JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
The ability to tackle a million details at once is one of the hallmarks of a good kitchen designer. And in a kitchen where the design is driven by a high level of decorative detail, the challenge is even greater. Such was the case in a Great Falls, Virginia, home where kitchen designer Lois Kennedy and interior designer Maria Galiani collaborated on a kitchen brimming with Old World style. Their client had toured a kitchen Kennedy designed years ago in a National Symphony Orchestra show house, and loved its Gothic elements—especially the chestnut range hood hand-carved with a griffin motif. She wanted to achieve a similar look in her home.
The designers got to work, first figuring out how to transform the lackluster kitchen into a larger, more functional space. Kennedy’s colleague Victoria Feldman drew up plans to bump out the odd, triangular room into the backyard to gain space. She also created a new breakfast room housed in a turret framed by windows.
As their design took shape, Galiani and Kennedy devised ways to marry today’s state-of-the-art amenities with the handcrafted, traditional look their client desired. Behind the custom finishes, the carefully planned layout revolves around the demands of a busy family with two active teenagers. A large L-shaped island features raised tables built into either end for casual dining on stools. The side of the island closest to the refrigerator and range houses an oversized copper prep sink with built-in cutting and drainage boards and a dishwasher—one of two in the kitchen—to make cooking and clean-up a breeze. Cabinets conceal 21st-century conveniences, from a full-size water cooler to a microwave, coffee maker and trash and recycling bins.
“We spent hours and hours mulling over the tiniest details,” says Galiani. Throughout the kitchen, travertine floors, iron, copper and distressed wood materials evoke a Baroque Mediterranean style, as do architectural details such as barley twists, moldings and medallions. The kitchen incorporates nine different doors styles, hardware from 11 different manufacturers and trim from eight sources.
Kennedy attributes the success of the project to “having a cabinetmaker who doesn’t say ‘no.’” Pennsylvania-based Premier Custom Built incorporated all of the trim and hardware the designers sent them, then began a seven-step finishing process to create the distressed, crackle finish on the light caramel maple cabinets and the deeper hue on the darker butternut accent pieces.
“There’s a mystical quality to the colors,” Kennedy says. “They’re very warm.”The kitchen is just what the homeowner wanted, thanks to the fruitful collaboration between Kennedy and Galiani. “Maria has been a real source of inspiration to develop this style, an Old World mixture of French, Italian and the Middle Ages,” Kennedy observes. “It’s been synergistic working with her.”
INTERIOR DESIGN: MARIA GALIANI, Galiani Design Group, McLean, Virginia. KITCHEN DESIGN: LOIS KENNEDY, CKD, principal, and VICTORIA FELDMAN, associate designer, Portfolio Kitchens, Vienna, Virginia.
For more kitchens featured in this issue click here.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
It took a flood to inspire the owner of a DC home overlooking Rock Creek Park to renovate his kitchen. With help from interior designer Therese Baron Gurney, he had already decorated his Colonial home with decidedly modern furniture and art. But his kitchen lagged behind—until a pipe burst while he was out of town and left the home’s lower level beyond repair. It was time to renovate.
The owner had visited a modern kitchen designed by Therese’s husband, architect Robert M. Gurney, and liked the way the sleek space blended with the traditional language of its Craftsman-style home. So he asked Gurney to redesign his own kitchen in a distinctly modern style.
The architect proposed a plan that would combine the former kitchen’s compartmentalized rooms—the main kitchen, a walk-in pantry, a butler’s pantry and a breakfast room—into a single, open space. It would be clean-lined and devoid of the traditional moldings and trim found in other rooms of the house.
Gurney’s first task was to establish a clean slate, eliminating bulkheads and trim. “The challenge was to get past the structural stuff and make sure we could open the space up so that it didn’t have drop beams and bulkheads,” he explains. “I wanted a continuous ceiling. There’s some steel work up there to hold the masonry above.”
Once the divisions were gone in the newly enlarged space, Gurney accentuated its spare lines to create a sense of drama. He placed cabinets, countertops and appliances along the two long walls of the kitchen and a 20-foot-long island that cuts through the room on an axis with a new wall of windows, drawing the eye toward a dining area with a dazzling view of Rock Creek Park.
He and Therese selected a palette of simple, timeless materials that would complement the home’s traditional vernacular. Limestone floors, Calcutta Gold marble on the island and quarter-sawn white oak cabinets by Bulthaup are paired with aluminum wall panels, also by Bulthaup, that add a quiet sheen.
The minimalist space maximizes functionality and precision. A stainless-steel countertop along one wall with twin sinks is a convenient workspace. The island does double duty as a cook center and hub for serving. Guests can watch the chef at work from a built-in, raised oak bar with stools.
