In search of the perfect art for her clients’ dining room, designer Barbara Hawthorn struck up a conversation with painter John Matthew Moore. “I mentioned I was looking for an abstract of a tree,” she recalls, “and Matthew said he had been waiting for years to paint an abstracted birch.” This serendipitous exchange led to an exceptional piece of art—one of many collaborations that make Hawthorn’s now-completed design resonate with homeowners Sherry Edwards and Paul Denis.
After moving into their McLean residence—formerly home to CBS News anchor Scott Pelley—Edwards and Denis needed help with more than just artwork. The mélange of furniture brought from their previous house was practically lost in their much grander new one. A stately Cape Cod, it had been expanded by the Pelleys about a decade ago with help from the original architect, Bill Sutton of Sutton Yantis Architects, and Great Falls Construction. The renovation added a new wing comprised of a sunroom with a dining area and a great room built around a large outdoor pool and terrace.
“The house had so much potential,” Edwards says, “but what we had wasn’t cutting it. We wanted a fresh start.”
She contacted Hawthorn after spotting her work in a local magazine. “Most of their furniture wasn’t suited for a house of this scale,” Hawthorn agrees. “It wasn’t inviting. And the music room was totally empty. I love that kind of challenge.”
She immediately began helping Edwards, a retired Federal Reserve economist, and Denis, an anti-trust attorney, to hone in on a shared aesthetic. “I help people articulate and identify what it is they like to have around them,” says the designer. “In programming meetings, I always do ‘gestalt’ tests on color, fabric and styles of furniture. I get a great sensibility of where that person is coming from—traditional, eclectic or modern. Then we translate that into reality.”
They settled on a serene color scheme of soft greens, blues and neutrals, and a fairly traditional, but not overly ornate, furniture profile. “As I am trained as an artist, color is usually where I begin,” says Hawthorn. “Once we got a sense of the color palette they both loved, we were able to bring color throughout the house.”
An art acquisition reinforced the color scheme. Denis’s aunt, who has lived around the world, offered them a large, abstract canvas, Milky Way Dreaming, by Aboriginal artist Janet Forrester Ngala. They fell in love with the piece and hung it in the living room where it could be viewed from the home’s main entry. “When you walk in, you’re drawn to it,” says Edwards, pointing out that this “anchor” piece sent their art decisions in a slightly more modern direction.
Hawthorn bridged a contemporary and traditional aesthetic throughout the house, commissioning custom pieces to impart a more personal, artisanal quality to the interiors. The intimate space to the left of the main entry is a case in point. It had been empty for years until Hawthorn and Edwards decided to create a music room where the couple’s teenage sons could play the piano. A seating arrangement by the fireplace, along with a two-sided sofa of Hawthorn’s design, can accommodate a large group during a party, or provide a cozy family gathering spot. A blend of rich fabrics and a wool and silk rug, along with a commissioned abstract by Virginia artist Lisa Tureson, add the finishing touches.
Hawthorn designed a custom cabinet to house Sherry Edwards’s beloved teapot collection, which before had been scattered throughout the house. Working with Indiana-based artisan Keith Fritz, she embellished its glass doors using a motif reminiscent of the transoms in the home’s foyer. “It fit in beautifully because it had those subtle cues of other things going on in the house that were classic, but in a more modern way,” says Hawthorn. The owners additionally commissioned two consoles that now grace the living room, designed and fabricated by Keith Fritz in a rare antique veneer.
Denis and Edwards, who own a Canadian lake home and enjoy the wooded surroundings of their Virginia residence, gravitated to art and accessories that celebrate nature. Hawthorn evoked the outdoors in the dining room with an antique garden armillary displayed on a pedestal, decorative spheres made of oyster shells, a large mother-of-pearl bowl—and John Matthew Moore’s dramatic birch painting.
The nature theme plays on in the breezeway connecting the sunroom to the great room. After hanging a painting of a loon in the space, Hawthorn and her clients decided to pay further homage to avian life. They commissioned a collection of lifelike decoys to adorn the shelves and found antique prints of duck eggs at Avery Fine Art. “We live near Great Falls National Park and thought we’d put pieces in here that give us a feel for nature,” says Edwards.
The great room is a cozy gathering spot where four recliners get plenty of use during hockey season. A custom ottoman makes the perfect footrest or table for casual meals by the fire. The room’s vaulted ceiling, wooden beams and stone hearth lend it a rustic feel, which Hawthorn reinforced by painting the white walls in warm ochre.
Edwards and Denis are thrilled with their finished home, which suits their needs whether they are hosting a charity fundraiser or reading in one of their comfortable seating areas. Edwards credits Hawthorn with pushing them out of their comfort zone in furniture and art selections. “I spent my whole life in numbers as an economist at the Federal Reserve—not thinking about art,” she admits. “Working with Barbara has opened up my horizons.”
Kenneth M. Wyner is a Takoma Park, Maryland, photographer.
INTERIOR DESIGN: BARBARA HAWTHORN, Barbara Hawthorn Interiors, McLean, Virginia. ARCHITECTURE: BILL SUTTON, Sutton Yantis Associates Architects, Vienna, Virginia. RENOVATION CONTRACTOR: GREAT FALLS CONSTRUCTION, Great Falls, Virginia.
Eighteen years ago, a Washingtonian wandered into the one-time Brown Davis boutique in Georgetown seeking the perfect mirror for her drawing room. She was successful on several fronts: Not only did she find what she was looking for, but she also struck up an instant friendship with principals Rob Brown and Todd Davis, who would eventually complete the design of her DC residence, her apartment in Palm Beach’s venerable Biltmore and even her two sons’ houses.
