Fiorino-Schwartz quickly remedied the situation. “We took the shaft out to connect the spaces, which brought in airiness and views,” she recounts. On the third level, she reconfigured a small, south-facing bedroom and adjacent bath to create a bright, modern primary suite (above).

“I used a European-suite concept, with the sink and vanity as part of the bedroom,” explains the architect, who tucked the WC, shower and storage behind sliding glass where the shaft had been.

A spare, modern aesthetic ensures that views take center stage. Wide-plank, white oak floors support low-slung furnishings including an iconic Kartell nightstand; abstract coffee-and-oil-on-paper works by Fiorino-Schwartz—who is also a painter—adorn the wall behind the bed.

Renovation Architecture: Violeta Fiorino-Schwartz, AIA, VAS Architecture, Baltimore, Maryland. 

Home & Design Award of Excellence
BOWA

Basement under $150,000
GRAND: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
GRAND: MOSS Building & Design

Basement $150,000 and over
GRAND: Finesse Design Remodeling
MERIT: Smiley Renovations
FINALIST: HIVEX Basement Finishing Co.

Commercial Interior
GRAND: The Levine Group Architects + Builders

Creative Solutions
GRAND: Lofft Construction
MERIT: Daniels Design & Remodeling
FINALIST: PACE Design & Construction

Entire House under $500,000
GRAND: WINN Design + Build
MERIT: Blue Star
FINALIST: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Entire House $500,000 to $750,000
GRAND: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
GRAND: LOFFT Construction

Entire House over $750,000
GRAND: Blue Star
MERIT: Lofft Construction
MERIT: BOWA
FINALIST: Smiley Renovations

New Custom Home under 4,500 square feet
GRAND: Superior Construction Services

New Custom Home 4,500 square feet and over
GRAND: Anthony Wilder Design/Build, Inc.

Residential Addition under $250,000
GRAND: MOSS Building & Design
MERIT: Lofft Construction
FINALIST: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Residential Addition $250,000 to $500,000
GRAND: Marks-Woods Construction Services
MERIT: Sun Design Remodeling Specialists
FINALIST: Sun Design Remodeling Specialists

Residential Addition over $500,000
GRAND: Landis Architects | Builders
MERIT: TriVistaUSA Design + Build
FINALIST: Marks-Woods Construction Services
FINALIST: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Residential Bath under $50,000
GRAND: Honor-Roll Remodeling
MERIT: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
FINALIST: Honor-Roll Remodeling
FINALIST: Superior Construction Services

Residential Bath $50,000 to $100,000
GRAND: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
MERIT: Marks-Woods Construction Services

Residential Bath over $100,000
GRAND: Smiley Renovations
MERIT: Anthony Wilder Design/Build
FINALIST: Sun Design Remodeling Specialists

Residential Detached Structure
GRAND: Pristine Acres
MERIT: MOSS Building & Design
FINALIST: Superior Construction Services

Residential Exterior under $100,000
GRAND: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Residential Exterior $100,000 to $200,000
GRAND: Daniel Krienbuehl Contractors
MERIT: TriVistaUSA Design + Build
FINALIST: Spectrum Design Build

Residential Exterior over $200,000
GRAND: Spectrum Design Build
MERIT: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Residential Historical Renovation/Restoration under $250,000
GRAND: Marks-Woods Construction Services

Residential Historical Renovation/Restoration $250,000 and over
GRAND: Marks-Woods Construction Services
MERIT: Lauten Construction Co.

Residential Interior Element under $30,000
GRAND: The Levine Group Architects + Builders

Residential Interior Element $30,000 and over
GRAND: Daniels Design & Remodeling
MERIT: Daniels Design & Remodeling

Residential Interior under $250,000
GRAND: Superior Construction Services
GRAND: The Tailored Closet & PremierGarage of Washington, DC
MERIT: TriVistaUSA Design + Build
FINALIST: Spectrum Design Build

Residential Interior $250,000 to $500,000
GRAND: Case Architects & Remodelers
MERIT: Anthony Wilder Design/Build
FINALIST: Merrick Design and Build

Residential Interior over $500,000
GRAND: Bowers Design Build
MERIT: WINN Design + Build
FINALIST: BOWA

Residential Kitchen under $75,000
GRAND: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
MERIT: Honor-Roll Remodeling

Residential Kitchen $75,000 to $150,000
GRAND: Case Architects & Remodelers
GRAND: Sun Design Remodeling Specialists
MERIT: MOSS Building & Design
MERIT: Spectrum Design Build
FINALIST: MOSS Building & Design
FINALIST: Tabor Design Build

Residential Kitchen over $150,000
GRAND: Bowers Design Build
MERIT: Synergy Design & Construction
FINALIST: InSite Builders & Remodeling

Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Area $100,000 to $250,000
GRAND: Rust Construction
MERIT: Spectrum Design Build

Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Area over $250,000
GRAND: Pristine Acres
MERIT: Pristine Acres
FINALIST: Landis Architects | Builders

Universal Design—Entire House/Addition
GRAND: MOSS Building & Design

Universal Design—Interiors
GRAND: Synergy Design & Construction
MERIT: Schroeder Design/Build

ENGLISH VIBE
Designer Mark D. Sikes channels classic British vernacular in his Clementine Collection of decorative hardware for Modern Matter. Solid-brass knobs, pulls, hooks and latches sport porcelain elements and hand-applied finishes. modern-matter.com

RUSTIC FLAIR
Ashley Norton’s artisanal hardware now comes in a hammered finish that imparts a rustic aesthetic. Each dent and divot is achieved using traditional techniques; the finish can be found on hand-forged knobs, pulls and lever handlesets. ashleynorton.com

STYLE BUFFET
Hardware offerings from Atlas Homewares make a bold statement. Pictured above in a wintry mood, clockwise from top, left: a pull from the Kate Collection; two knobs from the Optimism Oval Collection and a Sutton Place Collection cup pull. atlashomewares.com

TACTILE SURFACE
Linear grooves embellish the Fluted Lever, a new addition to Viaggio Hardware’s Contempo Collection. Forged from brass, the handle comes in five finishes (Satin Nickel is pictured above) and boasts a concealed screw mechanism for a seamless look. viaggiohardware.com

FINISH LINE
Hardware Renaissance has reimagined its solid-bronze decorative collection in a range of artisan-made finishes accented with color, veining and highlights. Hand-applied patinas adorn an assortment of knobs, pulls and levers. hardwarerenaissance.com

“I wanted to take advantage of the incredible view and close water access,” the designer recounts. “The entire cottage is only 1,000 square feet, so I decided to make the indoors and outdoors one unified space, to allow the owners to host big gatherings. Turning the outdoor area into a ‘room’ meant tripling the home’s square footage.”

Friend replaced the dwelling’s creek-facing wall with sliding-glass accordion doors custom-fabricated by Loewen. She turned the formerly choppy interiors into an open and airy great room by razing a dividing wall and demolishing a section of dropped ceiling to expose the vaulted roofline. A small attic above the bedroom was finished to create a sleeping loft for the couple’s kids. The bedroom was brightened by additional windows overlooking the creek.

The kitchen lines up against the largest interior wall; a massive, quartzite-topped island serves as a hangout big enough to seat six. Removing a large, defunct fireplace made space to expand the nearby bathroom, now complete with a double vanity, roomy shower and soaking tub. “To create uninterrupted flow from the interior to the exterior, I chose a subtle palette that relates to the colors of nature,” notes Friend, “from the soft blue tones of water and sky to the grays and sand colors of the shoreline.”

Renovation & Interior Design: Amanda Friend, Associate ASID, Amanda Friend Interiors, Newark, Delaware. Renovation Contracting: K.H. Carpentry, Federalsburg, Maryland. Photography: Rebecca McAlpine.

The aged abode needed an update, though. Purchasing it in 2020, the new owners—he’s an entrepreneur and she’s a journalist—wanted to tackle a host of improvements before moving in. They enlisted interior designer Zöe Feldman, who led them to architect Neal Thomson. The thoughtful, two-year renovation and redesign that followed would touch every inch of the now-four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home.

Protected under The L’Enfant Trust’s conservation program, the front elevation remained happily intact; the back benefited from the addition of new windows. Inside, the primary goals were to increase function for a growing family (the couple’s first child arrived mid-renovation and their second was due at press time) and to infuse a modern-classic style throughout. “The project was an effort to create a ‘new old’ house by today’s standards,” reveals Thomson. “Keeping the spirit of the old house alive was really important. It became a balancing act.”

Collaborating with Pyramid Builders, the team reconfigured the spaces, bringing cohesion and order to a plan that had suffered piecemeal changes over the years. They relocated a powder room that floated between the dining room and kitchen to the stair hall; combined the kitchen and adjoining breakfast room into one airy space; and flipped the positions of the second-floor primary bedroom and bath. A second bathroom was added on the third floor, where the two children’s bedrooms and the husband’s office sit; other bathrooms received sparkling makeovers.

