The Fairfax County home that Richard and Jane Braun purchased in late 2004 came with its own slice of history: a pre-Revolutionary War log cabin that, legend has it, was part of an estate owned by the family of one of Martha Washington’s daughters.
Previous owners of the five-acre property painstakingly restored the cabin, and used it as a guesthouse. So when the Brauns moved into the main house (which is around 20 years old) and started a major kitchen renovation, they took inspiration from the log cabin. The idea was to design a rustic country kitchen using details in synch with those found in an 18th-century home. They turned to Lois Kennedy not only to help them plan a functional kitchen, but to create an ambiance evocative of their property’s historic past.
The overall plan enlarged the kitchen, bumping it out toward the backyard and the log cabin. The new space accommodates a large bi-level island, a professional-grade stove with dual ovens, a separate third oven, two sinks plus a wet bar. The layout works well whether the homeowners are having a quick breakfast, a family meal or a party for 50. The new kitchen also opens to the spacious family room, an ideal setup for entertaining.
From floor to ceiling, the finishes Kennedy and her clients selected exude a worn, rustic patina. Ceramic floor tiles resemble aged terra cotta. Reclaimed solid wood beams line the beadboard ceiling.
Kennedy used antique brick around the stove to suggest an old-fashioned hearth with chimney. Reclaimed barn wood on a cabinet above the stove conceals a television. The same wood fronts the cabinetry beneath the hammered copper sink.
A variety of cabinet and countertop finishes creates visual interest. On the central island, distressed concrete tops rustic barn wood shelves, while the adjacent cabinetry is topped with honed granite. Around the main kitchen sink, a deeper, olive green granite was used.
There are also three types of cabinetry in the space: Cherry that Kennedy had distressed and crackled, antiqued golden cabinets and knotty butternut wood cabinets with leaded glass doors in the bar area.
Jane Braun’s home office just off the kitchen is her “control central,” says Kennedy. “She wanted a little desk area that was out of sight but just off the kitchen.” A cupboard with beadboard doors in Williamsburg green carries the country feel into her space, which leads to a full pantry.
The Brauns are thrilled with the results of their renovation. “It’s wonderful when you have people who aren’t afraid of having some personality and want to give a signature character to a space,” says Kennedy.
KITCHEN DESIGNER: Lois Kennedy, CKD, Portfolio Kitchens, Vienna, Virginia. PHOTOGRAPHER: Lydia Cutter
A true kosher kitchen, with separate areas for milk, meat and “pareve” food preparation, demands a generous amount of space. The Wolasky family, whose Baltimore kitchen was too small to accommodate these three separate zones, approached the designers at Baltimore’s Studio One to update their home and create a complete kosher kitchen.
“The original kitchen was very small and difficult to maneuver as a kosher kitchen. There was not enough space for each task,” says Marie Schwartz, who proposed a plan with colleague Rebeka Gurfinchel that would add more space to the kitchen in the front of the house. This addition would be balanced by a new loggia on the opposite side of the property.
The new front space became a large, light-filled dining area, where decorative painting on the walls reinforces a garden feel.
A breakfast bar connects this area to the main kitchen space, where there are three separate sinks and dishwashers. “The breakfast bar is for ease of dining without having to travel to the main body of the kitchen, as it is now very long,” says Schwartz. “We are partial to breakfast bars of varying sorts—we love the ‘bed and breakfast’ feel.”
Hearth-style cabinetry surrounds the main cooktop, with pull-out spice storage keeping essentials close at hand. A hand-painted tile backsplash creates an Old World look—as do the porcelain floor tiles from Italy.
The kitchen not only meets the family’s dietary requirements, but it’s also an elegant new spot for entertaining.
KITCHEN DESIGN: Rebeka Gurfinchel and Marie Schwartz, Studio One, Baltimore, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: Anne Gummerson, Baltimore, Maryland.
Illuminated at night, the pool evokes a resort feel in the courtyard of the stucco-clad residence.
On the left, the freestanding pool house encloses a wet bar and a changing room for guests. The pool house doors are collapsible NanaWalls that can be opened completely.Like a stage set, a simple stone façade greets guests outside this Northwest DC home. Curious passersby might assume the structure is a museum or an embassy - until they enter and discover an expansive living room decked out with palm trees and a gold shag rug. Beyond, a wall of glass overlooks the pool, complete with fountains and a pool house awash in white drapes.This is a modern custom home where the vibe is decidedly more Delano than DC. It was built for serious entertaining by a single, 40-something real estate developer who refuses to take himself too seriously. Humor and political innuendo create a common thread in the pop art and sculpture thoughtfully placed throughout the home. A sci-fi fan, the owner even designed a logo for his new abode—a rocket ship—and commissioned an outdoor sculpture and dozens of monogrammed pool towels to reinforce the playful theme.
But there is more behind the project than sleek design and pop culture. The owner was compelled to build the home during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "I was so upset by the condition of our country. I thought I could create a venue where people could meet to talk about things and to raise money for change." Though he often hosted fundraisers for 80 or 90 guests at his former DC home, he wanted to go even bigger.
So he bought an infill lot on a street of Victorians and Colonials and started talking to architects. Though he wanted the home to have a formal façade that would blend into the neighborhood, he sought a modern interior with large rooms that could be used for multiple purposes. "The original concept I wanted is a stage set. I wanted a façade that was very serious. But you open up the curtain, and it's actually playful," he says.
After two "big-name" architects drew up concepts that he felt did not reflect his vision, the owner was ready to throw in the towel. Then mutual friends introduced him to John Sage and John Coplen, two young architects who had recently launched their own firm, Alter Urban LLC, in Baltimore. The homeowner scheduled a meeting with both the architects and Josh and Emily Rosenthal of Rosenthal Homes, the custom building firm he was close to hiring. "John Sage sketched out exactly what I was talking about in front of us on a napkin," the homeowner recalls. "Emily Rosenthal said, 'That will work,' and we salvaged the project." He hired Rosenthal and Alter Urban on the spot. Also on board were Christopher Rice, who was involved in the concept stage and acted as architect of record; DC lighting designer Scott Guenther; DC landscape designer Thorne Rankin; and interior designers Sam Ewing and Gail Winn of Winter Park, Florida-based Ewing Noble & Winn. (Ewing and Winn had designed three previous residences for the client, who also owns a home in Florida.)
The project would be a collaborative effort among all the members of this group. "The team was excited by the chance to create something young and fresh and embraced Alter Urban's outside-the-box approach," says the homeowner. The architects embarked on a design program that would satisfy a number of requirements. As the scope of the structure grew to encompass 9,500 square feet, they wanted to downplay the size of the house from the street. They were faced with creating the volume their client wanted on a half-acre, wedge-shaped lot. With neighboring properties on all sides, establishing privacy presented another challenge.
Sage and Coplen sited the main, rectangular part of the house parallel to the street. They carefully scaled the façade so that the second story housing the master suite would be barely visible from the front. "Although the house is seemingly tall, the façade is still only one story," says Sage. "It helps bring down the scale of the rest of the house behind it."
To fit the oddly shaped lot, they angled a guest wing from the west side of the main house toward the rear of the property and added a free-standing pool house at the same angle on the east side. The structures form a triangular perimeter, screening the pool and courtyard from neighboring properties.
From the façade inward, the house progresses from formal to casual to intimate. The most formal spaces—the dining room and office—are located along the façade, their walls faced with the same cast stone used on the exterior. These spaces spill into the open living room and kitchen, which in turn lead to the bedrooms and the pool and courtyard beyond.
The home's cast-stone façade lends it a serious and solid presence. The architects scaled this exterior wall to mask the home's second story and minimize its mass from the street.Dark-stained bamboo kitchen cabinets and inked-maple floors in the kitchen and living room offset a colorful array of art and furnishings. The kitchen leads to a mudroom and a caterer's kitchen. With the two kitchens combined, the house is equipped to handle elaborate affairs with the countertops serving as stylish buffet and bar stations and the catering kitchen reserved for food storage, prep and clean-up.From the great room, a corridor housing an Andy Warhol series on the JFK assassination and a Keith Haring sculpture leads to a formal powder room, a large open stairway and the guest wing. With luxurious bathrooms, custom closets and access to the pool courtyard, the two guest suites rival any five-star hotel. Upstairs, far removed from the action below, the master suite boasts custom furniture, a dressing room by Poliform and a large bathroom with a steam shower and an oversized Italian tub hand-carved from a single block of marble.The home's lower level was designed to accommodate guests in style. A fully stocked bar, polished concrete floor and cascading "Mr. Bubbles" chandelier create a glamorous effect in the game room. It leads to another luxe powder room, a plush home theater and a gym.
Throughout the interiors, a clean-lined, minimalist sensibility prevails. A premium was placed on top-of-the-line lighting, appliances and finishes, from the glass-beaded Maya Romanoff wall covering in the main powder room to the crystal-orb chandeliers in the dining room. "It's important that the house have a solid textural feel," says the homeowner, who also had the property wired with a state-of-the-art Lutron lighting system and audio-visual automation.
The design team reviewed countless magazine clips and photographs their client collected to hone in on selections that would complement—and not compete with—the overall interior scheme. Says John Coplen, "There was a very conscious choice to make sure there was a simplified palette throughout the house. You'll notice that his furniture is very bright in color. It was really all about dimming the background and letting the furniture speak for itself."