So when she and her husband recently purchased a larger, newly renovated apartment in the Biltmore, it was a given that they would call upon Brown and Davis, who now have studios in DC and Miami Beach. Drawn to the two-bedroom residence for its light and airy interiors and majestic views of the Intracoastal Waterway, the couple wanted a modern ambience in their new getaway. As Rob Brown explains, “They love this open concept, especially because they don’t have that in their large and formal house in DC. They wanted a departure that reflected a sense of place.”
Fortunately, the new space required very little in terms of structural improvement. The designers refined the crown molding and created frosted-glass doors that close the kitchen off to the adjacent living space in the event of a formal dinner party.
Both discerning art collectors, the couple knew that a simple background would enable their art to take center stage. Brown and Davis honed in on a soft beige palette to complement the existing marble floors and began to design furniture that reflected a refined, Mid-Century style. “Everything was custom-designed for the space,” says Brown. “We wanted to create something that appeared to be collected rather than all ordered up. This is typical of all our projects—each is truly bespoke.”
An elegant sectional, a pair of leather chairs and a custom rug inspired by a Vogue fashion spread ground the main seating area. On the opposite side of the room, a trim banquette and custom table with a lacquered steel-gray top, both designed by Brown Davis, are suitable for dining as well as playing cards or working on a laptop. A gray shagreen chest ties the areas together.
“This marriage of soft grays and beiges allows the art to be the real star,” says Brown. The owner combed auctions and galleries, selecting pieces by Jim Dine, Robert Motherwell, Frank Stella and others that bring a museum-like quality to the space.
But despite the provenance of the art, the home is all about comfort. “Even though we wanted it to be very smart-looking, everything had to be comfortable and work for us,” says the homeowner. In the master bedroom, a desk takes full advantage of the water view. Two cozy armchairs invite the couple to relax with a book, or simply gaze out at the Palm Beach skyline.
After collaborating for so many years, it did not take Brown and Davis long to nail the milieu that would best suit their clients in their new vacation home. “The interiors, while they reflect our guidance, have to be interiors that the residents look great in,” says Brown. “Our client is an Armani lady. There’s editing and restraint and the bare essence of form. It’s always very elegant. A beautiful, bold stroke and you’re done.”
INTERIOR DESIGN: ROB BROWN and TODD DAVIS, Brown Davis Interiors Inc., Washington, DC, and Miami Beach, Florida. PHOTOGRAPHY: KIM SERGENT, Palm Beach Springs, Florida.
Mike Wilson of Bethesda Systems recently completed a theater in the Potomac, Maryland, home of his client, Diane Shaw, who happens to be an interior designer. While Shaw wanted the ease of use and functionality of a state-of-the-art theater, she disliked the typical home-theater look. “I didn’t want leather seats, cup holders and Star Wars posters,” she recalls. “I wanted a family room feel to it.”
Wilson and Shaw worked together to ensure that the end result would reflect Shaw’s aesthetic vision. Bethesda Systems designs digital renderings for every project to help clients visualize the end result, which aided the process. “You might as well see the room before you build it,” Wilson explains.
In lieu of typical rows of theater-style seats, Shaw selected an arrangement for the two-level space that would be more conducive to gatherings with friends or her seven grandchildren. A large sectional and swivel chairs foster family time on the main level, while the upper level boasts five reclining chairs. Bookcases flanking the screen will allow the designer to display art and accessories.
Ultimately, the project was a success. “My son just visited us from New York with some friends, and instead of going out to DC at night, they decided to hang out and watch football, and then switched to a movie,” says Shaw. “I’m so glad we did it.”
H&D caught up with Wilson to talk about the ins and outs of designing a theater at home.
What were the most important functions of this home theater?
The theater is controlled by a system called Savant that allows the whole room to be run using an iPad. The theater has access to DVDs, Apple TV, cable and all the standard sources that are available. The room also has lighting and temperature control and it is all designed to be very easy to use.
Why is lighting important in a home theater?
Lighting design and control is a very important element of a theater. You don’t want to just put high hats in certain areas. Oftentimes, if you put lights in the wrong areas they’ll shine in someone’s eyes. And if you put all the lights on only one circuit, it’s on or off, and that kind of stinks. You want to have a lot of lights and a lot of control. Obviously, when you’re watching a movie you want it to be pitch black. But if the kids are watching a movie on the lower level and you want to read a book on the top level, you want control of those lights.
What is one of the most common mistakes in the design of a theater?
People often don’t use the right fabric on their walls. It’s a challenge to find fabrics that are acoustically transparent. Speakers are designed to portray the exact acoustical analysis of a film, TV show or movie. If you put something in front of them that alters the sound, the fabric could be absorbing or distorting the sound. A simple test is to hold fabric in front of your mouth and speak. If your voice changes, the fabric is not acoustically transparent.
What is a better indicator of a quality theater experience, the acoustics of a room or the components?
If a room is set up incorrectly, $25,000 speakers could sound awful. If the room is set up correctly, $1,500 speakers will actually sound better. That’s where skill comes in; without it, anyone could build a theater.
SPA RETREAT
The 55-suite Sivory Punta Cana Boutique Hotel (above) in the Dominican Republic invites guests to unwind at its infinity-edge pool or along its secluded Caribbean beach. Its Aquarea Spa offers a host of soothing treatments. Rates from $368. sivorypuntacana.com
DREAM RIDE
The St. Regis New York recently unveiled The Bentley Suite, full of handcrafted appointments that evoke the luxury British automobile. A silver mirror in the entry is inspired by carbon-fiber wheel trim while leather tile floors and upholstery grace the living room. From $9,500 per night; stregis.com
EAST MEETS WEST IN VEGAS
The world’s first Nobu Hotel, Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace, will debut in Las Vegas in February 2013. David Rockwell designed the property’s 161 rooms and suites. A hot tea service welcomes guests to their rooms, where they can enjoy Nobu’s first 24-hour in-room dining menu. Rates from $249; nobucaesarspalace.com
BRUNCH TIME
DC’s weekend brunch options keep getting better. At Café Dupont (doylecollection.com), the menu takes on a Gallic flair with seasonal quiche and brioche French toast. Meanwhile, at District Commons in Foggy Bottom (districtcommonsdc.com), start your day off with a Bloody Mary flight.
