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
Chef Todd Gray, Ellen Kassoff-Gray and son Harrison
in the family room of their DC row house, designed by
architect Harry Wardman almost a century ago.
It is the day before Thanksgiving and chef Todd Gray and his wife, Ellen Kassoff-Gray, are planning a menu: grilled Rappahannock oysters with lemon butter, assorted cheeses and chilled champagne. This first course isn’t for Equinox, the popular DC restaurant they own together, but for the progressive Thanksgiving feast they share each year with their seven-year-old son, Harrison, and 30 friends and neighbors.
Today the house is buzzing with activity. A neighbor pops in to discuss Thanksgiving wine pairings, a delivery truck pulls up with rental chairs, and a photo shoot is underway. Kassoff-Gray is late for a meeting and can’t find her car keys. She has to be home in time to take Harrison to Cirque de Soleil while Todd heads for dinner service at Equinox.
Action-packed days are par for the course for the Grays, who have been called “Dining’s First Couple” in Washington. Focused on running the restaurant (Todd is the executive chef and Ellen the general manager), the Grays have made their home—a Wardman-designed row house in DC’s Crestwood neighborhood—warm, inviting and unpretentious. “Our goal at this stage, with a young child, is to have a comfortable house where I would not freak out if Harrison was running through the living room with a light saber,” says Kassoff-Gray.
When the Grays first saw the home in 2001, they knew that it was perfect for them. “Something drew Todd and me to this house,” recalls Kassoff-Gray. “We stood right here in the foyer and said, ‘This is it.’”
The Grays were only the third owners of the house since it was built almost a century ago. The bad news was that it needed major work. “It had hardly been touched in 35 years,” says Kassoff-Gray. “Every inch of the house needed something.” They repaired the plaster walls, the plumbing and the electrical system and created a new front entry. In the backyard, they added on a terraced patio and planted a garden that supplies Equinox with a seasonal bounty of fresh herbs.
Kassoff-Gray has created a warm, earthy atmosphere on the home’s main level. The foyer shows off Wardman’s original moldings and stair rail and leads to the living room and the former dining room, which the Grays converted into a family room with crimson-colored walls. It’s a better use of space since most of their home entertaining is casual and spur of the moment. “Our whole life is dining, so it’s a holiday to get away from it,” says Kassoff-Gray. “I’m more of a canapé and glasses of wine on the front porch kind of entertainer.” An eclectic mix blends antiques with funkier modern furnishings. Todd Gray’s parents are collectors who have given the couple a number of pieces, from the vitrine in their foyer to the dining table in their breakfast room. “My parents love detailed furniture and wood. I grew up having an appreciation for good molding and good furniture and the classic lines of a home, something that has a history and a story,” says Gray. “We have a little mix of ‘realness’ and those ideal pieces that represent tradition and family history.”
Paradoxically, the one room they haven’t had a chance to upgrade is the kitchen. But what their kitchen lacks in square footage and professional-grade appliances it makes up for in utility. Every knife, cookbook, food processor and spice jar has its place on the shelves and stainless-steel racks. It’s clearly a space that is used often, mostly by Kassoff-Gray. “I am the home chef,” she says, since her husband’s evenings are usually spent at Equinox. “When we eat [dinner] together as a family, we have to go see Dad.” She and Harrison often meet Gray at the restaurant for a meal before the main dinner rush, attend a game or a concert and then return to Equinox for dessert. “Harrison knows where the chocolate truffles are for the ride home,” she laughs.
The Grays are planning a kitchen upgrade at home after they complete a soft remodeling at Equinox by early spring. Aside from running the restaurant with a staff of 40, they are both involved in other ventures. Todd Gray is the executive chef of billionaire businesswoman Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Hospitality. The company is developing the Salamander Inn & Spa in Middleburg, Virginia, and currently runs the gourmet emporium Market Salamander, with locations in Middleburg and Palm Beach, Florida. Gray is now working on the launch of a third Market Salamander in DC, hopefully located in close proximity to Equinox.
Kassoff-Gray volunteers for Harrison’s school and other organizations around town. She is busy planning the fifth annual Sugar & Champagne, a fundraiser she created to support the Washington Humane Society. The affair features 15 of the city’s top pastry chefs serving their creations along with sparkling wines. (This year’s event will be held on January 23 at DC’s new Hotel Palomar; dogs are welcome).
On the occasion that he is home for dinner, chef Gray cooks family fare, perhaps a Sunday-night risotto or lamp chops grilled out back with Harrison. “Harrison enjoys the spirit that cooking at home brings to a family,” says Todd. “Some of the best conversations happen over family and food.”
Photographer Bob Narod is based in Sterling, Virginia.
There are times when an interior designer needs to play the role of disappearing artist. That was the case when Nestor Santa-Cruz overhauled his clients' 1910 Adams Morgan row house.
Full of historic charm, the home nevertheless presented a mixed architectural heritage. Original English oak paneling clads the entry vestibule and dining room in Arts and Crafts style. Imposing neoclassical columns flank the vestibule. And the adjacent living room boasts ornate moldings evoking a more formal Adams-style motif. "It was custom-designed for somebody," says Santa-Cruz. He knew he needed to tone down these disparate styles in order to make the housework for his clients.
Light streams into the vestibule of the 1910 row house.
A William Morris wall covering in a pattern of tiny leaves is
a subtle nod to the Arts & Crafts style.
He had actually just finished a home for the couple in the very same neighborhood. They were perfectly content—until this larger home a few blocks away went on the market. Unable to resist its location on a quieter street or its enviable two-car garage, they bought it on the spot and then asked Santa-Cruz to make it theirs.