Gurney went to extremes to establish a sense of lightness: All of the cabinetry and appliances appear to hover in the space. Even the twin Gaggenau ovens are virtually suspended on one wall. “Everything sort of floats off the floor, even the refrigerators,” says the architect. “We just felt that it would be a lot more open and spacious, and we wanted to do something a bit unexpected.”
ARCHITECTURE: ROBERT M. GURNEY, FAIA, Robert M. Gurney Architect, Washington, DC. INTERIOR DESIGN: THERESE BARON GURNEY, ASID, Baron Gurney Interiors, Washington, DC.
For more kitchens featured in this issue click here.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
After completing several renovations of their DC home, the owners decided it was time to address its lackluster kitchen. When they bought the house 16 years ago, they installed new cabinets in the cramped 1950s galley kitchen—and then tolerated its lack of work and storage space. “We do a lot of entertaining,” says the homeowner. “It was tough. We wanted a more functional space for cooking.” Another sore subject was the fact that the kitchen didn’t blend well with the inviting breakfast and family room area that had been added to the back of the home a few years ago.
So the couple turned to kitchen designer Jennifer Gilmer, who’d recently completed a neighbor’s kitchen, to update theirs in style. Gilmer worked with interior designer Jodi Macklin to develop a program that expressed their clients’ preferences for clean lines and modern finishes, but one that would also complement the home’s traditional heritage.
The proposed layout created a more efficient use of space. Gilmer suggested moving the refrigerator, located by the range, to the opposite wall for increased countertop area. To save space, she proposed a narrower, 27-inch model with separate freezer drawers stacked to its left, where a previous renovation had placed a poorly designed closet under an angled support wall. Above the freezers, she installed a Miele Speed Oven, which cooks in microwave or convection modes or a combination of the two. This hybrid augments the main oven under the range, eliminating the need to take up space with a stand-alone microwave. Clad in stainless steel, the oven and freezers become a sleek tower element.
On the opposite wall, a vertical support beam presented another challenge. Gilmer covered it in stainless steel to echo the tower and built in a narrow stainless-steel cabinet under it for continuity. Solid wenge shelves, hung from a support beam on the ceiling (another creative solution), keep everyday china and glassware in easy reach. “We took obstacles in the kitchen which would normally be eyesores,” Gilmer says, “and in finding a way to solve the issues, we came up with a more interesting design. They become aesthetic elements.”
The designers chose a warm yet neutral color palette. White lacquer cabinets add shimmer and contrast when paired with oak rift veneer cabinets in a wenge stain—both by Sterling Custom Cabinetry of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Countertops made of two-inch-thick Valley Gold marble in an antique finish bring light and weight into the space. Macklin selected brown subway tiles, in matte and shiny finishes, for the kitchen backsplash.
“The whole kitchen is really warm, but it shines,” says Gilmer. “Even though this is not a modern house, the kitchen fits in nicely because of the warmth.”
Her client agrees, “I love the different colors and textures. It’s so simple in tone and earthy, but it’s got a lot of texture so it’s not boring.”
INTERIOR DESIGN: JODI MACKLIN, Jodi Macklin Interior Design, Chevy Chase, Maryland. KITCHEN DESIGN: JENNIFER GILMER, CKD, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath Ltd., Chevy Chase, MD.
For more kitchens featured in this issue click here.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
Technology to Go Go
Protect your investment with Oscar de la Renta’s Degradé Python iPad Clutch (above). Lined with ultrasuede, the case snugly holds your iPad in style but opens with a snap. $390.
oscardelarenta.com
Bejeweled
Faceted Martellato, Roberto Coin’s stack of gold bangles and rings (left, top), pairs 18-carat yellow, white and rose gold with purple amethyst, blue topaz and diamonds for a playful array that is eye-catching and unique. Available exclusively in Neiman Marcus stores; phone Mazza Gallerie at 202-966-9700 or Tysons Galleria at 703-761-1600.
