Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Terraces design with STREAMLINED STYLE

McHale combines sleek lines with a traditional design to create an elegant outdoor space

Multiple terraces and low-growing groundcovers surround a three-level pool.

A double vanishing-edge pool, open decks, a screened porch and masses of colorful plantings are the main components of this contemporary yet classic garden in McLean, Virginia. When landscape architect Anthony Cusat of McHale Landscape Design Inc. first encountered his clients’ long, linear property, it already had a free-form pool with a wrought-iron fence around it that divided the backyard in half. Based on consultations with the owners, his goal was to connect the al fresco spaces and, as he describes it, create an environment “rich in architectural detail, contemporary in spirit and grounded in traditional design.” The clients also wanted him to incorporate the symmetry and balanced proportions of their updated Georgian-style residence.

Cusat designed a new state-of-the-art, three-level pool with two vanishing edges. Water spills from an urn into the upper level, cascades down into the main pool, then spills over another edge into a lower basin. At one end, a glass mosaic tanning shelf sits below water level, creating an area roomy enough for a chaise and a shade umbrella. From upper-level decks and a screened porch, stairs descend to spacious patios surrounding the pool and to walkways that wind through colorful plantings to a serene lawn area. The pool deck and walkways are constructed from Turkish travertine with Pennsylvania flagstone edges; stepping stones through beds of ground-hugging Mazus reptans unify terraces at different levels. Sweetbay magnolias in spring give way to summer blooms of hydrangea, crape myrtle, catmint, cleome and roses.

A large, modern urn sets the mood for stylish, clean-lined landscaping.

A contemporary sculpture resides in a sea of Knock Out roses adjoining the patio and pool.

Home and Design

Classic Colonial

6:40 PM in Interior Design, Luxury properties

According to Lois Kennedy, it’s important for a kitchen designer to get in on the ground floor of a project. That’s what happened when she designed a kitchen addition for an antique farmhouse in pastoral Madison County and was able to deliver the level of quality and detail her clients desired.

“The clients, Laureen and George Gennin, do a lot of entertaining,” she says. “They love cooking together and including guests in the process.”

Kennedy defined the areas of the kitchen with the placement of three sinks, each with a different function. A four-foot-wide granite clean-up sink accommodates large pots and pans while copper sinks occupy the prep area and the breakfast bar, which features a coffee station, icemaker and wine storage. The couple “wanted the most advanced cooking equipment,” Kennedy says. “They chose the La Cornue oven.”

Because they live a half-hour away from the nearest grocery store, they needed lots of storage, so Kennedy designed a long butler’s pantry down the center of the house to accommodate their needs; it also functions as a bar area during parties.

The Gennins envisioned a rustic yet elegant style for their kitchen. Kennedy chose light cabinetry with details such as mini-Corinthian-style columns, then combined it with other finishes: dark cherry lower cabinets, black shelf units with mesquite wood surfaces, and Golden Sun granite countertops. Oak beams and heart pine floors complete the picture.

KITCHEN DESIGN: Lois Kennedy, CKD, principal, Portfolio Kitchens, Vienna, VA. CONTRACTOR: Ace Contracting, Charlottesville, VA. CABINETRY: Premier Custom Built; Acorn Kitchens (butler’s pantry), Ontario, Canada. COUNTERTOPS & FARMHOUSE SINK: Golden Sun granite, Cogswell Stone, Palmyra, VA. BACKSPLASH: Tumbled Turkish Travertine, Wainwright Tile & Stone, Charlottesville, VA. APPLIANCES: La Cornue Grand Palais 180 through Purcell Murray Appliances; Sub-Zero, Miele, Dacor. FIXTURES: Herbeau Brass. FLOORING: Antique heart pine, Appalachian Woods, Stuart’s Draft, VA.

The ample granite farmhouse sink used for cleanup matches the countertops.

The long passage to the dining room doubles as a butler’s pantry.

Home Design

Classical Contemporary

9:34 AM in Interior Design, Living room

In the living room off the stair hall, Brown and Davis unified the seating groups with a Chinese-inspired rug of their own design.

