A Masterpiece in Chevy Chase

Photography by Magenta Livengood

The line between being respectful to a home’s history and being a slave to it is always thin, but it’s one on which Chryssa Wolfe of Hanlon Design Build Inc. comfortably perches. She recently completed End Lane, an impressive renovation in Chevy Chase, MD, that merges reverence for history with the informal way we live now.

End Lane at dusk

“I didn’t want it staid,” says Wolfe, “I didn’t want it serious.” So she brought in lively colors wherever possible – Donghia daybeds, William Morris wallpaper, vibrant tile in the mudroom, and surprisingly successful purple walls in the dining room. Wolfe took risks throughout, and they paid off.

Donghia daybeds in the library

Fans of Wolfe’s work will recognize some signatures: masterful millwork and mouldings, impeccable color choices, and effortless blending of new and old looks.

The formal living room

A sitting area adjoining the foyer and dining room

Modern conveniences, country charm in the kitchen

“In China, they’re tearing down all these old homes,” Wolfe says, and since this home was nearly a goner itself, she decided to bring in some relics from Chinese teardowns as a nod to the value of reinvention.

Chinese shutters and doors

And this is just a taste. The home is rich with ideas, from Wolfe’s paintings of trees that had to be torn down for the project to cork footrests in the theater to children’s suites that brim with personality. For Wolfe and her team, End Lane is a home run.