A separate basement apartment (previously a rental unit) was reintegrated into the main residence, bringing its total square footage to about 5,000. Now, a back stair accesses that revamped level, which houses a playroom/TV hangout, guest room, full bath, gym and utility spaces.

The redo also included an overhaul of the HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems. Lead abatement was a key concern, too. “Great care was given to build a new life for this house,” says Bret Anderson, founder and president of Pyramid Builders. “All the things you don’t see really do add up to the home’s overall health and longevity.”

Although preservation was a priority for the owners, many timeworn original materials couldn’t be salvaged. In some cases, historically accurate replacements—such as the narrow-plank, stained-oak floors installed throughout and the dining room’s plaster crown moldings—achieve comparable charm. Other dated elements gave way to simplified versions, as the living room’s bolection-style marble fireplace surround illustrates.

Encapsulating the project’s old-meets-new approach, steel-framed French doors now separate the front vestibule from the foyer. “We bifurcated that area,” explains Thomson. “It’s a moment you see in a lot of old houses, where there’s the initial front door and then an interior door. We brought back some of those elements that had been lost along the way, but played with updated materials.”

Feldman’s choices of a mosaic-flower tile for the vestibule floor and deep-purple paint for its walls and trim hint at what’s to come. “When you walk into this house, you know it’s been here forever, yet it feels relevant for today,” she offers.

The kitchen design, she explains, intentionally leans modern “to create a nice tension” within the historic setting; a fluted island plays the starring role and provides hidden storage. The breakfast area’s built-in banquette features drawers underneath for stashing linens and such.

As the renovation dust settled, Feldman worked closely with the wife to establish a balanced aesthetic. “She wanted a modern sensibility, but also for things to feel a little more formal,” the designer relays. “We wanted to honor the classic bones of this elegant townhouse,” referencing its 10-foot ceilings, among other grace notes. The dining room’s hand-painted wallpaper from de Gournay was an early selection that set the tone.

Room schemes combine colorful upholstery, vintage finds and statement lighting. A designer-client buying trip to New York yielded many selections that became stylish springboards. Case in point: An amethyst, cashmere-velvet fabric that caught the wife’s eye now adorns the family room sofa. This jewel-toned sectional serves as the pièce de résistance in an otherwise fairly quiet plan, with wool-clad walls and a bouclé-covered chaise. As Feldman explains, her client “wanted the spaces to be comfortable for family, but not at the expense of the design.”

The couple is thrilled with the harmony struck by their collaborative team. The wife notes, “Our home nods to history, yet it’s been modernized.”

Renovation Architecture: Neal Thomson, AIA, principal, Thomson & Cooke Architects, Washington, DC. Interior Design: Zöe Feldman, principal; Tenley Masson, senior designer; Charis Fortunato, senior project manager, Zoe Feldman Design, Washington, DC. Renovation Contractor: Bret Anderson, Pyramid Builders, Annapolis, Maryland.

RESOURCES

THROUGHOUT
Cabinetry: oldtownwoodworking.com; themasterswoodshop.com; trailstrim.com.

KITCHEN
Roller Shades: rockvilleinteriors.com. Dining Pendant: contardi-usa.com. Kitchen Pendant: rollandhill.com. Chairs: 1stdibs.com. Chair Fabric: arc-com.com. Banquette Fabrication: oldtownwoodworking.com. Banquette Fabric: perennialsandsutherland.com. Fluted Island Paint: Chantilly Lace by benjaminmoore.com. Island & Perimeter Countertops: petrastonegallery.com. Paint: Wevet by farrow-ball.com. Pillow Fabric: kravet.com. Footed Bowl: panoplie.com.

LIVING ROOM
Sofa: Finch Studio through nydc.com. Semi-Flush Mount Light: vaughandesigns.com. Window Treatments: rockvilleinteriors.com. Coffee Table: blendinteriors.com. Stools: guyregalnyc.com. Chair: lepereinc.com. Chair Fabric: rogersandgoffigon.com. Marble Side Table: etsy.com. Shelf & Cabinet: chairish.com. Rug: starkcarpet.com. Side Table: 1stdibs.com. Steel Doors: Custom through Metro Steel. Paint: Blackened by farrow-ball.com.

NURSERY
Wallpaper: pierrefrey.com through hinescompany.com. Carpet: starkcarpet.com. Poufs: lepereinc.com. Glider & Ottoman: montedesign.com. Dresser: crateandbarrel.com. Crib: maisonette.com. Shelves: stillfried.com. Roman Shades: europatex.com Roman Shade Fabrication: rockvilleinteriors.com.

PRIMARY BEDROOM
Paint: Great White by farrow-ball.com. Drapery: cowtan.com. Roman Shade: rockvilleinteriors.com. Bed Upholstery: gretcheneverett.com. Bed Fabric: pierrefrey.com through hinescompany.com. Chair: dennismiller.com. Chair Fabric: zimmer-rohde.com through ruefour.com. Black Lamp: vintage through allybanksinteriors.com. Pleated Lamp: vaughandesigns.com. Sconces: Latesda Studio through hollyhunt.com. Lumber: 1stdibs.com. Bedding: matouk.com. Light Fixture: gong.co.uk. Dresser: 1stdibs.com. Bedside Table: aerostudios.com. Marble Side Table: etsy.com. Rug: starkcarpet.com. Art: Tenley Masson.

ENTRY HALL
Art: benhunter.gallery. Art Framing: Frameworks; 202-333-3335. Paint: Wevet by farrow-ball.com. Console Table: 1stdibs.com. Lamp: David Bell Antiques; 202-965-2355. Bench: Sofie Osterby through kolkhoze.fr. Rug: mattcamron.com.

FAMILY ROOM
Wallpaper: phillipjeffries.com. Pillow: dedar.com through hollyhunt.com. Chaise: verellen.biz. Lamp: vaughandesigns.com. Drapes: cowtan.com. Sectional Sofa: americanleather.com. Sectional Sofa Fabric: usa.delecuona.com. Side Table: thibautdesign.com through hinescompany.com. Wood Side Table: lawsonfenning.com. Coffee Table: dirkvanderkooij.com. Carpet: starkcarpet.com.

STUDY
Paint: De Nimes by farrow-ball.com. Sconces: vaughandesigns.com. Rug: Vintage through elikorugs.com. Window Treatments Fabric: larsenfabrics.com through cowtan.com. Window Treatment Fabrication: rockvilleinteriors.com. Pillow Fabrics: clarencehouse.com through hollyhunt.com; pierrefrey.com through hinescompany.com. Daybed Fabric: jamesmalonefabrics.com through ruefour.com. Daybed Fabrication: rockvilleinteriors.com. Knobs: rejuvenation.com.

ENTRY/DINING
Paint: Wevet by farrow-ball.com. Wallpaper: degournay.com. Hanging Shade: visualcomfort.com. Chair: blendinteriors.com. Dining Chairs: 1stdibs.com. Dining Chair Fabric: zimmer-rohde.com through ruefour.com. Dining Chair Fabrication: rockvilleinteriors.com. Rug: chairish.com. Chandelier: vaughandesigns.com. Sconces: visualcomfort.com. Floating Console: vancollier.com. Dining Table: americaneyewdc.net.

PRIMARY BATH
Limewash: portolapaints.com. Side Table: lawsonfenning.com. Sconces: remains.com. Pendant: sheherazadehome.com through chairish.com. Runner: mattcamron.com. Plumbing: waterworks.com. Footed Bowl: panoplie.com. Vanity: themasterswoodshop.com. Marble Vanity Top & Tub Surround: petrastonegallery.com.

STUDY
Paint: De Nimes by farrow-ball.com. Desk & Desk Chair: julianchichester.com through americaneyewdc.net. Eames Chair & Ottoman Fabric: scalamandre.com. Eames Chair & Ottoman Fabric Upholstery: gretcheneverett.com. Sconces: visualcomfort.com. Rug: Vintage through elikorugs.com. Desk Lamp: Zach Stamatis for zoefeldmandesign.com. Desk Lamp Shade: hinescompany.com. Window Treatment Fabric: larsenfabrics.com through cowtan.com. Window Treatment Fabrication: rockvilleinteriors.com. Vase: Taiki Fujimori.

The finished space is an exuberant, art-filled modern home, rooted in the Watergate’s mid-century heritage but focused on today’s relaxed lifestyle. Its 100 linear feet of windows have been warmed up by the room’s gleaming expanses of teak, walnut and bird’s-eye maple. Soft, slight-scaled furnishings and nubby textiles selected by New York designer Didi Granger float in an airy living room overlooking the Potomac. Punches of color come from contemporary works by Jasper Johns, Robert Motherwell and Al Held. Amid such glamour, the residents’ Springer Spaniel can race across new, superhard white oak flooring or luxuriate on a creamy-white circular rug.

