Celebrating Our Fifth Anniversary
The traditional fifth-anniversary gift is made of wood, and if last night’s party at Turnberry Tower Arlington was any indication of our first five years of publishing unforgettable homes in the DC region, let’s knock on some wood for continued success in the same vein.
At least 200 of the region’s best designers, architects, builders, and home-interior tradespeople gathered to help us celebrate – and to tour Turnberry’s fabulous $7.1 million Tower Suite, which is situated above the penthouses.
Imagine waking up to views of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and Kennedy Center, or sipping wine in the living room as you gaze down at what look like strands of diamonds and rubies streaming back and forth over Key Bridge and the inky Potomac River below, while the lights of Georgetown twinkle in the background.
It’s kind of unimaginable, actually, and we want to extend huge thanks and gratitude to Turnberry Tower, which opened the space to us and catered the party with scrumptious hors d’oeuvres from Windows Catering and red velvet cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake.
Jim Cohen, vice president of sales for Turnberry Ltd., poses with his wife, Diana.
Washington Spaces Editor in Chief Trish Donnally stands with Senoir Vice President Ron Smith and Executive Vice President Ann Scully of Mayhood, the sales agents for Turnberry.
The walls of the unfinished space were lined with gigantic images of the magazine’s 31 covers to date, and everyone was asked to vote for their favorite.
Here’s the ballot box,
And here’s Daniel Steinkoler, owner of Superior Home Services, getting busted as he tried to stuff the box with his favorite pick. Sorry, Danny!
The winner, shot by photographer Morgan Howarth, was our striking Fall 2008 cover of Architect Lavinia Fici Pasquina’s house in Bethesda, MD.
This cover is among the few we’ve ever done of a home’s exterior, which caused a bit of a debate when we were choosing it, but now that the votes are in, we’re glad we did.
In addition to a spectacular setting, we had a stellar group of guests. We wouldn’t be where we are now without the amazing people in the home-design industry who supported us along the way. Here’s to you.
Here we all are toasting our guests who made our fifth anniversary possible. From left: Trish Donnally, her husband, Robert Donnally, Associate Publisher Heather Heider, Associate Art Director Susan Chong, Senior Graphic Designer Kevin Tseng, Senior Account Executive Emilia Philip, Senior Editor Jennifer Sergent, Senior Staff Writer Emily Lyons, and Account Executive Jill Yager.
Designer Barry Dixon stands with the Early Winter 2007 cover, which features his kitchen at the stately Elway Hall in Warrenton, VA.
Now Barry stands with Trish Donnally, analyzing the composition of another cover.
Photographer Kenneth M. Wyner and his fiancée, Alice Ng, stand before two covers he shot for our magazine.
Jonas Carnemark, whose gorgeous Konst Kitchen Interior Design showroom was the setting of our Best of Architecture design awards two weeks ago, stands with Architect Nuray Anahtar of NOA Architecture Planning Interiors.
Jill Yager relaxes with the dashing Bret Anderson, president of Pyramid Builders.
Our beautiful art directors Susan Chong and Angie Grandizio enjoy the celebration.
Designers Miriam Dillon, left, and Rebecca Foley flank Architect Mark Sullenberger, all of Custom Design Concepts Architecture + Interiors.
Amanda Kaufman of Charles Luck Stone Center, left, stands with her date, Jason Levitt, and Daniel Steinkoler and Kelly Sullivan of Superior Home Services.
Trish Donnally poses with Shimon Garibi of Elite Kitchens.
Heather Heider, left, and Jennifer Sergent mug with Architect Brad Mellor in the Tower Suite’s incredible Snaidero kitchen.
Brigitte Reyes, left, and husband Mills Davis, right, who own Reyes + Davis Independent Exhibitions, are embraced by artist James Huckenpahler.
Emilia Philip poses with Berkay Demirkan, marketing director for Tatari Construction, and his date, Anastasia Ivanova.
Marty Valentine of Advertising Your Way, and Heather Heider.
Jennifer Sergent finds herself between two handsome men – Ilan Fulop, left, and Tom Fulop of Rockville Interiors.
Emily Lyons shares a laugh with Architect Andreas Charalambous of Forma Design.
Trish and Robert Donnally stand before the poster of our current cover, hoping for five, 15, 25 more years, and then some!
Visual Acoustics: A Feast of Photography
I had no sooner attended the exciting screening of “Visual Acoustics, The Modernism of Julius Shulman” on Friday night, when – pow! – I got the news yesterday that Metropolitan Home is closing. The juxtaposition of those two events makes me want to urge every one of you who appreciates modern architecture and great photography to head straight to Landmark Theatres in Washington, DC, to see this inspiring documentary.
The film’s star is Julius Shulman, the extraordinary photographer whose work is inextricably intertwined with the Modernist architectural movement of Southern California. But while Shulman is the lovable human hook, this film also tells the bigger story of modern architecture.
By pure coincidence, Shulman connected with Architect Richard Neutra in 1936, and the rest is history. Shulman’s distinctive images of architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright, John Lautner, Oscar Niemeyer, and Rudolf Schindler make this film a feast of photography. But it’s Case Study House No. 22, by Architect Pierre Koenig, that was Shulman’s most iconic image.