The client wanted to be sure that the interiors didn't come off as cold, as is the case in some ultra-modern spaces. Designer Sam Ewing says they achieved a warm feel through the liberal use of color and texture. "Putting those huge trees in the living room totally changes the mood of the room," he says.
The same cast-stone used on the exterior lines the walls of the formal dining room, where Schonbek crystal-orb chandeliers make a glamorous statement. The dining room overlooks the entry courtyard and the office beyond.
"There is a continuity in the feel of everything we did that flows through the house. You don't feel disjointed when you go from one room to the next," says Gail Winn. "There's a certain whimsy to it, too, that makes it comfortable, even in the artwork. It doesn't look forbidden. It looks like you're meant to have fun."
Part of the reason the project was such a success is that all of the players were involved from its inception. "It was definitely a democratic process," says John Sage. "A lot of decisions were kind of thrown out there at meetings…In the end, whatever decision was made was never far askew from the original concept. It was an unusual situation in that the builder was included from the very beginning conceptual design, which was really nice because when we actually got to construction, there were no surprises."
The builders also made a concerted effort to be sure everything would come together seamlessly. "Rosenthal was very good about taking a very educated look at materials and putting the time into doing that," says John Coplen. "A lot of contractors don't want to deal with that."
The fruits of this collaboration are most apparent in the kitchen. The architects devised and roughly sketched the concept of a kitchen "in the round," with a large center island. Knowing the client's plan for entertaining on a large scale, Emily Rosenthal and kitchen designer Jerry Weed of Kitchen and Bath Studios in Chevy Chase drew up detailed plans that would function efficiently whether a meal was underway for two or 200. In turn, Ewing and Winn helped specify the finishing touches, such as the colorful bar stools and the stainless-steel cabinet hardware.
One of the team's priorities was to make the house as green as possible without compromising its aesthetic qualities. It features spray-in Icynene insulation; Energy Star-rated appliances; low-VOC paints; double-insulated, argon gas-filled windows; and basement floors made from recycled rubber. "We always try to bring it [green design] to the forefront," says John Coplen, "not so much to push clients but to educate them. Hopefully, when this client does his next project, it's not a question, it's a direction."
Their client is, in fact, contemplating his next DC project—an Indonesian-style glass house with a pool on the roof. When he's ready, he says, he'll be using the same design team. "If you have a strong vision of what you want to do, it's very important that you deal with people who want to realize it and not people who want to fit you into a box," says the homeowner. "I wanted something unique. It's not a new house built to look like an old house with all the chopped-up rooms that people used 100 years ago. It's a contemporary house with contemporary flow, which I think makes it stand out."
Architecture: John Coplen and John Sage, Alter Urban LLC, Baltimore, Maryland. Architect of Record: Christopher Rice, AIA, Austin, Texas. Contractor: Rosenthal Homes, Rockville, Maryland. Interior Design: Sam Ewing and Gail Winn, Ewing Noble & Winn, Winter Park, Florida. Landscape Design: Thorne Rankin & Associates, LLC, Washington, DC.
They knew the galley kitchen was cramped, the bathrooms were outdated and the tiny windows all but concealed the spectacular views outside. In their minds, the location made up for the home’s lack of character. “It was one of the ugliest houses in the neighborhood,” recalls Karen Grissen. “But Dave was very attracted to the lot being set back here…because of the freedom in the back, not seeing other homes and being able to walk down to the [C & O] Canal.” They bought the 1960s-era center-hall colonial realizing the potential for expansion on its secluded lot.
During their home search, the couple was also drawn to the work of architect Jim Rill, who was designing several unique Craftsman-style homes in the Potomac community of Merry-Go-Round Farm. As soon as they moved in, they set up a meeting with Rill to discuss a renovation.
Little did they know, that initial conference marked the beginning of a decade-long collaboration that would encompass not one, but two, major additions to their home. The Grissens first approached Rill to create a larger, more open kitchen with a breakfast area, a three-car garage and a family room where they could gather with their two young sons. The homeowners envisioned a typical remodeler’s bump-out from the rear, but Jim Rill had other ideas.
“One of the things we really responded to was the site,” Rill recalls. “The house had no connection to the yard, either physically or visually. The kitchen ran across the whole back [of the house] but had a little tiny window. So when you walked in, you saw nothing.” Behind the house was a spartan kidney-shaped pool surrounded by a concrete deck.
Rill proposed building a new wing on the north side of the house set at an angle so that it would not overwhelm the original structure. It would encompass a new garage on the lower level and a light-filled, vaulted family room above it. The home’s former family room would become a spacious kitchen opening to the new family room. What was once the galley kitchen would become a butler’s pantry connecting the new kitchen to the dining room.
Rill’s plan, completed in 2001, also opened up the interior to improve traffic flow throughout the house—and take advantage of the woodsy views outside. Now, there’s an instant visual connection to the outdoors through French doors in the dining room and plenty of windows in the kitchen and family room. A major overhaul of the existing pool by Rowan Landscape Company—including the addition of a waterfall flowing into a hot tub—greatly enhanced the back-yard setting. “By angling the addition a little bit, we were able to give it some drama,” says Rill.
To lend the home character and architectural detail, he honed in on Karen and Dave Grissen’s fondness of Craftsman and shingle-style design. “We call it Colorado rustic Arts and Craft,” says Karen Grissen. “I’m from California, Dave’s from Michigan. We spend a lot of time in Colorado. We just love the architecture out there.”
Rill enhanced the home’s façade with a new front porch and a breezeway with a dormer above that connects the main house to the new wing. A change of materials helped transform the typical colonial into something more eclectic without sending shockwaves through the established neighborhood. “We went with shingles on the second floor and we changed to copper roofs for the breezeway connection,” explains Rill. “We put the balustrade around the front of the house to give it some formality.” Crafstman-style elements also distinguish the interiors, from the custom trusses and the dry-stacked fieldstone fireplace in the family room to the slate floors in the kitchen.
“The second addition kept that inspiration going,” says Rill, describing the most recent phase of the program, which he designed with colleague Kay Kim. An executive in the hospitality industry, Dave Grissen hosts frequent business events at home and liked the idea of creating a large space for entertaining. In addition, the Grissens had grown tired of their small master bedroom and bath in the original part of the home. The idea of building a new wing on the southwestern side of the house was born.
Rill and Kim designed a three-story addition, to be connected to the side of the home by a three-story breezeway. The new master suite, located on the main level, boasts a bedroom with coffered ceiling; a luxurious bath overlooking the woods; a spacious closet with custom-designed cabinetry; and a splendid screened-in porch overlooking the pool. A stairway leads from the suite to Dave Grissen’s third-floor private office, where he can truly focus on work away from the activity of the household.
A curved gallery from the original home’s living room (now used as a den) leads to the master suite and Rill and Kim’s pièce de résistance: an open, freestanding curved mahogany-and-steel stair leading down to the wing’s ground-level entertainment room. “This curve is like a signature by Jim Rill,” says Karen Grissen. “To me, it is like a piece of art.”
The lower level is home to billiards and shuffleboard tables, a seating area surrounding a stone fireplace and flat-screen TV, a full granite-topped bar equipped with another TV and beer on tap, a home gym and a spa bathroom complete with changing room, sauna and steam shower.
On the outside, the architects and builder extended the patio surrounding the pool and paved it with flagstone. They also created a large outdoor fireplace—a last-minute request from the Grissens that got plenty of use during several recent dinner parties.
Rill can hardly contain his enthusiasm when describing how much fun is packed into the entertainment space. “It’s a cabana, it’s a tavern, it’s a terrace, it’s a deck, it’s a family room, a living room, a game room. It’s all those things tied into one. Containing it so that it actually feels like it’s not busy was probably the biggest achievement here,” he says.
Throughout the basement space, materials achieve a rustic but sophisticated look, from the flagstone floors to the mahogany-paneled coffered ceiling and vintage wooden beams. “We wanted the floor to be flagstone so the pool material came right into the house to make it feel like it’s a part of the outside,” explains Rill. “By painting the ceiling coffers green, we also tie into the natural surroundings.”
Despite the clubby feel, the room is full of natural light with windows and French doors wrapping two sides of the space. “Having this much glass in the basement was a real feat too,” continues Rill. “We didn’t want it to look like an addition sitting on a glass block, so we worked on that with columns and brackets and porches. You always get a sense of light from all parts of the house and strong connections to the beautiful views.”
Rill credits his clients for their receptiveness to the playful design elements that make their home complete. “We had a lot of freedom to play with and create fun, eclectic stuff and work with different materials,” he says. “And the builder made it very possible.”
“The new wing has allowed us to entertain more,” says Karen Grissen. “We had 85 people here recently, and it didn’t seem crowded at all. We probably could’ve had another hundred.”
When they first bought the original house, the Grissens never would have imagined what the typical colonial would become. Reflecting on the latest phase of the project, completed one year ago, Karen Grissen says, “When I wake up in the morning, I see a great view from the house and the porch, and the [sound of the] waterfall carries when we open up those French doors. I’m enjoying being home more.”
Photographer Lydia Cutter is based in Arlington, Virginia.
The curved mahogany-and-steel staircase was an engineering
challenge for the architects and builder.
