Design and architecture in our capital
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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: You can see the full story behind the evolution of this house on Urban Turf (linked above), but [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. This McLean house, designed by Hugh Newell Jacobsen in 1971, was most recently published on Sunday with the cover of the Washington Post [...]
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 [...]
The renovated Jefferson Hotel has gotten tons of great press since it re-opened in August, capped off yesterday with a call-out on the Today Show for making Conde Nast Traveler’s annual Hot List of newly opened hotels and spas (you can see the Today clip here). But what gets overlooked is that all the things [...]
Jennifer Sergent. Native Washingtonian. Former editor at Washington Spaces magazine and HGTV. Currently searching for – and writing about – DC’s design voices. Write to me @ jennifer@sergentdesign.com