Julius Shulman shot this image and captured a fantasy lifestyle in a glass box overlooking LA, or as designer Tom Ford said in the film, “This popular zeitgeist is caught perfectly in that picture.”
“Visual Acoustics,” which is narrated by Dustin Hoffman, is 83 minutes long, and includes interviews with Architect Frank Gehry, Artist Ed Ruscha, and architectural historians, among others.
Right after the screening, Director Eric Bricker spoke to the audience about what it was like to make this film.
“This was the experience of a lifetime. Julius was a master at living life. There was always a silver lining in everything that happened. That was the No. 1 thing I learned from Julius,” Bricker said.
Tina Alster, Paul Frazer, and the film’s executive producer Lisa Hughes hosted an after-party in Alster and Frazer’s fantastic Georgetown home.
Corinne Davidov visits with “Visual Acoustics” Director Eric Bricker (center) and Paul Frazer, who hosted the after-party.
I spoke to Bricker over cocktails. He talked about how he met Shulman by chance in LA back in the late ’90s when he was looking for some 1930s photographs of San Francisco while working as an art consultant. Someone referred him to their next-door neighbor, who happened to be Shulman.
“I was blown away by his photographs, and I was equally blown away by him as a person,” Bricker said, impressed by Shulman’s talent and wisdom. “The first day I met him, I said, ‘I’m going to be friends with him.’ ”
Bricker said meeting the remarkably talented photographer has been a life-altering experience. “Julius Shulman never went after wealth. It was his connection with nature and his relationships that was his wealth.”
Shulman, who was born on 10/10/1910, passed away last July at age 98. Shulman gave his archives to the Getty Museum, and saw “Visual Acoustics” seven times before he died.
“I don’t know anyone who has lived a fuller life than he did,” Bricker said.
Shirley Thomson, former director of the National Gallery of Canada, with Tina Alster, founding director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery, and hostess of the soiree after the screening.
Several top architects attended the screening and the soirée that followed, including the renowned Hugh Newell Jacobsen.
Architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen talks to Washington Spaces Editor in Chief Trish Donnally.
Architect Rudi Djabbarzadeh of Rudi D. and his wife, Interior Designer Fabiola Martens
“Visual Acoustics” is scheduled to play at the Landmark Theatres in DC through Nov. 19th. Don’t miss it. The success of these kinds of small independent films is built on word of mouth. So go see the movie, tell your friends, and let me know what you think.
Honoring the Best in Architecture at KONST
It’s been a charmed week at Washington Spaces – on Tuesday we met the White House decorator and toured the W, and last night we had the privilege of celebrating the winners of our 2009 Best of Architectural Spaces competition in the lovely, recently expanded KONST showroom in Bethesda, MD. (See the winning projects and all entries here.) The event was high-energy, as architects, designers, builders, and vendors chatted about projects and traded ideas.
Architect Alejandro Carreño of Terra Design Studio Inc. and General Contractor Agustin Garay accept the award for their project, “Dream Home at Difficult Run,” from Washington Spaces Associate Publisher Heather Heider and Editor in Chief Trish Donnally.
Megan Petratis of KONST and Washington Spaces Senior Account Executive Emilia Philip
KONST owner Jonas Carnemark and winning Architectural Designer Anthony Wilder of Anthony Wilder Design/Build Inc.
For many guests, the sophisticated (and largely green!) installations and SieMatic cabinetry at KONST were a new find. “I work three blocks away, and never knew this [showroom] was here,” commented Architect Nuray Anahtar of NOA Architecture Planning Interiors.
Frank Connoley of Ilex Construction and Washington Spaces Senior Editor Jennifer Sergent
Tom Wells, CEO of Integrated Media Systems Inc., chats with Designer Barry Dixon of Barry Dixon Interiors.
Deron Bennett, sales associate from Ann Sacks in Georgetown and Sharmell Anderson, senior designer with Marriott International
Mark Sanders and Bret Anderson with Pyramid Builders, Photographer Greg Hadley, and award winner Joe Burton of J.A. Burton Architecture Inc.
More party pics after the jump…
Suzette Delay, showroom manager of Henredon Interior Design Showroom, and Eve Fay of Farrow & Ball
Washington Spaces Account Executive Jill Yager and Rafaella Pucci of Ella Pucci
JR Peter of Colao Stone & Design and Agustin Garay of KG Studio
Stephanie Murdoch and Julie Pelletier of Cunningham | Quill Architects PLLC, Allison Nissen of KONST, and Jen Harty, also of Cunningham | Quill
Linda Walker of Complete Home Solutions accepts an award for a project designed by Architect James W. Ritter of Ritter Architects PLLC
Katie Grech and Glen Redmon of Hardwood Artisans
Michael Weiss of Charles Luck Studio and Barry Stohlman of Stohlman Custom Renovations LLC
An elegant fireplace warmed guests on the cool night.
The full-house crowd at KONST applauds the winning projects.
