MAY/JUNE 2010
This year, the National Design Triennial is going international. On view from May 14 through January 9, 2011, the fourth iteration of the Triennial at New York’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum explores the work of more than 125 designers from around the globe, in fields ranging from architecture and product design to fashion, graphic design and new media. Titled “Why Design Now?,” the show spotlights innovations that address the most vexing human and environmental problems of our time, from climate change to universal health care and urban sprawl. The cutting-edge projects on view include MIT’s electric CityCar, Calera’s carbon-negative concrete and Maison Martin Margiela’s plastic fur jacket. Design buffs bound for New York won’t want to miss this collection of wonders.
The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is located at the corner of 91st Street and Fifth Avenue, New York; visit www.cooperhewitt.org
**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.
MAY/JUNE 2010
Barry Dixon for Vervain, a new collection of fabric and trim, transcends place and time. Known for his elegantly tailored furniture designs, Warrenton, Virginia-based Dixon (right), took inspiration for his fabric line from a childhood spent living around the globe. Every item interprets an image or object associated with a specific location. Pictured above, Papillion (drapery) was inspired by a piece of Dixon’s grandmother’s transferware. And on the chair, Grenada fabric is a riff on a document Dixon collected in Morocco; it’s embellished with Voyage trim. With 300 combinations of patterns and colorways, the line presents designers with infinite opportunities to pay homage to the past while remaining very much in the present.
Barry Dixon for Vervain is available through J. Lambeth & Co. For more information, visit www.vervain.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.
MAY/JUNE 2010
Carbon-Neutral Safaris
Africa Adventure Consultants books customized safaris with a conscience, maintaining an eco-friendly footprint and supporting local communities in the countries it visits. The company offsets 100 percent of each of its trips through the purchase of carbon credits and makes a $25 donation on behalf of each guest to a variety of conservation and humanitarian organizations. Offerings include a deluxe tour in Kenya (where a group gets face time with a pair of lions, above). www.adventuresinafrica.com
Paris Escape
The new Villa & Hotel Majestic in Paris’s 16th arrondissement brings a contemporary interpretation of French luxury to the City of Lights. The property boasts 27 villa accommodations equipped with kitchenettes, 25 bedrooms and suites plus a 4,800-square-foot wellness center complete with spa and indoor pool. Rates from $675. www.majestic-hotel.com
Green Getaway
Hotel Palomar Philadelphia—a LEED-registered accommodation—introduces an eco-friendly ethos to a historic landmark in Rittenhouse Square. Architects from Gensler and hotel designer Dayna Lee of Powerstrip Studio have refurbished a 1929 Art Deco building—once home to the city’s AIA chapter—
utilizing the principles of sustainable design. High on style, the Palomar also gets top marks for energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction and improved indoor environmental quality. Rates from $199. www.hotelpalomar-philadelphia.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.
MAY/JUNE 2010
Eastern Shore Treat
Located in a restored 1874 mansion, the luxurious Inn at 202 Dover in Easton has become a popular getaway on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Now the Inn has a new draw with the appointment of Mark Knipp as executive chef of its Peacock Restaurant & Lounge. A former chef de partie at The Inn at Little Washington, Knipp has introduced a menu driven by the bounty of the season. New dishes include wild Chesapeake oyster frites with lemongrass slaw and crispy-skinned rainbow trout with kiln-dried tomato and Meyer lemon risotto on a citrus landscape. 202 East Dover Street, Easton, Maryland; 410-819-8007; www.innat202dover.com
Tropical Twist
Scheduled to open in late May, Cuba Libre will bring a taste of Havana to Penn Quarter. Its menu will feature Cuban classics along with riffs on other Latin American cuisines. The Cuban bento box, a selection of four small plates, is served at lunch. The bar will mix 10 different signature mojitos and pour more than 75 varieties of rum. 801A 9th Street, NW; 202-408-1600; www.cubalibrerestaurant.com
20 Bites at Poste
Poste chef Robert Weland is serving up a micro-tasting menu at his kitchen’s exhibition counter. Up to four guests at a time can experience this 20-bite tour featuring sustainable and organic ingredients. Samplings may include mini foie gras terrine or wild steelhead salmon tartare cones (above). $75 per person excluding drinks and tax. 555 8th Street, NW; 202-783-6060; www.postebrasserie.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.
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.
**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.
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.