The curved staircase leads to the lower level of the new wing
—an entertainment center complete with a granite-topped bar,
a stone fireplace and seating area, and pool and shuffleboard
tables. Rill suggested painting the ceiling coffers green to tie in
with the outdoors. Flagstone floors, mahogany ceiling panels
and rough-hewn vintage beams create a rustic feel.
The newly expanded pool terrace complete with outdoor hearth
is a great spot for parties all year round. A far cry from the
original home with its tiny windows, the new three-story
wing incorporates the entertainment room on the ground
level, the master-bedroom suite on the main level and an
office space and additional bedroom on the third floor.
Large windows, French doors, porches and catwalks
establish a strong connection to the outdoors.
Stone Forest’s Farmhouse Sinks are hand-carved from
honed basalt, papiro cream marble and Carrara marble.
Available in single- or double-basin styles, the sinks measure
33 inches wide, 22 inches deep and 10 inches high.
Visit www.stoneforest.com.
Bronze and copper are popular finishes on the latest kitchen
products, from appliances to hardware. Brizo’s new Baliza
pull-out faucet (above) boasts a brushed bronze finish. It
features a four-function spray feature and a magnetic docking
system to prevent the faucet from dangling.
Visit www.brizo.com.
The new Bellefleur kitchen faucet by Danze was inspired by
the organic shape of a “beautiful flower.” A two-function pull-
down spray spout is fashioned into the flared end of the piece.
Available for kitchen or prep sink. Visit www.danze.com.
Kohler’s new Prologue stainless-steel kitchen sink was designed
to meet the needs of the serious home chef. It features a large
nine-inch-deep basin, a wet work surface, a wire colander that
nestles into the basin and a hardwood cutting board that slides
across the basin and over the colander. The cutting board and
colander can also be stored in an optional drawer system that
fits under the sink. Visit www.kohler.com.
Modern Marvels
High-tech hoods and modular solutions create a sleek look
Siemens's avangGarde multiMedia HoodMulti-tasking chefs
—and their guests—will enjoy hanging out in the kitchen
with Siemens’ avantGarde multiMedia Hood (right). A
high-resolution, 17-inch LCD is built into the 36-inch
chimney-style hood. The unit, which operates by remote,
also plays DVDs and audio CDs.
Visit www.siemens-home.com.
The new Sc61 (below), part of SieMatic’s Modern Classics
kitchen collection, marries form and function. The walnut
wall structure supports cabinets with smoked-glass doors
and open shelves for decorative display. The onWall Rail
features a lighting system and offers easy access to
cooking essentials (inset). Visit www.SieMatic.com.
Stone Forest’s Custom Kitchen Island boasts a top and
sink carved from a single block of a homeowner’s preferred
stone. Homeowners can also customize the material of the
cabinetry and the island’s size. Visit www.stoneforest.com.
Graham & Brown has introduced the CONTOUR wallpaper
collection as an alternative to kitchen tile. The splash-proof
and durable papers include the Mondrian-inspired Geo
five other designs ranging from florals to an Art Nouveau
motif. Visit www.grahambrown.com.
Cabinetry brings a rustic Craftsman look into the kitchen.
Composed of knotty alder, an abundant species in parts
of the Western U.S., the line has beveled edges and the
option of either arched or square tops.
Visit www.canackitchens.com.
Chefs, start your engines. Poggenpohl has partnered
with the Porsche Design Group to create the innovative
Kitchen P’7340, aimed at the growing number of men
who are passionate about cooking and place a premium
on good kitchen design. The modular system is based on
aluminum frames that can be configured any way the
homeowner wants as freestanding units or along a wall.
High-quality glass and textured wood surfaces juxtapose
high-tech styling with natural materials. The kitchen also
features built-in lighting and audio-video systems. All electric
appliances are supplied by Miele. The Porsche Design kitchen
hits U.S. shores in summer 2008. Visit www.poggenpohl-usa.com.
Gaggenau’s RW 414/464 Wine Storage Unit features two
separately adjustable temperature zones for storing white
and red wines, plus a separate storage area for decanters,
opened or over-sized bottles. An optional humidor can also
be placed in the unit, where regulated temperature and
humidity are optimal for cigar storage. The modular piece is
available in either 18- or 24-inch columns.
Visit www.gaggenau-usa.com.
MGS Design’s Vela, crafted from 100-percent stainless steel,
now comes in a new carbon finish to complement the hot
metallics showing up on some of today’s latest appliances.
It also looks great with contemporary black fixtures.
Visit www.mgsdesigns.com.
The Ariston Experience Coffee Center brings ease of use and
flexibility to in-home coffee making. Just 12 inches deep, the
machine can be built into cabinetry, suspended under an upper
cabinet or displayed on a countertop. Programmable controls
adjust the strength, flavor and size of every espresso,
cappuccino or latte. Visit www.aristonappliances.us.
Plan-It Granite & Marble’s new location in Sterling, Virginia,
is a one-stop idea center for kitchen and bath design. In
addition to a wide selection of stone and tile, the showroom
displays a variety of fully designed kitchens to help builders,
designers and consumers choose the features they want f
or top-to-bottom design and installation. It’s an ideal starting
point for remodeling. Call (703) 709-3551
or visit www.plan-itgranite.com.
Liebherr’s new SB-245 refrigerator combines food and wine
storage in a 48-inch, side-by-side solution. The model features
five separate temperature zones for optimum storage, including
a two-zone wine cabinet complete with a glass door. All of
German-manufacturer Leibherr’s refrigeration products are
Energy-Star rated. The company is also the first manufacturer
to comply with RoHS (Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous
Substances) standards worldwide. For more information,
visit the Web site www.liebherr-appliances.com.
Ginna Leatherbury and her husband were not strangers to living amid nature. In the early 1990s, they completed a weekend mountain house, designed by Mobley and built of wood and stone on 50 unspoiled acres near Little Washington, Virginia. For years, the couple had been thinking about trading the McLean condo where they lived during the workweek for a new home in a more pristine setting—if only they could find the right spot.
The McLean lot Bob Mobley discovered for them fit the bill. It was close to town, but its wooded setting and river views made the property a true escape. Before long, the land was theirs, and Mobley hit the drawing board. “They told me they didn’t want this one to look like the mountain house. On the new house, it was pretty clear that they wanted something more formal, and something that would take advantage of the river view.”
The sloping lot dictated where the house needed to be. “The site was configured in such a way that we didn’t have a lot of space to move the house forward or backward,” explains Mobley. Intent on designing a home that would blend in with rather than dominate the landscape, he proposed a plan: to build the house into the slope, maintaining a low profile on the front elevation. The finished home has four stories plus a roof deck, but the lower two levels are only visible from the back.
“We decided to do a ‘vertical’ house,” says Mobley. “From the street, it’s two stories. The two lower floors are partially in the ground but still have floor-to-ceiling views to the north and the river. We tried our best to give every room a view of the river.”
Drawing from the Arts and Crafts style, Mobley emphasized the horizontal lines of the home on the exterior. Clad in engineered but completely realistic-looking stone with a standing-seam metal roof, the house blends unobtrusively into its surroundings. “I wanted a house that looked like it belonged on the river,” says Mobley.
The architect played up the drama of the setting in his interior plan. From the front of the home, visitors have no visual clues that the house is set above the Potomac. The single-story foyer opens into a soaring 35-foot-high great room with a wall of windows that finally reveals the river below.
Despite its low profile, the home consists of 12,000 square feet of highly functional space. It incorporates an exercise room complete with an indoor “endless” pool and sauna, plus a dedicated fly-tying room, where the husband prepares for fishing trips, on the lowest level; two guest rooms, a media room, a wine cellar and a complete guest apartment on the next level; and the foyer, great room, dining room, kitchen and an office for Ginna Leatherbury on the main entry level (actually the third floor). Upstairs is the master suite with a sitting room and luxurious bath, as well as a trophy room where the husband, an avid hunter, displays many of his conquests. Above it all, a private roof deck with a hot tub, fireplace and fabulous river views beckons. There are eight fireplaces, seven bathrooms and an elevator on either side of the home.
During the planning stages, Ginna Leatherbury and her husband engaged interior designer Linda Houghton, who also decorated their mountain house. “Once we had the final plans, Linda was involved,” says Ginna Leatherbury. “She made so many changes I never would’ve thought of. I couldn’t recommend working with a designer at that stage more highly.” Houghton made some valuable suggestions on materials and art lighting well before construction began.
“Though they travel, their real joy is in their homes and in entertaining,” says Houghton of her clients. In the great room, she explains, “The expanse of vistas and the view of the river expand as you come into the house. We wanted to create a place where you could sit and enjoy the view and the architecture of the space. The color scheme was critical to that, with browns, beiges and strong red accents. It still has the feeling of the great outdoors, but it’s a totally different kind of retreat.”
Once they selected a color palette, “the hunt began,” says Houghton. She and Ginna Leatherbury embarked on the detailed process of choosing furniture, fabrics, rugs, art and accessories for the new home. “It became very eclectic as we went along,” says Houghton. “There are a lot of traditional lines in the house—the columns, the moldings. The furnishings are transitional. We realized the artwork would be modern—a good counterpoint to the house and furnishings.”
Despite its soaring height, Houghton brought the great room down to earth with comfortable upholstered pieces, panels of gossamer fabric that merely frame the massive glass windows and a custom rug of her own design.