EARLY-AMERICAN ROOTS
At The Federalist in the recently renovated Madison Hotel near Dupont Circle, chef de Cuisine Harper McClure puts a modern twist on 18th-century American fare. After an aperitif at the bar, sample such fall entrées as Loup de Mer with baby fennel, Pernod broth and Prince Edward Island mussels. 1177 15th Street, NW; 202-587-2629; thefederalistdc.com
CHOCOLATE 101
This year, you can make your own holiday bonbons after enrolling in a chocolate-making class at SPAGnVOLA in Gaithersburg. The 2.5-hour lesson ($50) teaches students how to temper chocolate, make a basic ganache and create their own truffles. It culminates in a tasting of SPAGnVOLA signature chocolates. 240-654-6972; spagnvola.com
Baker recently introduced its latest collection by Thomas Pheasant. Comprised of casegoods, upholstery, lighting and tabletop designs, it was motivated by an “evolution of classical ideals,” says Pheasant, “not replication. It’s about seeing something, letting it digest and creating something out of this idea that’s new.” Between a global publicity tour with Baker and interior design projects sending him to Moscow, Singapore, Paris and Las Vegas, Pheasant is on the road more than he’s at home. But as the design star told H&D, he’s a Washingtonian for good. See the new collection at Baker in Georgetown or bakerfurniture.com.
What draws you to living in Washington?
I have a place in Paris, and love that city too. But I think Washington is a gem. It’s such a human city. I can’t imagine ever leaving.
How do you mix modern and antique furniture so easily?
I love the idea of a simple upholstered silhouette with a beautiful antique. It gives you a modern edge even though there’s a traditional baseline.
What is your favorite piece in the new collection?
The Athens chair, which was a feat of engineering. There’s a pair in my living room right now.
Why is furniture design compelling to you?
Interiors come and go, but a furniture piece might end up 100 years from now in somebody’s home. How great is that?
How do you decorate your home for the holidays?
One year, I upholstered my entire dining table in boxwood. But I don’t do the ‘decorator’ Christmas tree. For me, Christmas is more romantically connected with family. Our tree has ornaments from the past 30 years that we’ve collected, and I remember where every one came from.
When a young couple first toured their new Shingle-style house in McLean, they immediately knew it was a perfect fit. They loved the open floor plan, crisp millwork and kitchen overlooking the family room and backyard—an ideal set-up for keeping an eye on their five-year-old daughter and toddler twins.
Soon after purchasing the 7,000-square-foot property, however, they realized that the home’s openness was a mixed blessing: Noises echoed through the rooms like a cavern. “As beautiful and spacious as it was,” observed the wife, “we knew it would take a lot to make it feel cozy.”
As fate would have it, the owners had just finished decorating their home in Alexandria’s Belle Haven when they decided to move to McLean to eliminate the husband’s lengthy commute to his Tysons Corner commercial real estate office. Working with the Alexandria, Virginia, design firm Madigan | Schuler, the couple had assembled an impressive collection of furniture that reflected their shared style—a mix of new and vintage pieces and “found” treasures. While they were very happy with the results, the timeframe of the move meant that they would have to find another interior designer to build on their collection and adapt it to their new home.
They turned to Marika Meyer, who took on the challenges of bringing the rooms down to scale and infusing the house with her clients’ character and personality. “The home was built on spec with vast, open spaces and large expanses of neutral drywall, which made it feel cold and impersonal,” she recalled. “Even though it had a significant presence, it had to be a family home. Our goal was to create that warmth.”
After completing a furniture plan and upgrading lighting throughout the home, Meyer set to work softening the existing millwork and applying “layers” of textiles, art and accessories. In the principal rooms, she deftly combined natural-fiber Conrad shades with luxurious drapes to tame the massive window casings without blocking natural light. Tricks of the eye—such as reducing the size of the area rug in the “monster” of a family room—made rooms feel more intimate.
In the foyer, Meyer covered the walls above the wainscot in creamy silk-linen wallpaper by Kneedler Fauchére. “It’s so subtle,” said the wife, a communications consultant, “but that little bit of fabric on the walls softens the sound and adds interest.” Pairing an antique mirror with a lacquered red chair and weathered cypress stools from West Elm created an unexpected “high-low” mix.
“We played with accessories and art,” said Meyer. “On a console like this, you can also accessorize seasonally, in spring doing a beautiful cachepot of hydrangea or in winter, holly or rosemary plants.”
More wallpaper—a Stroheim & Romann toile—sets the tone in the wife’s office. Though the builder called it a library, “there was no place to put a book,” Meyer recalled. So she designed custom built-ins that display her client’s favorite accessories while concealing equipment and files. A high-gloss Farrow & Ball paint in putty gray and drapes and carpet in geometric patterns play off the sleek oval desk that belonged to the owner’s grandmother. “The office is a very fine balance between feminine and masculine elements,” Meyer remarked. “It’s not ‘girlie-girl’ by any means, but she loves to dress up. It’s so reflective of her.” The husband’s home office occupies an open space on the second floor; Meyer also designed his elaborate wine cellar/cigar room on the lower level, where there is plenty of space for the kids’ playroom and casual entertaining.