"It looked like it had not been touched for a long time," he says. "The plan was to bring what they had done in the previous house. But having more rooms and a larger entrance, we also knew we had to get some new furniture, rugs, lighting, and accessories."
As one of the homeowners recalls, "The house was in pretty good condition but, cosmetically, it wasn't our taste. We had worked with Nestor before on the other house and he's just a phenomenal change artist. The previous owners had played up the Victorian-ness of it. We wanted to kind of tone it down a little bit."
Santa Cruz's challenge was to counterbalance the home's stylistic dichotomies and create a serene look that would masterfully blend his clients' antiques and family heirlooms with mid-century modern furniture and art. "We knew the house would have a sense of tradition," he explains, "but it would be a modern house."
He also knew the existing peach color scheme, the faux-marble treatment on the vestibule columns and the overabundance of ceiling fans had to go. But his clients intervened when he proposed that they paint the vestibule paneling, convincing him that it would be a mistake to interfere with the original oak millwork.
So Santa-Cruz just cleaned up the paneling and refinished the fireplaces and moldings, toning down their busy colors so that they became architectural elements. "We took a much more uniform approach," he explains. He painted the walls in soft, muted grays.
In a nod to the vestibule's Arts and Crafts style, he and his clients chose a William Morris wallcovering from J. Lambeth; its tiny leaf motif in green and beige blends well with the oak paneling. Santa-Cruz had the French parquet floors restored to their natural honey tone and selected Oriental rugs from Timothy Paul in soft shades that would complement his color scheme. "The rugs created a grounded element on which all the furniture could float in the space," he says.
In his quest to replace lighting throughout the house, Santa-Cruz s
elected the early 20th-century Fortuny silk chandelier as another
reference to the Arts & Crafts period.
To retain the formal ambiance in the living room, Santa-Cruz let his clients' grand piano take center stage and also played up their French 18th-century chairs, which he upholstered in a pale linen fabric. Art, accessories and a Venini Murano glass chandelier add a modern sensibility. "It's a marriage of old and new, traditional and modern," says Santa-Cruz. "There's a lot of play with dark and light, color and no color. It's always about visual comfort and physical comfort."
Santa-Cruz refinished the living room's ornate fireplace surround
and moldings, transforming them into clean, architectural elements.
"At the end of the day," says Santa-Cruz, "it's a Washington home. There's so much construction in Washington that wants to be New York or a pastiche of the past. This house can deal with tradition in a Washington sense, or it can be the Washington of tomorrow."
In the dining room, another original fireplace—one of seven in the house—creates a cozy backdrop for intimate gatherings. Klismos-style chairs by John Saladino surround the rosewood table by Keith Fritz. The early 20th-century Fortuny chandelier is another bow to the Arts and Crafts movement.
In the dining room, a fireplace creates a warm backdrop for
intimate dinner parties; the abstract painting above it lends
a modern touch.
Says the homeowner, "One of the things I've most learned from Nestor is lamps and lighting and how important they are in making a statement." She points out the bold Yamaguchi chandelier in the adjacent den to make her point. This former dining room, which leads to the kitchen, is now a casual hangout for the homeowners, where they can enjoy a quick meal or unwind over a book or TV show after work.
Santa-Cruz spruced up the main floor of the house in less than two months. He says he and his clients liked the "immediate gratification" of buying floor samples and making discoveries in antique stores like Sixteen Fifty-Nine and Gore Dean. They also collaborated on buying mid-century modern art to help reinforce the contemporary look. "Because they were making such an investment throughout the house, to get art quickly, we collected anonymous abstract pieces from the '50s, '60s, and '70s," says Santa-Cruz. "Art is a very personal thing. It's about liking a piece of art and not about provenance or quality if you like the quality of the design. We got into a very harmonious interplay."
With the main floor completed, the owners have set their sights on creating a new master-bedroom suite on the second floor. In the meantime, their third-floor bedroom is nicely furnished with a reproduction four-poster bed and Santa-Cruz's signature mix of modern and traditional accouterments. He especially likes the way the small modern bedside table plays off the large New England-style bed. An antique Turkish throw is juxtaposed with a Pucci bud vase. The contrasts and references go on and on.
A velvet panel hung behind the four-poster bed creates a
"cocoon feeling" in the master bedroom.
Santa-Cruz has said that he learns something from every project. In this home, he reflects, the lesson was "not to hate English oak paneling. I wanted to paint it and one of the owners said, ‘Absolutely not.' I learned that sometimes my first instinct is not necessarily the right one. Sometimes, the status quo is not a bad thing."
Photographer Erik Johnson is based in Alexandria, Virginia.
Interior Design: Nestor Santa-Cruz, IIDA, SKB Architecture and Design, Washington, DC
An Oriental-style rug from Timothy Paul "creates a grounded
element on which all the furniture could float in the space,"
says the designer.
In the den, Santa-Cruz combined a Moroccan-inspired rug
with a down-filled sofa in the baby-blue fabric.
The owners of this Dutch Colonial were content with their DC neighborhood and loved their big back yard. Even though they needed more space, they decided to renovate instead of moving to a larger home. It was the third time they would call on Landis Construction, the firm that had already completed two projects in their house (a master-bath addition and a basement renovation). The third project would be the most elaborate to date.
The owners were tired of their galley kitchen and wanted a larger, updated kitchen space incorporating an informal family room. They also wanted two additional bedrooms, another bathroom and a playroom for their two young children.