The Eyes Have It
Launched in Toulouse, France, 30 years ago, Anne et Valentin Eyeware puts a fresh twist on classic spectacle styles. These red frames (left) with tortoiseshell sides are called The Andrea. They also come in dark tortoise, light tortoise, green and blue. Anne et Valentin Eyeware is available at Wink Eyecare Boutique in Potomac, Maryland, and Georgetown Opticians and Insight in DC. anneetvalentin.com
Hot Haberdashery
Thomas Pink’s latest collection of men’s gloves (left, below) keeps winter warriors warm and stylish. All are $185 at Thomas Pink shops in DC’s Mayflower Hotel and Tysons Galleria. thomaspink.com
Time on Your Side
Celebrating its 100th anniversary, Swiss watch-maker Fortis is releasing a limited edition of its classic B-42 Stratoliner (left, bottom). Only 100 of the individually numbered timepieces will be available. The rose gold model features an 18-carat bezel and a 25-jewel movement. Water-resistant to 200 meters. $10,075. fortis-watches.com
For more Indugences click here.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living. Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
ROAD TRIP IN STYLE
Bentley’s new 12-cylinder Continental GT four-seat coupe (above) boasts a sculptural exterior and a raised output of 567 horsepower. The handcrafted interior features a touch-screen “infotainment” system complete with state-of-the-art navigation and advanced speaker technology. $182,800. bentleycollection.com
CELL PHONE SYMPHONY
Painstakingly assembled by a single craftsman, Vertu’s new Signature
cell phone (left) features a sapphire crystal surface, platinum or gold trim and 4.75 carats of solid ruby bearings. The ringtones were written by an Academy Award-winning composer and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Priced from $12,600 to $39,000. vertu.com
For more Indugences click here.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living. Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
Tropical Getaway
Tucked away on Belize’s Ambergris Caye, Matachica beach resort is fresh from a multi-million dollar expansion. Improvements include luxurious new casitas and an infinity pool (above). Guests can enjoy white-sand beaches, easy access to the world’s second-longest living barrier reef and a spa offering an array of services—including banana and papaya body wraps. Rates from $250. matachica.com
Winter Wonderland
Four Seasons Resort Vail debuted in December, bringing to the slopes such luxuries as a ski concierge and a spa focusing on high-altitude therapies. Guests at the 121-room property can also take après-ski soaks in the heated outdoor saltwater pool (left, top)—the perfect elixir for muscle fatigue. Rates from $475. fourseasons.com
On the Fringe
Part of Bottega Veneta’s Cruise 2010 collection, the Sfrangiato Shiny Calf Knot (left, bottom) boasts double-sided fringe (sfrangiato in Italian) that lends the woven leather clutch a unique texture. It’s available in a colorful spectrum: Magma, Assenzio, Empire, Lagoon and Matita. $1,980. bottegaveneta.com
For more Indugences click here.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living. Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
The demands of work and life often prolong the process of feathering one’s nest. Such was the case for Sandra Braunstein and her husband, Samuel Powell, after they moved into their custom home in Fort Washington, Maryland. “For five years, we lived in the house with the original builder’s beige colors and ugly window shades,” Braunstein recalls. “We hadn’t even put anything on the walls.”
Then a friend invited Braunstein and Powell to a party at his house, recently decorated by interior designer Ricardo Ramos. The couple was impressed; stirred into action, they called on Ramos for help with their own residence. They explained preferences for warm earth tones, along with their desire for modern furniture to replace the outdated pieces they’d lived with for years. “We wanted the house to look good but still wanted it to feel comfortable. We didn’t want to be afraid to sit on anything or touch anything,” says Braunstein, who is director of consumer and community affairs at the Federal Reserve Board.
Ramos started by taking stock of the artwork, furniture and contemporary light fixtures that the owners wanted to keep. Then he created a plan to bring the décor to a new level. “The house needed order, color and a sense of home,” he explains. “It had a beautiful architectural layout but wasn’t being used to its fullest.”
First he studied the way light moves through the house, honing in on a palette of Benjamin Moore earth tones that would work together in the open-plan layout. “Everything has to coordinate and flow, but it doesn’t need to be ‘matchy-matchy,’” says Ramos. “It’s important to have an open mind when choosing colors.”
Ramos took Braunstein and Powell through The Washington Design Center, selecting furniture with a modern sensibility. “They wanted contemporary pieces but nothing too stark,” says the designer. In the living room, he proposed a sofa with soft lines, a leather ottoman that doubles as a coffee table and toffee-colored drapery panels. Durable upholstery fabrics introduce texture and warmth. Ramos also commissioned a glass sculpture by Massachusetts artist Caleb Nichols to fill a niche above the fireplace.
The living room opens directly to the kitchen and sunroom. Ramos freshened up existing furniture in these spaces. He replaced black suede on the breakfast chairs with a lighter metallic material and added accent pillows and a whimsical rug in the sunroom.
Working with existing pieces and selecting carpets and furnishings resourcefully helped keep the project on budget, says Ramos. For example, new rugs by Davis & Davis in the living room and dining room emulate silk but are made in the U.S. of wool and synthetic fibers. The owners “wanted it to be modern and comfortable but didn’t want to put the entire bank account into it,” Ramos explains. “It helps to have a budget. I gave them a high and low estimate and stayed somewhere in the middle.”
In the dining room, the couple retained their existing furniture. Ramos dressed up the space with sea foam draperies, reupholstered chairs and a trio of prints by John Matthew Moore.
Sandra Braunstein, who frequently works at home, located her study on the opposite side of the entry foyer from the dining room. She turned to Ramos for help creating an efficient workspace that would accommodate a large book collection and provide adequate document storage. A new custom desk designed by Ramos perfectly fits the space; it contains plenty of cabinets with smoky glass doors to organize Braunstein’s paperwork out of sight.