“The apartment lives wonderfully,” says owner Henry McKinnon, a retired psychotherapist and second-generation art collector from a family with philanthropic ties to Norfolk’s Chrysler Museum of Art. “This place is the best.”

McKinnon and his partner Ron Gage, a retired executive, were moving on from an antiques-filled 1830s Georgetown manse when they inspected the Watergate East apartment in late 2020. As McKinnon recalls, the unit exuded “1980s Versailles style with crazy moldings everywhere—but we loved the space and the view.”

Zapatka, who stood with them that day near the wall of windows, assured: “We can do something more.”

On a recent afternoon in the transformed abode, the architect pointed out the glories and challenges of the redo. The three-bedroom, three-bath corner unit is exceptional for its windows extending more than 50 feet in two directions. The central living space fans out from the midpoint. Originally, the public area was bracketed by two bedrooms and baths on the left, and the kitchen and a third bedroom and bath on the right.

However, the initial layout had to be reclaimed before Zapatka’s update. Interim owners had interrupted the flow, enclosing a third of the open area with flimsy, louvered partitions and blocking dining room windows with a built-in vitrine. Still, Moretti’s elegant entrance sequence—leading from an elliptical vestibule to an elliptical hall—survived, as did marble flooring that may well have been extracted from the Vatican’s quarry. (The Vatican was an original investor in the Watergate, once under Italian ownership.)

Zapatka began with what he calls “the big gesture.” In his plan, windows would rule and interior elements would be “pulled back” from them—inspiration taken from mid-century master Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Farnsworth House. Like Mies, Zapatka would make magic with wood, stone, brass and bronze.

In the elliptical hall, now paneled in zebrawood, Zapatka closed off an opening to the dining room, narrowing attention on views of the river. “My mentor Michael Graves told me many years ago, ‘You don’t want to give it all away at once,’” notes the architect. In another salvo, he points out the existing Calacatta marble floor and says, “We always love to preserve what’s original and good.”

The Watergate’s forest of freestanding structural columns has bedeviled residents for decades. In the central living space, Zapatka celebrated two by wrapping them in teak and bronze. Meanwhile, heating and cooling units below the windows have been dressed up in white cabinetry. Awkward angles resulting from Moretti’s unusual geometry are now disguised—inside a “Mad Men” bar here or a stone-clad niche there.

The apartment’s eight-foot ceilings presented another hurdle: Near the windows, they drop six inches to accommodate the balcony on the upper floor. Zapatka turned this visual disruption into an element of delight with a coat of high-gloss white ceiling paint, which reflects the windows and makes them seem taller.

Work ensued despite pandemic woes. The dated kitchen was refitted by Snaidero, the owners’ bath enlarged and the powder room restored. A washer and dryer were installed in a primary bedroom cabinet.

The second bedroom was co-opted as a den, separated from the living area by a floating paneled partition. This furniture-quality unit with bird’s-eye maple drawers hides another structural column inside smooth teak veneer, which curves around to face the living room.

For McKinnon, the den was key. “Ron and I are very casual, so we wanted a nice den,” he says, swiveling in a Danish lounge chair.

In her furniture selections, Granger embraced the clients’ desire for neutrals. “The largest determining factor was the Watergate’s round shape,” notes the designer, who set a curved sofa on a circular rug accented with small round tables. These face a seating area against the teak wall where, she adds, “you can really take in the view.”

Bare windows heighten the experience. “At night, the windows become like black mirrors,” marvels Gage. “You see the paintings everywhere.”

Drawing Board

Q+A with architect Christian Zapatka

How do you decide what elements to keep in a redo?
In general, almost all of my work involves existing structures. I’m a firm believer in preserving, restoring and renovating whatever is good. I take a very hard look at what’s there to find components that are representative of a property’s history.

Where do you seek inspiration?
I love looking back to find inspiration. I try to channel what the original architect was thinking, and I imagine the great materials and design gestures belonging to a home’s period—whether it’s a Rockefeller apartment in New York or a Mies van der Rohe in Chicago. There’s a good bit of fantasy, but the point is to evoke the spirit of an era.

What are the ingredients of a successful project?
There are three ingredients. From my side, I have to bring the ideas and the design. Then there’s the execution—the constant, intense work. Third, and most importantly, a good client. You need their trust, enthusiasm and patience. If the client is game, you’re going to have a good project.

Renovation Architecture: Christian Zapatka, AIA, FAAR, Christian Zapatka Architect, PLLC, Washington, DC. Interior Design: Didi Granger, Didi Granger Interiors, New York, New York. Renovation Contractor: Reynaldo Vasquez, VR Construction, LLC, Arlington, Virginia.

RUGGED PROFILE
The Plodes Geometric Firepit from Design Within Reach creates a sculptural silhouette. Designed to burn seasoned wood or charcoal, the Corten steel vessel comes in two rectangular sizes; a steel grate and cedar top are sold separately. dwr.com

ON THE MANTEL
Evoking the look of limestone, Kindred Outdoors & Surrounds’ engineered-stone fireplace surrounds come in four colors and two finishes; the Carmela, with a plinth block foundation and bull nose detailing, is pictured in honed Oak Barrel. mykindredliving.com

SET IN STONE
Island Stone’s Mini Split, a scaled-down, textured-stone ledger panel, creates a natural-look fireplace surround ideal for transitional and contemporary spaces. The line now comes in three additional hues: Moonlit, Alabaster and Charcoal Glint (pictured). islandstone.com

THE ART OF FIRE
The Alluravision sleek, linear electric fireplaces by Napoleon boast an almost-frameless viewing area showcasing colorful flames and glass embers. Recess or hang on a wall; available in a range of color and brightness options. napoleon.com

BATHROOM REMODEL
Beautiful Bathroom Spa Full of Light and Storage to Age In Luxury, Potomac, Maryland—House to Home Solutions.

COMMERCIAL
Bowling Brook Estates, Laurel, Maryland—Martin Architectural Group.

EXTERIOR, FRONT FAÇADE
Saul Road Front Façade Renovation, Kensington, Maryland—Mitchell & Best Homes.

HISTORIC RESTORATION
SchoolHaus, Baltimore, Maryland—Edgemont Builders.

INTERIOR REMODEL
Modern Interior Remodel, Lutherville, Maryland—Owings Home Services.

ADDITION, $250,000 to $300,000
3120 Florence, Woodbine, Maryland—Crosen Homes LLC.

KITCHEN REMODEL/ADDITION,$100,000 to $150,000
Michaels Ridge Kitchen, Ellicott City, Maryland—Cornerstone Remodeling.

KITCHEN REMODEL, $150,000 to $200,000
Transitional Style Kitchen, Completely Reimagined, Darnestown, Maryland—House to Home Solutions.

KITCHEN REMODEL, $150,000 to $200,000 (Over 2,000 square feet)
Bright and Blue Kitchen Remodel, Severna Park, Maryland—Owings Brothers Contracting.

KITCHEN REMODEL/ADDITION, $250,000 to $300,000
Layton Ct. First Floor Renovation, Elkridge, Maryland—Cornerstone Remodeling.

KITCHEN REMODEL/ADDITION (Over $1,000,000)
Silver Spring Main Level, Transitional-Style Makeover, Silver Spring, Maryland—House to Home Solutions.

MULTI-GENERATIONAL RENOVATION
Basement In-Law Apartment, Brookeville, Maryland—Owings Brothers Contracting.

OUTDOOR LIVING, $100,000 to $150,000
Luxury Deck Creates Bird Watcher Sanctuary, Vienna, Virginia—House to Home Solutions.

OUTDOOR LIVING, $200,000 to $250,000
Backyard Oasis to Relax and Entertain, Potomac, Maryland— House to Home Solutions.

WHOLE HOUSE REMODEL, $350,000 to $400,000
Birch Manor, Edgewater, Maryland—Maryland Building Company, LLC.

WHOLE HOUSE REMODEL, $600,000 to $650,000
Cape Cod Renovation, Lutherville, Maryland—Owings Brothers Contracting.

WHOLE HOUSE REMODEL, $950,000 to $1,000,000
Stewart Driveway, Chevy Chase, Maryland—Francis Development.

The garden is set between the couple’s contemporary, three-bedroom residence and a slope down to the creek and a dock. Abe paid homage to the estuary environment, devising a scheme that roughly mimics the shape of the Chesapeake Bay. A bed of white gravel—a common expression of water in Japanese design—unfurls on the property’s lower elevation. Massive stones form a bridge across the expanse, leading to steps accessing an upper garden. Japanese black pine, weeping cherry, azalea and dwarf mondo grass embellish the landscape, also dotted by boulders, a water feature and hidden benches built for quiet contemplation.

Five years later, Abe returned to create a pocket garden visible only from the owners’ bedroom and adjacent home office. Called a tsubo-niwa—a garden that in Japanese tradition measures precisely two tatami mats wide—this walled refuge features a sculpture that he fashioned by slicing and reassembling a single boulder.