Designer Paul Irwin met with the owners and devised a plan. Extending a new kitchen/family room off the rear of the house made sense, but adding two new bedrooms in the back would dwarf the family's splendid yard. "It made sense to add the bedrooms on a third floor," Irwin says. He designed a plan that would stack a new staircase above the existing stair and create two new children's bedrooms with a shared bath and extra storage space on a new third level. Existing attic space could be converted into a pint-sized playroom for the kids located off one of the bedrooms.
The homeowners approved the idea, and Irwin got to work finalizing the design and carefully planning the execution. He knew the plan presented a number of design and construction challenges, from creating adequate support for an entirely new level to opening up the existing roof and exposing the house to the elements during construction. "The engineering challenges posed by adding a third floor onto an existing house are not to be taken lightly," he says. "Inherent in that, a lot of contingencies have to be planned for."
One of Irwin's goals was to assure that the pop-up addition would complement the home's existing architecture and not appear out of proportion. "We did some three-dimensional studies of the house on the computer and saw the vantage points from the yard. Since it sits high on its lot, that was working in its favor," explains Irwin. "It meant it would not appear top heavy from the street." He set the addition back from the façade by about six feet, so that "the existing roof lines concealed it a little bit."
On the main level, the plan converted the existing kitchen into a butler's pantry and bumped the new kitchen/family room out the back of the home. An existing powder room would have to be moved ten feet to make way for the new kitchen. They would also install a hydronic radiant-floor system to heat the new wing.
Irwin and the owners selected a number of custom finishes in the kitchen, including black walnut countertops. "We hand-selected the
lumber from a mill in Pennsylvania," he says. Carrera marble flanks the cooktop, while a farm sink completes the clean, simple look. A seating area faces the kitchen in the light and airy new space—a welcome change from the former galley kitchen.
The third-floor addition was far more complex. To be sure the existing foundation could support the load of an additional level, the team had to embed two 20-foot steel columns into the existing walls of the home. They also had to build a new floor system above the existing attic—a clear span with 16-inch-deep trusses from one exterior wall to the other—that would also help bear the weight of the addition without imposing additional loads on any existing interior walls.
Though Irwin prepared for the worst, the entire build-out went smoothly. His crew, directed by project manager Andrew Kerr, was able to embed the steel beams by simply making a few holes in the exterior of the house rather than demolishing finished walls. "We were able to install the columns in one continuous piece. It was a nice surprise," he says.
Rather than building conventional framing on the third level, which would have left the house exposed for a long period of time, Irwin proposed that they frame the third level with structural insulated panels, also known as SIPs. SIPs are made from solid foam insulation sandwiched between two sheets of oriented strand board and have high insulation value. "The whole idea was to minimize site time. We were exposing the house and all of its furnishings to the weather. Speed was a big issue," says Irwin, "so we had the SIPs pre-cut and delivered to the job site."
Everything went as planned and even the weather cooperated. "Kerr had ripped off the roof and the whole house was vulnerable. The crew worked some long days to get the floor system and walls up so that it would stay dry," Irwin recalls.
"We were blessed with some good weather. We had a whole-house tarp that could cover the house.The entire construction phase took about six or seven months. The wait was well worth it for the homeowners, who feel like they gained a new house in the process. The project won Landis Construction a 2005 Contractor of the Year award. But to Irwin, the best news is that most visitors can't distinguish between the old and new parts of the house. He says, "It's really difficult to add a third floor to a house and have it come out well. I think it's fair to say that most people would say it belongs there."
The former kitchen before the remodel.
The old kitchen was transformed into a butler's pantry with
plenty of storage and a wet bar.
A new staircase leads the family up to the third floor.
The playroom was created in the home's existing attic space.
Georgetown Jingle, an event held December 3 at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, will celebrate design and the holiday season while raising funds for a good cause. Dozens of top area designers, Georgetown businesses and Washington Design Center showrooms will create and donate festive trees and tabletop displays for the event. Proceeds will benefit the Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program at Georgetown University Hospital.The event will feature a silent auction of designer Christmas trees, mantel décor and tabletop displays; a holiday boutique of hand-sewn stockings and tree skirts; tastings from a number of Georgetown restaurants; a children's workshop; and a "giving tree" game of chance offering many special prizes.Dozens of area designers and showrooms will create signature displays for the Jingle. Tree displays will be auctioned in their entirety, while at least one item in every tabletop display will be donated for auction. Participating interior designers and design firms include Camille Saum, David Mitchell, Ernesto Santalla, Frank Babb Randolph, JDS Designs, Inc., Justine Sancho, Kelly Proxmire, McDonald & Associates Interior Design, Matt Swingly, Michael Roberson, Nestor Santa-Cruz, Pamela Ryder, Sandra Meyers, Annette Hannon and Victoria Neale. Sherry Donghia, vice president and creative director of Donghia Furniture and Textiles, will create the center tree at the event. Washington Design Center showrooms donating product to the silent auction and holiday boutique include Brunschwig & Fils, Stark, Donghia, Duralee/Highland Court, Foremost Appliances, Hines, Holly Hunt, Michael Cleary, Nancy Corzine, Odegard and Osborne & Little. Attendees can also shop for apparel and home fashions from such Georgetown purveyors as Gucci, Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers and Burberry.The Georgetown Jingle will take place on December 3 from 4 to 7 pm. Admission is $100 per person or $250 for a family of four. For more information on the Georgetown Jingle, visit www.georgetownjingle.com.