The large master bedroom posed a unique challenge, with the bed positioned between windows facing a vast, empty expanse. “It was kind of like an airplane hangar,” recalls Braunstein. To create a more functional and inviting space, Ramos designed a divider wall lined with shelves on the entry side of the room and added a reading nook nearby. The opposite side of the wall anchors the bed, which now faces a luxurious new seating arrangement.
Now that it’s complete, Powell and Braunstein are delighted with their home’s new look. “Ricardo was very meticulous,” says Powell. “He went from square one to square 2,000.”
Photographer Stacy Zarin Goldberg is based in Olney, Maryland.
INTERIOR DESIGN: RICARDO RAMOS, IIDA, Allied Member ASID, Studio Ramos, Washington, DC.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs. Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
Nothing illustrates the full potential of architecture like a skyscraper—a daring creation that seems to defy the laws of physics and gravity. An exhibit currently at the National Building Museum celebrates some of the world’s most famous skyscrapers on a human scale using a medium that is familiar to audiences of all ages: the LEGO brick.
“LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition” features 15 large-scale models of iconic structures assembled by Adam Reed Tucker, an architect/artist who has been fascinated with LEGO bricks since the age of six. His creations illustrate the sheer grace and complexity of such landmarks as the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center and the St. Louis Gateway Arch. Tucker created his models without the use of blueprints, computer modeling or even pencil and paper. He built and re-built sections five or six times until he felt they were right. “I do not view my models as literal replicas but rather artistic interpretations that capture the essence of their sculptural form,” says the artist. One of 11 LEGO Certified Professionals worldwide, Tucker has created a series of Architecture sets that allow enthusiasts to build LEGO models of iconic structures. (The kits can be purchased on his company’s Web site, brickstructures.com.)
Tucker’s museum exhibit includes an interactive area where visitors construct their own projects with some 300,000 LEGO bricks at their disposal. One work in progress—Tucker’s rendition of the White House, begun last summer—illustrates his artistic process; he will return in the spring of 2011 to complete the piece. The exhibit remains open through September 5th. nbm.org
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home design and building/remodeling features. Wonderful visuals of custom homes and eco-friendly resources are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design and remodeling projects to life.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
Evelyn Avery knows a thing or two about displaying art. For almost 20 years, the proprietor of Avery Studios has been a go-to source for top designers seeking European period paintings and one-of-a-kind custom frames for their clients. Until recently, Avery would travel to DC from her home base in Atlanta and settle into a suite at The Willard or The Jefferson, where she would show designers her latest artwork and frames, then take special orders back to her factory. But last August Avery made a bold change: This Southern doyenne of gold leaf and gesso shuttered her Atlanta studio and relocated her workshop to Alexandria, Virginia. She moved into a permanent residence in DC’s tony West End that doubles as a gallery where she welcomes clients by appointment almost every day of the week.
Since Washington has accounted for more than 90 percent of her sales in recent years, it made sense to head North when Avery Studios’ lease expired last summer. “I took a great big gulp and moved myself and the studio in six weeks,” Avery says. “It’s been the most monumental task of my life.” The move entailed shipping equipment and 50,000 feet of linear molding, building out a new 5,000-square-foot workshop and furnishing her modern new penthouse, which offers fabulous vistas of Georgetown, Rock Creek Park and the National Cathedral.
With glass walls on three sides, the residence is hardly the typical backdrop one would expect for an 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century European art collection. But just as she embraces the challenge of creating a unique frame, Avery tackled head-on the dilemma of how to display classic art in such a hip, modern setting. Luckily, she also had some help from friend and longtime client, interior designer Barry Dixon, whom she first met in the mid-1990s when they collaborated on a show house.
In drawing up plans for Avery’s pied-à-terre, Dixon addressed the fact that its main open living area left precious little space for hanging art. He suggested dividing the main room with screens made of woven bamboo panels. “We created a gallery on one side of the screen and a working/dining space with a big table where Evelyn can spread art out on the other,” Dixon explains. “On each end of the large rectangle, you have living spaces, one more intimate and casual and one a little bit more formal as a reception area for clients.” The screens provide a sense of intimacy without blocking light.
Furnishings are a mix of antique and new pieces—many designed by Dixon. They complement the art in the modern space because of the designer’s fresh take on scale and proportion. Shades, rather than draperies, control light while curvaceous elements, from a large ottoman at the dining table to a round rug in the casual seating area, add a sense of play to the apartment’s clean lines. “I needed to throw in a curve or two, literally,” Dixon explains.
