When Michael and Nathalie Jacoby set out to have a home built in the Kent neighborhood of Washington, they made a very smart move. They introduced their interior designer and custom builder at the beginning.
Barbara Hawthorn of Barbara Hawthorn Interiors and Chryssa Wolfe of Chryssa Wolfe Hanlon Design Build had just the right chemistry to collaborate on this 6,000-square-foot, eight-bedroom, Arts and Crafts-style house. Their tastes and talents clicked and together they produced an exceptional home filled with warmth, color and a sense of discovery.
“My biggest problem with this project was the [steep] site. I had to build from the rear yard to the front yard. I designed the retaining walls and the pool and had to work from the back to the front street because there was no access,” says Wolfe, who started with a very high hill filled with bamboo and a dilapidated house.
“The client was great in bringing us both to the table and brought out the best in both of us,” Wolfe says. “Unfortunately not every homeowner has the vision that Mr. Jacoby [age 41] had to integrate interiors with what we do. In many cases our homes are done and they’re beautifully built, but [then the owners move in] and you’re standing there thinking ‘Oh my God, what have they done to my house?’”
In the case of the Jacoby residence, however, the results are seamless. Hawthorne and Wolfe addressed potential limitations before they became realities. For example, when Hawthorn reviewed the blueprints, she noticed that the fireplace in the study was centered on one wall. She suggested that they angle the fireplace to create space for both a work area and a seating area, rather than limiting the Jacobys’ options.
After Wolfe and Hawthorn angled the fireplace, they decided to angle the cooktop in the kitchen, too, which created symmetry. And when Hawthorn saw the plans for the kitchen cabinets, she discovered dead space between the tops of the cabinets and the ceiling that wouldn’t be good for much more than collecting dust. Wolfe’s workmen built double crown molding to connect the cabinets to the ceiling.
“I designed the kitchen and she took what I had done in the kitchen and some of the finishes and replicated them in some of her designs, which just makes the kitchen I designed more beautiful,” Wolfe says. For example, when Hawthorn was designing a desk for the study she incorporated the graceful design of the mullions on the windows and selected cherry wood like the cherry of the kitchen cabinets. “I like to keep little cues going to connect the space,” Hawthorn says. Other details such as correct door swings and clearances were discussed in advance, too.
The Heart of the House
The magnificent living/dining area at the back of the first floor, which Wolfe calls a “great room,” is the heart of the house. With two large fireplaces mirroring each other on facing walls in this huge room and three sets of doors opening to the backyard, it’s totally unexpected. You walk down the central corridor of the house and then – wow – the walls seem to open as you enter the spacious combined living/dining area. A built-in swimming pool on a terrace parallels this lovely room.
“I needed to do something that was explosive and opened up the whole house,” Wolfe says. Because the minimum width of a lot in DC is 50 feet with required eight-foot setbacks on each side, Wolfe had to design a creative way to make this remaining 34-foot-wide space special. This led to her idea of a gracious great room.
Mediterranean Hues
Hawthorn enhanced Wolfe’s great room design taking it into another dimension when she had the walls painted a warm shade that is a cross between cinnamon and persimmon and had a golden glaze applied on that.
“I try to get to know my clients and get to know their roots. This gives a resonance deep down,” says Hawthorn, who has lectured on color theory, and who had decorated a house for Nathalie Jacoby, 34, in the past. In fact the warm, rich, earthy tones of the terra-cotta walls in the great room do resonate with Nathalie, whose parents are from Fez, Morocco.
Form and Function
Hawthorn integrated gorgeous designs that are also child-friendly. In the great room, for instance, where the Jacobys do most of their entertaining, Hawthorn selected a cognac wool mohair ottoman instead of a coffee table for the living room area. “You can put your feet up with shoes and everything just brushes off of it,” she says. “Yet it’s big enough that you can have your tray on it for your drink.”
In the dining area, Hawthorn custom designed love seats to hold two children at the table at a time. These same love seats can be used in intimate seating arrangements elsewhere in the spacious room.
Gray Matters
“Barbara is the best at choosing colors. I trust her completely,” Nathalie says with a laugh, remembering one time when she didn’t. “I was very hesitant, because I’m not attracted to grays and I wanted the house to be very warm. She showed me a swatch of this [subtle, multicolored] fabric [for window scrims] and it looked gray to me. But she was insistent that it would work. We battled back and forth. Finally, I said, ‘Your eye for color is right on, so go ahead.”
“When they were hung, I called her and said, ‘You were right!’ It actually has a lot of life and it pulls all the warm yellows in. The gray is almost lost and turns into a different color because of the rest of the house.”
Nathalie adds, “I didn’t want my house to be gray. I wanted it to be warm and inviting. I wanted this house to be livable because we have five children.”
Indeed, the subtle yellow that Hawthorn used throughout the foyer, breakfast room, kitchen, study and family room is warm and inviting. And the house is very livable, especially since the family room is the first room off of the foyer, making it easily accessible to the entry and kitchen.
Code Word: Creamy
Another highlight that Hawthorn created is the ultra glamorous owners’ suite. She deftly mixed different shades and textures of creams, ivories and beiges for the chairs, linens, draperies and carpeting. She contrasted these with a dark cherry wood armoire. A graceful crystal chandelier crowns this pristine room.
“I love the bedroom, it’s my favorite room,” Nathalie says. “It’s like a retreat. With the busy lives that we lead, at the end of the day, I love to go into my bedroom, slip off my shoes and step into the softness of the carpet.”
In a household with five children, how does one keep fabrics clean? Hawthorn recommends trying to vacuum or dry brush soiled spots first to remove any crumbs. Next use a solution of diluted mild soap like Ivory or Palmolive and water (one unit of soap to eight units of water). Lightly mist, then use a white cloth and blot several times. Get as much up as possible. If it’s something that has color, finish with a very diluted solution of vinegar and water to keep the fabric colorfast. Let dry completely and repeat the whole process if needed. If an area is at high risk for spots such as a child’s room, use Guardian or Fiber Seal. Never get anything too wet or too soaked.