Abe, who trained in Kyoto under a master landscape designer, marvels at how the project has evolved over the years. “It is probably the best garden I have ever built,” he muses.

But the work didn’t stop there. In 2017, the owners enlisted ZEN Associates to design the first of several upgrades to their 5,000-square-foot, 1970s-era home. They tapped Rina Okawa, a lead interior designer at the Massachusetts firm, to revamp their dark and dated lower level. There were two mandates: Create a stylish viewing room where they could screen their vast video art collection with guests; and foster a stronger indoor-outdoor connection to the garden.

In step with Abe’s landscape, Okawa articulated Japanese design principles in her approach. “Our clients wanted to push the concept of ma, which means the appreciation of negative space,” she explains. “The room needed balance to make it peaceful and calm. Nothing could be too loud.”

Choppy windows and builder-grade finishes gave way to a sophisticated, finely crafted realm. Think mahogany millwork, honed-granite floors that extend seamlessly outdoors and a 16-foot-wide, floor-to-ceiling window framing a dramatic view of the lower garden. An up-lit cove ceiling gives the illusion of height while a drop-down screen is ready to roll.

“We selected comfortable furniture with nice forms—mostly by Christian Liaigre,” Okawa says. “And we kept it pretty monochromatic since we didn’t want to conflict with the colors of nature.” She points out that the room is wallpapered for warmth and texture. “We make spaces that are very simple,” she reasons, “but we are also keen to make them warm and soft.” Winchester, a Maryland builder that had previously completed several upgrades to the home, executed ZEN’s design.

The two firms recently collaborated on a main-level makeover. During covid, the owners tired of their cramped kitchen and its adjacent sitting area, where outdated windows didn’t do justice to the garden views. “We wanted to bring the outside in and modernize the kitchen with a Japanese aesthetic,” says the wife. “I wanted it to be functional, flexible and forward-looking.”

Okawa transformed the space with fresh, modern millwork in rift-sawn white oak. She expanded storage and cooking space and introduced a light, natural material palette. Larger windows near the sink and floor-to-ceiling glass in the family room shifted the focus outdoors. A curved, up-lit cove ceiling unifies the areas. “I know how hard it was to make that curve perfectly,” notes the designer. “But Winchester made it work.”

A built-in breakfast banquette and sculptural furnishings in autumnal hues promote lounging without blocking the scenery. “When I view the garden from the new space,” reflects the husband, a retired business executive, “it elevates my spirit and transports me. It’s so peaceful.”

Inspired by the work of Japanese artist Toko Shinoda, Okawa designed the family room’s free-form abstract carpet, which was fabricated by Stark. “I played with a curved shape and straight lines to mimic natural forms,” she reveals.

Wooden slats, echoing ones in the viewing room, detail a family room wall. “Repetition, a common element of Japanese design, creates texture and richness. But it must be precise,” says Okawa. “If the slats aren’t precisely repeated, it will be off-balance.”

Another Japanese principle came into play during a dialogue about flooring—namely, how to transition from the darker, existing oak of the foyer to the paler white oak installed in the redo. The wife brought up kintsugi—a Japanese practice that repairs broken pottery with lacquer or powdered gold. Okawa ran with the idea. She designed a motif, implemented by Winchester using epoxy and gold leaf, that celebrates the confluence of old and new.

Winchester’s Andrew Smith credits the project’s success to the team’s years of collaboration. “One of the things that’s been so enjoyable is the creative license our clients integrated into the process,” he contends. “It allowed for a lot of input and interaction.”

The owners are thrilled by how their property has evolved, indoors and out. “We’ve traveled a whole lot in our lives,” says the husband. “Now, we’re ensconced in what’s around us and the serenity of being here. We really don't want to leave.”

Renovation & Interior Design: Rina Okawa, LEED AP; Landscape Design: Shin Abe, ZEN Associates, Inc., Woburn, Massachusetts. Renovation Contractor: Andrew G. Smith, Winchester, Millersville, Maryland.

RESOURCES

THROUGHOUT
Home Automation: pha.systems. Windows & Doors: tradewoodindustries.com. Drapery Upholstery & Fabrication: danieldonnelly.com.

VIEWING ROOM
Sofas & Sofa Fabric, Wooden Chairs & Wooden Chair Fabric, Wide Chair & Wide Chair Fabric, Coffee Table & Floor Lamp: studioliaigre.com. Wide Chair Seat Cushion Fabric: Great Plains for hollyhunt.com. Rug: fortstreetstudio.com. Wall Covering: Donghia for kravet.com. Millwork: miles-ent.com.

BREAKFAST AREA
Table: ethnicraft.com. Orange Chair: knoll.com. Banquette Upholstery Fabrication: danieldonnelly.com. Banquette Seat Cushion Fabric: glant.com. Banquette Back Cushion & Pillow Fabric: Great Plains for hollyhunt.com. Wallpaper: aestheticswall.com.

FAMILY ROOM
Custom Rug: starkcarpets.com. Custom Rug Design: zenassociates.com. Curved Settee & Settee Fabric: minotti.com. Pillow Fabric: Great Plains for hollyhunt.com. Swivel Chairs & Ottoman: hollyhunt.com. Swivel Chair Fabric: Great Plains for hollyhunt.com. Small Table: ethnicraft.com. Millwork around Fireplace: Miles Enterprise; 410-789-1212. Stone around Fireplace: instoneco.com. Wallpaper: aestheticswall.com.

KITCHEN
Cabinet Design: zenassociates.com. Cabinet Fabrication: Miles Enterprise; 410-789-1212. Countertop: Dekton for Cosentino.com. Stove: mieleusa.com. Ceiling Hood: faberonline.com. Sink Faucet: dornbracht.com. Refrigerator & Freezer: subzero-wolf.com. Wallpaper: aestheticswall.com. Backsplash on Window & Refrigerator Wall: inaxtile.com.

LIVING ROOM
Leather Chair: dakotajackson.com. Glass Table: eileengray.co.uk.

TILE TIME  Spanish tile maker Aparici offers a modern take on terrazzo, a material first seen in ancient Egypt. In this iteration, hexagonal porcelain tiles mimic the look of terrazzo using a digital print process instead of embedded stone chips; Stracciatella is shown. aparici.com/en

CLASSIC LOOK  Decorative film prints create a natural hardwood look on Lucida Surfaces’ luxury vinyl floors, easily assembled with a snap-lock system. Configurations include chevron, parquet and herringbone designs; chevron is pictured in Charred Oak. lucidasurfaces.com 

CHIC SURFACE  Havwoods’ engineered-wood flooring combines particle board or plywood with a top layer of European white oak. Available in a range of finishes, textures, plank widths and styles. Blanco, part of the Venture Plank series, is shown below. havwoods.com

The awards go to remodeling and custom-building projects in DC, Maryland and Virginia; this year, judges reviewed 119 entries in 35 categories. Media sponsor Home & Design gave its Award of Excellence to a project by Anthony Wilder Design/Build. All the award-winning projects are listed below and can be viewed on the chapter’s website, promidatlantic.org.

PRO Remodeler of the Year Awards

Home & Design Award of Excellence
Anthony Wilder Design/Build

Basement under $150,000
GRAND: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
MERIT: House to Home Solutions
FINALIST: HIVEX Basement Finishing Co.

Basement $150,000 and over
GRAND: Spectrum Design Build
MERIT: TriVistaUSA Design + Build
FINALIST: Moss Building & Design

Creative Solutions
GRAND: Mosss Building & Design

Entire House under $500,000
GRAND: Moss Building & Design
MERIT: Finesse Design Remodeling
FINALIST: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Entire House $500,000 to $750,000
GRAND: Blue Star
MERIT: RessaBuilt
FINALIST: Marks-Woods Construction Services 

Entire House over $750,000
GRAND: Blue Star
MERIT: Landis Architects/Builders
MERIT: TriVistaUSA Design + Build
FINALIST: BOWA

Green—Entire House/Addition
GRAND: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

New Custom Home 4,500 square feet
GRAND: OPaL Design Build

New Custom Home 4,500 square feet and over
GRAND: WINN Design + Build

Residential Addition under $250,000
GRAND: Marks-Woods Construction Services
MERIT: Marks-Woods Construction Services
FINALIST: Grossmueller’s Design Consultants

Residential Addition $250,000 to $500,000
GRAND: Pristine Acres
MERIT: Marks-Woods Construction Services
FINALIST: Schroeder Design/Build

Residential Addition over $500,000
MERIT: Marks-Woods Construction Services
FINALIST: TriVistaUSA Design + Build

Residential Bath under $50,000
GRAND: Blue Star
MERIT: The Levine Group Architects + Builders
FINALIST: MW Burke

Residential Bath $50,000 to $100,000
GRAND: Kingston Design Remodeling
MERIT: Blue Star
FINALIST: Marks-Woods Construction Services