**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.
MAY/JUNE 2010
Carbon-Neutral Safaris
Africa Adventure Consultants books customized safaris with a conscience, maintaining an eco-friendly footprint and supporting local communities in the countries it visits. The company offsets 100 percent of each of its trips through the purchase of carbon credits and makes a $25 donation on behalf of each guest to a variety of conservation and humanitarian organizations. Offerings include a deluxe tour in Kenya (where a group gets face time with a pair of lions, above). www.adventuresinafrica.com
Paris Escape
The new Villa & Hotel Majestic in Paris’s 16th arrondissement brings a contemporary interpretation of French luxury to the City of Lights. The property boasts 27 villa accommodations equipped with kitchenettes, 25 bedrooms and suites plus a 4,800-square-foot wellness center complete with spa and indoor pool. Rates from $675. www.majestic-hotel.com
Green Getaway
Hotel Palomar Philadelphia—a LEED-registered accommodation—introduces an eco-friendly ethos to a historic landmark in Rittenhouse Square. Architects from Gensler and hotel designer Dayna Lee of Powerstrip Studio have refurbished a 1929 Art Deco building—once home to the city’s AIA chapter—
utilizing the principles of sustainable design. High on style, the Palomar also gets top marks for energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction and improved indoor environmental quality. Rates from $199. www.hotelpalomar-philadelphia.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.
MAY/JUNE 2010
Eastern Shore Treat
Located in a restored 1874 mansion, the luxurious Inn at 202 Dover in Easton has become a popular getaway on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Now the Inn has a new draw with the appointment of Mark Knipp as executive chef of its Peacock Restaurant & Lounge. A former chef de partie at The Inn at Little Washington, Knipp has introduced a menu driven by the bounty of the season. New dishes include wild Chesapeake oyster frites with lemongrass slaw and crispy-skinned rainbow trout with kiln-dried tomato and Meyer lemon risotto on a citrus landscape. 202 East Dover Street, Easton, Maryland; 410-819-8007; www.innat202dover.com
Tropical Twist
Scheduled to open in late May, Cuba Libre will bring a taste of Havana to Penn Quarter. Its menu will feature Cuban classics along with riffs on other Latin American cuisines. The Cuban bento box, a selection of four small plates, is served at lunch. The bar will mix 10 different signature mojitos and pour more than 75 varieties of rum. 801A 9th Street, NW; 202-408-1600; www.cubalibrerestaurant.com
20 Bites at Poste
Poste chef Robert Weland is serving up a micro-tasting menu at his kitchen’s exhibition counter. Up to four guests at a time can experience this 20-bite tour featuring sustainable and organic ingredients. Samplings may include mini foie gras terrine or wild steelhead salmon tartare cones (above). $75 per person excluding drinks and tax. 555 8th Street, NW; 202-783-6060; www.postebrasserie.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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Vintage homes are full of charm. Their innate sense of history and architectural integrity more than make up for such typical shortcomings as outmoded kitchens, twisted floor plans and closets seemingly built for elves.
That’s how Carmen MacDougall, a communications specialist, and her husband, energy executive Paul Allen, felt about their 1936 home in Chevy Chase. Nevertheless, their patience for its cramped kitchen, poor circulation and lack of natural light was wearing thin. The couple considered moving, but thought twice when they saw the quality of finishes in several new homes for sale. “We wanted to make the choices in terms of quality,” says MacDougall. They decided to renovate instead.
The owners presented designer Jonas Carnemark, principal of Carnemark systems + design, inc., with their old-house woes. For lack of a proper foyer, guests entered the home and were “trapped” between stairs leading up to the bedrooms or down to the living room. The pathway to the kitchen went through the dining room, which became a “giant foyer where everybody just piled things onto the table,” laments MacDougall. Upstairs, the master bedroom was centered around a spiral staircase; this 1970s-era novelty leading up to the third-floor office made furniture placement a nightmare. “The bed could only go in one place and you had to be so careful walking around it,” says MacDougall.
Carnemark devised a plan that would provide the updates his clients wanted within the confines of the home’s existing footprint, as dictated by zoning laws. The program converted the existing two-car garage into a new dining room; a dormer above it added more space to the master suite. The plan also created a large and welcoming foyer by shifting the front entry of the house to the left; it opens to what was the former dining room. A passage framed by waist-high bookshelves topped with tapered columns now leads past the new dining room into the kitchen.