Avery displays her collection according to theme, with pieces carefully hung throughout the home. A visit can take hours because, like a well-curated museum, the apartment is full of works that capture the eye and the imagination—from timeless engravings to landscapes and portraiture. The formal gallery is devoted to 19th-century art while the kitchen houses still lifes. In the dining area, miniature mirrors showcase the many period frame styles that Avery Studios can create. A print room brims with works on paper, while the bedroom is reserved for tranquil seascapes.
Ironically, Avery, who has no formal training, found herself in the art business almost by accident 20 years ago. She began selling prints to help care for her ailing mother. “I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” she recalls. The petite blonde with a keen eye, boundless energy and a knack for salesmanship soon began collecting finer pieces, focusing on 18th- to 20th-century European art. A buying trip to London fueled Avery’s passion for restored and original frames. “To me, the frame is kind of the completion of the art,” she explains. “I decided I wanted to make frames and opened Avery Studios.” The company focused on restoring antique frames (and, later, furniture and lamps) as well as creating reproduction and modern frames using Old World materials and techniques.
Along the way, hard work, an entrepreneurial spirit and a series of fortunate breaks sealed Avery’s destiny. A few years ago, she was commissioned to procure and frame 1,000 pieces of art during The Jefferson Hotel’s multi-million-dollar historical restoration. And in 2010, her artists created a line of mirrors for Barry Dixon and Fortuny that are on display in the company’s New York and Venice showrooms, both recently designed by Dixon.
Barry Dixon envisioned an artist’s atelier while creating Avery’s apartment. “You’re visiting a home but also an art dealer. You used to see a lot of places like this in the ’20s and ’30s in Paris and New York,” he explains. “Though it has no street presence, there is a hidden gallery of possibilities in this penthouse. It’s as quixotic and varied as the artwork Evelyn might have for sale.”
Avery couldn’t be happier in her new DC home. “It’s been really nice to see the modern come together with the art,” she says, attributing the project’s success to Dixon. “Anything I’ve ever done with Barry over the years, whether it’s working on a show house or designing this apartment, has taught me. I’ve learned so much from him.”
Photographer Michael Ventura is based in Silver Spring, Maryland.
INTERIOR DESIGN: BARRY DIXON, Barry Dixon, Inc., Warrenton, Virginia. ART & CUSTOM FRAMING: EVELYN AVERY, Avery Studios, Alexandria, Virginia.
For a tour of Avery Studios click here.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs. Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
When Dan and Beth Concannon moved into their 1970s Colonial on two acres in Potomac a few years ago, they hired architect Jim Rill to design a renovation even before all the boxes were unpacked. Complete with all the trappings of its era—closed-in rooms, a cramped kitchen and dysfunctional closets—the house lacked connectivity. “Outside, it was so symmetrical and cold. And inside, it had a segmented, boxed-off kind of feel,” Beth Concannon recalls. “We needed to open it up.”
Jim Rill designed a plan to make the property more inviting, both inside and out. On the exterior, cosmetic and structural changes would bring the home architectural integrity and scale. A generous addition of windows would pour more light into the interiors, where Rill proposed changes that would vastly improve flow and create a connection to the outdoors.
To establish a welcoming first impression, he designed a front portico, which helps balance the new bay windows that expanded the breakfast room on one side and the dining room on the other. A freshly painted brick exterior and dark trim impart an English Country flair.
Since the Concannons entertain often, they decided to turn the formal living room to the right of the entry foyer into a large dining room. In turn, the existing dining room became a sun-filled breakfast room that opens directly to the kitchen now that the wall separating the two spaces has been removed. “Opening up the views was a big part of this addition.” says Rill. “It celebrates the outside.”
Kitchen designer Robin Lynch updated the once-cramped kitchen in a style that would complement the casual yet well-crafted feel of the home. New cabinets and appliances and marble countertops rim the perimeter walls, while an expanded island topped with teak serves as a prep space and homework station for the Concannons’ two sons. Just off the kitchen and breakfast room, a small addition to the existing garage now houses a home office, a powder room, a mudroom and pantry.
At the rear of the house, a two-story extension of the family room on the main level and the master bedroom above centers around a stone chimney. Large bay windows now flank the new fireplace in the family room. Interior designer Deborah Kernan helped the family select durable furnishings and a color scheme of rich neutrals here and throughout the home.
Upstairs, a sitting area in the reconfigured master bedroom also features a fireplace along with doors leading to twin balconies overlooking the pool. The renovation also provided the owners with a luxurious new master bath and copious closet space.
Envisioning the back as a courtyard, Rill designed inviting elements on all four sides of the pool, including a trellised pergola with a fireplace and a stone grotto with a hot tub built into what was an empty slope of grass. He also revamped the freestanding pool house with detailing to reflect the style of the main house.
The renovation realized major changes with only minor alterations to the home’s original footprint. “We found that we could fix the flow without adding much square footage,” says Rill. “We created rooms that are utilized instead of just adding space. And there are now great vistas in every room of the house.”
