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PRIVATE TOUR - VILLA FIRENZE MAY/JUNE 2010

When M. Robert Guggenheim purchased a stately mansion overlooking Rock Creek Park in 1942, he named the residence after his mother, Florence. Ironically, the name could not have been more appropriate when, 34 years later, the Italian government acquired “Villa Firenze” as an embassy residence in Washington. Set on 22 secluded acres near Cleveland Park, the magnificent home has witnessed a steady stream of cultural, diplomatic and political activity over the years. But recently, Villa Firenze has been infused with a fresh and glamorous new look—as well as the laughter of bambini—since Italy’s new ambassador, Giulio Maria Terzi di Sant’Agata, Antonella Cinque and their two-year-old twins moved into the home last fall.

While the architecture is Tudor in style, the interiors are decidedly Italian. "The house is really a meeting point of two traditions and two cultures,” says Ambassador Terzi on a recent tour. Cinque agrees, “When Americans come to the house, they love it, and so do Italians.”

Visitors are ushered into a large foyer that opens to a grand, three-story hall complete with enormous arched windows and elaborate timber beams. A large Flemish tapestry hangs above the dramatic staircase. The hall opens on one side to a formal salon with teak parquet floors and on the other to a large dining room. European antiques, 17th- and 18th-century Italian art and custom Murano glass chandeliers adorn these public rooms.

Ambassador Terzi arrived in Washington after serving as Italy’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York; he was previously director general for political affairs at the Foreign Ministry in Rome and, from 2002 to 2004, Italy’s ambassador to Israel. While in New York, he and Cinque, the former chairman of the board of the Italian Drug Administration, lived in an official residence on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that was once home to Calvin Klein. A far cry from this urban New York brownstone, Villa Firenze, with its picturesque grounds, makes visitors feel as though they’re somewhere in the countryside rather than in the heart of the nation’s capital.

"The house is so strong emotionally, with its story and tradition,” says Cinque. “I loved it immediately.”

Upon their arrival, the couple decided to make some improvements that would restore and rejuvenate Villa Firenze to its original splendor. “We have tried to enrich and to contribute to the embellishments and the importance of this residence, creating an environment that is very much reminiscent of the 17th- and 18th-centuries in Italy,” says Terzi, “giving new value to the things which have been here a long time. We have been trying to work intensely toward their restoration, to make Villa Firenze really vibrant again.” Italian antiques experts from New York have painstakingly restored many pieces of furniture and art in the home, including the marble-topped 17th-century Florentine table in the foyer and ornate mirrors that hang in the salon. They have also replaced the home’s previously dark upholstery and carpets with fresher, more vibrant silk fabrics and luminous Persian rugs.

"All of the colors you see are new,” says Cinque, walking through the salon. “Light is very important in this home. It is about the garden, the park, the flowers. Dark colors are not the right image for this house.”

She points out the study, located off the foyer, where the paneling replicates the library of Sir Christopher Wren’s 17th-century home in Oxford, England. And in the dining room, she reveals the newly restored table that can seat 34 for formal dinners. “It’s an important Luigi XVI,” she says.

Since arriving in Washington, Ambassador Terzi has hosted a wide array of dignitaries at Villa Firenze: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, her Italian counterpart President Gianfranco Fini, Italian government ministers and members of Parliament, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito and business leaders including CEOs from Fiat-Chrysler Group, Eni, Enel and Finmeccanica. Plus, journalists such as Thomas Friedman and Arnaud de Borchgrave.

"Villa Firenze is not only a symbol of our countries and a meeting of cultures, but it is also an extremely useful and appreciated facility,” says Terzi. “We are asked by many important cultural, scientific and humanitarian organizations to give use of this place and we are very keen on making it available.”

When Villa Firenze is not on official duty, the Ambassador and his family enjoy meals in the intimate sunroom off of the dining room, with its expansive view of the gardens. In their private apartments on the second and third floors, photos of family members—rather than famous faces—dominate the tabletops, along with a wooden chess set that Cinque has had since her childhood in Rome. She and Terzi enjoy games together on quiet evenings after twins Giulio and Nina go to bed. Cinque decorated the nursery and its adjacent playroom in bright green colors with animal motifs to echo the home’s verdant surroundings.