The great room opens directly to the dining room, where a dropped coffered ceiling establishes a sense of intimacy. A decorative paint treatment on the ceiling, which is lit around the rim, adds a patina of elegance to the space. The granite-clad fireplace is a mirror image of the larger one in the great room.
The adjacent kitchen is sleek and modern with a curvy low-voltage lighting system, stainless-steel appliances, lacquered cabinetry from Studio Snaidero and even a wood-burning pizza oven. The husband, a gourmet cook, also enjoys grilling on the large deck located right off the kitchen.
Now settled in to their new “city” home, the couple enjoys the change of seasons in their aerie, where they often spot eagles soaring above the treeline. From the main garage, a driveway winds around to a garage behind the house, where the husband keeps a fishing boat that he built himself. He hauls the 17-foot craft down to the river with an all-terrain vehicle. In accordance with environmental regulations, the path to the river turns from pavement to gravel as it nears the Potomac; contractors managed to establish the path without disturbing a single tree.
“In the summer, it’s an oasis. Everything is so lush,” enthuses Ginna Leatherbury on a sunny fall afternoon. “In less than four weeks, you’re going to be able to see forever. We’ll be able to see if the water is clear or muddy and what the current is like. We have a drop-dead view of the river when the leaves are down.”
Construction entries included a "Take-Out Hunger" carryout carton by Gensler-Arlington
A design/build competition helps wipe out hunger
Fourteen teams of architects and builders created inventive sculptures out of canned food at the American Institute of Architects/Northern Virginia Chapter’s Fourth Annual Canstruction Competition. When the event was over, more than 22 tons of canned goods were donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), a non-profit organization providing supplemental groceries to families in need.
Held at Ballston Common Mall on March 30, the event was open to visitors, who could watch the outrageous structures take shape. This community-service event is also a design competition, with a panel of judges selecting winners in four categories. This year, the Juror’s Favorite award went to “e-RACE Hunger,” a race car model by Samaha Associates made of 3,433 cans.
Canstruction is a national program with dozens of competitions taking place every year in conjunction with the American Institute of Architects and other members of the design/build community. The Washington Architectural Foundation will sponsor a Canstruction Competition in DC, starting September 15th, 2007. Proceeds will benefit the Capital Area Food Bank. Visit www.wafonline.org. To learn more about Canstruction, visit www.canstruction.org.
—Sharon Jaffe Dan
An intimate portrait of Edward Hopper
In anticipation of a major Edward Hopper exhibit opening at the National Gallery of Art on September 16th, art historian and curator Gail Levin will speak about the artist at the Corcoran Gallery of Art on July 9th. Levin has researched the life of Hopper since 1976 and has written several books about him, including an updated and expanded version of Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography, recently released by Rizzoli International. Her lecture promises to paint a vivid portrait of Hopper’s true nature and personality, as well as the factors that influenced his art. Admission is $15 for the public and $12 for members of the Corcoran. Call (202) 639-1700.
On the Bookshelf
New releases for design and architecture buffs
Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C. by Scott W. Berg tells the story of Pierre Charles L’Enfant and the creation of the nation’s capital. The French national who volunteered in the American colonial army was hired by George Washington to design the city. As Berg’s fascinating tale documents, an embattled L’Enfant resigned from the project less than a year later, and did not receive credit for his brilliant design until a century had passed. Berg, who holds a B.A. in architecture, teaches nonfiction writing and literature at George Mason University. Pantheon, New York, NY, 2007; $25.
Hugh Newell Jacobsen Architect is the third volume of a series showcasing the work of the visionary Washington, DC, architect whose modern work draws inspiration from vernacular styles. This richly photographed book presents some of Jacobsen’s most recent projects, including residences, university commissions, a winery and more. Rizzoli, New York, NY, 2007; $60.
Dream Gardens: 100 Inspirational Gardens by Andrew Lawson and Tania Compton takes landscape enthusiasts on a tour of modern gardens in all parts of the world, from small urban hideaways to expansive rural landscapes. Stunning photos document the layout of each garden and also spotlight key features and essential details. Dream Gardens is a great reference guide for homeowners seeking outdoor inspiration. Merrell, London, 2007; $39.95.
Rooms to Inspire: Decorating With America’s Best Designers by Annie Kelly features the homes of 12 gurus of style, from New York designers Muriel Brandolini and Jonathan Adler to Kelly Wearstle, a judge on Bravo’s “Top Design,” and Barney’s creative director Simon Doonan. The book offers personal perspectives and advice from the experts, whose homes range from urban apartments to country retreats. Kelly explores the use of color, balance and innovation; her husband, Tim Street-Porter, produced the book’s striking photography. Rizzoli, New York, NY, 2007; $50.
—SJD
A behind-the-scenes pair gains visibility with a new Washington showroom.
Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams aren’t household names, but their popular furnishings have certainly changed households across the country. The duo is responsible for many of the designs sold by Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Restoration Hardware and other national retailers. Their sofas and chairs fill rooms at Ritz-Carltons, Barnes & Nobles and Starbucks; and the sets of television shows like “Sex and the City” and "Friends.”
Now Gold and Williams want Washingtonians to become familiar with their names through the eponymous shop that sells their stylish yet laid-back furnishings. In May, they officially opened Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams in a converted Cadillac showroom on 14th Street, NW. “We chose not to go to Georgetown because it’s too touristy,” says Gold. “Furniture stores do better in growing neighborhoods like this one.”
The new emporium joins a dozen other freestanding signature stores opened by the pair in the U.S. and Mexico since 2002.Gold oversees business and marketing for the 18-year-old Taylorsville, North Carolina-based company, while Williams serves as president of design.
Welcoming customers are their most recent designs, arranged under the ornate, coffered ceiling of the 1920s car showroom. They include Dr. Pitt, a family-friendly, mosh-pit sectional, and Flo, a 1950s-inspired, kidney-shaped coffee table. Displayed further back are two-seater “sofettes,” leather club chairs, wicker tables, upholstered beds and that Washington staple—the wing chair. Adorning the walls are photographs by Tipper Gore; Gold met the former Vice President’s wife at a 2001 fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign, decorated her Arlington, Virginia, home and now sells her work.
While there is no single Gold-Williams look, the brand is guided by the constant principle of comfort. “Furniture should make you feel good,” says Williams. “That means a good cushion and good back support in a chair, the right height and depth in a sofa, colors that aren’t too harsh.” He and Gold have just published their tips for creating relaxing interiors in the book, Let’s Get Comfortable (Meredith Books, $34.95), which is showcased in the new store. Future plans include launching a catalog business in September and other stores in the DC area, perhaps in Bethesda and Tysons Corner. “We are still looking for the best location,” says Gold.
Mitchell Gold + Bob Willliams is located at 1526 14th Street, NW; phone (202) 332-3433 or visit www.mitchellgold.com.
—Deborah K. Dietsch
"We CAN Solve the Hunger Puzzle" by Mulvanny G2 Architecture.
Edward Hopper's "Ground Swell"
H&D: How does flooring affect the overall look of a room?
Kelly: Flooring is one of the most important parts of the design process, as well as a substantial part of the overall architecture of any space. Flooring sets the tone for an entire room—it can be formal or casual, traditional or modern. It’s not just something to be walked on; it should also be appreciated.
H&D: What colors should consumers consider when choosing a floor?
Kelly: The interaction of color and architecture is the very foundation of interior design. Personally, I love the serene tone of white distressed floors. Black flooring can be striking in the right setting and can really bring a sense of scale to a room. I do not recommend orange or red floors to my clients, because those colors seem to limit the overall design.
H&D: What are some common mistakes to avoid when selecting hardwood flooring?
Kelly: There are so many flooring options to choose from today. Homeowners should make an effort to educate themselves by asking for professional help when exploring options. Floors will most likely stay with the house for a lifetime, so it’s a big decision. Take your time and really consider how flooring choices will play into the design scheme. Choose a high-quality, versatile floor that you’ll be able to appreciate for many, many years. It all comes down to installation—using the very best installer is a very important part of the process, and not something to be skimped on.
The Carpet Conundrum
Joe Kruper, sales director of Abbey Carpet in Woodbridge, Virginia, offers advice on choosing the right carpet
H&D: At what stage should a homeowner consider carpet choices?
Kruper: Carpet should be considered soon after selecting the fabrics, pillows, and furniture being used in an area. Be careful if time is a concern. Carpet is not always readily available and should be selected at least three weeks prior to the day needed for install.
H&D: How does carpet affect the overall look of a room?
Kruper: Carpet can really determine the mood of a room. You can go formal (low, tight-cut floral, a velvet plush, etc.), relaxed (flecked berber, textured Saxony), colorful or neutral. Each style adds a different feel and look to a room, depending on what the homeowner is trying to achieve.
H&D: What are the best carpet choices for families with children and pets?
Kruper: Families in an active household would do best with a frieze (twist), or low-cut pile pattern with a little darker color. Either of these styles when purchased in a nylon fiber-type would perform well both in durability and cleanability. Just remember carpet is a fiber and all fibers will show traffic and can stain, depending on the chemical make-up of the stain.
H&D: What are the best carpet choices for people with allergies?