Three Cheers for CharityWorks
Oh, what a night. Design stars of regional, national, and international renown were out at last night’s preview and reception for the CharityWorks GreenHouse (CWGH), opening tomorrow for tours. This house is the design event of the season.
Stephanie Odegard, center, founder and president of Odegard Inc., came down from New York for the reception. Several Odegard rugs were used in CWGH rooms. Beside her are sales associate Ruth DeHart, left, and showroom manager Monique Martin, from the Odegard showroom in The Washington Design Center.
Barry Dixon, chairman of the CWGH design committee, looks dapper in the great room he designed.
The finished house is pure eye candy and full of imaginative details. There’s a tableau of roses and mushrooms in Charlotte Lekakos’ guest bedroom; a dramatic, earthy sculpture by artist Barbara Liotta hanging from the ceiling in Architect Ernesto Santalla’s spa-like “retreat” space; and a row of sunny bud vases behind the outsize kitchen sink.
For extensive coverage of the house itself (for which Washington Spaces is thrilled to be the media sponsor) click here, here, and here. Scroll on to meet some of the gracious designers and supporters who made it all happen.
Rick Singleton, left, who made the sconce behind him from reclaimed mirrors for Victoria Neale’s dining room, stands with artist John Matthew Moore.
Skip Sroka, left, who designed the home office. His colleagues Liz Bausch and Amanda Bates pause in their finished space.
Cynthia Sayers used Pick Up Sticks, tiles made from scraps of stone, in the bathroom she designed. Architectural Ceramics provided nearly all the tile used in the house.
Designer Raji Radhakrishnan relaxes with CWGH Co-director Victoria Sabo.
Designers Seth van den Bergh and Susan Gulick pose in the media room they designed. Susan is sitting on a petrified-wood stool.
Nancy Colbert, left, takes a break in the tasting room she designed, with Washington Spaces Senior Writer Emily Lyons.
Champion figure skater Michael Weiss and his wife, Lisa Weiss, who designed the wine cellar.
Washington Spaces Editor in Chief Trish Donnally stands with VA Delegate Margaret Vanderhye, who represents the McLean district where the GreenHouse is located. A longtime environmental advocate, Vanderhye is on the House of Delegates’ Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee.
Spaces Associate Publisher Heather Heider, left, with Interior Designer Barbara Hawthorn, Hawthorn’s associate Fabrizia Hawes, and Designer Annette Hannon. Hawthorn designed the outdoor space; Hannon designed an upstairs bedroom.
A view to the pool from an upstairs bedroom as the party began.
Architect Ralph Cunningham, right, designed the GreenHouse with associate Michael Day, left.
Stephanie Odegard pauses with Victoria Neale, who featured a hemp Odegard rug in her lovely dining room design.
Shortly after we took this picture of Architect Ralph Cunningham eating his dinner at the table in Barry Dixon’s impeccable great room (with Architect Ernesto Santalla mugging it up next to him), a shocked CharityWorks Founder Leah Gansler promptly shooed him away.
Interior Designer Sandra Meyers, who decorated a guest room, and Suzanne Sanzone of Annette Hannon Interior Design Ltd.
Designer Miriam Dillon of Custom Design Concepts Architecture + Interiors, who decorated the family vestibule with Rebecca Foley, stands with her husband, John Dillon, and Designer Charlotte Lekakos, who designed a guest bedroom.
Designer Lynni Megginson, who decorated the virtual golf room, with Ernesto Santalla.
A guest takes a swing in Lynni’s lower-level golf room, which was truly a “hit.”
CharityWorks Founder Leah Gansler, left, with GreenHouse Co-Director Deanna Belli in Barry Dixon’s great room.
The food by Windows Catering was delectable and the desserts, unforgettable.
Heather Heider and Trish Donnally sample the sweets.
Barbara Hawthorn blows out the candles that lit her stunning poolside scene, ending a fabulous night.
Go Green With Bo Green
“The Money Pit should have been based on this house,” says Architect Bo Green of B. Green Design. He and his wife, Anne du Vivier, bought a house in northwest Washington, DC, about 10 years ago, and ended up virtually replacing the entire house. “I literally started just to replace the kitchen cabinets,” Green says. But when he went to replace the cabinets, he discovered eight burned wires behind them and realized trouble was brewing. “I unpeeled layers of an onion and found one thing wrong, then another. It took us almost two years to find out everything that was wrong with the building,” he says. As time went on, Green essentially rebuilt the whole house – in a sustainable, thoughtful way. He wanted to make the house cutting edge in terms of energy efficiency, and he succeeded.
After years of considering every detail, Bo Green rebuilt this house in Forest Hills, which is environmentally intelligent inside and out. All photography is by Matthew Dandy.
“People think green houses are tutti frutti, up in the mountains, off the grid houses,” Green says. “People think it has to look a certain way. But the materials and the approaches are what make a house green, not the form.”
Green approached his house keeping the principles of Vitruvius, an architect who lived around the time of Christ, in mind. “Vitruvius used three words – firmness, commodity, and delight,” says Green, who laments the fact that the element of delight has often been overlooked, especially in tract houses. He built his house to last 100 years, thought through the use of each space carefully and used non-toxic materials, and added playful touches when least expected.