The twins enjoy daily jaunts through the grounds of Villa Firenze and will soon be playing on the estate’s very first swing set. Ambassador Terzi also plans to upgrade the home’s outdoor areas. “We want to make better use of the verandas that we have on the north and south sides, which we use for smaller parties, business luncheons and so on,” he says.

"In the program of restoration, we bring things back to life.”

Photographer Lydia Cutter is based in McLean, Virginia.

Severn River Retreat MAY/JUNE 2010

After a two-year overhaul of their waterfront home, a friend walked onto its deck and reminded the owners why they poured so much effort into the project. “I think my blood pressure just fell 20 points,” he said.

The allure of this 11,000-square-foot perch on the Severn River was so great that the couple with three young kids committed to a scenario that would cause most people’s heart rates to skyrocket. The husband, an executive with an international consulting firm, had accepted a temporary position in Australia. He and his wife decided to purchase the Annapolis home just before their departure and entrusted interior designer Beth Kittrell to orchestrate everything from design to construction during their 18-month absence.

“It was a very unique situation because we hadn’t really worked together yet,” recalls Kittrell. “We had a one- or two-hour meeting at the house. I presented as much as I possibly could in one fell swoop and they were gone. They actually did the settlement from Australia and I got handed the keys.”

The changes the owners had in mind were structural and complex. As it stood, the house did little to show off its phenomenal river views. Its small, closed-in rooms and overall lack of detail begged for what Kittrell calls a “gut job.” So she and her clients launched into design discussions that spanned continents and time zones, communicating via email and the occasional FedEx package.

In conjunction with architect Mark J. Bandy, Kittrell reworked every inch of the interiors. Her goals were to improve flow, define rooms with architectural detail and maximize water views with more open spaces and larger windows and doors. During the process, major upgrades or replacements would be made to the plumbing, HVAC, electrical systems, decks and landscaping, though the footprint of the home did not change.

The family returned from Australia in time to see the drywall go up. “All of the major skeletal work was done, but we were able to participate in a lot of the decisions that made the house just what we wanted,” says the husband. The family moved in during the summer of 2008 and has received a steady stream of overnight guests ever since.

In contrast to the walled-in foyer that once greeted visitors, arrivals are now dazzled by the view right at the threshold. The entry opens to a family room where a row of rocking chairs in front of oversized arched windows overlooks the river. In the foyer, a new floating staircase leads to a second-floor gallery that displays photography and art collected during the family’s stint in Australia and a previous one in Japan. Asian art and mementos also figure prominently in the formal living and dining rooms, which flank the foyer.

In the reconfigured kitchen, a multi-level eat-up island makes casual meals a breeze. New doors lead from the kitchen to the sunroom—a rustic dining area with slate floors, reclaimed beams and breathtaking river views.

Kittrell designed coffered ceilings in the kitchen as well as in the family room, study and sunroom, working with carpenters on site to “hammer out the details.” This attention to detail was also lavished on custom moldings, trim and intricate tile work throughout the home. “I was given a lot of artistic freedom,” says Kittrell. “It was a responsibility that I embraced.”

The second floor boasts a new master suite adjoining the husband’s study, children’s bedrooms and a laundry room. The third floor houses another guest room and bath plus a fabulous playroom with a view—perfect for crafts, games and homework.

The lower level revolves around the home’s many outdoor amenities, including a pool with stairs leading down to a private dock and the family boat. A comfortable seating area with a custom river-rock bar opens onto a large outdoor room complete with a fireplace. There is also a media room, a changing room with sauna and a gym. Linking all of the levels is an elevator with a three-story mural painted by the wife’s mother depicting scenes of Annapolis, the house and the owners’ three kids at play on the water.

Despite its size, guests marvel that the home feels intimate and warm. And the owners are thrilled with the outcome. “I wake up in the morning and think, ‘I can’t believe I live here,’” says the wife.

Kittrell attributes the project’s success to her clients. “They are interesting people, they’ve led interesting lives and they have interesting objects,” she says. “It makes my job easy if I’m inspired by my clients. From a style standpoint, it was all about them.”

Photographer Bob Narod is based in Herndon, Virginia.

INTERIOR DESIGN: Beth Kittrell, Kittrell Interiors, Fulton, Maryland. ARCHITECTURE: Mark J. Bandy, Mark J. Bandy, Inc., Ellicott City, Maryland. RENOVATION CONTRACTOR: KPK Construction, Columbia, Maryland.

To see before & after photos 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.