Residential Bath over $100,000
GRAND: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
MERIT: Case Architects & Remodelers
FINALIST: Hopkins & Porter Construction

Residential Detached Structure
GRAND: OPaL Design Build

Residential Exterior Element $30,000 and over
GRAND: Sun Design Remodeling Specialists

Residential Exterior Element under $30,000
GRAND: House to Home Solutions

Residential Exterior under $100,000
GRAND: Marks-Woods Construction Services
MERIT: Daniels Design & Remodeling
FINALIST: Lofft Construction 

Residential Exterior $100,000 to $200,000
GRAND: Bowers Design Build
MERIT: The Levine Group Architects + Builders
MERIT: House to Home Solutions

Residential Exterior over $200,000
GRAND: Bowers Design Build
MERIT: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
FINALIST: WINN Design + Build

Residential Historical Renovation/Restoration under $250,000
GRAND: Marks-Woods Construction Services
FINALIST: Gilday Renovations

Residential Historical Renovation/Restoration $250,000 and over
GRAND: Bowers Design Build
MERIT: Marks-Woods Construction Services
FINALIST: OPaL Design Build

Residential Interior Element under $30,000
GRAND: Blue Star
MERIT: Sun Design Remodeling Specialists
MERIT: Sun Design Remodeling Specialists
FINALIST: Marks-Woods Construction Services

Residential Interior under $250,000
GRAND: Sun Design Remodeling Specialists
MERIT: Marks-Woods Construction Services
FINALIST: Bowers Design Build
FINALIST: Finesse Design Remodeling

Residential Interior $250,000 to $500,000
GRAND: Bowers Design Build
MERIT: Sun Design Remodeling Specialists
FINALIST: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Residential Interior over $500,000
GRAND: Anthony Wilder Design/Build
MERIT: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes 

Residential Kitchen under $75,000
GRAND: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
MERIT: Marks-Woods Construction Services
FINALIST: Anchor Landscape and Property Services

Residential Kitchen $75,000 to $150,000
GRAND: Moss Building & Design
MERIT: Marks-Woods Construction Services
MERIT: Case Architects & Remodelers
FINALIST: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Residential Kitchen over $150,000
GRAND: Anthony Wilder Design/Build
MERIT: Marks-Woods Construction Services
FINALIST: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
FINALIST: Case Architects & Remodelers

Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Area under $100,000
GRAND: Blue Star

Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Area $100,000 to $250,000
GRAND: Grossmueller’s Design Consultants
MERIT: House to Home Solutions
MERIT: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Area over $250,000
GRAND: Pristine Acres
MERIT: Pristine Acres
FINALIST: WINN Design + Build

Universal Design—Entire House/Addition
GRAND: Atlas Moran Construction
MERIT: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Universal Design—Interiors
GRAND: House to Home Solutions

Custom Contemporary Home

• from 4,000-4,500 square feet
  GOLD—Elie Ben Architecture, LLC; Builder: Castlewood Builders
• from 6,000-6,999 square feet
  GOLD—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC; Architect: GTM Architects

Custom Traditional Home

• from 4,000-4,999 square feet
  GOLD—Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC; Builder: AIP Builders, LLC
  GOLD—Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC; Builder: Lock 7 Development, LLC
• from 6,000-6,999 square feet
  GOLD—Castlewood Consulting, LLC; Architect: Raoul Lissabet Architect, AIA, LLC
• from 7,000-7,999 square feet
  GOLD—The Block Builders Group; Architect: GTM Architect
  SILVER—Castlewood Consulting, LLC
• from 8,000-8,999 square feet
  GOLD—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC; Architects: GTM Architects/ColePrevost
• from 9,000-9,999 square feet
  GOLD—Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC; Builder: Sandy Spring Builders
• greater than 10,000 square feet
  GOLD—Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC; Builder: PCS, Inc.

Custom Accessory Structure

• GOLD—Jeffco Development; Architect: GTM Architects

Other Category—Marriage of Styles

• GOLD—Castlewood Consulting, LLC

Renovation

• from 1,000-1,999 square feet
  GOLD—Castlewood Consulting, LLC
• from 3,000-3,999 square feet
  GOLD—Cabin John Builders; Architect: Colleen Healey Architecture
  SILVER—Elie Ben Architecture, LLC
• from 6,000-6,999 square feet
  GOLD—Sandy Spring Builders, LLC; Architect: GTM Architects
• from 9,000-9,999 square feet
  GOLD—Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC; Builder: O’Neill Development
• greater than 10,000 square feet
  GOLD—Francis Development

Speculative Home

• from 3,000-3,999 square feet
  GOLD—Francis Development
• from 5,000-5,999 square feet
  GOLD—Mid-Atlantic Custom Builders
• from 6,000-6,999 square feet
  GOLD—Laurence Cafritz Builders; Architect: Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC GOLD— Foxhall Homes; Architect: GTM Architects
• from 7,000-7,999 square feet
  GOLD—Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC; Builder: Rollingwood Builders
  GOLD—Mid-Atlantic Custom Builders

Seven years ago, the widowed academic, now 87, gave the property to his son and daughter-in-law. They sought to preserve and expand the house, creating a compound where life seemed slower and gentler and the family—and visiting friends of all ages—could gather together or spend time alone.

They enlisted Stephen Muse, principal of Muse | Kirwan Architects, and project architect Kuk-Ja Kim—who both designed a starkly contemporized addition behind the couple’s Tudor-style Washington home—to rehab the two-story, 1890s abode and conceive several modernist outbuildings close by.

The architects kept the farmhouse remodel simple, adding 375 square feet to the existing structure. “I wanted to give them only the space they needed, nothing more,” recounts Muse. “There was already a living room addition on one side of the house. It would have been seductive to put a matching addition on the other side—but it’s a farmhouse, not a manor. It didn’t need symmetry.”

It did, however, need lots of work: foundation repair and a new roof; electrical, heating, plumbing and cooling systems; and new doors, windows, porches and paint. But first on the agenda: a three-bay garage where the family could store their possessions during the 10-month renovation. Muse and Kim also conceived a decidedly contemporary guest cottage close by, which spills out to a new pool.

Geoff Pitts of Ace Contracting in Charlottesville handled the project and recalls his “disgruntled” workers rooting for a farmhouse teardown so they wouldn’t have to contend with the deteriorating stone foundation, mud-floored cellar and tight crawl spaces. By project’s end, however, the Ace team proudly marveled at what they’d created. “The project was ideal,” Pitts says, “because we got to bring an ancient house back to life while also building a contemporary garage and guest cottage.”

Indeed, there was plenty to preserve. Original pine floors and stairs were refinished. The library to the left of the entrance, a favorite of the professor, got new custom cabinetry and bookshelves. The wood-burning fireplaces in both rooms were refurbished.

The biggest changes were to the rear of the house. A wall at the far end of the dining room was replaced by pocket doors that open the view from the front entry to the back porch and beyond. The kitchen was extended by 10 feet in the rear. The right wall bump-out, measuring 12 feet long and 30 inches wide, houses new cabinets below the stovetop, sink and dishwasher and ceiling-height windows above. A seating and storage island anchors the room, while the new L-shaped porch provides another alluring gathering space. Directly over the kitchen, the larger, updated primary suite features added windows and a sleek new bathroom. The kids, now teenagers, sleep down the hall in a pair of reconfigured en-suite bedrooms.

Interior designer Kim Caplan says her longtime clients, both lawyers, had a clear mandate: It’s a country home, and they wanted it to be relaxed. “I tried to incorporate the antiques they agreed on without making the house a museum,” she notes. The family room, a stone-floored addition dating back decades, was furnished for comfort. Pale, neutral walls play up the changing light and landscape.

Muse and Kim took inspiration from both the farmhouse and local vernacular materials in their conception of the property’s stained-cedar outbuildings, with their gabled metal roofs and clean interior and exterior lines. The wife calls the single-story guest cottage “fabulous,” explaining that “we wanted it all on one level for mobility reasons.”

The cottage would have been too big as part of the main house, says Muse, so it became a separate, two-volume structure, “one for the bedrooms and one for the living room—with a connecting hyphen that contains the kitchenette, laundry and storage.” Reducing the building’s overall scale, he adds, gave it “a better relationship with the adjacent pool pavilion,” a diminutive third structure just steps from the minimalist pool.

The garage now boasts stairs leading to a game loft for playing ping-pong and darts. And nearly hidden down a steep slope is the latest building, finished in 2020: a tractor shed and workshop where the husband likes to tinker.

The family spent many pandemic months in Virginia, working and learning remotely as well as hiking, biking, gardening, reading and watching movies. An outdoor fireplace with a tall chimney was constructed behind the shed and quickly became a favorite hangout.

What did the family patriarch think when he first visited? “I was impressed. I thought they did a marvelous job,” he says. As for his cherished library, “It’s pretty much unchanged except for a new look.”