Meyer tweaked some of the home’s original details that didn’t reflect her clients’ aesthetic. In the kitchen, for example, she replaced an ornamental backsplash with simple white subway tile, incorporating a herringbone motif above the range. “I’m always making a case for simplicity,” Meyer said. “At the end of the day, you want your kitchen to feel clean and organized. Enough clutter comes in on a day-to-day basis that I like to keep the backdrop simple.” She also traded the builder’s light fixtures for custom pendants and a rubbed-bronze fixture to better illuminate the island and breakfast table, respectively.
The layered effect is most pronounced in the living and dining rooms, which face each other off the main entry. Grasscloth wallcoverings, sisal rugs, Conrad shades and Schumacher drapes envelop guests in rich textures. A beautiful hand-carved mirror hangs in the dining room; the husband’s father picked it up when a neighbor in Pittsburgh discarded it decades ago. “It’s funny how little found things can really be show-stoppers,” said Meyer.
The master bedroom—one of the largest the designer had ever seen—was softened by crisp Roman shades and voluminous Schumacher drapes that wrap around two walls. Large chests and tufted armchairs flank the bed while vintage glass lamps in chartreuse, discovered by the wife at Sixteen Fifty Nine, provide a pop of color.
Such finds—along with the couple’s well honed collection of art—impart an edgy, unexpected vibe to the interiors. “One of the really key elements here was pulling in vintage pieces that bring uniqueness to the space,” Meyer explained. “That’s something I try to do in most of our work. I’m always happy to go to 14th Street or to New York to see what original, one-of-a-kind pieces we can pull in. It creates a personal, character-driven space.”
Photographer Angie Seckinger splits her time between Potomac, Maryland, and her home in Spain.
INTERIOR DESIGN: MARIKA MEYER, Marika Meyer Interiors, Bethesda, Maryland. CONSTRUCTION: EDWIN JORAE, CODA Construction, McLean, Virginia.
Some of the best client-designer relationships evolve to a rarified state in which dialog is superfluous and words are replaced by an instant understanding of what resonates with a homeowner. After collaborating with a couple on five houses for a total of nine projects over 20 years, designer Mary Douglas Drysdale and a Virginia couple have reached this stage. “It’s truly a gift when you find people who both support your creativity and feel as though you get them so well that when you see things it’s just clear: They’re going to like this,” Drysdale explains. “We have this wonderful visual relationship.”
After the couple purchased a stately brick home on five acres of manicured grounds in a quiet McLean neighborhood, it was a given that Drysdale would help them appoint the interiors in their casual but elegant style. The designer drew on the owners’ existing collection of furniture and art—which she knows so well—and, when necessary, searched out new pieces to complement the mix. Almost instinctively, she manipulated color, either toning down the existing palette or in some cases adding richer hues. The end result is a welcoming residence where the owners can host dinner for 50 on a dime but also cozy up for family suppers over a football game on an autumn afternoon.
The main entry hall leads to an octagonal foyer that soars three stories high. Though previous owners heightened the drama of the room with murals on the walls, Drysdale went for a muted effect. Now painted a soothing gray, the walls beautifully offset a series of photographs by Washington-based Maxwell MacKenzie and abstract works by Maggie Michael. The designer covered an octagonal table with a linen skirt banded in satin. Tone-on-tone accessories and a light-colored settee provide contrast.
The designer took a similar approach—putting novel, unexpected spins on traditional vocabulary—in the spacious rooms emanating from the octagon. “I call myself a ‘new traditionalist,’” Drysdale explains. “I love to bring fresh color and an uncluttered sensibility to my work. There has to be directness to the space. It’s not minimal—there’s just enough there.”
In the living room, silk-covered walls and billowing drapes offer a perfect foil to upholstered furniture and an orange-and-white series by Donald Judd positioned above the main seating arrangement. The owners’ modern art—including a painted bronze statue by Manuel Neri standing next to the living room fireplace—sets a bold, irreverent tone. Drysdale, who calls her clients’ collection “colorful, simple and engaging,” points out that this house defies the notion that modern art only works in contemporary homes or industrial-style lofts.
An abstract painting by Ross Bleckner plays off the deep gray, glossy paint color Drysdale selected in the library, which faces the formal dining room inside the front entry. Since other rooms had been reserved for her clients’ home offices, she broke with the norm and proposed that the ground-floor room serve as a receiving room or overflow dining space. With its steely gray backdrop and lacquered black console and pedestal table, it is at once striking and inviting.
Though Drysdale confesses to a “what have I done?” moment after selecting the paint color, she is pleased with the outcome. “There are plenty of things that you have to do that are conventional,” she reasons. “You have to follow code. But it’s fun to do something that’s slightly unexpected and have it be successful.”
The dining room faces the library, which is painted a paler blue. Slipcovers in Rogers & Goffigon striped linen on the owners’ existing chairs convey a less-than-formal vibe. “We wanted it to feel light and comfortable and airy,” says Drysdale. A painting by Jacob Kainen above the sideboard reinforces the hue.
The designer transitioned to a darker palette in the family room, where the owners and their children gather to watch television. Reds prevail in the carpet, the animal print fabric and accessories. French doors spill out to stone terraces, walkways and a pool—all secluded by mature landscaping and woods. “There’s not a bad view out of any window,” says Drysdale of the property. “There’s the sense that you’re in a protected place, close to the city but with your own magnificent landscape and yard.”
Though the master bedroom is a work in progress, Drysdale recently completed a guestroom that reflects the home’s unfettered attitude. A tufted Kravet bed with nailhead trim creates a casual tone; the black-and-white striped rug and playful ceramics are “simple and unpretentious,” she says.