Designed by Stoneking-von Storch Architects and the Hallock Design Group, Vida Fitness recently opened in DC's Verizon Center. The 29,000-square-foot fitness center and spa features suspended staircases, floor-to-ceiling windows, and atriums filled with natural light. In addition to all the latest in workout equipment, Vida also boasts endless pools, Japanese soaking tubs and a BANG Salon with spa services onsite. For more information, visit www.vidafitness.com.
1. In September, Adlon in Cady’s Alley will introduce the Living Divani furniture line from Italy. Pictured here, the upholstered Avalon Bed designed by Eero Koivisto combines a wooden headboard and frame with a stainless-steel base. The removable cover is available in leather or fabric. Phone (202) 337-0810 or visit www.adlondesign.com.
2. If you like to lounge while watching a DVD or a football game, the Myto sofa lets you kick back in style. With the push of a button, the seat cushions slide out so you can put up your feet and relax. Made in Italy, Myto is available in four sizes and many shades of leather or upholstery. Available at Anora Home in Friendship Heights. Phone (202) 363-3033 or visit www.anorahome.com.
3. Designed and ergonomically engineered by the Austrian design team Eoos, the Drift chair marries sculptural form and comfort. It is fabricated on a wood frame with a spring core and comes in a wide array of fabrics as well as leather. Available at M2L in Georgetown’s Cady’s Alley. Phone (202) 298-8010 or visit www.M2Lcollection.com.
4. Add a dash of color and clean, modern design on your pool deck or patio with Frame, a new line of outdoor furniture from Paola Lenti. Its structures made of aluminum sections are upholstered with a woven, weather-resistant braided material that comes in a number of natural shades. Available at Contemporary in Cady’s Alley. Phone (202) 338-0193 or visit www.contemporaria.com.
Artefacto in Georgetown welcomes an entirely new inventory of clean-lined furnishings to its M Street showroom in September.
Highlights include:
1. The glass-topped Bloom side table, which comes in both rectangular and square dimensions. Customers can also specify seven different finishes—including contrasting ones on the inside and outside of the piece;
2. The Orbit side table, available in maple and Brazilian Imbuia veneer finishes. Phone (202) 338-3337 or visit www.artefacto.com.
3. The new Nuage chair combines a playful shape with colorful fabrics in solids or prints. Designed by Tapinassi & Manzoni, Nuage is part the new Informels collection at Roche-Bobois in Friendship Heights. Phone (202) 686-5667 or visit www.rochebobois.com.
4. The new Alo stool from Poltrona Frau in Georgetown provides ergonomically correct seating and boasts fluid, dynamic lines. The leather upholstery comes in a rainbow of colors. Phone (202) 333-1166 or visit www.frauwashington.com.
5. Ligne Roset recently introduced Fawcett, designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. This multi-faceted seating line has small proportions inspired by urban living. It includes a sofa, loveseat, sectional, armchair and ottomans. They’re available in more than 350 fabrics and colors, plus Ultrasuede and leather. Phone (202) 333-6390 or visit www.ligne-roset-usa.com.
Designed by Patrick Jouin for Kartell, the Italian-made Optic container cubes combine transparent or mirrored parts; their surface is comprised of pyramid shapes that create
a strong visual impact. The cubes can be aligned or stacked in unlimited combinations. Available in six colors at Apartment Zero (202-628-4067) and Contemporaria
(202-338-0193) in DC.
curve appeal
Circle, designed by Ben Van Berkel of UN Studio in Amsterdam, introduces a new concept in seating. The piece is comprised of four parts that allow for five curvaceous configurations. They can be placed together in a circle, a semi-circle or an “S” form. Manufactured by Walter Knoll, Circle is available at M2L, which recently relocated to Georgetown’s Cady’s Alley. Phone (202) 298-8010 or visit www.M2Lcollection.com.
Jean-Marie Massaud’s Kennedee sofa and Jackie bed for Poltrona Frau were inspired by the simple elegance of the ’60s-modern look. Kennedee (above) boasts sweeping curves and hand-sewn quilting in a delicate “X” motif. Jackie (left) is also a head-turner, with a geometric headboard, seasoned beech wood frame and more “X” hand-stitching (inset). Both will be available this September—in 97 colors of Italian leather—at Poltrona Frau in Georgetown. Phone (202) 333-1166 or visit www.frauwashington.com.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary in Washington, the DC Roche-Bobois showroom recently introduced the Speed Up collection by designer Sacha Lakic. Also part of the design teams of Peugeot and Suzuki, Lakic has created pieces like the UBLO armchair and ottoman, that marry bold industrial design with a graceful fluidity. For more information, phone (202) 686-5667 or visit www.rochebobois.com.
antique imports
This one-of-a-kind drum table has made it to Marco Polo’s Treasures in Kensington. More than 250 years old, the piece is actually a solid tree trunk that was hollowed out by hand and painted. The traditional red finish has been worn and cracked over the years; the drum is covered on the top and bottom with tanned hides. For more information, call (301) 530-3420.
A great accent piece for a living room or bedroom, this French Napoleon III-period folding screen boasts six panels of oil-painted canvases, each panel depicting a different composition of flowers or birds. The reverse is also painted with simple, complementary designs. Available at Sparrows in Kensington; phone (301) 530-0175 or visit www.sparrows.com.
This antique apothecary chest at Dragonfly Design and Décor dates back to mid-1800s China. The small drawers extend the depth of the cabinet and are divided into four compartments. Once used to store medicinal herbs, apothecary chests come in handy today for organizing jewelry, beading and coins. To contact Washington-based Dragonfly Design and Décor, phone (202) 265-3359 or visit www.dragonflydd.com.