Among the highlights in the new house, which was just sold last week, are:
• 32 roof windows and skylights
“This way, you don’t need electric lights to read in most of the public rooms,” Green says. This house overlooks Rock Creek Park, which makes the views out the windows delightful.
A second floor window overlooks Rock Creek Park.
Another window brings the outside in.
Seeing daylight throughout the house can give a lift to your day. This window has a blackout screen, in case darkness is desired.
• If the pocket doors in the hearth room, which is adjacent to the kitchen/living/family area, are closed, windows can be opened, and the space will become a three-season room.
“In the fall, on a crisp autumn day when you want to feel the fresh air, you can open the windows without letting all of the heat go out of your house.”
• The hearth room includes a Tulikivi soapstone fireplace.
“A traditional fireplace is only about 30 percent efficient, but a Tulikivi stove is 95 percent efficient. It’s advertised that it ‘only pollutes as much as the tree rotting in the forest.’ ”
The hearth room can be closed off and converted into a three-season room.
One exceptional view on the first floor of the house is a 90-foot enfilade that flows from the kitchen/living/family room area, to the dining room, to the central hall, to the living room, and into the media room or north wing of the house.
Flooring is made of certified sustainably harvested lumber – acacia wood.
The new kitchen includes eco-friendly appliances and countertops.
Other key sustainable features include:
- Radiant heat throughout the house
- Non-toxic paints, coatings, and glues
- A roof made of Vermont green heavy weight slate
- Windows with aluminum exteriors so they don’t have to be painted
Green built an apartment over the garage, seen here through the window over the front entrance.
Keeping your house dry is critical, says Green, who installed hardscape – flagstone – around the perimeter of his whole house. “Most people could use gravel… Moisture means mold.”
He advises keeping bushes, mulch, and anything that will hold moisture away from your house. In addition to helping to prevent moisture from getting into the house, Green says, “Termites will not cross hard surfaces.”
The architect says, “Indoor air quality in our buildings can be anywhere from 10 to 100 times more toxic than air quality outside, according to some government statements.” So he encourages people to go outside and get fresh air.
“A properly placed bench is something to look at from the inside to invite you to go outside. This bench faces the southern sun. You could sit there on a winter day and be quite toasty.”
A ribbon of water flows from a lovely fountain in the front yard.
“If you make the building delightful, you’re probably going to want to spend more time there,” Green says. “The silver lining to the Great Recession is it has us focusing on a simpler lifestyle, which is perfect timing for the Greening of America.”
A Bright Night: Best of Remodeling at Ferguson
Photographs by Matt Dandy
Last night Washington Spaces had the pleasure of honoring elite area architects and design/build firms as we congratulated our 2009 Best of Remodeling Competition award recipients at the fabulous Ferguson showroom in Alexandria, VA.
While rain fell outside, the showroom’s glittering light fixtures from Schonbek, Kichler, and more were a perfect backdrop for the soirée, and professionals warmly chatted about current and future projects throughout the night.
Washington Spaces Account Executive Jill Yager with award recipients Architect Chris Pfaeffle of Parameter Inc., and his wife, Sally
“These events are so effective for bringing people together,” said Architect Bill Poulos of WDG Architecture, who was surprised to reconnect with an old friend at the event, who’s also an architect, at Ferguson.
Bill Poulos and Designer Lori Ludwick of InDesign, whose charismatic Georgetown pied-à-terre took home an award
Read on for more party pics, and be sure to peruse all the winners and entries here.
JR Diffee of Colony House, Architect Nuray Anahtar of NOA Architecture Planning Interiors, who brought home an award for overhauling a stunning waterfront apartment, her husband Yavuz Anhatar, and Washington Spaces Senior Account Executive Emilia Philip
Glen Redmon of Hardwood Artisans, Designer Susan Utley of Design Studio, Anthony Barbarino of Chapel Valley Landscape Company, and Washington Spaces Associate Publisher Heather Heider
Karin Strydon and her husband, Architect Steven Spurlock of Wnuk Spurlock Architecture, who received an award for their remodel of a penthouse in Adams Morgan
Architect Ernesto Santalla of Studio Santalla, Emilia Philip, Daniel Steinkoler of Superior Home Services Inc., and Washington Spaces Senior Staff Writer Emily Lyons
Architect Bruce Wentworth, who won for his porch-turned-covetable-mudroom design, and Mary Endres from Wentworth Inc.
Architect Joe Burton of J.A. Burton Architecture Inc. and Washington Spaces Senior Editor Jennifer Sergent
Heather Heider presents Architect Mark Sullenburger of Custom Design Concepts Architecture + Interiors PC with an award for refreshing the exterior of a ho-hum townhome
Washington Spaces Editor in Chief Trish Donnally chats with Claude Zein, owner of Boffi Studio DC, Coverings Etc., and Jesse
Terry Kees of TAS Interiors, Emilia Philip, Jennifer Sergent, and Jane Forbes of Chapel Valley Landscape Company
Richard Leggin Architects
Designers frequently give us pictures of individual rooms they’ve designed, and we’ll feature those pictures as examples of their work, as we did in my recent story on color in the Spring issue of Washington Spaces.