Or as Kim observes, “you build buildings, and you build memories.”

DRAWING BOARD
Q&A with architect Stephen Muse

How do you meld different styles in an older home?
Because few homes are tied to aspecific style, we seldom focus on that when designing renovations. After analyzing every feature of the existing home, we extend and celebrate what is good, mitigate problems and maximize site potential so it looks as if it could have always been there.

What is a common remodeling mistake?
We often see designs focusing on the project’s new architecture rather than the entire home, which can result in a product that is not fully integrated. Additions should only be considered successful if the entire house is greatly improved.

What are the advantages of a multi-structure site?
A multi-structured compound allows more possibilities. A comprehensive site plan locates and organizes the main house and all outbuildings within a series of gardens and terraces. This approach yields a smaller, more energy-efficient main house, with secondary buildings for guest rooms, artist studios and home offices.

Renovation Architecture: Stephen Muse, FAIA, principal; Kuk-Ja Kim, AIA, LEED AP, project architect, Muse | Kirwan Architects, Bethesda, Maryland. Interior Design: Kim Caplan, KC Interior Design, Sarasota, Florida. Renovation Contractor: Geoff Pitts, Ace Contracting, Charlottesville, Virginia. Landscape Design: Anna Boeschenstein, PLA, ASLA, Grounded Landscape Architecture & Design, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Such was the case when a couple with a young child happened upon a 1970 brick dwelling on a Forest Hills street dotted with Cape Cods and Colonials. Beyond the stark, window-less façade, skylights bathed the simple, orderly interiors in light; in back, a deck overlooked a woodsy yard.

“We were looking for a no-frills, functional house where we could raise our kid,” explains the husband. “It was apparent from the beginning that this was absolutely workable—modest, responsible, restrained and exactly what we needed.”

They made an offer, planning to update the building down the line. But after an inspection revealed deteriorating asbestos in the ductwork, the duo decided to buy the property and renovate before moving in.

Most architects they interviewed were of the opinion that no matter how it was altered, the abode would always be “ugly.” One exception was Donald Lococo. “I fawned over this house, which I don’t usually do,” he recalls. “Its faceless façade referenced Brutalism, but it really spoke to me. Seventies architecture tends to be very rational and mathematical. This home, an almost perfect one-story square, communicated that.” Making the project more intriguing were outdoor sculptures left behind by the home’s original owner, whose parents are said to have run an art gallery in DC.

Once hired, Lococo sketched out a program to overhaul the house, meeting the family’s modern-day needs while respecting the mid-century aesthetic. “I didn’t want to turn it into something else,” he notes. George Papaheraklis, principal of FineCraft Contractors, Inc., later joined the team to make the plans a reality.

In the original layout, an entry hall ran straight through the structure. The garage and three small bedrooms were arranged on the left while on the right, closed-in spaces—an office, kitchen and dining room—progressed to a rear family room.

During the design phase, the owners decided to expand the 2,315-square-foot structure to create a guest room and library. Intent on preserving its horizontal, one-story profile, Lococo landed on a daring alternative to the typical pop-up. He conceived a freestanding volume evoking the iconic curved lines of a spaceship or an Airstream to be built atop the home, perpendicular to the street. “I wanted something complementary yet different. From the front, it’s a stucco curve that’s non-competitive,” the architect explains. “But from the side, it has its own voice.”

The streamlined add-on houses an upper foyer, a library, a guest room with a custom Murphy bed and a bath. Its wall of windows overlooks a rooftop sculpture garden. “The idea was that this would be just enough,” says Lococo. “It carved out spaces the owners needed versus filling a bigger box with more stuff.”

The makeover also transformed the main floor. Tall glass doors and windows brighten the foyer, where a floating staircase rises to the addition above; opening the foyer ceiling created a dramatic, double-height entryway. The kitchen and dining room traded places and the walls separating them from the hallway were discarded, giving the spaces room to breathe. Two small bedrooms made way for a generous owners’ suite and the home’s two-and-a-half baths were upgraded. The team also installed new HVAC, electrical and lighting systems.

Custom creations—driven by ’70s iconography and curvilinear forms—abound. Figured-walnut paneling in the dining room evokes the wood veneer on vintage station wagons. Surfboards inspired the elliptical kitchen island, which stands on legs reminiscent of those on an old-school stereo console. “Donald took 1970 and married it with 2030,” jokes Papaheraklis.

During the collaborative project, he, Lococo and the owners dreamed up new features on the fly. The builder (who’s also an architect) and his team went to extremes to solve challenges and deliver a high level of craftsmanship, from fabricating a full-size prototype of the stair rail onsite to integrating the library’s curved cabinets into curved drywall. “We all did our part to create a visual symphony,” says Papaheraklis. “Every detail was done—and sometimes redone—until the product became more and more aesthetic.”

Even the mid-century sculptures play a role. One of the works that conveyed with the home animates a garden off the kitchen; another holds court at the front door. And a new sculpture the architect found in Virginia Beach perches above the entry.

Lococo sees the completed project as a pure, more refined version of the home’s 1970 self. “Removing distracting plan elements, extraneous interior walls and even the front brick recess let the intention of the design shine through,” he says.

And the owners couldn’t be happier. The wife loves both working and relaxing in the light-filled addition. “It’s such a cool space to hang out in,” she says. “We listen to records while our child plays.”

Her husband concurs, “The house is intimate and warm—and everything that we wanted it to be.”

DRAWING BOARD

The design team at work.

How do you help clients determine whether to tear down or remodel?
Donald Lococo: It’s not necessarily a binary decision. Sometimes it’s a matter of keeping just a few things; once you begin to highlight certain notable characteristics of a home that are worth saving, you have the advantage of authenticity. Older homes have inherent mistakes and often, tragic flaws. You need to be honest and discerning; not everything in an existing home is sacred.

In renovations, how do you select materials that are current yet speak to the period of the home?
DL: I always make it a point to inherit a few emblematic elements from the existing home, surrounded by current yet quieter present-day materials. The trick is to calibrate this correctly. If you use too many materials, a renovation can feel overbearing. On the other hand,by not saving anything, it loses the character it once had.

What qualities should homeowners look for in a renovation contractor?
George Papaheraklis: A contractor has to be thoroughly grounded in the technical aspects of construction and have an ability to envision the ideas that the architect is trying to convey. A contractor should not only be able to duplicate an architect’s idea, but also to enhance it.

Renovation Architecture: Donald Lococo, AIA, Donald Lococo Architects, Washington, DC. Renovation Contractor: George Papaheraklis, FineCraft Contractors, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland. Landscape Architecture: Jennifer Horn, RLA, Jennifer Horn Landscape Architecture, Arlington, Virginia.

But the interiors tell another tale. The home’s four levels—main, lower and two upper—originally were accessed through multiple stairways, none connected. At the rear of the house, an addition was placed at yet another elevation, not quite level with either the main floor or the lower floor.

Now, after a collaborative effort, the home has a central stair that unifies the living spaces, and an expansion on the main and uppermost floors that took the home from 3,100 to nearly 5,000 square feet.

Then-prospective homeowners, Brian and Taylor (who withheld their last names for privacy) were ready to begin when they toured the house for the first time with their real estate agent and builder, Jordan Hutchins of Spruce Construction. “Taylor had a graph with options A, B and C,” Brian recalls.

After purchasing the home, they turned to architect Chuck Carbonaro of Island Architects to make their vision a reality. “Taylor and Brian were unique in how well they understood what they wanted,” Carbonaro says. “They knew from the get-go.”

The couple’s wish list included an updated kitchen and a modern owners’ suite, the architect relates, “plus large, open spaces connected to each other and the outdoors. They also wanted quiet, disconnected spots away from where they entertain. They have small children and understand that they will grow to be larger children who will want to entertain their own friends when they are older.”

After several design drafts, Carbonaro suggested two significant alterations: a single staircase to unify the interior and a two-story expansion that would accommodate a new family room and kitchen on the ground floor and primary bedroom, bathroom and his-and-her closets upstairs. Modifications on the lower level updated the spare bedroom and bathroom and added a wine cellar. Two bedrooms on the second floor stayed in place while the former primary bedroom was enlarged.

Taylor recalls thinking it would be “crazy” to go to the trouble of creating a new staircase, but trusted the architect’s vision. “It was something we had never considered, but once it was suggested, it blew our minds with what we saw,” she recounts. “It gave us the space to do it right.”

The new switchback staircase anchors the foyer beneath a ceiling that reaches 18 feet at its highest point; wainscoting adds character. “The foyer was a really nice opportunity,” agrees Carbonaro, noting that Taylor suggested raising the ceiling height. “When we moved the original ceiling, we discovered it wasn’t necessary to maintain support.”