History has a way of charming us in unexpected ways. Designer Cindi LaPietra toured at least 80 prospective houses in her search for a new family home. None struck her until the day she and her daughter were driving around looking at a few listings and they spotted a stately Federal-style home set on a manicured lawn in North Potomac.
She immediately fell for the property. Known as the Manor House at Belvedere, it was the 19th-century estate of landowner John Lawrence duFief. “As soon as I opened the front door and looked in,” she recalls, “I said, ‘This is the house I want. I want to live here.’”
The fact that the home was in a state of disrepair did not deter LaPietra. “It needed quite a bit of work,” she admits. “It was in distress.” A three-week process ensued to convince her husband Joe, an insurance executive, that buying the 71-year-old house was the right thing to do. It needed a new boiler and a new water treatment system. There were pinhole leaks throughout the house, so all the pipes had to be replaced. The bathrooms were a mess, as was the fishpond in the backyard, which was brimming with 17 full-grown koi.
Her husband had reservations about the amount of work it needed, but LaPietra had a vision of what the house could become. She recalls telling him, “I want that charm. The trim, the big plaster walls, all of that had some kind of history to it.”
duFief’s original estate was built on the property in 1850. He owned 700 acres between what is now Route 28 and the C&O Canal, where he transported 10,000 barrels of flour a year to Georgetown. The original house was purposely burned down in 1935 to build a newer home, but its stone foundations can be seen in the basement today. (duFief’s land was sold long ago, but his legacy remains, albeit with modified spellings, on such area landmarks as DuFief Elementary School and Dufief Mill Road.)
Her husband had reservations about the amount of work it needed, but she had a vision of what the house could become. She recalls telling him, “I want that charm. The trim, the big plaster walls, all of that had some kind of history to it.”
It was with a deep respect for its past that the LaPietras wound up buying the house, pinhole leaks and all. Cindi LaPietra immediately began a transformation that would restore the home to working order and accentuate its stature, embellishing it with her own historical interpretations along the way. Before she and her husband, their daughter and two sons moved in, she addressed the big-ticket items right off the bat, hiring contractors to install heating and plumbing systems, overhaul the bathrooms, strip and refinish the hardwood floors and paint the entire house.
As she planned her design program, she knew she wanted a total departure from their former home, with its light color scheme and formal interiors. Enthralled by the timeworn patina of Tuscan architecture, she focused on the Old World style as she selected colors and furnishings. One of her goals was to avoid the use of white, preferring an aged look throughout the home. As a first move, she painted the whole first level a creamy yellow (Duron’s Millet, perhaps in reverence to the property’s agrarian days).
“One way I like to create a flow is painting a house within the same card of color and then building on that with an array of faux finishes or maybe a deeper shade of that color,” she explains. With a consistent base in place, LaPietra hired decorative painter Christine N. Barnette of Christine Nicole Productions to help execute her vision throughout the main rooms.
They started in the foyer, creating a crackled effect on the walls for texture. On the staircase, Barnette aged the white spindles and added a copper glaze to the handrails. “I wanted something that was durable,” says LaPietra. “With the home being old, we are going to have cracks here and there. So I wanted to kind of fit in with that and also have it be resilient to kids’ fingerprints going up and down the stairs.”
The room to the left of the foyer was the formal living room—until LaPietra decided to convert the large space into a comfortable family room instead. It boasts a large sectional, a flat-screen TV and a grouping of family photos on the wall. “I knew for a fact I did not want a formal living room like my last home,” she explains. “I’m not a formal person. I want anyone who comes to my house to feel like they can curl up anywhere and put their feet on my furniture.”
On the other side of the foyer, in a smaller, cozier space, LaPietra decided to create a one-of-a-kind adult lounge. It’s a sophisticated spot with a wood-burning fireplace where she and her husband can regroup with a glass of wine after a long day or couples can gather and chat, away from the distractions of TV. A faux-leather finish on the walls, and one on the ceiling that resembles copper lend the room a clubby feel, as does the hand-painted bar in one corner. The seating arrangement—four comfy chairs upholstered in different, complementary fabrics and a pair of ottomans—encourages intimate conversation.
“I wanted four chairs and two ottomans as opposed to sofas,” explains LaPietra. “I wanted everyone to have their own individual place to sit. I bought the ottomans in because I thought they were versatile and we could pull them out if we have extra couples, which we do so often. And I love mixing fabrics together. I like combining different fabrics on a piece. I think it makes a world of a difference...Sometimes you have to push yourself to be a little brave and basically say to yourself, ‘If it’s in the same colorway, it’s going to blend together.’”
The parlor leads to a narrow sunroom that LaPietra has made her home office. With a computer and fabric samples tucked into an armoire and plenty of natural light, it’s the ideal workspace. Barnette painted the existing white bricks on the wall with earthy shades to extend the outdoor feel.
The most dramatic faux treatment embellishes the dining room. LaPietra and Barnette pored over a book of Italian landscapes as they discussed how the room would evolve. “She brought me pictures of buildings in Venice, Old World buildings with water stains. She wanted to capture that whole entire feel on the wall,” recalls Barnette. “The challenge was how to capture this, make it stylish and work with the colors and fabrics in the room. That was my focal point.” A seven-layer process ensued that ultimately replicated the exterior walls of a crumbling Italian villa, complete with copper “streaks” leaking from the “roof.” Metallic copper and gold embellish the tray ceiling.
