purchased the 1899 “eyesore,” he hired Alexandria architect Allan Greenberg to transform it into a stately, two-bedroom cottage that would look like it had always been there. The architect’s plan created a kitchen, library, media room and veranda and gave the house presence with a front porch and two-story foyer.
Named for a frequent guest, food writer, and critic Craig Claiborne, the cottage was O’Connell’s own home until 2006 when he moved into 1885 Victorian he’d purchased nearby. Soon after, Claiborne House became the Inn’s presidential suite. In addition to its namesake, the retreat has hosted Al and Tipper Gore, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, designers Carleton Varney and Charlotte Moss and many a celebrity chef.
In the design of his current home, O’Connell and Evans are following their proven approach. “Each space, each piece of architecture, has a narrative that it needs to have told. It’s a little like raising a kid; it can’t necessarily be exactly what you want it to be. You follow its orders—and try not to go broke doing it,” O’Connell quips. Once they find a “clue,” whether it’s a piece of furniture, a color or wallpaper, everything falls into place. While his master bathroom is done (heated floors, marble-slab walls, Waterworks tub), the residence remains a work in progress.
However, readers will soon be able to survey the rest of O’Connell’s domain in his handsome and eloquent new book. “People who have worked here for 10 years have never seen it all,” he says. “The book is a window into the extent of the nuttiness.”
Chef, proprietor, co-designer and star of the show, O’Connell has clearly found his oeuvre. “My love,” he concludes, “is the art of transformation. Transforming anything. Like a turnip into something incredible, or a tear-down into something magical.”
Photographer Gordon Beall is based in Bethesda, Maryland.
Portrait by Michael Ventura
First, rumors swirled. Then there was uncertainty. Then waiting and more waiting. As the former Washington Design Center building in Southwest began its transition into the future home of the Museum of the Bible and showrooms began to shutter, local designers have left to source their projects in a setting that was uninspiring, to say the least.
All that has changed now that the Design Center has officially opened in the gleaming, LEED Gold-certified Franklin Court building at 14th and L Streets, NW. On November 12, champagne flowed as the 23 showrooms now occupying the building’s light-filled second, third and fourth floors marked the Center’s launch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Throngs of designers turned out for the event, which included presentations, product debuts and book signings by artist Hunt Slonem and designers Barry Dixon and Thomas Pheasant. Even Mayor Vincent Gray made an appearance to cut the ribbon.
There was much to celebrate. “The opening of the new Washington Design Center, in the ‘center’ of downtown Washington heralds a new era for our local design community,” said Barry Dixon. “A long overdue shot in the arm for architects and designers, the bright, sun-lit halls of possibility are a beacon for creative minds for miles around—and a bona fide cosmic shift for our industry.”
While purchases are still mostly to the trade, consumers are welcome to browse the Center’s showrooms for inspiration. Guests should check in at Franklin Court’s management office in the lobby to receive a daily visitor badge. Open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, the Washington Design Center is located at 1099 14th Street, NW. designcenterdc.com
For most families planning to build or renovate, functionality and ease of movement are essential. But in the case of a McLean couple designing a home to accommodate a physically disabled daughter, these ideas took on a whole new meaning. Marta, a nutritionist, and Michael, a scientist/entrepreneur, have three adult daughters including Gina, who relies on a wheelchair for mobility and a service dog to assist with daily activities.
When they relocated to the DC area from Illinois, Gina was off at college and, later, grad school. After she moved back in with her family a few years ago to start a job with the Department of Defense, they discovered that despite adaptations they’d made, getting around their house was too cumbersome for her. So Marta and Michael decided to tear it down and start anew.
Their goals were far-reaching: to make every room—including closets and bathrooms—completely accessible, and to incorporate independent but connected living quarters for Gina, now 31. Throughout the property, doors and passageways would have to be wide enough to accommodate Gina’s wheelchair and English Labrador, Susie. There could be no grade changes on the home’s three floors or in its exterior spaces. All lighting, security, HVAC and A/V systems would be controlled via iPhone or iPad, either hand-held or installed in each room.
“One residence would provide an environment for Gina to learn the skills required for living totally independent from us,” says Michael, “and the other would provide a home for us to age in place with room to accommodate our other daughters and their families when they visit.”
The couple selected a design team based not on experience in universal design but on the willingness to explore outside-the-box solutions. First, they tapped Phil Leibovitz of Sandy Spring Builders after admiring a house his firm completed nearby; he introduced them to McLean architect Glenn Chen Fong, whom they hired to design the home.
“In this case, ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] standards were not relevant as they didn’t accommodate a wheelchair and service dog side-by-side,” explains Fong. “Hours of discussions allowed us to add up all the parameters and take a fresh look at the accessible design. We truly reinvented the wheel.”
