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Houzz Tour: East Coast Meets West Coast in a D.C. Row House
An interior designer helps a couple blend their traditional and modern boho styles
Becky Harris
22 novembre 2018
Compromising on style during a renovation can be difficult even for old married couples, but this pair took on the challenge while they were engaged. The 1889 row house in Washington, D.C., was the first home they ever owned or decorated together. Enlisting the help of interior designer Rachel Chulew helped them find the right balance between his love for an East Coast traditional look and her penchant for a California modern bohemian vibe.
“After” photos by Sean Shanahan
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple of newlyweds
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 2,052 square feet (191 square meters); three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designer: Rachel Chulew of DesignHAUS 24
Before: Row houses in D.C. are typically rather narrow — just one room plus an adjacent hallway wide. This was the living room as viewed from the hallway. The wood fireplace surround and bookcases were added during previous renovations. The surround didn’t quite fit the scale of the room, and the bookcases weren’t well-made. Most of the original millwork had been removed in previous renovations. And the original floors were in bad shape.
Chulew and the couple agreed on preserving the best of the Victorian-era home’s architectural features and adding new elements like millwork and fireplace surrounds to enhance them. “My clients both have a great sense of humor, and that came through in the playful elements of the design,” she says. They not only got through the full renovation with flying colors, but they also were able to move in a month after their wedding.
Chulew, who is based in Dallas, worked with the couple in D.C. and remotely. Since her clients travel for work, it was difficult for all three of them to be in the same place at the same time for meetings. “We used Houzz a lot during the process. It was easy for all of us to share ideas and photos by using ideabooks that we all had access to no matter where we were,” she says.
Find an interior designer in the Houzz pro directory
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple of newlyweds
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 2,052 square feet (191 square meters); three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designer: Rachel Chulew of DesignHAUS 24
Before: Row houses in D.C. are typically rather narrow — just one room plus an adjacent hallway wide. This was the living room as viewed from the hallway. The wood fireplace surround and bookcases were added during previous renovations. The surround didn’t quite fit the scale of the room, and the bookcases weren’t well-made. Most of the original millwork had been removed in previous renovations. And the original floors were in bad shape.
Chulew and the couple agreed on preserving the best of the Victorian-era home’s architectural features and adding new elements like millwork and fireplace surrounds to enhance them. “My clients both have a great sense of humor, and that came through in the playful elements of the design,” she says. They not only got through the full renovation with flying colors, but they also were able to move in a month after their wedding.
Chulew, who is based in Dallas, worked with the couple in D.C. and remotely. Since her clients travel for work, it was difficult for all three of them to be in the same place at the same time for meetings. “We used Houzz a lot during the process. It was easy for all of us to share ideas and photos by using ideabooks that we all had access to no matter where we were,” she says.
Find an interior designer in the Houzz pro directory
After: To get a more spacious feeling on the first floor, they removed the wall between the hallway and the rooms, and opened up the living room, dining room and kitchen to one another. “In a typical D.C. row house, these rooms are sometimes so narrow, you feel like you can spread out your arms and touch the opposite walls,” Chulew says. This house wasn’t quite that narrow, but opening up the walls made each space feel much roomier. Removing the load-bearing walls required the installation of a large beam, which was well worth the effort. Throughout the first level, the floors were too damaged to preserve, so Chulew replaced them with new oak flooring sanded and stained to match the original floors on the upper stories.
Well-Balanced Living Room
In the living room, the architectural details of the room remained traditional, with a new painted wood fireplace mantel and soapstone surround. “This soapstone is the perfect balance of old and new — it is an appropriate historic material, while its lighter color is fresh,” Chulew says. She repeated it on the new media cabinet counters. She preserved the original colorful stained-glass windows and gave them new plantation blinds for privacy from the street. New baseboards and coved crown molding bring in more traditional millwork.
Atop this traditional architectural base, Chulew helped the couple layer in furniture, art and accessories that had the California modern bohemian look the wife loved. “This style includes lots of color, cement tile, marine blues that aren’t so traditional, modern lines and an overall sense of playfulness,” she says. Here, the geometry and colors on the throw pillows, the caramel-colored midcentury modern-style chairs and the eclectic coffee table bring in the look. The table was made by California’s Cisco Brothers. It’s a wood pallet encased in a glass-and-steel box.