All photography of this home is by Michael Kress
Fiona Newell Weeks supplied this photo by Michael Kress for that story, so it was really cool to hear recently from Architect Richard Leggin, who designed the whole-house renovation of which that room was a part.
He sent me photos of the rest of this glorious house in Potomac, MD, which he designed around the homeowners’ inspiration from the Louisiana governor’s mansion.
Here’s the Potomac home:
And here’s the governor’s mansion:
“They kept coming back to that [image] time and again for inspiration,” Leggin told me. And beyond the façade, he did a significant amount of work to update what used to be a tired, ’60s-era home. “We really did pretty much of a whole-house gut,” he said. Here’s the result:
The front doors were made to look old, down to their new “antique” wavy glass panes.
The stairs were reoriented from near the front door to create a formal stair hall beyond a small entry foyer.
Most of the rooms in the old house had low ceilings. Leggin created varying heights in different rooms in the remodel, such as this nine-foot ceiling in the family room.
The homeowners used their country home in Virginia as inspiration for the kitchen cabinets, which Leggin designed and The Master’s Woodshop in Hagerstown, MD, built.
The old study had “kind of a ’60s ski-chalet style,” Leggin said, with red walls, dark mahogany cabinets, and a “pickled” cathedral ceiling. The updated version, with a mantel and millwork designed by Leggin and built by The Master’s Woodshop, is much more pleasing to the eye.
The new garage leads to the house through a breezeway. Leggin also designed all the landscaping.
The pool and pergola – I wouldn’t mind being there just about… now.
2009 Best of Interior Design Party Wrap-up
Guests were all smiles at last night’s soirée to celebrate the Washington Spaces 2009 Best of Interior Design winners. They enjoyed the cozy, intimate atmosphere at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Vienna, VA.
Associate Publisher Heather Heider presents Barbara Billet and Kellie Collins of Billet Collins LLC an award for their winsome, colorful bedroom design.
“It’s exciting to be recognized and to meet new people in [related industries],” said Interior Designer Sophie Prévost, who with her ColePrévost partner and husband Architect Robert Cole received an award for a sociable overlapping living room solution that gave a young family room to entertain but also some private space.
Senior Editor Jennifer Sergent with Interior Designer Sophie Prévost of ColePrévost
Claude Zein, principal of Boffi Studio DC, Coverings Etc,, and Jesse; Designer Andre Sabbagh and Terry Kees of Tas Interiors; and Tom Wells, CEO of Integrated Media Systems Inc.
Linda Sutherland and Alan Robson of The Great British Pine Mine take a look at the Spring issue
Dan Ouellette of Charles Luck, John Blekicki of Mountain. Lumber Co, and Michael Brown of Charles Luck
Shireen Gerhold, designer at Aidan Design, and Krysten Park, marketing director of Ambient Bamboo Products Inc.
Heather Heider presents an award to Interior Designers Miriam Dillon and Rebecca Foley of Custom Design Concepts Architecture + Interiors for a breathtaking living room full of rich textural details and natural materials.
Washington Spaces Account Executive Jill Yager is joined by Vic Krause (left) and Bill Thornton of C2 Paint.
Susan Chong, Washington Spaces associate art director, relaxes with colleague Kevin Tseng, senior graphic designer.
Architect Nuray Anhatar of NOA Architecture Planning Interiors echoed the sentiment, saying “It’s great to see the accomplishments of our colleagues.”
Marty Valentine of Advertising Your Way and Randy Gore of Charles Luck
Guests especially liked the intimate atmosphere, which fostered easy conversation throughout the night.
Terry Kees and Mary Gallagher Stout
Washington Home & Garden Show Favorites
Full-bloom gardens, serene patio scenes, and striking outdoor tablescapes transformed the Washington Convention Center in downtown DC this past weekend.
The fragrant and lush landscape vignettes were front and center at the annual Washington Home & Garden Show.
Above, from left to right, Daniel Robey, Josh Woolridge, and Anthony Cusat of McHale Landcape Design Inc. stand by the wine pavilion the company created just for the show. It took two months to construct this Tuscan setting, and it paid off – the show awarded McHale with the honor of “Best in Show.”
Another view of McHale’s “Best in Show” design
It’ll be another few weeks before we start seeing the beautiful blossoms of DC’s renowned cherry trees, but they were in full bloom this weekend at the show. As You Like It Landscaping worked its magic to “force” the blossoms out of hibernation through indoor temperature manipulation. The crowning glory of this setting was the glowing pergola in the background, which created a dreamy and ethereal outdoor respite.
This cheerful and sunny vignette, above, from Summer Classics makes me want to lounge on a wrap-around porch and sip iced tea. The aluminum outdoor furniture tricks the eye – it’s made to look like timeworn wood. The bright hues of the French linen upholstery with contrasting piping had me wishing for warmer weather.