LaPietra knows how to play up the details, even in small spaces. In the foyer powder room, she also achieved an “outdoor” look. Italian river rock paves the floor and climbs the wall. Water from a faucet in the wall spills into a hammered copper sink, evoking a fountain in a rustic town square. Says LaPietra, “I didn’t want to put the mirror over the sink. I wanted you to feel like you were outside, kind of going up to the spigot and washing your hands.”
In the large kitchen, in addition to the house built in 1985, the kids do their homework and the family has dinner together every night at the roundtable. “Eighty percent of our time is spent in the kitchen,” says LaPietra. “We always cook dinner and feel like it’s very important as a family to have dinner together at night no matter what we’re doing. You find out a lot about kids during the dinner hour.” A grapevine trellis painted on the ceiling by Barnette creates a credible bridge between the indoors and out.
The family’s three-acre parcel of land recalls the property’s farming days. A horse barn and granary dating back to the early 1900s still stand on the grounds, along with modern-day amenities like a large pool and stone patio with an outdoor fireplace. Then there’s the koi pond they also inherited. “Something else I had to learn after coming into this house was how to take care of koi. I used to kill every goldfish that the kids brought home,” LaPietra reminisces. “We came upon Harmony Ponds, which really got the pond up and running.” When she was told the pond was overpopulated, LaPietra gave some of the koi to a homeowner who was expanding his fishpond. The change must have done well for the LaPietra school, she says, because “Lo and behold last spring, I found 11 new babies swimming around.”
Bill Bandy, landscaper of the Manor House at Belvedere for more than 30 years, still tends its lawn and gardens today, which are home to centuries-old maple and oak trees.
With the first floor and children’s rooms done, LaPietra is turning to the master bedroom and bath, where’s she’s planning to create a spa-like retreat. She also has her eye on the barn. “One of my dreams of living here is to turn the barn into my office. It will take a lot of refurbishing,” she says. With Cindi LaPietra’s creative energy and enthusiasm, it’s just history in the making.
Designer Cindi LaPietra’s stately Federal-style home (this page) is built on the former estate of John Lawrence duFief. In her sunroom-turned-home office (opposite), she pores over fabric and color samples in the company of her two boxers, Roxy and Riso.
Photographer Gwin Hunt is based in Annapolis.
Interior Design: Cindi LaPietra, Bella Interiors, North Potomac, Maryland Decorative Painting: Christine N. Barnette, Christine Nicole Productions, Inc., Glen Burnie, Maryland
Landscaping: Bill Bandy, Lawns Unlimited, Poolesville, Maryland
A faux grapevine climbing the walls and doors opening to the back
yard create an outdoor ambiance year-round in LaPietra's kitchen.
Robert and Jan Levine travel for a living, searching the globe for gemstones, fossils, art glass and carvings to bring home to Fire & Ice, their store with 11 locations from Philadelphia to Northern Virginia. Not only has an itinerant lifestyle enabled them to amass their own collection of these treasures, but it has also introduced them to some of the world’s most innovative inns and hotels. So when it came time for them to design their master bath—the last leg in the renovation of their Baltimore home—their inspiration came from many sources, with Mother Nature leading the way.
The Levines had worked for years with architect Rebecca Swanston on their home’s renovation. When they began discussing their new master bathroom with her, it became immediately clear that this was not going to be a typical cosmetic makeover. They told her about the steam shower they enjoyed in a hotel in Petra, Jordan, and their room at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California, designed to look like a subterranean cave complete with a waterfall shower.
Architecture & Interiors: Rebecca Swanston, AIA, Swanston & Associates, Baltimore, Maryland; General Contractor: Roy Cox, Roy Cox Remodeling, Parkville, Maryland; Photography: Alan Gilbert, Baltimore, Maryland
“The idea of making the space into a rather Zen atmosphere and architectural theme was consistent with things we had been seeing on recent trips to Southeast Asia,” says Levine. “We were also looking for a place to heal ourselves from the many hours it takes to run a business.”
So a dialogue ensued among Swanston, her clients, contractor Roy Cox, a team of tradespeople—and even a reptile curator from the Baltimore Zoo—all dedicated to translating the homeowners’ visions into reality.
To best execute their plans, Swanston recommended that they create a new pavilion off of the couple’s master bedroom to house the bathroom, where it would enjoy both natural light and privacy in the rear of the house. One of Swanston’s goals was to blur the barriers between the bathroom and the garden beyond, which she accomplished with the generous use of clerestory windows and natural materials throughout the structure. The pavilion is constructed of Douglas fir, with an array of exotic stone and wood materials embellishing the interior. Stained-glass doors and a glass floor mark the transition from the main house into the pavilion. Panels of green onyx from Pakistan clad the tub and the vanities, which are lit from within, creating an ethereal glow that shows off the stone’s natural striations. The sinks are made from Japanese eroko; the cabinetry, Indonesian teak.
“Our clients like to collect fossils. What became very obvious was to use a lot of natural materials, but we like to make interesting twists on these,” says Swanston.
When the slate floors from India came in, the Levines discovered that they contained actual fossils. “The floor contained pristine fern fossils—millions of years old—some of the tiles are each worth more than the whole price of the floor, and we see them every day,” says Levine, who decided to weave other ancient objects into their custom stone shower.