This project is a testament to buying good, solid furniture with staying power. “There’s a very practical side to this,” says Drysdale. “People don’t throw out everything they own. They reinvent it and give it a new freshness so it works just as well in the new home as it did in a previous one.”
In this case, the process was especially rewarding since Drysdale has been there since the couple first feathered their nest decades ago. “We complete each others’ sentences,” she marvels. “And sometimes you need fewer and fewer words as the years go on! It’s a very gratifying experience.”
Photographer Angie Seckinger splits her time between Potomac, Maryland, and Spain.
INTERIOR DESIGN: MARY DOUGLAS DRYSDALE, Drysdale, Inc., Washington, DC.
Designer Nadia Subaran had plenty of space to work with in a master bathroom when a Bethesda couple hired her to renovate it. But though it was generous in size, there was “a ton of dead space” in the room. The tub, tucked in a corner, felt “isolated,” she recalls, “so we decided to do some repositioning.”
Subaran devised a new layout, making the space more efficient and honing in on a sleek, contemporary look that would reflect her clients’ Mid-Century Modern home. She pulled the tub out of the corner and anchored it with open, built-in shelves. Above the tub, she designed a wall of random-width staggered tile.
In the corner where the tub once was, Subaran installed a large, glass-enclosed steam shower—a priority for the husband, who has back problems—and a marble mosaic floor. The new configuration allowed enough space for a separate WC as well as a built-in bench with drawers. Above the bench, Subaran hung a colorful piece of her client’s art.
Along the vanity wall, Subaran replaced one small window with two larger windows overlooking the woods outside. A wide span of white cabinets boasts a pair of sinks and a Carrara marble top. A backsplash of pale blue-green glass tile, as well as modern sconces by Alico, create the modern vibe her clients were after. “They liked the idea of a spa feel,” Subaran explains. “That pale blue-green glass tile seemed really soothing and restful.”
The designer stuck to her clients’ budget by sourcing a well-priced porcelain tile floor, repurposing their existing tub into a new surround and using the more expensive glass tiles sparingly. As she concludes, “We had free rein in the space, and we made the most of it.”
BATH DESIGN: NADIA SUBARAN, Aidan Design, Bethesda, Maryland.
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When the owners of a three-acre property in Great Falls, Virginia, approached architect Janet Bloomberg to design an “ultra-modern” addition to their home, she jumped at the chance. Her renovation created a four-story tower adjoined to the existing residence, containing a playroom, library, office and master suite. On every level of the tower, windows frame picture-perfect views of surrounding woodlands.
Essentially, Bloomberg designed the bathroom in the master suite “to feel like you’re taking a shower in the woods.” Despite its minimalistic vibe, the space was carefully planned to maximize efficiency and to take advantage of the property’s dynamic views. Bloomberg created two stainless-steel volumes: a floating vanity that projects into the open shower and a tub enclosure that juts out into a little alcove toward the woods.
Focusing on earthy, organic materials to offset the stainless steel, the architect selected ceramic tile floors from Porcelanosa, gray chiseled quartzite on the sink wall and glass tile near the window. “We thought glass tile was a nice balance to the heavier look of stone,” she says. A dark shade in the shower picks up the charcoal color of the stone, while light-blue glass tiles in the bath suggest “water, luminosity and gloss.”
Privacy was of little concern to the homeowners because of the size of their property and the scarcity of neighbors. “The fact that we could do big windows in the shower was great,” says Bloomberg. “You can’t do that in the suburbs.
“This is one of few bathrooms clients have allowed us to do in the most minimal way,” reflects the architect, “without adding a lot of extra pieces. It was a rare opportunity.”
ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN: JANET BLOOMBERG, AIA, KUBE Architecture PC, Washington, DC. CONTRACTOR: Michael T. Puskar Construction Services, Stafford, Virginia.
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The master bath in a new home in Annapolis is truly one of a kind—from its novel layout to its custom tile work and towel racks. Collaborating on its design with architect Jeffrey Halpern and Pyramid Builders, designer Susan Gulick calls her clients’ waterfront home “a dream project in every way.”
However, designing the bath presented several challenges. Its open, square space “made it tight getting in a decent shower and tub,” says Gulick, who placed the vanities, tub and shower around the perimeter. “It seemed kind of boring, so we ended up with a curved glass wall on the shower, and the tub picks up the curve. We wanted it to have some sex appeal and an organic feel.”
The bathroom’s vaulted ceiling presented a dilemma for lighting installation; Gulick selected a circular chandelier from Tech Lighting that provides a decorative twist.
In search of truly unique tile, she discovered a new collection from Virginia-based New Ravenna. Its free-form motif, reminiscent of dandelion or sea grass tendrils, was a perfect fit. “Even though the house is on the water, our clients didn’t want anything cutesy or sailboaty,” Gulick explains. “They wanted a very sophisticated look, but we could allude to being on the water.” She worked with New Ravenna to customize the color, size and format of the tiles—and they now make a dramatic statement in the shower. Emperador marble walls and Calacatta marble floors from Best Tile, and bands of stone and mosaic envelop the space in texture, color and style.
ARCHITECTURE: JEFFREY HALPERN, Halpern Architects, Annapolis, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: SUSAN GULICK, Susan Gulick Interiors, Great Falls, Virginia. BUILDER: PYRAMID BUILDERS, Annapolis, Maryland.
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For before and after photos click here
Smitten with an apartment in the heart of Georgetown overlooking the C&O Canal, a South America-based couple in search of a DC pied-à-terre decided to buy it on the spot. They saw potential in the residence despite its mundane interiors and awkward, triangular floor plan.