Finally, displaying portraits of beloved political couples is a traditional D.C. design move, but these works by local artist Maggie O’Neill have a contemporary and colorful point of view. They are of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor.
The wall and trim paint throughout the first floor is Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams.
Well-Balanced Living Room
In the living room, the architectural details of the room remained traditional, with a new painted wood fireplace mantel and soapstone surround. “This soapstone is the perfect balance of old and new — it is an appropriate historic material, while its lighter color is fresh,” Chulew says. She repeated it on the new media cabinet counters. She preserved the original colorful stained-glass windows and gave them new plantation blinds for privacy from the street. New baseboards and coved crown molding bring in more traditional millwork.
Atop this traditional architectural base, Chulew helped the couple layer in furniture, art and accessories that had the California modern bohemian look the wife loved. “This style includes lots of color, cement tile, marine blues that aren’t so traditional, modern lines and an overall sense of playfulness,” she says. Here, the geometry and colors on the throw pillows, the caramel-colored midcentury modern-style chairs and the eclectic coffee table bring in the look. The table was made by California’s Cisco Brothers. It’s a wood pallet encased in a glass-and-steel box.
Finally, displaying portraits of beloved political couples is a traditional D.C. design move, but these works by local artist Maggie O’Neill have a contemporary and colorful point of view. They are of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor.
The wall and trim paint throughout the first floor is Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams.
Opened-Up Dining Room
Before: The dining room was separated from the kitchen by the wall in the foreground of this photo and from the living room by the wall in the background. The photo also shows some of the damage on the original floors.
Before: The dining room was separated from the kitchen by the wall in the foreground of this photo and from the living room by the wall in the background. The photo also shows some of the damage on the original floors.
After: Chulew opened up the dining room to the kitchen and the living room. The furniture is a great example of how the couple compromised — the antique farmhouse table was his, while she chose the midcentury modern-style dining chairs. The clear glass globe lights add a playful touch overhead without blocking the view through the room too much.
Previously, this floor didn’t have a bathroom, so Chulew put a powder room behind the gray door. She used the color as an accent throughout the first floor for continuity.
Shop for midcentury modern-style dining chairs on Houzz
Previously, this floor didn’t have a bathroom, so Chulew put a powder room behind the gray door. She used the color as an accent throughout the first floor for continuity.
Shop for midcentury modern-style dining chairs on Houzz
Lighter-Feeling Kitchen
Before: The galley kitchen was lackluster.
Before: The galley kitchen was lackluster.
After: The layout is still a galley, but Chulew made it feel more open by getting rid of the upper cabinets on this window wall. The classic shiplap is his style, while the patterned encaustic cement tile from Ann Sacks is hers. This tile turns the range wall into a beautiful focal point and draws the eye up, which distracts from the narrowness of the galley layout. The cabinet color was mixed to match the blue in the tile.
Find an encaustic cement tile to liven up your house
Find an encaustic cement tile to liven up your house
The designer concentrated the storage on the other side of the galley. The tall, narrow cabinet on the right is a deep pullout pantry, and the fridge is concealed behind panels on the far right. A mahogany countertop lends a sense of age, as do the Shaker-style cabinets. Puck lights illuminate the backsplash and the counter, which serves as a drink station.
“In order to keep an antique feel throughout the house, we used oil-rubbed bronze and aged bronze wherever we could,” Chulew says. This includes cabinet hardware, faucets and light fixtures.
Shop for oil-rubbed bronze cabinet hardware
“In order to keep an antique feel throughout the house, we used oil-rubbed bronze and aged bronze wherever we could,” Chulew says. This includes cabinet hardware, faucets and light fixtures.
Shop for oil-rubbed bronze cabinet hardware
New Powder Room
The ornate mirror adds a traditional touch to the powder room, while a modern sink and an industrial light fixture mix things up. The colorful geometric cement tile is capped with walnut trim, which ties into the more traditional architectural details of the home.