Kruper: People are usually not allergic to the fibers. The dust and excess fiber that comes off carpet is what affects them the most. People with allergies would do best to stay away from thick, stapled, cut-pile products. They would do better with either continuous filament plushes or berbers (olefin or nylon).
H&D: What are manufacturers doing to make their products “green?”
Kruper: Manufacturers are building plants that will enable them to break carpet waste down into pellets, melt the pellets and re-use them in new carpet. This will drastically help landfills and the environment. All manufacturers will have labels on the products that can be recycled.
H&D: What are some common mistakes to avoid when selecting carpet?
Kruper: When selecting carpet, a client should first find a salesperson who they trust at a reputable dealer. They then should discuss their needs with the salesperson (adding color, durability, etc.). A common mistake made when selecting carpet for a high-traffic area is using a product that is too light. Do not be afraid to go a little darker. This will help hide any stains caused from a spill or normal traffic. Also, be careful with loop piles when pets are involved.
H&D: What are some of the new trends in carpet?
Kruper: Darker colors and softer fibers are among the new trends hitting the market. Stainmaster (Tactesse) and Anso (Caress) are two fiber companies leading the way, with nylon fibers that feel like cotton, without giving up durability or stain protection. Patterned carpets are also starting to make a comeback in the Interior designer Stan Kelly prefers white-washed wood floors for a relaxed, clean look. He created his own white-washed flooring line, recently used in this office design. Photo by Kevin Allen.industry. Karastan, Staunton, Tuftex and Fabrica are among the manufacturers producing beautiful florals, pin-dots, trellises and diamond-patterned styles. Wool products are still a popular selection for those looking for unmatched durability at a higher price point.
Floor Art
Springfield, Virginia, designer Shanon Munn, ASID, of Ambi Design Studio dishes on decorating with patterned area rugs
H&D: What does a decorative area rug bring to a room’s design?
Munn: The rug plays a huge role in the room’s design. It is the foundation of the space and often sets the tone of the room. In many cases it is the most expensive item in the space, but done correctly it can be a timeless investment as it can be taken from space to space and home to home.
H&D: How do homeowners know when they have too much pattern in their rug to go with other items in the room (fabrics and art)?
Munn: If you love it, there can never be too much pattern in a rug. Combining patterns deals with scale. If there is a large pattern on the rug, smaller patterns might look good on top of it, while a small pattern on your rug may allow for large patterns. Often, patterns that are the same size don’t look very good layered on top of each other.
Art is an investment, and homeowners need to buy what they like. Also, since your art is probably not sitting right on the rug or furniture, it is not as important to worry about the scale of the designs. Rather, it is more important to worry about a painting’s overall scale to the wall it is on and that the colors are compatible.
H&D: If homeowners are interested in incorporating a rug in their home, at what stage in the design process should they make a selection?
Munn: I try to first determine the look of the space using concept or inspiration photos with a client. During this process, a decision is usually made as to whether the room will use a patterned rug or perhaps a simpler bound area rug. Next, I start with the design element that has the least amount of choices. For example, if the client would like a patterned rug I start there, then look for fabrics, then finish with wall colors.
However, if the client wants the room to have more pattern on the furniture and a solid rug base, then I start with the fabrics, go to the rug and finish up with wall colors.
Marc Phillips recently introduced the Metro Collection of
Tibetan rugs with geometric motifs.
Luxurious and environmentally-friendly rug from Odegard;
Lily pattern in titanium.
This concept bath—one of six vignettes on view at the Kohler Design Center in Kohler, Wisconsin—incorporates natural and recycled materials without sacrificing functionality and style. Called "Woodland Sanctuary" by its London-based designers, Nikki Blustin and Oliver Heath, this serene sanctuary incorporates Kohler's Escale Suite in dark wenge wood. A floating ceiling panel with leaf-shaped cutouts emulates light filtering through a canopy of trees, while 3form's Eco Resin walls also evoke the forest. For details, visit www.kohler.com.
New Jersey-based Advent Stone creates luxurious soaking baths, basin walls and sinks out of select pieces of stone from South America, Europe and Asia. This bath was carved by hand from yellow travertine and then polished on the exterior for a smooth finish. For more information, call (201) 444-0426 or visit www.adventstone.com.
Jamie Drake Collection's Profil fixture for THG boasts sculptural handles with inlays of horn (pictured) or precious stone. Inspired by Italian Futuristic design of the 1950s, Profil is available in chrome, matte nickel, nickel and luxbrass. Visit www.thgusa.com.
Waterworks has introduced Aqualinea, a new line of precision-cut mosaic tile. Made with water-jet technology, the new motifs are suitable for larger installations such as shower floors. The line encompasses 30 style/color combinations, including (clockwise from above) Pisces, Sinewave, Sachet, Park Place and Parasol. Call (202) 333-7180 or visit www.waterworks.com.
Merillat has introduced Peppercorn, a semi-transparent finish with rich black overtones, on its Masterpiece collection of semi-custom cabinets for kitchen and bath. Peppercorn is available on oak and cherry door styles. The line also includes three new styles of mullion glass doors. For details, visit www.merillat.com.
Forms + Fixtures has unveiled its Serenity collection of Asian-inspired furnishings designed to transform the bath into a soothing retreat. Part of the line is EOS, constructed of wood maple solids and veneers and hand-finished in silver or copper leaf (pictured). There is even storage space inside. Visit www.formsandfixtures.com.
Coming this summer to Architectural Ceramics's five showrooms is the new Tribeca series from Keraben. These ceramic tiles from Spain are rectified (which means they butt closely together, with minimal or no grout joints) and polished to create a mirror effect that mimics the look of glass. Visit the Web site www.architecturalceramics.net.
The ultimate in après-bath pampering is to wrap yourself in a heated towel. Jacuzzi's new Home Spa Towel Warming Drawer does the trick, heating up to four towels at a time to a toasty 120 degrees. The drawer can be integrated to match existing cabinetry and comes in 24- and 36-inch models. Visit the Web site www.jacuzzi.com.
Acryline's new Acryzen bathtubs are contoured to cradle one or two bathers and feature a pair of anatomically comfortable backrests with lower lumbar support and armrests on both sides. All three baths in the collection are available as soaking tubs or with a choice of three different warm air-hydro massage systems. Visit the Web site www.acrylineusa.com.
It's hip for tiles to be not square. These glass rectangular field tiles from the Oceanside Elevations collection, with their convex curves, add shimmer and texture to the bathroom wall. Available through Renaissance Tile and Bath in Alexandria. Call (703) 549-7806 or visit the Web site www.renaissancetileandbath.com.
Aware that the seeds were planted in the commercial sector, we approached this special green issue of HOME & DESIGN wondering what kind of movement we’d find in the local residential market. Today’s homes have a substantial impact on the environment—and not a good one. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings overall represent 48 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the country; homes on their own represent 21 percent of these emissions.
While we have a long way to go before these numbers take a downward turn, we are pleased to report that the green building movement is alive and well in the Washington area. Knowledgeable builders, architects, interior designers, and developers are helping their clients build healthier, more energy-efficient homes. The projects we spotlight on the following pages vary widely in their levels of “green-ness.” Dozens of factors, including budget, scope, site constraints, personal priorities, timing, and patience, affect a homeowner’s decision on how green to go.
On the following pages, we’ve come up with a few guidelines to help you get started on a greener path.
1) practice energy efficiency.
Whether you’re buying a new washing machine or building a new house, you should factor energy efficiency into your decision-making process. It’s a simple equation: Reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, in turn, reduces the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.
Creating an energy-efficient house, however, is not so simple. Typical American homes lack energy-efficient appliances, windows, and insulation and therefore consume extra energy to compensate for loss of heat and air conditioning.
If you are building a home or starting a renovation, an experienced architect can help design a “tight building envelope” that will minimize air infiltration and maximize energy efficiency. He or she will position your home to take advantage of passive solar gain, recommend an environmentally friendly insulation (such as Icynene foam) and install low-E windows with argon gas that help keep heat in during the winter and out during the summer. You can also consider alternatives to fossil fuel-burning energy, such as solar power, wind power or geothermal heat.
While the upfront costs of such systems may be higher than their conventional counterparts, they will save you money in the long run through reduced utility bills. Likewise, choosing Energy Star-rated appliances and lighting will help you reduce consumption and save a few dollars too.
Architect Susan Pierce and her husband Kelvin, who own Commonwealth Home Remodelers in Vienna, Virginia, are in the process of building a vacation home in the Blue Ridge Mountains that adheres to rigorous LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) guidelines developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The project’s heating and cooling systems will combine hydronic and geothermic technology. Additional heat will come from a masonry stove in the great room. “The cost to make a house as energy-efficient as possible is so worth it,” says Pierce. “For most people, it makes sense to spend the extra money.”
2) renew, recycle, replenish.
Whether you are planning a small renovation or building a new house, there are many ways to reduce waste, one of which is to reuse or recycle materials. Architect Bill Hutchins of Helicon Works in Washington, DC, incorporated a number of salvaged materials in the renovation of his 100-year-old Takoma Park bungalow, from framing lumber to windows and doors. “Using salvaged materials is great,” he says, “because they’re otherwise just going into landfills,” Hutchins recommends several local outlets where homeowners can either donate materials they are discarding or search for their own special finds. Community Forklift in Bladensburg, Maryland, for example, accepts goods for tax-deductible donations. In turn, the company sells recycled wares for around half of their market price. Other outlets for salvaged goods include the Loading Dock in Baltimore and Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores in Alexandria, Gaithersburg and Pasadena, Maryland, near Annapolis.