I can picture this scene, above, filled with smiling faces and lots of hot dogs and hamburgers. It’s the perfect setting for a summer cookout, and it’s all from Crate & Barrel. Shown here are the Meridian line of metal outdoor furniture and the Garden Party line of tableware.
Of course, the point of having an outstanding outdoor space is to set the stage for a beautiful home, and the show’s list of remodeling and home décor vendors didn’t disappoint.
Jeffrey Oh of Jeffrey Oh Woodworking debuted his new kitchen design at the Washington Home & Garden Show. The countertop of this piece, above, was made from one slab of an English walnut tree and the cabinet base, complete with a Sub-Zero refrigerator drawer, is made of birdseye maple. A natural edge is kept on the wood, and each piece is unique, such as the slab at back made of rare Bastogne walnut.
Above, from left to right, Ethan and Chris Landis of Landis Construction Corporation and Daniel Steinkoler of Superior Home Services Inc. represented the Metro DC Chapter of National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) at the show. Both companies received recognition in NARI’s Contractor of the Year (COTY) Awards, which we covered here on this blog.
John Kiernan of Blue Line Studios drew a crowd at the Nash Construction Inc. booth. Sean de Launay of Nash Construction looked on as Kiernan painted cherubs on faux-marble acrylic.
Just look at the transformation.
McInturff Architects – On Fire!
McInturff photographs by Julia Heine
Architect Mark McInturff’s creative combination of fireplace, TV, bookshelves, and windows along the wall of a DC home recently won a national design competition from the maker of that fireplace, Spark Modern Fires.
There were more than 150 entries from designers across the country and in Canada. “Although the competition was very tough this year, the McInturff entry was hard to beat,” said Tom Healy, president of Spark Modern Fires.
I agree, especially after McInturff explained what it took to create the unit. “It’s all one thing,” he said, explaining that the fireplace/TV unit was literally built into the shelving so they float off the ground.
The photo above gives you a better idea of how it all works. McInturff ripped out a conventional gas fireplace and rearranged the configuration of windows so natural light would flow in at different levels throughout the book shelves. “It’s put together like a Swiss watch,” he said, describing the complexity of the project.
McInturff said members of his staff, along with the owners of his winning creation, spent a night out on the town with their $2,500 in winnings. Congratulations, guys.
Here’s a look at the competition they were up against, which won merit prizes in the contest:
Altius Architecture Inc., Ontario, Canada
Archimania architecture firm, Memphis, TN
Architect Rolfe Kaartinen, Ontario, Canada
Architect Mike McSwain, Elm Grove, LA
Designer Steve Rasnick, Charlotte, NC
Glorious Greene & Greene
Views of The Gamble House, the Greenes’ only fully intact home and interiors that survive to this day, which is now a museum in Pasadena, CA. An exhibition now at the Renwick Gallery celebrates the Gamble House’s 100th anniversary.
Many people out east might not recognize the names Greene & Greene as readily as they would Frank Lloyd Wright or Gustav Stickley. But they were all contemporaries in the Arts and Crafts movement, and in California at least, brothers Henry and Charles Greene came to define it in the early 20th century through their architecture and furnishings.
So it was a thrill to find out that the only Greene & Greene exhibit ever to travel outside California has landed here at the Renwick Gallery, where it will open on Friday and run through June 7. I got a sneak peek at a press tour yesterday, and I have to say – lovers of this period in craft and architecture should definitely make a point of going.
The Greenes’ architectural drawings are just as beautiful as the finished product, as you can see in these elevations of a house for Charles M. Pratt in Ojai, CA.
Charles Greene grew up wanting to be an artist rather than an architect, and his watercolor sketches of homes and other decorative objects show that passion.
There are 127 objects in the exhibit, many of which are reunited for the first time after being removed from the homes they were built for. Only 27 of the objects are in public collections – the rest have been borrowed from more than 30 private collectors from as far away as Paris.
Like Wright, the Greenes designed furnishings specifically for the homes they built for their clients, using the philosophy that the functional also needs to be beautiful. I love this quote from Charles Greene about their furniture:
“The whole construction was carefully thought out, and there was a reason for every detail. The idea was to eliminate everything unnecessary to make the whole as direct and simple as possible, but always with the beautiful in mind as the final goal.”
Entry hall bench, Robert R. Blacker house, Pasadena
Living room table, Charles M. Pratt house. A quote from Charles Greene perfectly describes this piece: “There is in wood something that stimulates the imagination. Its petalous [sic] sheen, sinuous grain, delicate shading that age may give even the commonest kind.”
The Greenes loved working with exotic woods and using intricate inlay with precious materials. These two objects are great examples.
This letter box is made with mahogany, ebony, ivory, silver, and oak.
This “chiffonier” is made with walnut and oak with inlays of ebony, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and malachite.
I also adore their lighting and leaded glass creations.
This exterior wall lantern is much bigger in person than it looks here – the enormous scale is breathtaking.
The stained glass in this hall lantern is charming
Charles Greene first drew a watercolor for this stunning entry-hall panel for the Jennie Reeve house in Long Beach, CA.