The home’s small galley kitchen was replaced by a much larger one, complete with an island, stainless-steel appliances and plenty of storage and counter space. By relocating a staircase leading down to he basement, Carnemark created a new mudroom off the kitchen—which functions perfectly for a busy family with a seven-year-old son and three grown kids.
“A lot of the program was dictated by how to use the existing space in the smartest way,” says Carnemark. “We kind of tweaked the puzzle. Creating the entry was really important, but that dictated what we could do in the kitchen.”
The living room was untouched, but a bump-out in the adjacent sunroom on the right side of the house created more space for a family computer room and office bathed in natural light. Upstairs, a reconfigured master suite, minus the spiral stairs, now includes a luxurious master bath and walk-in closet. A new staircase leads to the attic-level office, where an additional dormer was built.
“The clients’ decision to let us rethink the flow presented the biggest challenge,” recalls Carnemark. “After we got the flow going, it was fun picking finishes and putting things into place.” Carnemark suggested eco-friendly options to his clients whenever possible. The kitchen features renewable cork flooring and recycled tile; the project also incorporated spray-foam insulation and a high-efficiency HVAC system.
Material selection and detailing on the home’s exterior reflects its Tudor style. A new covered entry boasts a copper roof and sturdy mahogany door. The Spanish slate roof, new bay window and copper gutters and trim echo the home’s architectural origins. For continuity, Carnemark used vintage bricks salvaged from the rear of the home on its expanded front façade, rather than new bricks, which are more angular than the rounded old ones. In the backyard, new terraces off the kitchen create a welcoming area for relaxing and entertaining outdoors.
The owners are thrilled with their rejuvenated home, which won a 2009 Contractor of the Year award for whole-house renovation. “Before, the house was kind of dark and stuffy,” says MacDougall. “It’s been completely transformed. It still has a traditional feel, but it doesn’t feel like an old home any more.”
Photographer Morgan Howarth is based in Manassas, Virginia.
DESIGN & RENOVATION CONSTRUCTION: Jonas Carnemark, Carnemark systems + design, inc., Bethesda, Maryland.
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
When a Virginia couple bought a 1960s contemporary split-level home a stone’s throw from Lake Barcroft in late 2006, they had a few improvements in mind. The structure had small windows placed high on walls that barely revealed the waterfront panorama unfolding just steps away. “The house itself was functionally obsolete,” says the wife. “None of the systems were worth keeping.” In short, it was boxy, dark, dingy—and ripe for renovation.
So instead of moving in, the couple hired KohlMark Group (formerly Kohler Homes) to design and build an updated version of this diamond in the rough. They envisioned a dramatic, light-filled structure with a two-story living area, a modern kitchen, an enlarged master suite and a two-car garage. They also wanted to create a strong connection between the house and the lake, where they keep a small pontoon boat.
Mark Kohler, president of KohlMark Group, and architect Bill Fletcher of KohlMark Architects faced many a challenge formulating their plan. For one, the homeowners had a limited budget and hoped to retain as much of the original structure as possible. They were equally motivated to create an eco-friendly home that would have minimal impact on the environment during—and after—construction. Complicating the process even further, the home is sited on land protected under strict Chesapeake Bay watershed regulations.
Kohler and Fletcher set out to enlarge and reshape the home within the parameters of setbacks and other limitations. “The lake,” says Kohler, “was the driver of the design. But ordinances only allowed us to add on so many square feet. We played with the shape a little bit to maximize the views but regulations dictated what we could do. We tried to be as creative as we could within all those constraints.”
The architects raised and angled the roofline from front to back to provide visual interest and create passive solar gain through new second-story clerestory windows. They designed a spacious foyer with open-tread stairs leading to an angular rear addition that delivers the airy, light-filled living space and lakefront views the clients desired. The plan also included an addition on the north side of the home with a kitchen at ground level and an enlarged master suite above. Unlike the previous kitchen, which was located in the front of the house with a street view, the much larger new kitchen would offer panoramic water views, with glass doors opening to the backyard and lake. The ground level would also feature a new powder room, media room and guest bedroom suite while on the upper level, the design called for two bedrooms with en suite baths for the couple’s children, an open office space overlooking the vaulted living room, and rear decks that gaze out over the lake.
When construction began, Kohler and his team soon discovered the house was in worse shape than they had anticipated. After they uncovered rusted and perforated heating ducts, sub-standard floor sheathing and worn insulation, they decided to pull out all of the floors and interior walls and build from scratch. “It is basically a new house in an old shell,” says Kohler.