Of course, buying new products made from recycled materials also helps reduce waste. Homeowners can find carpet made from recycled soda bottles, countertops made from recycled paper and tiles made from recycled glass.
3) build a healthy home
Conventional building materials often harbor harmful materials, from formaldehyde in cabinet particleboard to off-gassing chemicals in carpet backing. Homeowners can find plenty of healthy alternatives in the marketplace if they do their homework and know the right questions to ask.
Alan Abrams, a certified building designer and principal of Abrams Design Build in Washington, DC, recently downsized from a single-family home to a condominium
“Doing this renovation is a way, I think, of putting certain values into action,” says VanArsdale. “It’s also a demonstration of how you can ‘green’ a hundred-year-old house.”
The knowledge they can bring to the table, the more fruitful a collaboration with a builder or an architect will be, says Bill Hutchins, who designed the floating stainless-steel-and-ash stair and some built-in furnishings in VanArsdale’s home. “A lot of it comes down to how well versed the client is and what kind of questions they’re capable of asking,” he says. “My best clients come highly educated. I learn from them.”
When seeking a green builder or designer, architect Susan Pierce advises homeowners to “look for someone who has a LEED certification project under their belt. If someone is able to discuss options freely and easily and express enthusiasm,” he or she is likely to be a good candidate.
Once you’re past the learning curve, says VanArsdale, building green becomes a logical decision-making process. “To me, the difference between green building and the conventional building is a question of how much thought you put into each component of the house and how those components work together as a whole. In green building, you’re always thinking about how you can squeeze out a little more performance or efficiency from the building’s systems or how you can make it healthier or more environmentally friendly.
“Once you learn how to do it, there’s no reason not to,” he says. “The result is superior, more comfortable, more efficient, healthier and more durable.”
RESOURCES
The Internet is a great resource for homeowners who want to learn about sustainable design. The following Web sites will help you embark on a green project of your own.
American Society of Interior Designers' Sustainable Design Information Center; www.asid.org.
Co-op America; www.coopamerica.org
Energy Star; www.energystar.gov.
Forest Stewardship Council; www.fscus.org.
Green Seal; www.greenseal.org.
U.S. Green Building Council; www.usgbc.org.
GIATI Designs' Fifty Five collection marries the durability of teak with the contemporary lines of stainless steel. The collection includes an armchair, two tables and a chaise on wheels (pictured). All are stackable for easy storage. Available at J. Lambeth & Co. in Washington, DC, (202) 646-1774, or visit www.giati.com.
Free-form shapes and vibrant colors distinguish Moroso's latest outdoor seating options. The Supernatural Chair is made of molded polyamide and comes with or without a perforated back. The stackable chair is available in white, yellow, sky blue or black. The Big Easy is made of polyethylene and comes in chalk white, black, red and blue. Visit www.morosousa.com.
The Chorus Dining Set by Gloster includes stackable armchairs and a 47-inch round table with a ceramic top. The chairs are made of powder-coated aluminum frames covered in hand-woven, weatherproof fiber. Visit www.gloster.com.
Create architectural interest outdoors with Aidan Gray's new collection of antiqued wire accessories, which range in size from 12 inches to a dramatic 7.5 feet tall. Crafted of wire and steel, the pieces are powder-coated then hand-painted to achieve an aged look. The Ivy Garden Chandelier will create a romantic glow over your dining table. The Leaf Urn, at 43 inches tall, makes for an elegant display. Visit www.aidangrayhome.com.
Artifacts International recently introduced an outdoor-furniture line that includes the antique-style Pavia Stone Console. It's part of a European-inspired collection made of exterior cast stone and exterior fiber stone. The line also features a sofa, a chaise, an occasional chair and additional tables. For more information, visit the Web site www.artifactsinternational.com.
The Under the Tree garden shower lets you cool off beside the pool or anywhere else in your garden. The stainless-steel fixture can be secured into the grass with an extra-long spike and connected directly to a garden hose. It features several ""branches"" that keep towels dry. Under the Tree is made by German furnishings company Conmoto, which also manufactures products for Dornbracht and Duravit. Visit www.conmoto.com.
Sitting pretty in the great outdoors, Alaxi Sunbrella fabrics are stain-, fade-and soil-resistant—and full of style. From left to right, the line's elegant patterns include Garden Scroll in Spring, Lola in Pacific and Cambria in Mango. Available at Niermann Weeks. Phone (202) 488-1220 or visit www.niermannweeks.com.
Lloyd/Flanders' Ambiente Dining Chair is part of an 11-piece collection. It's made of hand-woven vinyl on an aluminum frame. Homeowners can choose among 160 acrylic cushion fabrics for indoor or outdoor use. Available locally at Offenbacher's and Spas East. Visit www.lloydflanders.com.
The Randi Resin Weave Club Chair by Walters Wicker brings comfort and curves to al fresco spaces. Its lightweight, aluminum frame is covered with an outdoor resin that enables it to weather the elements. Available at J. Lambeth & Co. in Washington, DC, (202) 646-1774, or visit the Web site www.walterswicker.com.
Walking through a neighborhood of unassuming houses in Bethesda, Maryland, most passersby can’t help but stop to look at builder Soren Jensen’s newly renovated home. Its undulating elevation, lead-coated copper roof and distinctive stucco façade are sure to catch the eye—and that’s only the outside of this innovative home. Inside, soaring loft-like spaces and a modern material palette defy tradition and present exciting new design possibilities.
Careful planning and three years of construction—much of it done by Jensen himself—went into the project. Jensen and his wife Charlotte worked closely with architect Skip Maginniss to devise a plan that would in many ways evoke the architecture of the couple’s native Denmark. The ambitious design would tear the roof off the original single-story structure, add a second floor to the house accessed by a floating staircase, reinforce the existing foundation and upgrade the electrical and heating and cooling systems. As if this weren’t complicated enough, the couple decided to live in the residence throughout the entire process.
The Jensens purchased the home in 2000 with a renovation in mind. The 1,200-square-foot residence housed a number of small, dark rooms. They longed for a bigger kitchen, wide open space, more natural light and a better circulation plan. In achieving these goals, they aimed for something far less conventional than the typical pop-up addition. “I wanted something that had not been done before,” says Jensen. “I didn’t want this big, massive home. I wanted this little petit four, this little cake that was very rich in chocolate.”
Though the renovation more than doubled the home’s size, it nestles into its hilly surroundings without dwarfing its neighbors. “Whenever we do a renovation,” says Skip Maginniss, “we like to get immersed in the context of the project—the neighborhood, the landscape, the whole matrix of the community. The physical context of the land, with its curving streets, mature landscaping and rolling terrain, had a great impact on the design. The curved roof was influenced by the site and the rolling landscape.”
Another objective was to infuse the home with a European sensibility that the Jensens found was lacking in their former home. Maginniss and his clients tried to integrate elements reminiscent of Denmark into the program, from the style and color of the exterior stucco to the open floor plan, the use of natural materials and the sense of transparency and openness between indoor and outdoor living spaces.
During the design phase, Soren Jensen recalls, he noticed a small sketch of a curvilinear roof in the margin of architect Skip Maginniss’s conceptual drawings. “I said, ‘Skip, what’s that?’ And he said, ‘It’s going to be too expensive.’ I said ‘What are you thinking?’”
The two friends and long-time colleagues discussed the concept and weighed the pros and cons. Jensen recalls saying, “‘You know what, let’s do it because I think it is going to be a lot easier to button this thing up.’ Skip got excited about it then.”
The beauty of the roof concept is that the curvilinear form not only makes a strong design statement, but it is also a feat of engineering that enabled them to create a completely open interior unobstructed by beams or other supports. Tasked with supporting the weight of the lead-coated copper roof, Jensen and Maginniss devised a system using 14 custom-laminated arched beams to buttress the new second-floor walls. Additional arches would be inverted over the first-floor living area, curving the roofline “back into the landscape,” says Maginniss. Two-by-six-inch tongue-and-groove ceiling planks were installed perpendicular to the arches, tying them together. The yellow pine beams and planks were pre-fabricated by Unistructure, a company in Arkansas, and shipped to the site. Layers of rubber, plywood and foam between the wooden shell and the copper exterior roof provide superior insulation and longevity, says Jensen.
Because the wood was pre-fabricated, Jensen thought that this method of building the roof might be easier than other options. “I don’t know if I was proven right or wrong,” he says. “But I think the end result is what we were looking for—it’s really different.”
The design and construction of the floating staircase was another challenge. “We wanted to have an element there that was as transparent and ethereal as possible,” says Maginniss. “The stair was pretty complicated because it’s entirely cantilevered. It’s a study in very detailed design.” The finished product is comprised of a self-supporting stainless-steel frame with open Brazilian cherry stair treads.
Jensen constructed the staircase himself with help from a metal fabricator. He also made plywood templates of the glass panels that line the sides of the stairs and the overlook above—then had them replicated by a glass fabricator. “I made all these treads in our shop. There was a lot of care put into it. It was something I did myself on the weekends,” he says. Jensen also laid most of the new flooring and was “very hands on” throughout the process, only calling in his crews when absolutely necessary.