“We knew it was a bit old-fashioned for us,” says the wife, a marketing professional. “We needed to rearrange the space in order to better fit our lifestyle.”
She and her husband, a commercial real estate executive, turned to DC architect Andreas Charalambous to redesign and furnish the residence so that it could double as a luxurious home away from home as well as a stylish venue for entertaining friends and clients.
“Our approach was to maximize the vistas and make the apartment feel bigger than it is,” says Charalambous, who developed a plan that would open up and reorganize the space, give the once-dark and disconnected kitchen greater presence and update the finishes and furnishings throughout. “The major move was [to build] a wall that slices through the apartment from the front door all the way to the back. It separates the semi-private spaces from the public spaces,” he says. A perpendicular wall paneled in fabric separates the main living space from the guest bedroom.
By deftly employing mirrors and other reflective surfaces, the architect made the apartment appear larger than its 1,500 square feet. In every room, a special feature awaits, from the ethanol-burning fireplace on the main focal wall to the “floating” concrete coffee table. Ebony-stained floors, back-lit resin panels and even a “hidden” chandelier in the new dining area—carved out of space borrowed from ill-designed closets—increase the apartment’s “wow” factor. An elaborate lighting plan enables the residents to set a variety of moods, day or night.
To the left of the entry, guests encounter a sleek and inviting kitchen—a far cry from the original galley; the opening between the kitchen and the rest of the apartment was doubled to create a visual connection to the outdoors and flood the apartment with light. In the dining room, an obtrusive duct that could not be moved inspired Charalambous to create a dramatic tiered ceiling and recess for the chandelier. “You have to be able to play up the pluses and eliminate the minuses—or at least disguise them,” he says.
At the far end of the apartment, previous owners had enclosed a balcony, leaving an unsightly brick knee wall that bordered the guest room. Though it could not be removed, Charalambous concealed the brick and topped it with sliding translucent panels that admit light but provide privacy. Where the balcony once was, a functional desk and bar area now enjoy views of the Canal.
The master bedroom can also be screened off from the living area by a sliding pocket door. In this posh suite, the bed is anchored by an accent wall with an illuminated, cut-out niche. The room opens to a balcony—perfect for enjoying coffee and the morning paper in this private slice of Georgetown.
During construction, the owners were out of the country and did not visit the apartment until the makeover was finally complete. They were thrilled with the results. “What a change! We love the new finishes. The wooden floor, the lighting and the architect’s ability to brighten up and make the spaces look bigger really surprised us,” remarks the wife.
“Nothing is left from the old apartment,” Charalambous concludes. “Now the place is full of unexpected surprises, which is what the clients hired us to do.”
Photographer Geoffrey Hodgdon is based in Deale, Maryland.
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN: ANDREAS CHARALAMBOUS, AIA, IIDA, principal, and JUAN GUTIERREZ, project architect, FORMA Design, Inc., Washington, DC. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: MCA Remodeling, Montgomery Village, Maryland.
CHIC CLUTCH
Crafted from leather and Swarovski crystals, the Ginger Box clutch by Clara Kasavina (above) is the perfect evening companion. The seven-by-three-inch bag comes with an optional strap. $575; online only at bloomingdales.com
FALL FASHION PREVIEW
All Access: Fashion from September 27 to 29 at Tysons Galleria spotlights fall/winter collections with celebrity appearances and runway shows by retailers including Karen Millen (left: black taffeta long skirt, $380; tweed jacket, $475). Proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic. allaccessfashion.com
BIRD OF A FEATHER
H.Stern’s Ancient America Collection takes inspiration from the pre-Columbian notion of animism. The jewelry line celebrates the spirits of the animal world with necklaces, rings and bracelets such as this yellow-gold cuff that evokes feathers (left). $25,800; hstern.net
PRECISION UNDERWATER
OMEGA’s collection of Seamaster Planet Ocean watches are water resistant to 2,000 feet. The latest design (left) features unidirectional rotating bezels and helium escape valves. The watch’s coated dial and rhodium-plated hands increase readability in the depths. $8,000. omegawatches.com
BACK TO VINYL
Audiophiles switching back to vinyl are raving about the high performance Xperience Classic turntable. The carbon-fiber tonearm and Blue Point needle reproduce that old LP sound while sleek styling enables this record player to blend into any décor. Finishes available in black lacquer, olive or mahogany veneer (left, below). $2,000 at Bethesda Systems; bethesdasystems.com
HOT WHEELS
Aston Martin recently unveiled the new Vanquish (left, below)—a high-performance sports car that goes from zero to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds. Its body panels are constructed from carbon fiber and its interior is more spacious than that of its predecessor. An “infotainment” system features 15 Bang & Olufsen speakers, satellite navigation, Bluetooth and a Wi-Fi hub. Available in the U.S. in early 2013; priced at about $280,000. astonmartin.com
FLORIDA FUN
St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, three minutes from Miami’s South Beach, offers guests butler service, a spa and 243 luxurious guest rooms and suites. The 24th-floor presidential suite boasts a 1,200-square-foot balcony (above). Rates from $850. starwoodhotels.com
FALL FEST
Celebrate Oktoberfest at the Mandarin Oriental Munich (left). A special package from September 22 to October 7 includes a carriage tour from the hotel to the festival grounds and a three-course dinner in the Hippodrom tent, where many of Munich’s finest beers will flow. Nightly rates from $1,440 per couple. mandarinoriental.com
NANTUCKET ESCAPE
An 11-room boutique hotel, Chapman House in Nantucket is the perfect spot for a late-summer fling. Housed in a landmark 1717 structure, accommodations (left) were designed by Boston’s Rachel Reider Interiors in classic yet playful style. Rates from $229 in September and $129 in October. theverandahouse.com/chapmanhouse
