Architecture

Oak Park Comes to Kensington

I wanted to share a few more pictures of a house I wrote about on DC Urban Turf this week, which architect Jim Rill designed for developer Judy Whalley, who has always loved the Arts & Crafts style since she lived in an Oak Park, Ill., bungalow after she graduated from college. Jim told me that he wanted to create a “Chicago architectural gem” in this neighborhood that is not far from the hustle and bustle of Rockville Pike. He and Whalley also sought to make it totally green. You... [Read more]

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Merry Go Round Farm

I wrote a story in The Washington Post on Saturday (see it here) about Merry-Go-Round farm, which Tyler Abell developed in an attempt to inject examples of good architecture into the Potomac region, where River Road is littered with ugly, oversized McMansions. The work of top architects is represented in this 79-lot development, where houses are hidden in the woods to preserve the original, sweeping pastureland of the working farm that Tyler’s stepfather built in the 1940s as a way to support... [Read more]

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Fenwick Island Houses

A tour of the houses around Fenwick Island, Del. You’ll note that I’m not one for the huge McMansion-type beach houses that are going up everywhere — gigantic boxes on stilts. I’m drawn to the ones that are older, with  a little more personality, which are a little more, well, LITTLE! The person who lives in the house below told me that it was built during World War II. So, it’s showing its age, but there’s something so charming about it. This “shabby... [Read more]

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At Home with Bess and Tyler Abell

Ever since my mother worked in the press office for Lady Bird Johnson, she’s been good friends with Bess Abell, the Johnsons’ social secretary, and her husband, Tyler. So I’ve known them my entire life, and it’s hard to find a more delightful couple. I found myself at their home in Potomac recently, which sits on a cliff overlooking the Potomac River, and the view just takes your breath away. You’re probably thinking that the Abells’ house is some ginormous... [Read more]

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At Home in a Bank

My latest post for DC Urban Turf went up today — one of my favorites to date, which features the home of Dr. Gary Mintz, who lives in a converted bank. Here is the before and after: The original branch office of The City Bank, which is now home to Gary Mintz. Gary bought the old bank in 1993. Over time, the gardens -- installed by the notable Oehme Van Sweden Landscape Architects, have done a good job at swaddling it in its flora and fauna. You can see the full story behind the evolution... [Read more]

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Shedding for Summer

It seems like everywhere I look, I’m seeing references to stylish sheds — and I use that term loosely, because they can be much more than storage for the lawnmower and garden tools. It’s probably my mindset — it’s summer, and we all look for some form of escape, even if it’s to a separate space in the back yard. Jean Kee, the talented color consultant behind The Painted Room in Alexandria, sent me some wonderful photos of her pre-fab office, designed by architect... [Read more]

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On Urban Turf: Modern Green Reno on Capitol Hill

I posted a story on DC Urban Turf this week on a gorgeous green renovation of a 19th-century row house on Capitol Hill, courtesy of Studio 27 Architecture. For details on Juan Felipe Rincon and RC Bates, the owners behind the renovation, please see the post here. To whet your appetite, check out a few pictures (most of which didn’t run in the other post), which the talented Anice Hoachlander shot of the ultra modern space that hides behind a demure federal facade. Rincon and Bates insisted... [Read more]

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Celebrating 100 Years of Low Buildings

Photo courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission One hundred years ago, Congress enacted the Heights of Buildings Act for Washington, DC, which is why we enjoy the wide vistas that make our monumental buildings stand out so beautifully. Last night, an expert on skyscrapers came to praise that decision. “It is hard for me to believe that for 100 years, you’ve had a very clear and distinct height policy,” said Larry Beasley at a packed auditorium at the Navy Memorial. Larry... [Read more]

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’70s Pop, Take Two (or Four)

You know a house is special if it’s been published more than once. And if it’s been published four times, across different decades, well, than the architecture and interiors should be textbook-worthy. Kara Heitz and David Sylvester bought this house in 2007, and restored it to its original beauty. They purchased the sculpture and had it painted orange to match the original shade of the circular staircase inside. The clerestory windows up top bounce light all over the house. Photographs,... [Read more]

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A 70s-Modern Gem in Clarksville

To anyone who passes off DC/Baltimore suburban architecture as traditional blah, take a look at THIS: My jaw completely dropped when Margaret Korz sent me these pictures of her house in Clarksville, MD, a suburb of Baltimore and about 45 minutes from DC. I immediately wanted to know which preeminent architect designed it. None, she responded in an e-mail. Would that be a problem? Turns out, when she and her husband were looking for property in 1970, they found these five acres in what was then... [Read more]

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