From gardens to plant stands, there’s nothing about a house the Greenes didn’t touch, right down to downspouts, door handles, and air handling registers. I was particularly drawn to the metal work in that last category:
This breakfast room heating register, with its butterflies and iris, is incredible.
I love the little bat on the bottom right of this fireplace screen.
This wrought iron and copper gate – with its details of waves and a sailing ship – must have made a delightful entry to a garden or front walk.
These images are only a taste of what you can see at the exhibit, and don’t do justice to the real things. There are talks and special tours of the exhibit, which can be found here and here, starting with a lecture and book signing by Anne Mallek and Edward Bosley, director of The Gamble House, on Friday, March 13, at noon. Don’t miss it.
Walls Going Up on Green Designer Show House
The CharityWorks GreenHouse in McLean, VA, is progressing at a great clip. This is the second installment in an occasional series Washington Spaces is writing on this eco-friendly house, which will be converted into a designer show house this fall. When I was there last month, the foundation was in. As of this morning, more than half the walls were up.
The structural insulated panels (SIPs) were pre-fabricated in a shop in Pennsylvania per specifications and shipped to the site. “They’re large foam panels. They look like ice-cream sandwiches and basically screw together like an Erector Set,” says Nick Cioffi, director of construction for GreenSpur, which is building the GreenHouse. “As long as your foundation is in square and level, these things go in easy as pie.” His crew has been installing them for only a week and have more than 50 percent in place.
The front walls of the craftsman-style home were installed over the last week by GreenSpur Inc. Photographs by Carrie Russell
The green designer show house was designed by Cunningham | Quill Architects PLLC. Rendering by David Walker.
The SIPs were pre-fabricated outside of Pittsburg, PA.
Workers have installed the walls for the main living quarters including the living room, second floor, and part of the kitchen.
Keep reading for more photos and updates …
The efficiency of building a pre-fabricated home is compelling. “I can’t see why homes would be built any other way. I think stick frame is going to be an antiquated way to build, it’s going to go the way of the log cabin,” says Nick Cioffi, whose family has been constructing homes for 40 years. “This is a one-off custom home that was basically built in a factory and shipped down here.
“Literally, you can put the foundation (from Superior Walls) in, and you don’t have to wait for anything to cure. Typically, you let a concrete foundation cure for about seven days, but with this stuff, they pour it in perfect conditions in a factory. Plus it comes with a 15-year guarantee from the manufacturer for no leaks.”
“Typically, you stick frame a house, but this has no stick frame. Normally, there would be studs every 24 inches,” Cioffi says. “Because you don’t have a thermal break every 24 inches [where a stud would normally divide it], we’ll get a much better performance from this shell. Continuous insulation is the key to getting a good seal on a house,” he says. Another benefit is that when decorating, the designers of this show house won’t have to worry about hanging artwork on studs, because the walls are all sheeted with plywood, Cioffi adds.
“You have a larger up-front cost when you purchase a system like this, but I’ll be under a roof in a week and a half and we just started a week ago,” Cioffi says, adding that it would probably take twice as long to be under a roof if they were building with a stick frame. “During that time, you’re more open and exposed to the elements. In another two weeks, this should be weather tight, except for the windows.”
The living room walls are up.
“We’ll start putting up these heavy timber trusses this afternoon. That will help support our roof system,” Cioffi says.
The notches at the tops of the walls are for the timber trusses.
The garage and mudroom walls are expected to be up within the next few weeks.
CharityWorks GreenHouse Designer Reminder: Barry Dixon will give a designer briefing for those interested in participating in the designer show house on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Registration is required, because space is limited. Call 703.286.0758 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. for more information.
Sneak Peek at Green Designer Show House
A green house that will become a designer show house is being constructed in McLean, VA. Cunningham | Quill Architects PLLC designed the house and David Walker created the rendering.
As Humphrey Bogart said in Casablanca, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” That’s how I felt when I visited the site of the CharityWorks GreenHouse, a craftsman-style home in McLean, VA. Washington Spaces is the media sponsor for this green designer show house, which will open for all to see in October.
Designers Barry Dixon and Victoria Neale are heading up the design committee for what will no doubt be a gorgeous interior. But more important, says developer Mark Lowham of West Group, “Our goal is for a house that consumes 80 percent less (energy) than a comparable house being built.”
Philippe Cousteau, Jr., grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and co-founder of Azure Worldwide LLC, expressed what many were thinking during a planning meeting last week when he said, “This is going to be an incredible journey.”
Philippe Cousteau of Azure Worldwide LLC greets Mark Turner of GreenSpur Inc. at the site visit last week. All photographs by Carrie Russell.
The pre-fab foundation is already in.
Skip Sroka of Sroka Design Incorporated, who is on the GreenHouse Design Committee, chats with West Group’s Mark Lowham at the site.
The journey began in earnest last summer when a modest 1950s brick rambler was deconstructed, not in a few hours by machine, but in a few weeks by hand. “Tammal Demolition took it apart by hand, which is a little more expensive than just bringing in a big rig. It took two weeks to take it apart, and we saved 97 percent of it from going to landfills. It was either recycled or reused,” says Mark Turner, president and CEO of GreenSpur Inc., (Check out his Web site for more details.)