The existing awkwardly shaped lot—narrow on the street side but projecting almost 500 feet deep—turned out to be a boon to Fong’s design. Since Gina commutes to work via a Metro Access van, sitting her quarters near the street made sense, so he created a one-story cottage for her with the family home extending behind it.
Along, light-filled hallway bordering the family’s three-car garage links Gina’s cottage to the main home. “If Gina wants to live wholly independently, she can just close off the corridor,” the architect explains. “But if there’s an emergency, her parents can be there in a heartbeat.”
Guests arriving at the main house enter on the side into a gracious foyer, also accessible via Gina’s inner corridor. The main level encompasses living, dining and family rooms; a kitchen; a study; and a master suite. Though a grand staircase leads to the second floor, Gina can reach her two sisters’ bedrooms upstairs, as well as the lower level, via elevator. In the basement, the entire family works out in a gym and indoor SwimEx resistance pool.
As construction commenced, the clients hired designer Skip Sroka to pull together the interiors while addressing the challenges of accessibility—such as floor coverings. “Marta told me, ‘There will not be carpet in this house. The wheelchair will ruin the rug or, worse, the carpet will roll into the wheels,’” recalls Sroka. So he defined spaces with dramatic designs in the hardwood floors, from geometric patterns to an inlaid medallion in the couple’s shared study. “The patterns are strong enough that they create a welcoming sense,” he explains.
Though his clients also wanted to forgo drapery, Sroka convinced them window treatments were necessary to warm up the interiors. “It would’ve been too institutional if there wasn’t anything on the windows,” he comments. Botanical prints in natural colors reflect rich interior millwork.
Special care went into creating new furniture arrangements. The custom dining table, for example, was crafted to be wheelchair-accessible. “We have a place in every room where there’s space for another chair because that’s Gina’s spot,” says Sroka. “It’s just part of the design.”
Planning for a future when Gina will live in the home when they’re gone, Michael and Marta ensured that it would be as maintenance-free and sustainably designed as possible. Solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling and spray-foam insulation make it energy efficient. “Sustainability simply makes sense,” Michael says.
Now complete, the new home’s sophisticated exteriors and welcoming interiors belie the fact that it’s fully accessible. “To me, beauty is the inspiration for living,” Sroka reflects. “A physical limitation shouldn’t preclude you from that.
“Part of accessibility,” he continues, “is talking about what the person you’re designing for can do because it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.”
Gina would have to agree. “The house has greatly improved my lifestyle by being barrier-free,” she concludes. “Rather than the focus being my disability, I can focus on the abilities I have and what I can accomplish.”
Photographer Geoffrey Hodgdon is based in Deale, Maryland.
ARCHITECTURE: GLENN CHEN FONG, AIA, Arlington, Virginia. INTERIOR DESIGN: SKIP SROKA, CID, ASID, principal; ELIZABETH BAUSCH, lead designer, Sroka Design, Washington, DC. BUILDER: PHIL LEIBOVITZ, Sandy Spring Builders, Bethesda, Maryland.
Autumn Getaway Easton’s historic Tidewater Inn makes for an idyllic fall retreat. It’s the perfect base for exploring the town; the inn can also organize golf, boating and fishing trips. The property’s restaurant, Hunter’s Tavern was recently renovated by Philadelphia-based DAS Architects. On November 14, the inn will host the fourth annual Brew & Oyster Brawl featuring live music, freshly shucked oysters and other fare; a portion of the proceeds benefits the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Rates from $149. tidewaterinn.com
Café Culture Visitors to Chestertown have a treat in store at Evergrain Bread Company. Opened in 2010 by Johnson and Wales grad Douglas Rae, the café tempts passersby with fresh-baked artisan breads and pastries, croissants, pain au chocolat and sun buns, which are made of knotted croissant dough double-rolled in cinnamon and sugar. “It’s our crown jewel,” says the Chestertown native, who co-owns the bakery with his mom, Kelly Holton. 201-203 High Street; 410-778-3333. evergrainbreadco.com
Water’s Edge Fresh from a 2015 makeover, The Narrows restaurant sports a crisp new look and improved views of the Kent Narrows waterway. Architect David Miles of The Drawing Board, interior designer Melissa McLay and Timberlake Design/Build collaborated on the project, which updated the dining room with “an old boathouse feel,” says co-owner Kelly Hardesty Phipps. While it offers a varied menu, this Graysonville hot spot specializes in seafood, from cioppino to Oysters Rockefeller. Devoted customers can even order The Narrows’s famous crabcakes online. 3023 Kent Narrows Way South; 410-827-8113. thenarrowsrestaurant.com
Easton Art Easton is famous for its summertime plein air festival, when artists and visitors converge on the Maryland town to paint the scenery and buy art. But this picturesque hamlet actually spotlights art all year long. From November 13 to 15, the Waterfowl Festival shines a light on wildlife art. In addition, upcoming gallery events are listed below.