“We asked our mason to embed 21 fossils into the waterfall—a gastropod from Western Maryland, a fish from Wyoming and ammonites from Russia and Germany,” says Levine. Accomplishing this and integrating a plumbing system into the stone wall to include a waterfall “thunder” showerhead, four discreetly hidden shower jets and a steam shower—all encased in glass—posed no small challenge to the design team. The shower is also wired into the home’s sound system
The Levines’ request for a terrarium for sheltering their outdoor plants in the winter also evolved into something a bit beyond the ordinary. Avid reptile enthusiasts, they set their sights on creating a walk-in space with a habitat suitable for live species. Consultations with Baltimore Zoo reptile curator Anthony Wisniewski enabled them to simulate the desert habitat of Australian bearded lizards; they have spoken to a breeder and plan to acquire these pets when their busy travel schedule subsides.
Despite the challenges, the project was a true collaborative effort. “Everybody wanted to do their best,” recalls Levine. “It wasn’t a matter of getting through it, but making the artwork come out right.” All of the hard work and creativity that went into the bath has not gone unnoticed; it has won national design awards.
As for Robert Levine, he reflects, “Not a day goes by without our satisfaction that one of the great pleasures in life is building one’s nest.”
Design and Build: Jonas Carnemark, CR, CKD, Carnemark systems + design, inc., Bethesda, Maryland Photography: Maxwell MacKenzie, Washington, DC
Calm and cool
This soothing space combines asian inspiration with clean, modern lines
If a bathroom is supposed to feel like a Zen retreat, this recent renovation by Jonas Carnemark hits the spot like a good Shitsu massage. The project evolved as part of a kitchen addition executed on the first floor that bumped out the rear of the house. By making use of this new four-by-13-foot space on the second floor and raising the roofline into a tower, Carnemark created a master bath that provides his clients with the clean, open space that they wanted but also integrates plenty of storage.
Carnemark ditched the original clunky tub, which cramped the bathroom, and the standard white cabinets with brass trim. He devised a simple layout comprising an oversized shower with glass wall and a custom-made double vanity. The new material palette took on a tropical rainforest theme, with pale bamboo floors, large-format flamed-impala granite wall and floor tiles and a teak vanity topped with a six-inch concrete countertop. Under the vanity, boxes made from renewable rain-forest wood stow away everyday essentials. Shoji-screen doors conceal the lavatory and a generous linen closet. The room is rimmed by clerestory windows that frame views of the treetops in Rock Creek Park. A light-switch remote powers open every other clerestory window to let in fresh air.
“You sort of feel like you’re in a forest with bright light streaming down,” says Carnemark.
Careful planning and an eye for detail contribute to a truly seamless design. The single wall of glass in the oversized shower makes it look transparent. An almost undetectable pitch in the shower floor angles water into a gutter drain, so that the tiles would not be interrupted. Carnemark even utilized special accessory edging so that the bamboo and granite flooring flush perfectly, with no need for grout.
Tiny recessed halogen lights in the ceiling can be raised to full brightness or dimmed to provide just enough light for a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night. “It’s just like moonlight,” likens Carnemark.
Sleek European Style
A couple transforms their ordinary bathroom into a hip ode to modernism
Alex Stefan and Helena Pulyaeva, a husband-and-wife real estate agent team with RE/MAX, had a pretty clear vision of what their ideal bathroom would encompass. On the heels of a major renovation that transformed their mid-1980s Bethesda home into a clean, modern masterpiece, they wanted their master bath to reflect the contemporary look they’d achieved in the rest of the house.
“We also wanted to upgrade amenities by introducing modern high-end fixtures that are well-made, aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly with features that are important to us,” said Stefan. A search began for just the right fixtures and furnishings that would make a bold design statement and meet the couple’s specific needs.
“The idea was to make a bathroom for simultaneous use by two working people,” says Pulyaeva. Luckily, the original master bathroom was large enough accommodate their plans, once they disposed off the enormous beige whirlpool bath with gilded fittings that dominated the space. Rather than one large custom shower, the couple chose to install two freestanding showers by Porcelanosa—one of which is a steam bath and a sauna equipped with 25 jets that can be operated in a variety of combinations and spray patterns. In addition, they chose a corner whirlpool bath, also by Porcelanosa, that is big enough for two but makes optimum use of space in the new layout.
The couple honed in on a burgundy and white theme to tie in with design elements in the rest of their house (burgundy island in the kitchen, white furnishings in the living room). With the help of their kitchen designer Daniel Popsecu, they discovered the perfect combination: burgundy vanities and white sinks by Italian manufacturer Rifra. Tired of conventional sinks, Stefan and Pulyaeva fell in love with the round, tilted design of these vessels. They reinforced the spherical theme throughout the bath, with round oversized pendant lamps by Ferruccio Laviani, a bold red pouf for sitting in front of the mirror and a round wall clock made out of a computer board. White flooring and light faux-painted walls provide perfect contrast to the deep red elements.
Now the morning routine is a breeze for Stefan and Pulyaeva. “Having the two showers and two sinks on the opposite sides of the room, and a separate commode room really helps,” says Stefan. “The new bathroom makes our lives more enjoyable and less stressful.”
Porcelanosa designer David Carmona sums it up best: “If you have those kind of showers in a bath, you never want to leave.”
Design Consultants: Daniel Popescu, Daniel Popescu Interiors, Crystal City, Virginia, and David Carmona, Porcelanosa, Rockville, Maryland Photography: Bob Narod, Sterling, Virginia
A walk-in reptile habitat features a faux painted ceiling.
Photo by Alan Gilbert.
The bath extends off the rear of the house and incorporates skylights
for natural lighting. Photo by Alan Gilbert.