Throughout the process, the team took measures to reduce waste and minimize the home’s environmental impact. The homeowners donated the old appliances, bathroom fixtures and cabinets to Habitat for Humanity. They preserved the home’s original two-story fireplace; its old masonry is now clad in beautiful stacked-stone tile. And they re-used the concrete slab and roof of the carport in the construction of the new two-car garage. They also chose Benjamin Moore’s low-VOC Aura paints, formaldehyde-free insulation and energy-efficient windows and HVAC systems.
Details throughout the home reflect its mid-century modern origins, from the stacked stone on the fireplace to the open-tread stairs. The owners selected transparent glass panels on the floating stairs and landing and stainless-steel rails on the exterior teak decks to reinforce the home’s sense of openness. “We spent more than we wanted,” says the wife, “but the things we spent money on—the deck rails and the stone and the glass rails—are so much a part of the house now that I just can’t imagine it without them.”
Since moving into the home in January 2009, the owners have enjoyed their refurbished vantage point on the lake—which won KohlMark Homes and Kleppinger Design Group 2009 Contractor of the Year awards for whole-house renovation.
Though the homeowner has lived in the Lake Barcroft community for 23 years, this is her first house on the lake. “It’s so peaceful to live on the water,” she says. “It was a real dream for us. There’s always something going on out there: birdlife, wildlife, fishermen, ice skaters, swimmers. In the summer, neighbors come by on their boats and stop in for a drink.
“My son put it best,” she adds. “He said, ‘Being here is like being on vacation.’”
Photographer Greg Hadley is based in Fairfax, Virginia.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Mark Kohler AIA, and Bill Fletcher, KohlMark Architects, Burke, Virginia. CONTRACTOR: Mark Kohler, AIA, KohlMark Builders, Burke, Virginia. KITCHEN DESIGN: Patty Whitman, Kleppinger Design Group, Inc., Fairfax, Virginia.
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Bethesda jewelry designer Karen Kaplan felt trapped in her own house. Built in the 1950s, its compartmentalized rooms were so small that she and her four kids could barely gather in one space as a family. “Somebody would be watching TV and somebody would be in the little computer room,” she recalls. “I’d be in the kitchen, and I couldn’t see anybody. I felt so confined.”
Kaplan loves to cook and entertain, but her tiny kitchen and cramped family room were less than inviting. What’s more, the lifelong art collector had very little space to display her collection.
She finally decided the time was ripe for a renovation. “It took me a long time to figure out I didn’t want one of those big additions on the back—that wasn’t going to solve anything,” recalls Kaplan. “I just wanted to take the walls down.” She approached architect Jay Davies and designer Joanne Fitzgerald to reconfigure the main level of her home.
“There were so many awkward spaces that were not usable,” explains Fitzgerald. “Opening the home up was what Karen needed to make it functional. She needed more breathing room.”
They devised a plan to demolish the walls of the existing kitchen, family room, computer room, sunroom and breezeway, creating a large, expanded kitchen, breakfast area and family room. An eight-by-22-foot extension along the rear of the home, which added more functional space to the family room, was the only change made to the footprint of the home.
As the project unfolded, Kaplan and Fitzgerald collaborated on a major upgrade of the furnishings and finishes throughout the interiors, focusing on a clean, contemporary style that would complement Kaplan’s favorite works of art. “As the rooms started coming together, we really started taking stock of the art that she had, getting it re-framed and deciding where to place it,” says Fitzgerald. “Karen has so much art that the actual palette really needed to be plain so that all of her great art could pop.”
The design scheme in the dining room started with a length of Bergamo silk that Kaplan bought years ago and saved until her kids were old enough not to destroy it. Fitzgerald found the perfect wall covering to pair with the pewter floral, which has been fashioned into drapes. Round linen chandeliers hang over the oblong dining table; Kaplan, who loves circles, had similar motifs repeated throughout the home.
Fitzgerald covered the room’s red-brick fireplace in a white-pebble finish. The colors and textures create a glamorous effect.
Brighter shades prevail in the adjacent “Shiraz room,” named for Kaplan’s favorite wine varietal. In this intimate gathering space, walls are painted scarlet to offset a super-realistic painting of a glass of whiskey on the rocks. Fitzgerald installed museum-quality lighting in the space not only to highlight the art, but also to show off the large dollhouse Kaplan has treasured since she was a child.