The windows from the original house were saved and given to Habitat for Humanity. Wood was stockpiled and will be used for architectural elements in the new house. Several old growth trees were saved on the half-acre site, too. “We shifted the house 7 feet on the site inside our setbacks to try to save the silver maple. And we relocated the bushes from the front to the side,” Turner says.
GreenSpur took great care to save old growth trees on the property.
The foundation (from Superior Walls) was in as of last week. It was built in a factory offsite, which means there was less waste, less concrete used, it’s more water tight, and has better thermal properties because the insulation and studs were already installed, Turner says.
The rest of the house is being custom prefabricated south of Pittsburg, PA. When the five-bedroom house, designed by Cunningham | Quill Architects, is complete, it will be approximately 4,500 square feet. “We were allowed to build up to 15,000 square feet, but we really scaled it back to be more conscious of people’s footprints,” Turner says.
Once the structural insulated panels arrive from Pittsburgh, “It will take about two weeks to put the house up,” Turner predicts.
Bari Levingston of the McLean Project for the Arts is growing into an environmentalist through her involvement with CharityWorks GreenHouse.
Why go green? Bari Levingston, of the McLean Project for the Arts, (a beneficiary of the GreenHouse proceeds) offered this Native American quote to explain: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
Check this blog often for updates on the progress of the CharityWorks GreenHouse. Designers or others interested in learning more about the CharityWorks GreenHouse in the meantime should call 703.286.0758 or send an e-mail to info@charityworksgreenhouse.com
The Personal Ads of Home Design
It’s officially 2009 – time for fresh ideas and new approaches. In that trail-blazing vein, we were thrilled to discover architectural designer Christopher K. Travis’ clever twist on home design: “emotional architecture.”
Christopher Travis/ Photograph from The New York Times
Travis’ work has not gone unnoticed. He was profiled in The New York Times last year, and the designer has also racked up the testimonials from both architects and psychologists, touting his innovative development in architectural planning and design.
Travis’ methods bring new meaning to the phrase “intelligent design.” The principal of (aptly named) Sentient Architecture in central Texas is developing software called Truehome that contains an exhaustive emotional and aesthetic survey to help clients pinpoint their design preferences.
The tower of this home is a nod to the owner’s childhood, spent in a Connecticut lighthouse. Photograph from The New York Times
Travis designed one home with a tower for a man who had happy memories of growing up in a lighthouse. He designed an open-air kitchen for a woman who grew up in a big family with chaotic (in a bad way) mealtimes.
Think of the Truehome workshop as part design studio, part therapy session. Through a series of emotionally and psychologically-driven queries and exercises, it analyzes virtually every aspect of your life, and – voila! – generates the design you were destined for. (Now if only it were that easy on Match.com…)
The Truehome software is still in the development stages, but you can follow the progress on Travis’ blog, Architecture of Life, which recently noted that he is planning several seminars on his concept in the first quarter of 2009.
Here’s to a productive new, design-filled year.
Scaling Back Without Regret
I’m sure my family is not alone in avoiding the current real estate market in favor of making changes and upgrades to our current homes. Short of a costly addition, though, there’s not much that can be done to make our homes bigger. But is that bad?
That’s actually better, says Architect Sarah Susanka, who with Kira Obolensky just released the 10th-anniversary addition of her now-famous book, The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way we Really Live (The Taunton Press, 2008).
Ever since it first came out, I’ve appreciated her admonitions against building quantity of space over quality. It’s in line with Architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy that houses should encourage the people in them to commune with one another, not hide away in their own wings.
Here’s Susanka’s take on that idea: “The spaces we inhabit can have a big impact on how connected we feel as a family or a household. By organizing the house around the family gathering space, and by making this an area where many activities can take place simultaneously, there’s more impetus to spend time together and stronger relationships develop between family members as a result.”
Aside from getting people re-acquainted with “not so big” living, Susanka has ingenious ideas about making the most of every square inch – in a beautiful way. And readers have taken them to heart, as a new final chapter of the book explains. We’re treated to tours of homes that have been built using Susanka’s teachings since the first edition was printed. Keep reading to see some examples.
Photograph by Seth Price Lewis
The eating alcove in this North Carolina house doesn’t require its own room, but creates the feeling of one with a raised floor and lowered ceiling. The orange paint on the ceiling further separates it from the main kitchen/family room space, making it feel cozy and intimate.
Photograph by Ben Benschneider
Architect Bernie Baker created this small home in Washington state, eking as much function as he could out of every space. Here, he takes the area under the stairway and turns it into a cozy, fireside seating area off the main great room. Like the room above, he carves a new “room” from a larger, open space.
Photograph by Doug Smith
This single-story home in Minnesota is long and skinny, but doesn’t feel cramped because it has huge windows on both sides. There is a long view that stretches down the corridor and focuses the eye on artwork at the far end. Look the other way on the other side, and another passage stretches past a kitchen to a floor-to-ceiling window. The effect on both ends is a visual expansion of the home’s size. Colorful rugs and a separate ceiling over the entry define “rooms” within that single, expansive space.
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