The Domino Effect

Written by Trish Donnally Photography by Kenneth M. Wyner

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When Cathy Gerstein purchased new rugs for the living and dining rooms, neither she nor her husband, Jack, had any idea of what she was starting.

“I bought the rugs to try to spice up the existing furnishings and add a little color,” says Cathy, 37, who practiced law for eight years before taking some time off. Soon after purchasing the rugs, she bought two floor lamps and three pendant lamps to jazz up the living and dining rooms respectively. “But sometimes when you change one thing it can make the rest of it look glaringly bad.” The Gersteins decided their standard colonial townhouse in Arlington didn’t meet their standards. “We ended up ditching the whole place,” Cathy says.

“We both are attracted to modern and once you get started you have to see it all the way through,” says Jack, 55, a founder and senior partner at Ross, Dixon & Bell LLP. The couple didn’t want to move from their home, however, since they’re located minutes from Georgetown and within walking distance of Jack’s law firm.

After the new rugs and lamps were added, the Gersteins invited interior designers Cheryl Ransone, 43, and Shannon Wang, 33, from Apartment Zero in to discuss design ideas. They liked their suggestions and decided to renovate the living, dining, and powder rooms.

“We were charged with stripping everything out, starting over, and creating a clean contemporary space that would stand up to the artwork and balance it, but not take it over,” Ransone says, referring to the Gersteins’ powerful collection of original artwork by Sylvia Schuster.

The new living room rug, a mod style with subtle dusty blue and green circles the size of basketballs, was the springboard for the renovation. “The designers ended up working around those colors,” Cathy says, noting that “the rugs were not even all that expensive.”

“Cathy was so clear about what she wanted that we felt like we were on the same page from Day One,” Ransone says. “They have a fun whimsical side to them. It was wonderful that we could pick some pieces that were not so serious.”

As the living and dining rooms blossomed with minimalist style – a new sofa, chaise, and chairs, plus an exotic niche of mesmerizing pottery – suddenly the traditional wood picket railing for the stairs looked wrong. Shawn Afsharjavan of Integrated Design Solutions was brought in to create a streamlined cable railing. With their sleek new railing and striking living and dining rooms, which were awash in glorious light from three huge Palladian windows, plus a fresh coat of paint, the Gersteins thought their lower level now paled by comparison. We’ll get back to that.

Quality Details Make a Difference

As their renovation evolved, the Gersteins upgraded many features, too. For instance, they replaced every door in the house. They substituted solid wood single panel Mission style doors for hollow core doors. They used cherry for their bedroom door, birch for most others, and a fire retardant metal for the garage door. They also upgraded hardware, added recessed lighting, and installed a speaker system throughout their home.

A Place to Kick Back

As for that lower level, a vintage poster from Jack’s childhood home inspired the décor. While cool greens and dusty blues color much of the Gerstein home, by contrast, the lower level features vibrant poppy reds and burnt oranges.

“Cathy wanted the lower level to be warm, inviting, comfortable for the family, and dog-friendly, a place where they could kick back and enjoy themselves,” Ransone says. “I wanted one room where I could sink into a chair and read,” Cathy says. The lower level has become one of her favorite spaces in the townhouse because, “I like the dramatic change and the coziness of it.” The transformation was dramatic. Jack wanted a French poster of a jaunty fox in an advertisement that had hung in his parents’ home in the 1950s to be displayed here. This poster, which is loaded with character and color, stimulated the designers.

“Once you have an element like that, you can design a whole room around it,” says Ransone, who accented the space with orange, red, and creamy shades on the walls and furnishings to complement the poster.

Cathy selected Interface Flor tiles to be laid wall-to-wall in the lower level. “You can put these tiles in the sink and scrub them and put them back down,” Wang says. Cathy adds, “If you spill red wine, you can take one square up and replace it.” After the lower level transformation, the Gersteins kept going.

Tranquil Bedroom Suite

Next, they remade an entire floor of their home into a wonderful owners’ bedroom suite. Their spacious bedroom, which has soaring ceilings and a view of the Potomac River during the winter when the foliage is gone, represented a bit of a challenge because of the volume of space. “It’s such a tall space, I thought we needed something to warm up the room,” says Cathy, who bought billowy taffeta draperies for the bedroom, which has 18’ ceilings at the highest point.

She bought a king-size bed to balance the scale of the room. “Modern beds are different, they’re not as big as traditional beds. Because the space is big, I thought we needed a little more mass,” says Cathy, who adorned the bedding with metallic pillows that glisten like jewelry.

The Gersteins also had a former bedroom converted into a custom dressing room that connects to the owners’ bath, which is exceptional. They gutted the previous bathroom.

“We were trying to create an inviting spa-like atmosphere,” Ransone says. Indeed, they created a tranquil and serene ambiance with a sculptural freestanding tub, glass-enclosed shower, custom cherry cabinetry, creamy linen wallpaper, and heated limestone floor. This floor has become one of Jack’s favorite features.

“I didn’t appreciate when we were planning the heated floor how much I would become addicted to it,” he says.

In the guest room on the top floor, an image by nature photographer Thomas Mangelson graces the wall above the bed, and graphic artwork by Schuster defines a seating area.

Coming and Going

In addition to replacing their front door, the Gersteins gave their foyer a new, clutter-free look. “They wanted something functional. They didn’t want to see their keys, mail, and magazines, they just wanted a drop spot for them,” Wang says. So they had an innovative full-length mirror installed. The surprise is that the mirror, by BDI, can be twisted to reveal shelves on the back that are ideal for holding keys, sunglasses, and other things they want to have at the ready.

The Gersteins have had plans drawn up for a new kitchen, too, but they’re taking a rest before starting that project. Meanwhile, they’re enjoying their crisp, clean-lined renovation and laughing at the thought that it all started with a couple of new rugs.