Both the Shiraz room and the reconfigured foyer lead to the bright and airy kitchen, which now offers Kaplan plenty of space to spread out, whether she’s baking cookies or preparing dinner for 20 friends. On the left side of the kitchen there is a beverage center with a wine refrigerator, storage for recycling and plenty of work surfaces near the dual ovens. The center of the kitchen focuses on a wide island with arched openings to the family room; it houses a sit-up bar on one side and double dishwasher drawers on the other. A glass-tile backsplash, stainless-steel appliances and dark cabinets create a clean, modern backdrop for punches of color and art.
In the breakfast area, leather dining chairs and an upholstered armchair were selected in lime green—Kaplan’s favorite color. A cheerful citrus motif on the custom banquette’s cranberry, orange and lime-green fabric reinforces the circle theme. Shimmery glass tiles mask the old brick fireplace, now flanked by shelves that display colorful pottery and other craft-show finds.
The spacious family room centers around a custom Roche Bobois sectional, where Kaplan and her kids can watch TV and movies together. Since the renovation was completed, Kaplan and her daughter Abby have started a jewelry business, Kala Jewels, and the room now doubles as a workspace where they create their designs on a large table behind the sofa. A wall of glass doors in the newly bumped-out area, which opens to the rear deck and yard, pours natural light into the space.
Adjacent to the family room, a new mudroom provides storage cubbies for all five members of the family. Its bright, lime green accent wall echoes the cheery color scheme.
Now that the work is complete, Kaplan couldn’t be happier with the outcome. “If I’m cooking—and I’m always cooking—some people are at the bar, some people are at the kitchen table. My kids are big now and they bring their friends home. Everybody can be in the same place,” she says. “It worked out so great.”
Photographer Lydia Cutter is based in McLean, Virginia.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Jay Davies, Architects at Work, Bethesda, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Joanne Fitzgerald, Gatéga Interior Design, Rockville, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Miller McIntyre, Frederick, Maryland. KITCHEN DESIGN: Joanne Fitzgerald and Bertin Radifera, Aidan Design, Bethesda, Maryland.
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Vintage homes are full of charm. Their innate sense of history and architectural integrity more than make up for such typical shortcomings as outmoded kitchens, twisted floor plans and closets seemingly built for elves.
That’s how Carmen MacDougall, a communications specialist, and her husband, energy executive Paul Allen, felt about their 1936 home in Chevy Chase. Nevertheless, their patience for its cramped kitchen, poor circulation and lack of natural light was wearing thin. The couple considered moving, but thought twice when they saw the quality of finishes in several new homes for sale. “We wanted to make the choices in terms of quality,” says MacDougall. They decided to renovate instead.
The owners presented designer Jonas Carnemark, principal of Carnemark systems + design, inc., with their old-house woes. For lack of a proper foyer, guests entered the home and were “trapped” between stairs leading up to the bedrooms or down to the living room. The pathway to the kitchen went through the dining room, which became a “giant foyer where everybody just piled things onto the table,” laments MacDougall. Upstairs, the master bedroom was centered around a spiral staircase; this 1970s-era novelty leading up to the third-floor office made furniture placement a nightmare. “The bed could only go in one place and you had to be so careful walking around it,” says MacDougall.
Carnemark devised a plan that would provide the updates his clients wanted within the confines of the home’s existing footprint, as dictated by zoning laws. The program converted the existing two-car garage into a new dining room; a dormer above it added more space to the master suite. The plan also created a large and welcoming foyer by shifting the front entry of the house to the left; it opens to what was the former dining room. A passage framed by waist-high bookshelves topped with tapered columns now leads past the new dining room into the kitchen.
The home’s small galley kitchen was replaced by a much larger one, complete with an island, stainless-steel appliances and plenty of storage and counter space. By relocating a staircase leading down to he basement, Carnemark created a new mudroom off the kitchen—which functions perfectly for a busy family with a seven-year-old son and three grown kids.
“A lot of the program was dictated by how to use the existing space in the smartest way,” says Carnemark. “We kind of tweaked the puzzle. Creating the entry was really important, but that dictated what we could do in the kitchen.”
The living room was untouched, but a bump-out in the adjacent sunroom on the right side of the house created more space for a family computer room and office bathed in natural light. Upstairs, a reconfigured master suite, minus the spiral stairs, now includes a luxurious master bath and walk-in closet. A new staircase leads to the attic-level office, where an additional dormer was built.