Lydia Cutter is a photographer in McLean, Virginia.
ARCHITECTURE: Jim Rill, AIA, lead architect; KAI KIM, project architect, Rill Architects, Bethesda, Maryland. RENOVATION CONTRACTOR: W.C. HOMES, Potomac, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN & STYLING: DEBORAH KERNAN, Distinctive Designs, Potomac, Maryland. LANDSCAPING: FINE EARTH LANDSCAPE, INC., Poolesville, Maryland.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
PRECIOUS SCENT
No. 1 by Clive Christian—once a favorite of Queen Victoria—is billed as the world’s most expensive perfume. Bottles are handmade of lead crystal encircled with a diamond solitaire. Fragrances for men and women available in limited quantities at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase and Nieman Marcus in Tysons Galleria. $5,500. clive.com
ON THE RUNWAY
Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field was guest of honor at the ALL ACCESS: Fashion at Tysons Galleria runway show on October 1 spotlighting Paul Sinclaire’s fall/ winter women’s wear collection. Pictured, the Benson Frill Coat ($495) and Skinny Lindsay pants ($225). Exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue. saks.com
CHIC BOUTIQUE IN GEORGETOWN
Jaclyn Mason opened Charm Georgetown (above) earlier this year to showcase hip but affordable jewelry and accessories by designers such as Michelle Guest, Alexis Bittar and Melinda Maria. J. D. Ireland Interiors designed the boutique; its dazzling white interior and crystal chandelier give the merchandise room to sparkle. 2910 M St. NW; 202-298-0420. charmgeorgetown.com
BLUE SUEDE SHOES
Thick black lace covers blue satin on designer Ann Roth’s new Sashay booties, which are all tied up with a black suede bow. It’s a look that’s not to be reckoned with. $595, exclusively at Simply Soles in Georgetown Park and National Harbor.
simplysoles.com
MOROCCAN STYLE
Paloma Picasso’s new Marrakesh dome pendant for Tiffany evokes a Moorish vibe with 18-carat gold detailing set over a red jasper stone. The Marrakesh collection also includes other
pendants, earrings, rings and bracelets. $5,400. tiffany.com
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living. Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.
COMFORT FOOD, ITALIAN STYLE
BLT Restaurant Group has gone Italian with the recent opening
of Casa Nonna in Dupont Circle. Executive chef Amy Brandwein channels the quintessential fare of a nonna (Italian for grandmother) with a menu of fresh pasta, wood-fired pizzas and homey meat entrees. New York-based Guerin Glass Architects designed the space, which features leather pincushion banquettes, large-scale artwork and a marble-topped pizza bar. 1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW; 202-629-2505. casanonna.com
CAJUN EATS
James Beard nominee David Guas opens the doors to his long-awaited Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Arlington on November 1 and we can already smell the beignets. The Louisiana native will serve his signature sweets along with savories that celebrate the Big Easy. 1515 N. Courthouse Road; 703-243-2410. bayoubakeryva.com
SEASONAL SPARKLE
Top area sommeliers reveal sparkling wines they’ll uncork for the holidays
Francesco Amodeo, Bibiana
Murgo Rosé 2008, Emanuele Scammacca, Sicily, Italy
This sparkling wine is made of the native Nerello Mascalese grape, a national treasure grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Etna. It has an antique pink color, an intense aroma of cherry and fruit and a long, mineral finish.
Julian Mayor, Bourbon Steak
Vilmart Cuvée Rubis, Champagne, France
This rosé Champagne (approximately 90 percent Pinot Noir) changes all preconceived notions of rosé. It is full-flavored, extremely rich and dry. Powerful and elegant, it pairs well with duck, lamb or braised pork belly.
Matthew Carroll, 2941
Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay, Virginia
A joint effort between Claude Thibaut and Manuel Janisson, this sparkler is a Virginian homage to Janisson’s native Champagne. It has a beautiful texture complemented by aromas of crisp pear and green apple.
