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Photos by Mark Mahan
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Acting as a transitional space from the pool and backyard into the home, the mud room features a farm sink, washer and dryer and lockers for the kids, and is as attractive as it is functional.
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Under the direction of Atchison Heller, a recent remodel to the kitchen involved all new cabinets and counters with cherry accents, and vaulting the ceiling from 8 to 15 feet. The new hidden walk-in panty is a favorite feature for the family.
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While the home features a classic “old Lexington” design scheme throughout, the Florida room, which acts as a transitional space from indoors to out, incorporates more of a whimsical “Lilly Pulitzer meets Tory Burch” vibe.
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Under the interior design direction of Maggie Green, the Chevy Chase home features top-of-the-line custom fabrics, wall covers and trims, from such brands as Cowtan & Tout, Schumacher, Lee Jofa and Scalamandrè.
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Photos by Mark Mahan
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When today’s technology is added to mid-century modern architecture, the result can be a stunning home remodel. Such is the case for a Chevy Chase house built in 1960 and renovated in two phases within the past couple of years.
Situated on 2.3 acres, the property is anchored by a large in-ground swimming pool and pool house, with tennis courts in the side yard — “a resort in town,” as described by interior designer Megan Green. Blue stone pavers have been re-mortared and re-grouted for an updated appearance to lead family members and guests from the Florida room to the pool. With a welcoming feel accented by brightly colored fabrics, the Florida room is more whimsical and bright than many of the other rooms, according to Green.
“It’s kind of a Lilly Pulitzer meets Tory Burch feel that leads you to the outdoor space, which is stunning,” she said.
“We enjoy it being so close to the football stadium,” the homeowner said of her Chevy Chase location. “We bike to Graeter’s or Magee’s, and it’s close to church.”
She and her husband, who requested to remain anonymous, and their three children moved into the home in the summer of 2014 after a five-month remodeling project by Atchison Heller Construction Company. In between the three-car garage and the kitchen entrance, a former greenhouse became a mudroom and is now the perfect transitional space from the outside in. As attractive as it is functional, the mudroom has a farm sink, washer and dryer, lockers for the kids and plenty of room for pool towels in the summer and snow boots in the winter.
On the second floor, one of the home’s six bedrooms was turned into a playhouse for the couple’s two young girls. A Jack-and-Jill bathroom between their two rooms has separate vanities, plus marble floors and a refinished tub surrounded by subway tile for a shower. Down the hallway, the homeowners were torn between keeping an original cedar closet or transforming it into a laundry room. The solution, of course, was to do both, in 50/50 fashion, and then paint the cedar a light blue color.
Original hardwood floorings and built-ins were refinished. The basement sat unfinished from the first release of the Oscar-winning movie “Ben-Hur” until the making of the reboot, when Atchison Heller carpeted it and painted the concrete walls to create a softer space for a ping pong table and other games.
The project manager for the home’s renovations was Austin Heller, the son of Steve Heller, who partners with Johnny Atchison in their eponymous company.
“It’s rare that a house that old has poured concrete foundation walls,” said Austin Heller. “They used to use sheet block or river rock. This one was concrete.”
All was fine; life was good – until one day in January 2015 (remember that harsh winter?) when the original boiler system went kaput. A pipe burst in the ceiling of the master bedroom, destroying the room. Atchison Heller was on the scene the next day to raise the roof (into a double-trayed ceiling) and replace the walls and flooring. Soft aqua walls offset the drama of the ceiling architecture, giving the master space its tranquility. And yes, the homeowners replaced the old boiler system with dual-fuel heat pumps.
Seeing the increase in vertical square footage of the master bedroom after this unplanned renovation project inspired the homeowners to tackle yet another project: the kitchen. Having been redone not too long ago by previous owners, it was in pretty good shape, but vaulting the kitchen ceiling to 15 feet from 8 was worth spending three months cooking on a hotplate and microwave for the current homeowners, while Atchison Heller rebuilt the room from scratch.
The kitchen’s new hidden pantry is a family favorite. Two tall doors that look like part of the cabinetry actually open up to reveal a walk-in pantry, filled with shelving for foodstuff and counters for appliances. The kitchen cabinetry is white, to match the white built-ins of the Florida room, and countertops are a light shade of quartzite. Cherry is the accent color – and material – of choice for the center island, stove hood and custom ceiling beams. There are two dishwashers, a warming drawer under the oven and oil-rubbed bronze fixtures. The island has a sink in one corner and plenty of outlets for charging electronics. Opening up the kitchen allowed it to feed into the Florida room. Between the two spaces there’s seating for 18 with plenty of leg and elbow room to spare.
The home has all top-of-the-line custom fabrics, wall coverings and trims, from such brands as Cowtan & Tout, Schumacher, Lee Jofa and Scalamandré. As an interior designer, Green has worked with these particular Chevy Chase homeowners for a decade.
“When we first met, [they] were newly married and were working on their first of three nurseries,” said Green, who is a partner and designer with For Friends, Inc., with her mom, Jill McCarty, and Sharri Greer, who started For Friends 30 years ago. “For Friends ended up designing that room for her, which led to other large projects and, ultimately, to this new home.”
The homeowners feel their house is now complete. Long-term, they can see doing some landscaping in phases, and perhaps they will create an outdoor kitchen for a complete entertaining space.
“It’s a really cool ‘old Lexington’ house,” Heller said, “probably the most well-built house I’ve ever seen.”