717 Gallery: “Small Treasures,” November 6 to January 7, 2016. This exhibit showcases small paintings by owner/artist Louis Ecobedo and Eastern Shore artist Chris Wilke. 717 Goldsborough Street; 410-241-7020. 717gallery.com
Troika Gallery: The work of William Storck, a nationally acclaimed maritime painter, through November 10. Gala champagne 18th anniversary group show, November 13 to December 31. 9 South Harrison Street; 410-770-9190. troikagallery.com
A FITTING TRIBUTE
Inspired by the 1937 speed record set by English race car driver Sir Malcolm Campbell on Italy’s Lake Maggiore-—in a Bluebird K3 hydroplane powered by a Rolls-Royce engine—Rolls Royce has released the limited edition Phantom Drophead Coupé. The 12-cylinder bespoke model boasts a hand-brushed steel grille, saddle-leather floor mats and other details that echo the K3’s design. $470,000; rolls-roycemotorcars.com
BRASS TACKS
Jonathan Adler's Brass Tic Tac Toe set makes a bold statement on any coffee table. Brass game pieces play off a grooved marble base. $195. jonathanadler.com
NOSTALGIA TRIP
The Gramovox Bluetooth Gramophone marries vintage style with the latest technology. The speaker delivers old-school sound via Bluetooth, USB or 3.5mm stereo input. It has a range of more than 30 feet and a battery life of 15 hours. $400; gramovox.com
GAME ON
British designer Alexandra Llewellyn fashions handmade backgammon boards in a wide array of themes. Lily (pictured) boasts a dark zebrano interior embellished with calla lilies; its weighted brass playing pieces are inlaid with mother of pearl on one side and leather on the other. Custom designs are available. $7,387; alexandralldesign.com
WINTER WONDERLAND
Dior’s fall/winter 2014 haute couture collection features this embroidered pale pink silk coat with black wool top and black wool pants. Paired with red pumps, the outfit combines soft textures and handiwork with a sleek silhouette. dior.com
STAR STRUCK
This large starburst pendant with diamonds by David Yurman makes a striking gift for the holidays. Strung on an adjustable 22- to 24-inch chain, the sterling-silver piece is studded with .85 carats of diamonds. Available at Bloomingdales; $2,600. bloomingdales.com
SMART SATCHEL
Karl Lagerfeld’s K/School two-tone leather tote is an easy carry-all, with an adjustable shoulder strap and top handles. The expandable sides fit all your belongings for work, play or travel. $750; karl.com
DUTCH TREAT
Celebrated Dutch architect Piet Boon designed the 10 spacious villas with private gardens and Caribbean views at this boutique getaway on Bonaire. At Piet Boon Bonaire, guests choose between garden and seafront accommodations; each villa comes with a fully equipped kitchen—and private chefs are on call. From $642 nightly; designhotels.com
SOUTH BEACH MEETS VEGAS
The luxury, all-suite Delano Las Vegas opened its doors in September, bringing the brand’s South Beach glam to The Strip. The design teams at MGM Resorts International and Morgans Hotel Group evoke the Mojave Desert in the hotel’s public spaces—including the Franklin lounge, with its twinkling lights and gold accents. Rates from $119; delanolasvegas.com
LITTLE WASHINGTON GETAWAY
Chef/proprietor Patrick O’Connell has expanded The Inn at Little Washington with the recent unveiling of The Parsonage—an 1850s Victorian house that he has restored and converted into six new guest rooms. Decorated in collaboration with London designer Joyce Conwy Evans, the rooms boast fireplaces and English linens. Named for its proximity to Trinity Episcopal Church, The Parsonage is across the street from O’Connell’s legendary restaurant. Rates from $575; theinnatlittlewashington.com
SAVOIR FARE
Chef Daniel Boulud—the lauded French chef who started his career in DC 30 years ago—has returned to the District to open DBGB Kitchen and Bar. Designed by Thomas Schlesser, the casual French-American restaurant serves house-made sausages, gourmet burgers (including the Yankee Burger, inset) and Lyonnais-inspired fare. 931 H Street, NW; 202-695-7660. dbgb.com/dc
WEST-END DEBUT
Café Deluxe has opened its fifth location in DC’s West End, at 22nd and M Streets, NW. Designed by GTM Architects, the restaurant boasts dramatic lighting and a 38-seat bar, plus leather booths and mahogany furniture; patio seating is available in milder weather. Look for the same classic menu offered at other outposts. 2201 M Street, NW; 202-524-7815. cafedeluxe.com
HOLIDAY CHEER
The Blue Duck Tavern and Blue Duck Lounge at the Park Hyatt Washington are toasting the season with new fall cocktails. Among the handcrafted libations is Smoke on the River—a blend of Copper Fox Virginia Rye, Lapsang Souchong tea, lemon and yellow chartreuse. 24th and M Streets, NW; 202-419-6755. blueducktavern.com