Also on the main level, the front parlor was repurposed as a playroom with windowed pocket doors. The former sunroom is now a high-ceilinged office, clad in HardiePlank lap siding to match the dwelling’s exterior. Interior designer Jessica Williamson, principal of JTW Design, added a touch of glam in the dining room, wrapped in lustrous Phillip Jeffries Tailored Linens wall covering and velvet drapes.

The first floor also includes a generous mudroom and an open-plan kitchen that connects seamlessly to the family room. The kitchen sports a 10-foot island, illuminated by Rejuvenation fixtures, perfect for large gatherings. “We wanted it to be inviting, and a place everyone would be naturally drawn to,” Taylor says.

In nods to the home’s history, the addition features two arched doorways that echo an arch on the front façade. In the family room, an original brick exterior wall, painted white, anchors shelving and cupboards; a custom bar, backed by antique glass, was a special request by Brian. The fireplace surround was custom-made by Spruce Construction.

Except in the dining room, walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace, a crisp, clean white. “Because we have so many levels and rooms to this house, one of the ways to pull it together was to create a unified, monochromatic view throughout,” Taylor says.

Williamson worked with the couple early in the process to create vision boards for the entire home, then returned to assist Taylor, who was pregnant with the couple’s second child during construction. “They had a strong original vision,” Williamson says. “We honed it for clarity and consistency.”

Natural accents of deep gray, camel and ochre are placed against a “soothing, neutral backdrop,” the designer notes, pointing to the couple’s growing art collection for pops of color. “We wanted to create character that would be in keeping with the traditional nature of the home.”

Hutchins agrees. “It was really hard to visualize what the house would become,” he says. “Now, if you walked in for the first time you wouldn’t know where the old house was. As I’ve joked with Chuck Carbonaro, it’s an example of how all houses have hope.”

Renovation Architecture: Chuck Carbonaro, RA, Island Architects. Richmond, Virginia. Interior Design: Jessica Williamson, JTW Design, Richmond, Virginia. Renovation Contractor: Jordan Hutchins, Spruce Construction, Richmond, Virginia.

DRAWING BOARD
What’s the secret to a successful renovation?
Chuck Carbonaro, architect: Keep a journal of what you like and dislike about your current space, friends’ homes, etc. Share that with your design professional and be prepared for a conversation about whether your home can meet your ideals and where you’re willing to compromise.

How do you arrive at a realistic budget?
Jordan Hutchins, builder: Renovations take many twists and turns. It’s good to be flexible with design and expect surprises. Set funds aside for contingency costs (usually five percent of the total budget) and expect that to be spent.

Explain how you instill a redo with personality. 
Jessica Williamson, interior designer: Making a home feel personal is about helping clients identify what matters most to them. Once we get past functional needs and the desired look, we infuse spaces with what makes clients smile. We think about everything from shelving for a beloved collection to making sure art they love is on display.

BATHROOM REMODEL—WASHINGTON MARKET
Spectrum Design + Build, Albemarle Street, NW—Bathroom Remodel, Washington, DC

BATHROOM REMODEL—BALTIMORE MARKET
Owings Brothers Contracting, Skyline Bathroom Remodel, Ruxton, Maryland

CUSTOM HOME
Bayview Builders, Ulmstead Shores, Arnold, Maryland

GREEN HOME BUILDING
Bayview Builders, Lake Ogleton, Annapolis, Maryland

HISTORIC RESTORATION 1,000-2,000 SQUARE FEET
Owings Brothers Contracting, Industrial Style Condominium, Baltimore, Maryland

HISTORIC RESTORATION 100-999 SQUARE FEET
Spectrum Design + Build, W Street, NW—Historic Façade, Washington, DC

KITCHEN REMODEL/ADDITION 100-999 SQUARE FEET—WASHINGTON MARKET
Spectrum Design + Build, 14th Street, NW—Kitchen Remodel, Washington, DC

KITCHEN REMODEL/ADDITION 100-999 SQUARE FEET—BALTIMORE MARKET
Legacy Cabinetry & Design and Crosen Homes LLC, Argent Path, Ellicott City, Maryland

KITCHEN REMODEL/ADDITION 1,000-2,000 SQUARE FEET
Parker Design Build Remodel, Laurel, Laurel, Maryland

OTHER—CONDOMINIUM
Owings Brothers Contracting, Bank Street Condominium, Baltimore, Maryland

OTHER—55+ CONDOMINIUM
Owings Home Services, Retirement Condominium, Pikesville, Maryland

OUTDOOR LIVING
Spectrum Design + Build, Klingle Street, NW—Outdoor Living, Washington, DC

SPECIALTY AND/OR DETAILS—ENTRYWAY
Bayview Builders, Chartwell Branch Entryway, Severna Park, Maryland

SPECIALTY AND/OR DETAILS—STRUCTURAL
Owings Brothers Contracting, Davidsonville Specialty Project, Davidsonville, Maryland

Both eras came into play when new owners tapped architect Dale Overmyer to orchestrate a 21st-century makeover. “It’s a handsome farmhouse that had been completely reworked,” he relates. “The first iteration Jacobsen did in the ’70s went a long way towards opening it up. We wanted to take it even further and bridge the gap between mid-century and the historic house—and imbue it with personality.”

The clients, already Cleveland Park residents, had long admired the home. “We loved the space, the light and the yard,” says the wife. After acquiring it in 2019, she and her husband envisioned “modern yet comfortable interiors with gracious proportions.”

Though he retained the existing footprint, Overmyer seemingly injected volumes of space into the center-hall dwelling. He elevated the cramped entry and gutted the closed-off kitchen and family room to unveil an open, informal hub devoted to cooking, dining and gathering. And he efficiently tucked a new coat closet, powder room and walk-in pantry into the main-level plan.

On the second floor, the enlarged owners’ suite claimed adjacent bedrooms—one is now a wardrobe and another a luxurious bath. Two kids’ bedrooms are also on the second floor while the third level houses a pair of guest rooms and a loft finished as a teen hangout.

During construction, the owners hired Georgetown decorator Paige Shirk, who forged an instant connection with the home and its quarter-acre landscape. “I loved the floor-to-ceiling windows and the vibe of the outside coming in,” she observes. “My family had a farmhouse near Fallingwater and I recall how the furniture worked with the architecture. That was a big inspiration for me.”

As she collaborated with Overmyer and the wife, Shirk honed her vision for the interiors. “I wanted to combine old and new, modern and a bit more classic,” she remarks. “I didn’t dive into one aesthetic.”

Nature plays a starring role, beginning in the entry. New windows and a reimagined, open stair bathe the space in light and establish sight lines from the front door to the rear garden. With its randomly placed pickets, Overmyer likens the stair rail he designed to a bar code. “There’s an organic nature to what you’d expect to be more regimented,” he explains. “It’s an unabashedly contemporary move in the center of the house.”

The center-hall plan aligns the living and dining rooms and library to the right of the foyer with the kitchen and family room on the left. The team preserved Jacobsen’s tall windows in the living room, but recast his mid-century brick fireplace wall in plaster—a fresh take on a classic material. Clean-lined seating surrounds a 1970s travertine coffee table Shirk found on 1stdibs; a burnt-orange velvet sofa adds a burst of color.

In the facing dining room, fields of green botanical wallpaper commune with foliage visible through a trio of tall windows. “I like bringing the outside in, as we did with that shade of green,” Shirk reveals. “My client really wanted color.” Indeed, the wife drove the palette in exuberant directions, from a pool-bathroom wall covering emblazoned with cobalt palm fronds to the primary bedroom painted a deep aubergine.

Shirk tempered these bold moves with neutral furnishings and subtle textures. “I love mixing wood and leather and velvet and nubby materials,” she asserts. Case in point is the spacious family room, where the decorator mingled a velvet lounge chair, a concrete cocktail table and pillows in an array of textiles atop the cozy window seat. An adjacent table provides a perch for reading or morning coffee.

Overmyer is most proud of this “informal heart of the home,” encompassing the family room, bright and airy kitchen and breakfast area. “It’s nice to subtract, open up a space and enjoy the drama of a really generous room,” he says.

The architect played up the indoor-outdoor connection in the kitchen with large-format porcelain floor tile that reads as limestone; he repeated the material on the backsplash. “Around the island,” he points out, “we incorporated mosaic tile in the floor to suggest a sense of antiquity.” Poured-concrete countertops and custom cabinets in knotty pine reinforce the organic palette.

Avid cooks, the family members enjoy preparing and sharing meals in the convivial space. “We love to have friends over and it’s nice to be able to cook and socialize at the same time,” says the wife.

In the first-floor library, the owners and their design team preserved Hugh Newell Jacobsen’s egg-crate bookshelves, crafted during the late architect’s 1973 renovation. “They’re beautiful, with elegant lines, and very functional,” says the wife.

The stark white shelving was painted sage green—a shade “sympathetic to colors the original farmhouse would’ve had,” relates Overmyer. Ornate elements added over the years were removed and big picture windows installed. The architect notes, “We created more light, more space, more simplicity.”
It’s a mantra that relates to every room in this newly burnished home—one that celebrates its past with bravado.