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
“Top Chef” star Mike Isabella (left) has opened Bandolero, a Mexican small-plate eatery, in Georgetown. Bethesda-based Streetsense designed the space inspired by the “Day of the Dead” with a copper-fronted bar and painted black walls. Savor stiff margaritas and skirt steak tacos (below). 3241 M Street, NW; 202-625-4488; bandolerodc.com
REVEL DEBUTS
Chef Michel Richard has opened three restaurants at Atlantic City’s new Revel resort: O Bistro and Wine Bar, O Dining Room and Central Michel Richard. The latter serves up his signature lobster burgers and chocolate lava cake in a light and airy space (left, below) overlooking the casino. revelresorts.com
HANK’S ON THE HILL
Chef Jamie Leeds and mixologist Gina Chersevani have joined forces to open Hank’s Oyster Bar on Capitol Hill. The new outpost marries Leeds’s signature menu (à la Hank’s in Dupont and Old Town) with Chersevani’s handcrafted cocktails, such as Gnome’s Water Rebellion (left, below) made with Pimm’s, cucumber water, ginger and tarragon. 633 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; 202-733-1971; hanksoysterbar.com
BEER SEASON
Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Company is re-releasing its Oktoberfest lager (left, below) in September. Ranked among the top new beers of 2011, it is brewed with German malts and hops and served unfiltered. Offered by bottle or draft at the brewery and by select retailers, restaurants and bars. 3950 Wheeler Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia; 703-797-2739; portcitybrewery.com
A great architect creates order from chaos, whether building an Olympic stadium or a backyard pavilion. In the case of Robert M. Gurney, the challenge was the latter when a DC real estate developer and his wife asked him to design a pool house on their property, which backs onto mature woodlands. They loved a pavilion the architect had designed for friends in Great Falls, and entrusted him to execute a similar concept that would complement their contemporary Bethesda home. Both avid swimmers, they envisioned a structure that would double as a shelter from the sun and a venue for entertaining.
Gurney studied the site. First, he decided, the property’s existing pool house and its 30-year-old pool would have to go. “The pool house was in the wrong place, it was the wrong size and it was falling apart,” he explained. “It had no relationship to the house or to anything else.”
Starting with a clean slate, the architect proposed a comprehensive program that would “organize” the landscape in terms of both form and function. From the gate that leads guests from the front driveway into the backyard, Gurney created an orderly progression of outdoor spaces via the use of bluestone paths and walkways, terraces and walls, pavers and plantings. “One of the things I tried to do with all the new terracing, paths and walkways was have some relationship to the house and tie everything together as much as I could,” he said.
Gurney even orchestrated the views, working with landscape architect Thomas Rainer of Rhodeside & Harwell to selectively plant trees along the property line. “The idea was to control the views and what part of the [neighbor’s] house we want to see and what part we don’t want to see,” Gurney said. He pushed the pool house itself as deep into the forest as zoning would allow. “I wanted you to feel as though as you were in the woods.”
Anchoring the pool in the southeastern corner of the lot, the pool house comprises a single room under a gabled roof. Its apparent simplicity defies the rich detail, precision and rigor inherent in its design. With finely hewn organic materials, the pavilion serves as a threshold between the structured garden and the woods beyond. “I wanted it to feel like an outdoor space,” Gurney explained.
One side encompasses a sitting area and stone fireplace, all framed in glass. The other side, defined by dry-stacked slate walls, houses a long island of stainless steel. The floors are Pennsylvania bluestone and the ceilings are clad in Douglas fir. Behind the main room, a mahogany volume contains a powder room, mechanical systems and storage.
The pavilion protects residents from the elements while enveloping them in views of nature’s scenery. Frameless, floor-to-ceiling glass with mitered edges practically blurs the lines between indoors and out. From the island, a cut-out horizontal window echoes the lines of the new pool. “The pool went hand-in-hand with the design of the pavilion,” said Gurney. “The width of the pool is the exact width of the stone wall and the mahogany structure in the back. There’s this dimension pulling through the whole project.”
Bluestone pathways and walls of varying heights create a series of outdoor spaces, some designed for entertaining, others more private. “It was important that the hardscape didn’t overwhelm the project,” said Gurney.
The clients turned to landscape architect Rainer to select plantings and blend the new landscape into the existing grounds and the woods beyond. “We wanted to give the pool house a setting so it could breathe a little bit,” Rainer said. “It needed some ground to sit on.”
Working in the confines of the small backyard, he massed informal beds of perennials around the pool, shifting to more relaxed, natural grasses around the property’s perimeter. Near the pool house by the woods, he planted a tight grove of stewartia and a cover of palm sedge. “We wanted to give it a woodland glade feel so when you’re sitting there in the pool house it feels like the woods come right up to you. When you blend a garden setting with a natural setting,” Rainer explained, “you sometimes have to turn up the volume on nature to make it read.”
Mammoth glass doors—12 feet wide near the pool and eight feet wide on the other side—pivot 180 degrees to invite breezes into the pool house when the weather is pleasant. Heating and air conditioning—and even heated floors—enable the homeowners to enjoy the retreat year-round. “It’s a little contemplative space, if you will,” said Gurney. Though it has no kitchen, the owners enjoy breakfast daily and often entertain guests in the sleek, light-filled space.
“I am really pleased that at the end of the day it turned out they liked the space so much they really want to be in it,” Gurney continued. “It’s simple and minimal—but at the same time rich with material.”
Maxwell MacKenzie is a Washington, DC, photographer.