“The clients’ decision to let us rethink the flow presented the biggest challenge,” recalls Carnemark. “After we got the flow going, it was fun picking finishes and putting things into place.” Carnemark suggested eco-friendly options to his clients whenever possible. The kitchen features renewable cork flooring and recycled tile; the project also incorporated spray-foam insulation and a high-efficiency HVAC system.
Material selection and detailing on the home’s exterior reflects its Tudor style. A new covered entry boasts a copper roof and sturdy mahogany door. The Spanish slate roof, new bay window and copper gutters and trim echo the home’s architectural origins. For continuity, Carnemark used vintage bricks salvaged from the rear of the home on its expanded front façade, rather than new bricks, which are more angular than the rounded old ones. In the backyard, new terraces off the kitchen create a welcoming area for relaxing and entertaining outdoors.
The owners are thrilled with their rejuvenated home, which won a 2009 Contractor of the Year award for whole-house renovation. “Before, the house was kind of dark and stuffy,” says MacDougall. “It’s been completely transformed. It still has a traditional feel, but it doesn’t feel like an old home any more.”
Photographer Morgan Howarth is based in Manassas, Virginia.
DESIGN & RENOVATION CONSTRUCTION: Jonas Carnemark, Carnemark systems + design, inc., Bethesda, Maryland.
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
When a Virginia couple bought a 1960s contemporary split-level home a stone’s throw from Lake Barcroft in late 2006, they had a few improvements in mind. The structure had small windows placed high on walls that barely revealed the waterfront panorama unfolding just steps away. “The house itself was functionally obsolete,” says the wife. “None of the systems were worth keeping.” In short, it was boxy, dark, dingy—and ripe for renovation.
So instead of moving in, the couple hired KohlMark Group (formerly Kohler Homes) to design and build an updated version of this diamond in the rough. They envisioned a dramatic, light-filled structure with a two-story living area, a modern kitchen, an enlarged master suite and a two-car garage. They also wanted to create a strong connection between the house and the lake, where they keep a small pontoon boat.
Mark Kohler, president of KohlMark Group, and architect Bill Fletcher of KohlMark Architects faced many a challenge formulating their plan. For one, the homeowners had a limited budget and hoped to retain as much of the original structure as possible. They were equally motivated to create an eco-friendly home that would have minimal impact on the environment during—and after—construction. Complicating the process even further, the home is sited on land protected under strict Chesapeake Bay watershed regulations.
Kohler and Fletcher set out to enlarge and reshape the home within the parameters of setbacks and other limitations. “The lake,” says Kohler, “was the driver of the design. But ordinances only allowed us to add on so many square feet. We played with the shape a little bit to maximize the views but regulations dictated what we could do. We tried to be as creative as we could within all those constraints.”
The architects raised and angled the roofline from front to back to provide visual interest and create passive solar gain through new second-story clerestory windows. They designed a spacious foyer with open-tread stairs leading to an angular rear addition that delivers the airy, light-filled living space and lakefront views the clients desired. The plan also included an addition on the north side of the home with a kitchen at ground level and an enlarged master suite above. Unlike the previous kitchen, which was located in the front of the house with a street view, the much larger new kitchen would offer panoramic water views, with glass doors opening to the backyard and lake. The ground level would also feature a new powder room, media room and guest bedroom suite while on the upper level, the design called for two bedrooms with en suite baths for the couple’s children, an open office space overlooking the vaulted living room, and rear decks that gaze out over the lake.
When construction began, Kohler and his team soon discovered the house was in worse shape than they had anticipated. After they uncovered rusted and perforated heating ducts, sub-standard floor sheathing and worn insulation, they decided to pull out all of the floors and interior walls and build from scratch. “It is basically a new house in an old shell,” says Kohler.
Throughout the process, the team took measures to reduce waste and minimize the home’s environmental impact. The homeowners donated the old appliances, bathroom fixtures and cabinets to Habitat for Humanity. They preserved the home’s original two-story fireplace; its old masonry is now clad in beautiful stacked-stone tile. And they re-used the concrete slab and roof of the carport in the construction of the new two-car garage. They also chose Benjamin Moore’s low-VOC Aura paints, formaldehyde-free insulation and energy-efficient windows and HVAC systems.