Jonas Carnemark soothing space that combines Asian inspiration with
clean, modern lines. Photo by Maxwell MacKenzie.
A custom teak vanity with a concrete top hold vessel basins. Shoji
screen doors lead to storage and the commode.
Photo by Maxwell MacKenzie.
The shower's single glass wall is nearly invisible.
Photo by Maxwell MacKenzie.
A couple transforms their ordinary bathroom into a hip ode to
modernism with the help of Daniel Popescu Interiors and
Porcelanosa. Photo by Bob Narod.
Red lacquer cabinets conceal clutter. Photo by Bob Narod.
The Porcelanosa shower has steam bath, sauna and 25 jet-sprays.
Photo by Bob Narod.
Custom Shower
Grohe’s custom showers let homeowners mix and match showerheads, body spray and hand showers, providing an endless combination of spray patterns. Temperature controls deliver safety and comfort for the whole family. Visit www.groheamerica.com.
Smooth Surface
Lacava’s new Tatami shower base system replaces unsightly floor drains with a clean new solution to draining shower spaces. The system is comprised of two to five porcelain bricks, which can be configured to accommodate any shower size. Water vanishes between the bricks. Visit www.lacava.com.
Low Profile
WaterTile, a new shower fixture by Kohler, boasts a sleek, streamlined design installed nearly flush with the wall. WaterTiles can be placed in a myriad of ways on walls, ceilings or angled surfaces. The line also includes a complementary wall-mounted showerhead. Both bodyspray and showerhead are available in two spray intensities. Visit www.kohler.com.
Asian Inspiration
Santa Barbara designer Susan Hugo of Terra Acqua creates exquisite basins handcrafted from stone and copper. The Fuera, part of the Montecito Stone Collection, is shaped by hand from a single block of stone. It’s available in two sizes in Black Pearl (granite), Green (onyx) and Honey (onyx, pictured on a Sable Granite counter). Visit www.terracqua.net.
Corinthian Order
Ancient Greek artifacts inspired the design of Stone Forest’s Corinthian sink. This drop-in vessel reflects the capitol portion of a classical Corinthian column. It’s made of papiro cream marble imported from Egypt. Custom pedestal sinks are also available in the same style. Visit www.stoneforest.com
Flight of Fancy
Kohler’s Take Wing lavatory utilizes a new glazing technique to achieve its detailed paisley design evocative of a cluster of butterflies. Available in indigo (pictured) and sepia, Take Wing is part of Kohler’s Artist Editions collection. Visit www.kohler.com.
Ahead of the Curve
Part of Sonia’s collection of bath storage solutions and vessels, Venecia marries classic and modern styles. Pictured here in beechwood with a frosted glass basin, it also comes in wenge. Available at the Bath and Kitchen Showroom in Rockville (301-816-2990), or
visit www.sonia-sa.com.
On the Surface
Italian tiles and vanity surfaces from Domani utilize a glass laminate created in a patent-pending process that yields an amazing array of colors and textures. Styles evoke the look of rare gemstones, from tiger’s eye to titanium. Visit www.domanitile.com.
A Clean Approach
Marking his tenth year of collaborating with Duravit, Philippe Starck has released the Starck X collection. Marked by clean lines and high-gloss surfaces splashed with bright colors, the line includes sculptural bathtubs, washbasins (pictured), furniture pieces and more. For more information, visit www.duravit.us.
Foot Fetish
Aficionados of professional pedicures can now enjoy the pampering experience at home with MTI Whirlpool’s new Jentle Ped Foot Bath. The foot spa uses heat, massage and whirlpool jets to soothe aching feet. Adjustable jets target trouble spots. The spa is available in more than 50 colors to fit into any color scheme. Nail polish not included. Visit www.mtiwhirlpools.com.
Mirror Image
The morning news or late-show standups are there when you want them in your bathroom with Séura’s new Television Mirror. Concealed unobtrusively behind a mirror until it’s turned on, this LCD TV saves space and blends seamlessly into any bathroom décor. It’s available at Ferguson showrooms throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia. Visit www.seura.com.
Jacuzzi’s Salon line brings new technology to the company’s original whirlpool baths. Pure Air bath technology circulates air through a heated blower and releases it through channels in the bottom of the bath, surrounding bathers with thousands of effervescent bubbles. Pure Air can be used on its own or in tandem with the traditional water-jet action. The Salon line comes in a number of designs, including the Fuzion bath, which boasts a teak or wenge wood surround (pictured). Visit www.jacuzzi.com.
Ultimate Bathroom Design by Barcelona-based architect Alejandro Bahamón approaches the loo as a refuge for those seeking purification, warmth and respite. More than 700 color photographs of bathrooms around the world illustrate how aesthetic values can be combined with functionality. This multi-lingual edition includes text in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. (teNeues Publishing Company, 2005, New York, NY; $39.95)
Creating Your Dream Bathroom: How to Plan & Style the Perfect Space by Susan Breen sets out to show readers how they can create their own “pamper space” with spa-like amenities in their own home using available space and a budget. The author examines dozens of interesting bathrooms and surveys myriad design choices and materials, from colors and floors to soothing multiple shower heads and furniture-style vanity units. (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York, New York, 2006; $24.95).
Grohe's custom shower
The Bronzed Look
Ann Sacks, in collaboration with California-based tile artisan Tres Feltman, has created pillowed bronze tile treated with a metallic bronze glaze. Available in multiple dimensions, the tiles are available in 80 custom colors, including jewel and earth tones or exotic metallics. Visit www.annsacks.com for details.