Though most of the interior walls were removed to make way for the open living spaces, Jensen did not tear down the original structure. While the foundation needed to be reinforced, they retained most of the exterior walls as well as some of the interior walls enclosing the original bedrooms on the main level (now used as a guest room and a TV room). They also preserved the original brick fireplace in the living room and extended it up to the second level using bricks salvaged from the exterior.
The new plan slightly expanded the original footprint of the home. The living room was bumped out, creating a larger, open space. The main entry to the home, which once opened into the living room, was re-positioned to the street side of the house near the kitchen.
An open den on the upper level leads to a rooftop terrace and overlooks the living area below. There is a master-bedroom suite and a nursery, now occupied by the Jensens’ daughter, born last November.
Throughout the entire renovation, Jensen and his wife lived in one of the original bedrooms and relied on a makeshift kitchen. When the second floor was done but the staircase was not complete, they climbed up on a ladder to sleep in their new bedroom. “For quite some time, all we had was a ladder going upstairs,” Jensen recalls. After the existing roof came down, “There were some nights when we had water coming in.”
“They’re hardy souls with a good sense of humor,” says Maginniss, describing the situation his clients endured.
Charlotte Jensen documented the entire process with photographs and is putting the finishing touches on a scrapbook that they can share someday with their daughter. Looking at the photos, Soren Jensen recalls, “I don’t remember it being that bad.”
Greg Hadley is a photographer based in Fairfax, Virginia.
The new iteration of the home doubled the size of the home
with the addition of a second floor. The concave roof and
convex porch canopies reflect the undulating hills of the
surrounding landscape.
Most of the interior walls were demolished to make way for
the open area that incorporates the living room and kitchen.
The interior of the roof is framed with curved wood beams
over structural wood decking.
The Jensens replaced the tiny galley kitchen in the original
house with a modern space ideal for cooking and entertaining,
and featuring Poggenpohl cabinetry and limestone cabinets.
Brazilian cherry flooring and stair treads make a smooth transition
from the main level to the loft-like upper floor.
The second floor includes the den, that doubles as a home office
for Charlotte Jensen, a Washington-DC based chiropractor.
The master bedroom.
The master bath, where Jensen and his team built a steam
shower out of glass.
The Jensens are planning a small addition on the rear of their
home that will encompass a glass-walled sitting room with a
roof terrace above.
In Washington, buying a former President’s home carries a certain cachet. But when Gregg Busch and Brook Rose purchased the 1916 Kalorama residence Warren Harding built four years before he moved into the White House, the presidential pedigree was only part of the attraction. Despite the Georgian-style home’s overgrown lawn and crumbling interiors, these two savvy businessmen recognized a diamond in the rough that they could restore to its former splendor.
“It was in scary shape. There was plaster completely coming down from the walls and ceiling. But I just remember walking in and feeling the proportions take my breath away,” recalls Rose.
“The fact that a lot of the original details had not been stripped out of the house” appealed to Busch, a mortgage banker. “And the fact that it was a President’s house put a lot of icing on the cake—about three layers!”
Busch and Rose were one of nine bidding parties on the house. They prevailed not only for their final offer but for the concessions they were willing to make, such as handling the removal of hundreds of boxes of water-logged books, papers and other “junk” the previous owners had piled up in every room. The wife had just passed away after living in the house for some 80 years.
After Busch and Rose closed on the home in 2004, they embarked on a year-and-a-half renovation that would include an exterior makeover, a new roof and gutter system to stop the water damage, major plaster and drywall repair, the installation of new electrical and heating/cooling systems and a total overhaul of the antiquated kitchen.
A developer who buys and renovates homes for a living, Rose spearheaded the undertaking in close collaboration with Busch. Their goal was to bring the home into the 21st century in a way that would respect its architectural history. “I did a lot of research. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do, which was to keep as much of the original layout and character as I could. I wanted the actual finishes, the color choices and the materials to feel like the period in which the house was built,” Rose says, “but update them to be modern and usable for today’s lifestyle. And simultaneously, I wanted it to be a little more glamorous than the typical Washington home.”
The couple turned to designer Anthony Wilder of Anthony Wilder Design/Build, Inc., to create a more welcoming approach to the house and spruce up the front yard, which consisted of a “big pile of dirt with overgrown evergreens and boxwoods, half of them missing,” according to Rose. Wilder designed a retaining wall out of antique bricks and added a new Belgian-stone driveway inlaid with mondo grass to better define the main entrance, which is on the side of the home. Historically accurate shutters and gas lamps salvaged in New Orleans complete the period look. (The project was featured last year on HGTV’s “Curb Appeal.”)
Upon entry, guests find themselves in a brick anteroom with French doors opening into the foyer, the living room and the dining room. Busch marvels at the grandeur of this space, “which feels so good, especially in spring when you can open all the doors and let in the breeze.” From the foyer, a grand staircase ascends to the second and third floors. Large landings on the upper levels lend a formal feel to the home beyond its public areas.
An initial challenge the owners faced was to repair the home’s crumbling plasterwork. “One of the great features of this house is that it does have this beautiful, elaborate plaster molding in the foyer, living room and dining room,” says Rose.
“Unfortunately, water had really damaged the plaster walls and the molding. There were gaping holes and chunks of plaster on the floors.” Rose called on the same plaster artist who restored Gianni Versace’s mansion in Miami to “surgically remove” moldings from other rooms in the house and, where necessary, remold and recast new sections to seamlessly fill in the missing areas.
Busch, Rose and their contractors went to great lengths to maintain historical accuracy and preserve as much of the original home as possible. An old postcard of the house they found in the Library of Congress helped them match new shutters to the originals. “Wherever I added a casing or a door, I completely replicated an existing door down to getting moldings re-cut,” says Rose.
Rose immersed himself in the selection of colors for the interiors. “I love neutrals and I think they can be very clean. But this is not a house of neutrals. Historic houses, to me, feel like you walk into every room and there should be a little surprise, a jewel, a ‘wow.’ Sometimes if you do that too boldly it will not tie together.
“I also went to Buenos Aires, where I got a lot of light fixtures. They have beautiful stuff that is also very reasonable,” Rose continues. “Argentina was one of the wealthiest countries in the world in the early half of the 1900s. People shipped in beautiful art and antiques from Europe and they’re still there, slowly being raided by people like me.”
In the living room, antique engravings and a French antique mirror hang over the original limestone fireplace. Pale celadon walls play off the sisal rug and neutral furnishings. The overall look is formal, not fussy. “There’s sparseness in both the amount furnishings and in the amount of pattern,” explains Rose. “I wanted it to flow so that when you walk from one part of the house to another, the rooms are all unified in some way.”
The dining room envelops guests in rich chocolate brown walls brightened by accents of gold. Champagne taffeta drapes by Curtain Exchange and a Niermann Weeks chandelier dress up the space. Busch and Rose entertain frequently, from impromptu parties with friends to a campaign fundraiser they hosted for Washington mayorial candidate Adrian Fenty in 2006 before, says Rose, the now-mayor was “all the rage.” They planned the butler’s pantry off the dining room accordingly, with its own sink, refrigerator, dishwasher and storage space to accommodate caterers and crowds.
They also transformed the “dark and dingy” kitchen where, Busch recalls, there was a linoleum floor, an old icebox, a single light fixture in the ceiling and little else. To bring more light into the kitchen and create a garden and deck in their yard, Rose and Busch wound up demolishing the adjacent garage. Now sunlight pours through the kitchen’s new windows and doors.
Designed with help from interior designer Lori Geiss, the kitchen and butler’s pantry evoke bygone days with vintage-style cabinetry and nickel fixtures and hardware. “If you look at the cabinetry and the choice of color and the subway-tile backsplash from Ann Sacks, the kitchen has an Old World feel to it. It has a similar look to what was here, especially the cabinetry,” says Rose. A coffered ceiling and a corner banquette create a homey atmosphere.
In contrast to the light and airy kitchen, a clubby atmosphere prevails in the second-floor library. “Some rooms have more clutter than others,” says Rose. “The library I wanted to be my warm, cluttered room.” A limestone fireplace, original wood paneling and a worn leather chair Busch and Rose picked up in an antiques store on the way to Rehoboth lend the room a cozy, lived-in feel.
They instilled a more modern look in the master bedroom, with its Barbara Barry bed and goatskin ottomans. The couple added a double-sided fireplace between the bedroom and the home’s original sleeping porch—a staple in Washington homes in the days before air conditioning. The porch is now a sitting room with its original bead board walls intact, the perfect spot for reading or an afternoon nap.
Rose calls the new master bath the home’s most “awe-inspiring” room with its intricate tile and marble work. By demolishing a former dressing room off the master bedroom, they were able to carve out enough space for a Waterworks tub, a luxurious shower and a separate WC.
In addition to the bedrooms Rose and Busch have converted into their own home offices, there are five guest bedrooms and almost as many guest baths, which makes hosting visitors a breeze. “The best part of having this big house,” says Rose, “is that the bedrooms are all ready. You can literally have a group of five of your friends stay here comfortably and they’re not in your space. I make a point that my family can come up any time.”