For two decades, the Georgetown couple walked past a Colonial Revival brick house near Tudor Place and wished it could be theirs. “We admired the simplicity and elegance of the architecture,” says the attorney husband. “The home is somewhat unique because it is freestanding rather than a row house. It came with one of the deepest gardens in Georgetown.”

When he and his wife, a telecommunications consultant, discovered their dream home was finally for sale, they jumped to buy it. The interiors needed updating so they turned to Rob Brown and Todd Davis, who had remodeled rooms in their previous house. “They know how to integrate clean, modern furnishings with older homes in which the preservation of the historic details is essential,” says the wife. Brown and Davis, who have offices in Bethesda and Miami Beach, are best known for decorating the Washington, DC, and Chappaqua, New York, homes of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as Hillary Clinton’s former Senate office.

Hardly the typical Washingtonians whose conservative tastes run to wing chairs and Oriental rugs, the well-traveled homeowners prefer more stylish, pared-down designs. “In essence, we are Bauhaus admirers,” says the husband. “We dislike clutter, excessive ornamentation and overly decorated spaces.” At the same time, he and his wife appreciate the historic charm of Georgetown and made sure renovations respected the architectural character of their 1883 home. “The challenge was to find the right balance between preserving the best of a 19th-century structure and furnishing it with designs that are clean, simple and elegant,” he says.

Home Design

On the Market - Evermay

9:23 AM in Luxury properties, Outdoor design

Evermay, a 216-year-old landmark Washington, DC, property, is being offered for sale at $49 million. Evermay is the second significant Georgetown estate to come on the market in recent months. The other, Halcyon House (covered in the January/February 2009 issue of Home & Design), is being offered at $30 million. If the asking price for either property is met, it will be the most ever paid for a private residence in Washington, DC.

Evermay’s history began in 1792, a year after George Washington commissioned Pierre L’Enfant to design the capital. A businessman, Samuel Davidson, had just purchased more than 150 acres in what would later become Georgetown, and had selected as the site of his new home a picturesque hillside setting that would one day offer views of the whole city. Both L’Enfant and Davidson turned to British architect Nicholas King to execute their visions.

In Davidson’s case, the result was a grand, two-and-a-half-story Federal-style brick mansion, completed in 1801. The estate changed hands four times after that; the fifth owner, diplomat F. Lammot Belin, proved its best steward. He purchased the property in 1923 and began a painstaking restoration of the home to its original Federalist simplicity (during the 19th century ornate Victorian elements had been added). At this time, terracing was added overlooking the city, along with magnificent fountains and gardens. The graceful and elegant estate, located at 1623 28th Street, NW, remained in the Belin family for three generations; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Today, Evermay comprises a two-and-one-half-story main block, located on approximately 3.5 park-like acres in the heart of Georgetown, with commanding views of Rock Creek Park and the Washington Monument. Featuring approximately 13,000 square feet of living space, including eight bedrooms, six baths, and five half-baths, it boasts Federal-period doorways on the north and south façades. Palladian windows and recessed panels between the first and second floor windows add to the property’s architectural interest. Inside, Evermay projects sophistication and refinement with its expansive formal drawing room and regal ballroom, both of which have played host to numerous grand receptions.

The property also includes a 2,300-square-foot gatekeeper’s house with three bedrooms and two baths. For more information, contact Long and Foster listing agents Susie Maguire or Jeanne Livingston at 202-944-8400, or visit the Web site www.evermaydc.com.

Home and Design

Create your own kitchen

10:12 PM in Interior Design, Kitchen

Building a house interior design is not easy craves consistency and also a lot of money. Talk readiness problems humans have a myriad of wishful thinking to create a nice room, not just a good course but the room is in the design should provide comfort for the occupants.

Talk design reminds me of my home with a nice kitchen design, besides being a place that is often in use for mothers to cook. Apparently the kitchen also reflects our personality.

If only I had some reference to your kitchen is very nice, as a very charming kitchen design to create a more comfortable atmosphere.