Details throughout the home reflect its mid-century modern origins, from the stacked stone on the fireplace to the open-tread stairs. The owners selected transparent glass panels on the floating stairs and landing and stainless-steel rails on the exterior teak decks to reinforce the home’s sense of openness. “We spent more than we wanted,” says the wife, “but the things we spent money on—the deck rails and the stone and the glass rails—are so much a part of the house now that I just can’t imagine it without them.”
Since moving into the home in January 2009, the owners have enjoyed their refurbished vantage point on the lake—which won KohlMark Homes and Kleppinger Design Group 2009 Contractor of the Year awards for whole-house renovation.
Though the homeowner has lived in the Lake Barcroft community for 23 years, this is her first house on the lake. “It’s so peaceful to live on the water,” she says. “It was a real dream for us. There’s always something going on out there: birdlife, wildlife, fishermen, ice skaters, swimmers. In the summer, neighbors come by on their boats and stop in for a drink.
“My son put it best,” she adds. “He said, ‘Being here is like being on vacation.’”
Photographer Greg Hadley is based in Fairfax, Virginia.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Mark Kohler AIA, and Bill Fletcher, KohlMark Architects, Burke, Virginia. CONTRACTOR: Mark Kohler, AIA, KohlMark Builders, Burke, Virginia. KITCHEN DESIGN: Patty Whitman, Kleppinger Design Group, Inc., Fairfax, Virginia.
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Bethesda jewelry designer Karen Kaplan felt trapped in her own house. Built in the 1950s, its compartmentalized rooms were so small that she and her four kids could barely gather in one space as a family. “Somebody would be watching TV and somebody would be in the little computer room,” she recalls. “I’d be in the kitchen, and I couldn’t see anybody. I felt so confined.”
Kaplan loves to cook and entertain, but her tiny kitchen and cramped family room were less than inviting. What’s more, the lifelong art collector had very little space to display her collection.
She finally decided the time was ripe for a renovation. “It took me a long time to figure out I didn’t want one of those big additions on the back—that wasn’t going to solve anything,” recalls Kaplan. “I just wanted to take the walls down.” She approached architect Jay Davies and designer Joanne Fitzgerald to reconfigure the main level of her home.
“There were so many awkward spaces that were not usable,” explains Fitzgerald. “Opening the home up was what Karen needed to make it functional. She needed more breathing room.”
They devised a plan to demolish the walls of the existing kitchen, family room, computer room, sunroom and breezeway, creating a large, expanded kitchen, breakfast area and family room. An eight-by-22-foot extension along the rear of the home, which added more functional space to the family room, was the only change made to the footprint of the home.
As the project unfolded, Kaplan and Fitzgerald collaborated on a major upgrade of the furnishings and finishes throughout the interiors, focusing on a clean, contemporary style that would complement Kaplan’s favorite works of art. “As the rooms started coming together, we really started taking stock of the art that she had, getting it re-framed and deciding where to place it,” says Fitzgerald. “Karen has so much art that the actual palette really needed to be plain so that all of her great art could pop.”
The design scheme in the dining room started with a length of Bergamo silk that Kaplan bought years ago and saved until her kids were old enough not to destroy it. Fitzgerald found the perfect wall covering to pair with the pewter floral, which has been fashioned into drapes. Round linen chandeliers hang over the oblong dining table; Kaplan, who loves circles, had similar motifs repeated throughout the home.
Fitzgerald covered the room’s red-brick fireplace in a white-pebble finish. The colors and textures create a glamorous effect.
Brighter shades prevail in the adjacent “Shiraz room,” named for Kaplan’s favorite wine varietal. In this intimate gathering space, walls are painted scarlet to offset a super-realistic painting of a glass of whiskey on the rocks. Fitzgerald installed museum-quality lighting in the space not only to highlight the art, but also to show off the large dollhouse Kaplan has treasured since she was a child.
Both the Shiraz room and the reconfigured foyer lead to the bright and airy kitchen, which now offers Kaplan plenty of space to spread out, whether she’s baking cookies or preparing dinner for 20 friends. On the left side of the kitchen there is a beverage center with a wine refrigerator, storage for recycling and plenty of work surfaces near the dual ovens. The center of the kitchen focuses on a wide island with arched openings to the family room; it houses a sit-up bar on one side and double dishwasher drawers on the other. A glass-tile backsplash, stainless-steel appliances and dark cabinets create a clean, modern backdrop for punches of color and art.