ARCHITECTURE: JOHN RIORDAN, LEED AP, project architect; ROBERT M. GURNEY, FAIA, lead architect, Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect, Washington, DC. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: THOMAS RAINER, Rhodeside & Harwell, Alexandria, Virginia. CONTRACTOR: TED PETERSON, Peterson & Collins, Washington, DC. LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR: RUPPERT COMPANIES, Laytonsville, Maryland.
Whether a house has a noble past or simply dates back to the era when shag carpets were all the rage (the first time around), planning a renovation will pose innumerable questions about what must stay and what must go. In either case, care can be taken to preserve—and even improve upon—a home’s original style and infrastructure while introducing a floor plan and modern amenities for today.
For a renovation to succeed, however, it’s crucial to seek design help from the very beginning. A residential architect can present outside-the-box solutions, manipulating spaces to arrive at a design the layperson might never have imagined. Architects have the vision to marry form and function in order to create a renovation that meets the clients’ needs, blends into its environment and adheres to sound principles of design.
A case in point is the renovation of a 1907 Queen Anne house that architect David Jones, AIA, of David Jones Architects in DC recently completed in Chevy Chase. Over the years, previous owners had stripped the home of its original porch, covered its wood siding with aluminum and closed off the two-story reception room with a vestibule on the ground floor and a closet above.
Recapturing the home’s original style was a priority for Jones’s clients, but they also had some more practical requirements: to create a family room and mudroom, enlarge the kitchen and add another bedroom upstairs.
Jones recreated the home’s original wraparound porch based on an old photograph his client discovered. His plan also opened up the original reception area and built a two-story addition in the rear of the house with a family room on the ground floor and a new bedroom above. A kitchen expansion allowed space for a new mudroom and side entry. The renovation provided the owners with the open, spacious floor plan they desired, but adhered to the home’s period style in its detailing.
When renovating an older home, Jones advises, “put your mindset back in the time when the house was built. Think of the materials they would have used then.” He adds, “We work on so many older houses that we have a feel for the shapes of the details and the materials that they used.” Luckily, in the case of the Chevy Chase home, the aluminum siding was removed to reveal its original wood siding perfectly preserved—an authentic nod to its past.
Though Jones’s plan reflected the past aesthetically, it also brought the home up to current environmental standards. All drywall and plaster were removed during construction so that highly efficient spray-in foam insulation could be added. And during construction, wells were dug under the driveway to make way for a geothermal heating and cooling system. “We create a thermal envelope,” the architect explains, “in the same way as if you were building a new house today. We can take a very old house and make it insulated.”
When the owners of a bayfront Ocean City rambler, circa 1960, approached architectural designer Christopher L. Pattey, Associate AIA, to expand and upgrade their house into a year-round home, he also carefully planned an approach that would deliver the added space they craved but that would also focus on a cohesive design. Pattey, a senior associate with Becker Morgan Group, Inc. in Salisbury, Maryland, took a good look at the house, with its small windows that barely glimpsed the water views and its cramped, “chopped-up” rooms. “It was an introverted design,” he observes. “Its flow and function didn’t work. But this house had good bones. It was not in bad shape.”
His clients decided to retain the eastern wing of the home, which housed three bedrooms. Pattey wrapped this section with a veranda “that oriented itself toward the Bay and disguised a little of the datedness of the original design.” His plan removed the roof at the center of the house, creating higher ceilings in the newly rebuilt great room, living room and kitchen and adding a second-floor guest suite, office and playroom. Crisp, New England-style exterior detailing blended the new and old elements seamlessly.
Before his clients meet with an architect, Pattey urges them to “analyze their lifestyle and prepare a wish list. We like to meet them at the site, walk around and talk about the things that they admire about the existing property. We pair that with this new wish list to determine how we want to evolve the design and be respectful of what’s there.
“In this case,” Pattey continues, “maintaining some of the elements that were existing actually made the design more interesting. Not only in this particular project but in many, it allows you to be a little bit more creative.”
Pattey stresses the importance of working with a design professional who can ensure that a finished project will hold together stylistically. “Planning and designing ahead of time on paper with a designer is the most important thing,” he says. “We feel that every elevation should have appropriate proportions and be stylistically pleasing to the eye. Some people go directly to a builder, describe what they want to do and it ends up looking like whatever it looks like. And then you have these awkward casualties.”
Michael Aram is known for his one-of-a-kind metal creations, from tableware to furniture. The American artist found his niche on a trip to India in the late 1980s and set up a workshop in New Delhi. Today he splits his time between New York and India, creating collections and limited-edition pieces sold in galleries and through retailers worldwide (michaelaram.com). Home & Design caught up with Aram in July when he made an appearance at Nordstrom in Tysons Corner.
What is your typical day like in New York vs. New Delhi?
New York is fantastic. I wake up at the crack of dawn, go on a walk in the park and then to work, where my studio is above my store in the West Village. It’s all very urban and lovely.
Delhi is just the opposite. It’s beautiful beyond belief. Our home is British Colonial with a garden, peacocks and monkeys—as crazy as that. My greatest pleasure is working in the workshop there, as close as I can to the process. There’s an immediacy to my work in India, which I really love. In New York, I can be pulled in a thousand different directions; in India, it’s very focused.
What makes your creations unique?
Our whole concept was based on combining the handmade craft traditions with a sensibility that was not “crunchy-crafty” and homegrown. To take my sensibilities and apply my perspective with decorative arts and marry them together was very exciting.
How do you hope that your work touches collectors?
It’s important to infuse whatever you do—even if it’s a nut dish—with as much design or artistic intent as you possibly can. I always talk about that moment of pause when people say, “Oh, what a lovely fork.” It starts a conversation or makes that person remember the meal differently.