THE ULTIMATE BAR TOY
Los Angeles designer Alexander Purcell juxtaposed two disparate images—a blowfish and a World War II sea mine—when he dreamed up the whimsical Sake Bomb. The ceramic vessel holds eight ounces of hot or cold sake; four small cups perch on its spines when not in use. The bomb is available in white, black orange and blue. $98. sakebombstore.com
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living. Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
ALMOST HEAVEN IN THE FRENCH ALPS
The five-star Hôtel de Charm Les Airelles—nestled in the slopes of Courchevel ski resort—features all the accoutrements of a proper winter escape, from a luxurious spa to a horse-drawn carriage designed by Hermès. Now, the hotel has outdone itself with the refurbishment of a new 5,900-square-foot private apartment complete with four bedrooms, fireplace, home theater and private Jacuzzi overlooking the mountains. Hotel rooms from $1,300 a night; the private apartment starts at $48,500 a night. airelles.fr
NEW EDITION IN HAWAII
The Waikiki EDITION is the first in a new luxury hotel brand combining the creative direction of Ian Schrager (Studio 54, Grammercy Park Hotel) and the management of Marriott International. Interior designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg of Yabu Pushelberg and landscape designer Deborah Nevins collaborated on the palm-studded resort near Waikiki Beach, where the rooms exude a sense of organic luxury. Rates from $375. editionhotels.com
SWIFT AND SVELTE
Porsche’s 2011 Boxster Spyder has dropped 176 pounds—and gained 10 horsepower—over the Boxster S, making it the lightest Porsche on the market today. Travel in style in this sexy new 3.4-liter, six-cylinder model . It boasts 320 horsepower and hits 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, making it the perfect play toy for your inner speed demon. $61,200. porsche.com
TROPICAL GETAWAY
At St. Lucia’s Anse Chastanet, owner/architect Nick Troubetzkoy designed the rooms with louvered windows and doors to catch the prevailing trade winds. Many of the accommodations overlook the island’s twin volcanic peaks, Les Pitons. The resort offers guided kayak tours, among many other nature-oriented activities. And its Kai Belte Spa features a range of massages and special treatments, including a loofah and sea salt body scrub. Rates from $350 per night. ansechastanet.com
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living. Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
It is a sunny September morning and sisters Amelia and Annalise nibble on bagels in the kitchen while entertaining baby brother Luke. After brewing a pot of coffee, Jennifer Griffin and her husband, Greg Myre, usher their daughters off to school in a domestic scene playing out at thousands of households around the country. But for this couple, such routine is hardly the norm.
Only a week before, Griffin, FOX News national security correspondent, awoke in the tumult of Kabul, Afghanistan, where she landed an exclusive interview with General David Petraeus. She and Myre, a senior editor at National Public Radio, have spent more than 15 years together as foreign journalists in South Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Russia and Israel.
The couple met in South Africa in late 1989 when Myre was covering the imminent release of Nelson Mandela for the Associated Press and Griffin was a cub reporter for The Harvard Crimson. A long-distance relationship unfolded; Griffin remembers taking “romantic” satellite calls in her college dining hall from Myre, in Kuwait covering the first Gulf War. After graduating, she launched her freelance career in Somalia, where Myre was reporting for AP, and later they moved to Pakistan. Married in 1994, they honeymooned in a sandbagged house in Kabul as rockets rained down on the city.
Their work took them to Cyprus in 1995, Moscow in 1996 and Jerusalem in 1999, where Myre was a correspondent for The New York Times and Griffin joined FOX News. Eventually, their daughters Amelia and Annalise were both born in a Jerusalem hospital overlooking the Old City. Myre and Griffin continued to cover the Middle East from Israel until FOX offered Griffin a position in Washington in 2007.
After sharing five temporary residences in seven countries, they finally bought the very first house of their own. The 1925 Neo-Classical gem in Embassy Row attracted the itinerant journalists as an “urban oasis” with its private garden and pool and unique neighborhood. “It’s very international,” says Griffin. “We’re surrounded by embassies and ambassadors’ homes. We also have the National Cathedral, the largest mosque in the city and one of the main synagogues up the road. It feels like a mini-Jerusalem.”
As the couple and their girls settled in, they turned to interior designer Marlies Venute to upgrade the home’s interiors, which had not been touched since a renovation in the 1960s (designed in part by DC architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen).
Venute’s plan utilized every inch of the house for the family of four who then had a baby on the way. She upgraded the kitchen, adding a built-in bar for breakfasts on the run. She replaced the drafty French doors in the living room and restored its original fireplace. Doorways were widened and soffits eliminated to let in natural light and views of the home’s leafy surroundings.
On the second floor, a pull-down stair led to the attic; Venute shifted a few doors and walls to make way for a permanent staircase. Now the attic, once suitable for storage only, houses Annalise’s bedroom, a spacious new bathroom and Myre’s home office.
A neutral palette lets the dazzling art, antique maps and Oriental carpets Myre and Griffin have collected abroad take center stage. Venute designed glass shelves to display their mementoes in the dining room, while hand-painted tiles from Jerusalem and Armenia embellish the kitchen backsplash and the new shower wall.
“It was important to us that the house be a scrapbook of our 15 to 20 years spent overseas,” says Griffin. “Every piece in here was bought at a moment in time when we were covering a particular story. All these pieces are not necessarily valuable, but truly valuable to us because of the memories.”
As the family adjusted to life in the nation’s capital, Griffin prepared a cozy nursery for Luke, who was born in March 2009. Then, she created a headline of her own. While nursing her son, Griffin detected a lump and was diagnosed with Triple Negative breast cancer. What ensued was a brave and public fight that saw this intrepid reporter through a double mastectomy and 17 rounds of chemotherapy.