In the breakfast area, leather dining chairs and an upholstered armchair were selected in lime green—Kaplan’s favorite color. A cheerful citrus motif on the custom banquette’s cranberry, orange and lime-green fabric reinforces the circle theme. Shimmery glass tiles mask the old brick fireplace, now flanked by shelves that display colorful pottery and other craft-show finds.
The spacious family room centers around a custom Roche Bobois sectional, where Kaplan and her kids can watch TV and movies together. Since the renovation was completed, Kaplan and her daughter Abby have started a jewelry business, Kala Jewels, and the room now doubles as a workspace where they create their designs on a large table behind the sofa. A wall of glass doors in the newly bumped-out area, which opens to the rear deck and yard, pours natural light into the space.
Adjacent to the family room, a new mudroom provides storage cubbies for all five members of the family. Its bright, lime green accent wall echoes the cheery color scheme.
Now that the work is complete, Kaplan couldn’t be happier with the outcome. “If I’m cooking—and I’m always cooking—some people are at the bar, some people are at the kitchen table. My kids are big now and they bring their friends home. Everybody can be in the same place,” she says. “It worked out so great.”
Photographer Lydia Cutter is based in McLean, Virginia.
RENOVATION ARCHITECTURE: Jay Davies, Architects at Work, Bethesda, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: Joanne Fitzgerald, Gatéga Interior Design, Rockville, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Miller McIntyre, Frederick, Maryland. KITCHEN DESIGN: Joanne Fitzgerald and Bertin Radifera, Aidan Design, Bethesda, Maryland.
**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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
A Taste of England in DC
AGAINN, a modern gastropub, evokes the British Isles with such classic fare as black pudding sausage with mashed potatoes and fish and chips. Chef Wesley Morton sources organic, seasonal ingredients and certified-humane poultry and meats. Designed by architect Peter Hapstack of DC-based CORE, AGAINN features dark, rich paneling and an inviting zinc-coated bar. In one of its two semi-private dining rooms (above), those who wish to store their favorite spirits in the restaurant can reserve a private scotch locker, complete with personalized nameplate, for $500 a year. 1099 New York Avenue, NW; 202-639-9830; www.againndc.com
Latin-Asian Fusion
Chef de Cuisine Antonio Burrell (left) is dishing up Latin-Asian fare at Masa 14 in Logan Circle. The menu features hot and cold small plates, tacos, rice and noodles and wood-fired flatbreads—plus more than 100 types of tequila. Architect Ben Ames and designer Catherine Hailey created sleek interiors that complement the building’s original brick and timber construction with steel, wood and concrete. 1825 14th Street, NW; 202-328-1414; www.masa14.com
Cherry Blossom Cheer
Spring in Washington means it’s time for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival (March 27 to April 11, 2010). Mie n Yu in Georgetown is toasting the season with its Cherry Blossom Cocktail (above). Bar chef Chris Kelley has concocted the $9 drink using Emperor vodka, cherry brandy and a splash of all-natural cola. 3125 M Street, NW; 202-333-6122; ww.mienyu.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.
MARCH/APRIL 2010
Hawaii for Less
Book two nights at Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele on the island of Lanai and get a third night free. Known for its breathtaking golf course, The Experience at Koele (pictured), the resort also offers tennis, horseback riding, sporting clays and croquet. The third-night-free offer is valid for every two consecutive nights booked through December 18, 2010. Nightly rates start at $295. www.fourseasons.com/koele
Villa Getaway
CuisinArt Resort on Anguilla recently unveiled six beachfront and garden villas (above) featuring master suites with solariums and state-of-the-art kitchens, plus expansive living and dining areas. Villa guests enjoy full access to CuisinArt Resort’s facilities plus full breakfast daily. Nightly villa rates start at $2,100 for one-bedroom, from April 4 to November 23; a special package offers one or two free nights depending on the length of stay.
800-943-3210; www.CuisinArtResort.com
Alpine Escape
Travelers seeking a serene spa experience should consider Vigilius Mountain Resort in the Dolomites near Bolzano, Italy. Only accessible by cable car, the 35-room eco-friendly hideaway was designed by Milan architect Matteo Thun. The spa features 11 treatment rooms and an indoor pool with dramatic mountain views (pictured). Guests can partake in yoga workshops, exercise with a personal trainer and enjoy healthy Tyrolean and Italian cuisine. Rates from $438. Contact Design Hotels at 800-337-4685; www.designhotels.com/vigilius
**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.