Hopefully, the couple’s friends and family have all had a chance to spend the night in President Harding’s former home. Because at press time, Rose and Busch were leaving the residence to make way for its next chapter in history. Though the house was not officially for sale, the government of Monaco made them an offer they could not refuse. Once the deal is done, Monaco’s newly appointed ambassador to Washington, Gilles Noghes, and his American wife, Ellen, will be moving in. Prince Albert quietly visited the home in November and decided to buy it on the spot—a testament not only to the architectural legacy of the house but to the work, dedication and talent that its most recent owners lavished upon it.
Brook Rose and Gregg Busch are now in the market for another home in Kalorama. But as Busch admits, “I don’t think we’ll ever find a home like this one again.”
Lydia Cutter is a photographer based in Arlington, Virginia.
Senator Warren Harding reportedly used the home's veranda
for delivering speeches during his bid for the White House.
Designer Anthony Wilder created a retaining wall out of antique
brick and better defined the approach to the main entry.
In the living room, a plaster artisan restored all of the original crown
molding. Brook Rose and Gregg Busch purchased the 1898 Steinway
piano that belonged to the home's previous owner, who spent 80 years
of her life in the historic residence.
Rich chocolate-brown walls and champagne taffeta drapes
by Curtain Exchange dress up the dining room.
The dining room opens to the butler's pantry, equipped with its own sink,
refrigerator, warming drawer and dishwasher.
Gregg Busch and Brook Rose.
A complete renovation opened the kitchen to a new garden and
outdoor living area.
All of the original paneling was preserved in the second-floor library.
The master bedroom adjoins the former sleeping porch, now converted
into a light-filled sitting room.
The luxurious new master bath was created by eliminating a small
dressing room.
“The big problem when we first came in,” recalls Therese Baron Gurney, “was it was such a large house, it was such a large space, how do we proportionally deal with the furniture and the furnishings?”
Gurney’s solution for bringing scale to the family room also led to a total overhaul of the foyer. Once that was done, Brett and her husband wanted more. With Gurney’s help, they embarked on a whole-house transformation that included the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, the master bedroom and bathroom, and the creation of a new sunroom.
By introducing a sense of scale, symmetry, and order, Gurney has achieved what many homeowners assume is impossible: going modern in a classic Colonial. Despite the home’s traditional façade, guests discover a sleek, modern foyer within. The original marble floor and standard wooden stair rail are gone, replaced by honed limestone floors and a custom stair-rail treatment of Gurney’s design made of stainless steel, sandblasted glass, and mahogany.
“I worked with scale and elements of modern architecture…but yet we used them in a way that I think is not cold or austere,” says Gurney of the foyer design. “Each of those groups of three columns works within a larger grid, so we created order where there wasn’t order. It’s interesting because it’s contrasted by this one continuous piece of mahogany, a handrail that meanders up and around. It kind of creates an interesting dynamic between the two.”
Metalworker Ed Stockman of Art Studio Iron spent months implementing the stair-rail design. “It was a very intricate, long, arduous process. He actually spent the night here one night,” recalls Gurney, who believes it was worth the effort. “To me, it’s really the most central, most important thing. It really changed the whole dynamic of the house.”
Gone are the fussy Corinthian columns in the foyer, replaced by weightier Doric columns that are more in scale with the soaring space. A wooden table by furniture maker Ted Boerner topped with limestone invites guests into the family room beyond.
Early on in the project, Gurney made another sweeping change, replacing the standard baseboards, moldings, and hardware throughout the house. “They were under the scale and weren’t in proportion to what the volumes we were working in really deserved,” she recalls. “The hardware was hollow and brass. The hinges were junky and painted. For me, changing out things that you normally don’t focus on changed the whole atmosphere and feeling of the house. They make it special and unique.”
Gurney zeroed in on a simple palette of colors and materials that would unify the interiors and create a sense of harmony from one room to the next. A consummate collector with a keen eye for modern design, Brett worked closely with Gurney on the selection of furnishings and art to complement her home’s new look. “Sue will be out and she’ll find something and she’ll call me and after her description, I’ll say, ‘Go ahead.’ I trust her completely,” says Gurney.
The family room required more custom work, again to tackle the proportions of the space. Gurney designed an oversized wall unit to house the TV and Brett’s collection of art glass. “It was such a large space,” says Gurney, “that any kind of furniture that was in there before looked dwarfed. So what I did was create an overscaled, large curio cabinet. It balances this very large vertical that was existing from the fireplace and grounds the room.”
Furnishings were selected for comfort and durability. The chairs swivel and the fabrics say Gurney, “are very forgiving for kids with greasy hands eating in chairs. And the sofa is curved because it accommodates a family of four and lots of friends.”
The family room opens to the kitchen and breakfast area. Kitchen designer Larry Rosen of Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens upgraded the space working closely with Gurney to select materials that would blend well with the rest of the house.
The next stage of the project focused on the design of a sunroom off the kitchen. Where there once was a basic deck, there is now an expanded, light-filled room where the family enjoys lounging and watching TV on comfortable new sofas and enjoying casual meals around a table of Gurney’s design.
Once the ground floor was complete, the designer and her clients turned to the master bedroom suite. An emergency-room physician, Shesser needed a tranquil place to decompress after long hours at the hospital. Though large, the existing master bath with its plain white cabinets didn’t quite satisfy the couple’s desire for a spa-like retreat, so they decided to renovate the bathroom before the bedroom. Gurney replaced the cabinets with custom, floor-to-ceiling millwork made of natural maple. An “implied grid” created by the cabinet seams establishes a sense of symmetry and order. The rest is a pure luxury: limestone floors, an air jet tub, an oversized shower with a wall of glass tile, a built-in TV and even a small beverage cooler. The natural materials and soothing color palette produce an immediate calming effect.
When she considers the work of today’s greatest designers, Gurney notes a single common denominator. “The whole thing comes down to the appropriateness of the mass to space it relates to, whether it’s a large space or a small space. It’s the challenge of design. It’s what I embrace. It’s why I love doing what I do.”
Interior Design: Thérèse Baron Gurney, ASID, Washington, DC; Renovation Contractor, Main house: Kandel Construction Group, Potomac, Maryland; Renovation Contractor, Sunroom: Four Seasons Design Build, Rockville, Maryland
Photographer Anice Hoachlander is a principal of Hoachlander Davis Photography in Washington, DC.
In the hallway leading to the basement space, Andre Sabbagh created a new cove ceiling covered in Venetian plaster.
It all started when a light fixture over a Rockville couple’s pool table broke. They asked their friend, interior designer Andre Sabbagh, for advice on whether to fix it or buy a new one. This launched a discussion about what they thought the lower level of their home should ultimately look like. Sabbagh had some exciting ideas. So exciting, in fact, that the homeowners decided to embark on a full-scale renovation that would create a one-of-a-kind billiard room, wine cellar and plush new home theater.
In the original space, stairs led down to the basement and into a stark hallway with an existing wine room on the left and a spare room on the right. The hall culminated at a bar overlooking the billiard room. The décor consisted of white walls and dull wall-to-wall carpeting.
Sabbagh’s goal was to create a refined, personalized space that would reflect his clients’ style. “This is a home, not a pub,” he explains. “We wanted to make it elegant. The intention was to give it the coziness of an Old World feel combined with the quality of today’s finishes.”
The wife, whose father and grandfather were both winemakers, asked Sabbagh to integrate two large wine barrels made by her father into the design. So he designed custom cabinetry that encompasses the barrels as well as additional wine storage. Then he created a cozy seating area in front of the cabinetry where the homeowners and their guests can enjoy a bottle of wine or play a game of cards.
Throughout the new space, Sabbagh incorporated rich, textural materials, such as custom wall panels made of tooled leather and cork floors that evoke the interior of an old wine cellar. Decorative painting by Christine N. Barnette creates an antique, rustic effect.
In the billiard room, Sabbagh designed a freestanding bar along one wall. Below it, a mural of wine barrels by Barnette reinforces the theme. During a game of pool, guests can rest drinks and snacks on the bars or on the two round granite stands hung on cast-iron bases that Sabbagh designed in opposite corners of the room.
Other than a custom-designed mirror, Sabbagh resisted the urge to hang other objects on the billiard room walls. “I wanted to make the space itself a focal point and the architectural element, of course, is the pool table. Each print, painting or mirror would overtake this dominant element in the room,” he explains.
One of the designer’s greatest challenges was configuring the home theater, a small space with three different entrances. To conserve space, he selected theater seating by Motion Craft Furniture that reclines in place. Top-grain leather upholstery and dramatic lighting effects create a luxurious cinema experience. Meanwhile, the home theater system installed by Graffiti Audio Video features all of the latest bells and whistles: a remote that controls all A/V equipment, the lighting and the retractable screen; surround-sound; and a platform motion shaker that kicks in during action scenes.
The homeowners are delighted with their home’s new lower level. Says Sabbagh, “The elements pull from the past and present. The beauty of the space is that it’s so personal. When friends or family come over, they have a story to tell.”
Photographer Bob Narod is based in Sterling, Virginia.
Interior Design: Andre Sabbagh, TAS Interiors, Falls Church, Virginia Home Theater Installation: Graffiti Audio Video, Washington, DC Decorative Painting: Christine N. Barnette, Christine Nicole Productions, Glen Burnie, Maryland Cabinetry: Shlomo Assaraf, As It Should Be, Kensington, Maryland