Griffin took refuge in her home, her friends and her family. She set up her bedroom and sitting room as a self-contained area where she could read, watch TV or work on a laptop. “All the sublime colors we chose for the walls were so healing,” she recalls. “This was our cocoon. When you’re in the year that you fight breast cancer—which too many women have to go through—you want to be surrounded by the people you love, the things you love and you want to be reminded of what it is you’re fighting for. All of these pieces represented how we love to live life and the places we’ve gone and so they just inspired me.”
Griffin was buoyed by a support system that circles the globe. Friends in Israel sent her “evil eye” necklaces and slipped pink-colored notes of prayer into cracks in the Western Wall. A producer in Russia arranged for the delivery of healthy meals.
“People I hadn’t seen since second grade found me on Facebook,” Griffin marvels. We took the diagnosis front on,” she continues. “We never said, ‘Why us?’ I feel like all the skills we’ve acquired overseas as journalists, in conflict zones [helped]. We attacked this in the same way we would attack a tough story.”
Myre agrees. “I’ve often said to myself, ‘Look how these people are coping in extraordinary circumstances, showing remarkable resilience and not complaining about their situations.’ There’s a good lesson in that.”
Declared cancer-free on April 20, 2010 (her birthday), Griffin returned to work with a bang. The ever-chic reporter with now-short (and fashionably gray) hair, steely blue eyes and a dazzling smile boarded a plane to Kabul on her first day back on the job. She spent two days with Petraeus and asked the commander some tough questions during her live interview, which aired in late August.
The General, who had worked with Griffin before, emailed her periodically during her illness. Also a cancer survivor, Petraeus invited her to go running with him when she was better. Though Griffin presented him with a pair of pink-trimmed running shoes in Kabul, they didn’t have time for the run. “He challenged me to some sit-ups and I feel very confident with my abs these days because I’ve been doing pilates,” jokes Griffin. “So we have a standing date to do some ab work.”
The future looks bright for the family as Griffin feels stronger than ever and Luke starts his first year of preschool. In March 2011, This Burning Land, a book Myre and Griffin co-authored on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will be published by Wiley.
Despite her busy workload, Griffin continues her fight against breast cancer. She still makes almost daily entries in her blog (jengriffinblog.blogspot.com), where she has shared everything from the loss of her long, glamorous tresses to nutrition advice and updates on Triple Negative research. Griffin receives—and answers—countless emails from newly diagnosed patients. She supports Look Good, Feel Better, which donates cosmetics and lends support to cancer patients dealing with hair loss. Also an advocate for Susan G. Komen, Griffin will serve as ambassador for the first Race for the Cure in Jerusalem on October 28, 2010.
“I had a wonderful response to my cancer treatment, but for the next three years I’m still in a pretty dangerous position where recurrence can happen,” explains Griffin, sitting with Myre by her side in the home that has been their haven. “I need things to be discovered yesterday and therefore, we are very active in raising money and awareness.
“I feel that my role, psychologically, is to help women say to themselves, ‘You’re going to have a tough year, you’re going to get through this and your family is going to get stronger,’” she continues. “You can never pay back all the people who helped you. But you can certainly pay it forward.”
Photographer Bob Narod is based in Herndon, Virginia.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs. Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
Deborah Kalkstein, owner of Contemporaria, is expanding her domain with the October 21 opening of DC’s first Alessi showroom in Cady’s Alley. The Italian company’s innovative, modern and often playful objects for the home, table and office will be the perfect complement to Contemporaria’s furniture and lighting collections.
“I grew up admiring the company’s extraordinary pieces and admired all the famous architects and designers who were committed to the concept,” says Kalkstein, “so I always thought that both my world and the Alessi world were totally connected.” Alessio Alessi, CEO of Alessi, will be present for the opening celebration. Alessi DC is located at 3319A Cady’s Alley in Georgetown; 202-298-0407. alessi.com
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs. Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
This year’s Georgetown Jingle, which takes place on December 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, promises to be more fun and festive than ever. Twelve interior design teams will decorate the hotel with seasonal finery for this family-friendly fundraiser. Now in its fifth season, the Jingle has raised $1.3 million for Georgetown University Hospital’s pediatric oncology programs.
Designers’ themed trees and holiday vignettes will go on display at the hotel and in The Washington Design Center on December 1 and will be on sale for a “buy it now” price. During the Jingle, a silent auction will offer the remaining creations along with vacation packages, spa treatments and more. The Jingle also features children’s activities, live music and food from top local restaurants. georgetownjingle.com.
**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs and coverage of luxury living. Wonderful visuals of luxury getaways and dining options are combined with inspired decor to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing luxury to life in home interiors and beyond.