Renovation Architecture: Dale Overmyer, AIA, Overmyer Architects, Washington, DC. Interior Design: Paige Shirk, Paige Shirk Design, Washington, DC. Renovation Contractor: Cecchi Homes, Arlington, Virginia.

SOURCES

DINING ROOM
Wallpaper: timorousbeasties.com. Paint Trim: Yearbridge Green by farrow-ball.com. Chandeliers: globallighting.com. Table: 1stdibs.com. Chairs: neuvolighting.com. Cabinet: fourhands.com. Stool: article.com.

LIVING ROOM
Light Fixture: apparatusstudio.com. Drapery Fabrication: theshadestore.com. Sofa: trnk-nyc.com. Rug: starkcarpet.com. Table: 1stdibs.com. Side Tables: vintage. Wall Paint: White Dove by benjaminmoore.com. Fireplace Treatment: hydeconcrete.com. Side Chairs: noirfurniturela.com. Console: vintage. Sculpture over Fireplace: Rana Begman.

KITCHEN
Stools: meadowblu.com. Paint: White Dove by benjaminmoore.com.

STAIRWAY
Rail Design: custom through overmyerarchitects.com. Rail Fabrication: northeastironworksinc.com.

KITCHEN
Cabinetry: custom. Cabinetry Fabrication: asticks.com. Countertops: hydeconcrete.com. Mosaic Tile: countryfloors.com. Faucets: calfaucets.com. Hood: ventahood.com. Hood Fabrication: custom by overmyerarchitects.com. Refrigerator & Microwave: subzero-wolf.com. Range: frenchranges.com.

FAMILY ROOM
Sofa & Sofa Fabric: muuto.com. Carved Table: timothypaulcarpets.com. Rug: starkcarpet.com. Cocktail Table: fourhands.com. Chair & Ottoman: bludot.com. Pillow Fabric: zakandfox.com. Window Seat Table: anthropologie.com. Window Seat & Window Seat Pillow Fabrics: Lee Jofa through kravet.com. Pillows: brookperdigontextiles.com. Window Seat Sconces: alliedmaker.com.

LIBRARY
Paint: Drop Cloth by farrow-ball.com. Light Fixture: beataheuman.com. Table: Owners’ collection. Leather Chairs: vintage. Desk Chair: noirfurniturela.com. Art: Owners’ collection.

BEDROOM
Paint: Pelt by farrow-ball.com. Shade Fabric: hinescompany.com. Shade Fabrication: rockvilleinteriors.com. Rug: annieselke.com. Ottoman: fourhands.com. Corner Chairs: Owners’ collection. Table Lamp: circalighting.com.

POWDER ROOM
Mirror: trnk-nyc.com. Sconces: alliedmaker.com. Wallpaper: pierrefrey.com.

DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
Home of the Year—The Logan at Quarry Springs, Bethesda, MD. Wormald Homes
Custom Home of the Year—1437 Cedar Avenue, McLean, VA. Clear View Homes; WCRA
Community of the Year‑—Robinson Landing, Alexandria, VA. EYA LLC; JBG SMITH; Mitsui Fudosan America; KTGY Architecture + Planning; Shalom Baranes Associates
Innovative Land Planning—Robinson Landing, Alexandria, VA. EYA LLC; Shalom Baranes Associates; KTGY Architecture + Planning; Mitsui Fudosan America; JBG SMITH
FreeStanding Club House—Bayside Fenwick Island, Fenwick Island, DE.
Carl M. Freeman Companies; AdsIntelligence Marketing
Outstanding Living Space or Architectural Feature—Cabana at Cornwell Farm, Great Falls, VA.
James McDonald Associate Architects
Outstanding Implementation of Innovative Design Concepts Detached/Attached—Chateau De Riviere, Great Falls, VA. The Building Group; Grow Landscapes
Green Building—Mid-Century Modern, Arlington, Arlington, VA. Arlington Designer Homes Construction LLC

Detached Home (lots under 7,000 square feet)
Under $300,000—Brooke in Evershire North, Waynesboro, VA. KTGY; Atlantic Builders
$600,001-$700,000—Atwood at Tapestry, Clarksburg, MD. KTGY; Miller and Smith
Over $850,000—Parkhurst at Willowcreek, Dayton, MD. Toll Brothers; Lessard Design, Inc.
DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE Detached Home (lots 7,000 square feet and over)
$1,000,001-$1,400,000—The Robey on Homesite 8 at Miller’s Reserve, Purcellville, VA. Evergreene Homes
Over $5,000,000—Chateau De Riviere, Great Falls, VA. The Building Group; James McDonald Associate Architects
Under $400,000—The Chesapeake at Orchard Hill, Spotsylvania, VA. Atlantic Builders
$400,001-$500,000—Tidewater Slab at Kindleton, Lewes, DE. KTGY; Lennar Corporation
$500,001-$600,000—Southport Basement at Kindleton, Lewes, DE. KTGY; Lennar Corporation
$850,001-$1,000,000—The Monroe at Meadows at Rose Hill, Alexandria, VA. The Christopher Companies; Moment Engineering + Design
Over $1,400,000—Palatine at the Windmill Collection, North Potomac, MD. KTGY; Toll Brothers

Attached Home
Over $850,000—The Logan at Quarry Springs, Bethesda, MD. Wormald Homes
$400,001-$500,000—Norwood at Watson’s Glen, Millersville, MD. KTGY; Tri Pointe Homes
$500,001-$600,000—Bluemont at Carter’s Mill by Del Webb, Haymarket, VA. PulteGroup
$600,001-$700,000—Sydney at Crown East, Gaithersburg, MD. PulteGroup
$700,001-$850,000—Willard at the Braddock, Chantilly, VA. KTGY; Toll Brothers

Multi-Family
New Construction—Robinson Landing, Alexandria, VA. EYA LLC; JBG SMITH ; Mitsui Fudosan America; KTGY Architecture + Planning; Shalom Baranes Associates
Mixed-Use—Juniper, Columbia, MD. CBG Building Company; The Howard Hughes Corporation; The Preston Partnership
Condominium or Apartment Unit—Walney at the Fairfax Collection, Chantilly, VA. KTGY; Toll Brothers

CUSTOM BUILDING
DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE Custom Home, Single Lot
3,000-5,000 square feet—Walker Road, Great Falls, VA. James McDonald Associate Architects
5,001-7,000 square feet—Arnon Chapel Road, Great Falls, VA. James McDonald Associate Architects
Over 7,000 square feet—Cornwell Farm, Great Falls, MD. James McDonald Associate Architects

DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE Custom or Customized Infill Home
5,001-7,000 square feet­—1437 Cedar Avenue, McLean, VA. Clear View Homes; WCRA Under 3,000 square feet—OPaL’s Tiny House, Washington, DC. OPaL, LLC
3,000-5,000 square feet—6525 32nd Street, Falls Church, VA. James McDonald Associate Architects
Over 7,000 square feet—1016 Langley Hill Drive, McLean, VA. Brush Arbor Home Construction; WCRA

DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE Renovations or Additions Over $1,000,000—
OPaL’s Historic Renovation in Cleveland Park, Washington, DC. OPaL, LLC

Do

• Use a company with strong pre-construction/planning, even if little or no design is involved. A well-run construction project takes many hours to plan. If the design is not finalized with materials selected and ordered before construction begins, expect delays and stoppages.
• Check online and print forums for reviews. If multiple negative reviews exist, chances are there is a good reason.
• Interview at least three companies before settling on one.

Don’t

• Hire the lowest bidder. As with anything else in life, you usually get what you pay for. Many companies will secure a contract by low-balling an estimate, then assess premeditated change orders once construction begins.
• Choose a “yes man.” You need someone who will tell you the truth even if it is not what you want to hear.
• Hire anyone who pushes their own agenda. Your remodeling partner should be receptive to your input.

What to Ask

• How much of your business is repeat- or referral-based?
• Do you have examples of projects like mine that you have completed recently?
• Are you licensed, bonded and insured in my area?
• Do you have a fixed-price contract, and what is your policy on change orders?
• Will you pull the necessary permits?
• What work do you subcontract out, and how are your relationships with your trade partners?
• Who will be in charge of the work once it begins?
• What is your timeframe for completion, and will you work every day?
• Are you LEED-certified by the EPA?
• How will you ensure that my home stays clean and safe?

Pro Tips

“Solid oak is our go-to for hardwood flooring. Unlike vinyl or engineered wood, hardwoods like oak can be countlessly refinished, making them the most timeless selection.” —Fritz Eisenbrandt, Eisenbrandt Companies

“Everyone wants control via a smart device—often voice-activated—from HVAC, lighting and entertainment systems to exterior and low-voltage landscape lights.” —George Papaheraklis, FineCraft Building Contractors, Inc.