Another detail seen here is the gray paint on the window sashes (the slim pieces of wood that hold the glass in place). She used this on the windows throughout the house.
The ornate mirror adds a traditional touch to the powder room, while a modern sink and an industrial light fixture mix things up. The colorful geometric cement tile is capped with walnut trim, which ties into the more traditional architectural details of the home.
Another detail seen here is the gray paint on the window sashes (the slim pieces of wood that hold the glass in place). She used this on the windows throughout the house.
Floor Plan
Before we head upstairs, let’s take a look at the floor plan. The first floor contains the living room, dining room, kitchen and powder room. The second floor has two bedrooms, which the couple use as a guest room and a den, and a full bathroom. The entire third floor is their master suite, complete with a full bathroom and access to a roof deck. The rooms along the bottom of the plan face the street. The kitchen and the bathrooms are stacked at the back of the house.
Before we head upstairs, let’s take a look at the floor plan. The first floor contains the living room, dining room, kitchen and powder room. The second floor has two bedrooms, which the couple use as a guest room and a den, and a full bathroom. The entire third floor is their master suite, complete with a full bathroom and access to a roof deck. The rooms along the bottom of the plan face the street. The kitchen and the bathrooms are stacked at the back of the house.
Serene Guest Space
Before: This guest bedroom on the second floor had a beautiful original stone fireplace surround that was in good shape.
Before: This guest bedroom on the second floor had a beautiful original stone fireplace surround that was in good shape.
After: Chulew added a simple coved crown molding around the ceiling — another nice blend of traditional style and modern simplicity. She guided the couple toward a silvery gray wall color that makes the room feel calm and light. The color was another compromise, as he leaned toward navy and she leaned toward white.
The indigo batik pillows and cozy layers of textiles suit her style, while the traditional wingback chair suits his. The bed is a simplified canopy made of steel. The artwork over the mantel is a Matisse print they already owned.
The indigo batik pillows and cozy layers of textiles suit her style, while the traditional wingback chair suits his. The bed is a simplified canopy made of steel. The artwork over the mantel is a Matisse print they already owned.
Before: The guest bathroom was dated, dark and not very roomy.
After: By borrowing space from an adjacent room, Chulew was able to move the toilet and the sink into a new space. The room was fully renovated except for the Art Deco-style bathtub, which she had reglazed. The fixtures are oil-rubbed bronze.
The shower tiles are classic subway, but their 2-by-8-inch size updates the look — another compromise between traditional and modern. And the You Look Good daily affirmation was the wife’s idea. The tile maker made it from small hexagonal tiles with Chulew’s supervision via Skype.
Hexagons continue on the floor, in a large size with a variation of marine blue hues that the wife loves. The oversize mirror and sconces add vintage touches and provide a good spot for getting ready in the morning.
Browse hexagonal tile
The shower tiles are classic subway, but their 2-by-8-inch size updates the look — another compromise between traditional and modern. And the You Look Good daily affirmation was the wife’s idea. The tile maker made it from small hexagonal tiles with Chulew’s supervision via Skype.
Hexagons continue on the floor, in a large size with a variation of marine blue hues that the wife loves. The oversize mirror and sconces add vintage touches and provide a good spot for getting ready in the morning.
Browse hexagonal tile
Comfortable Upstairs Lounge
Before: In this second bedroom on the second floor, the alcove was furnished with a bed that didn’t quite fit within it. The homeowners decided that this would be their TV den and general lounging spot.
Before: In this second bedroom on the second floor, the alcove was furnished with a bed that didn’t quite fit within it. The homeowners decided that this would be their TV den and general lounging spot.
After: Chulew added molding, a new fireplace surround, built-in cabinets and shelves, and a built-in window seat daybed with storage underneath. She helped the couple settle on a saturated blue for the walls, and then she helped them furnish the room. A comfy sectional sofa fits snugly into the alcove, which is outfitted with sconces for reading.
“They spend a lot of time in this den,” Chulew says. “They watch TV from the sofa, she likes to work from the daybed, and they wanted a lot of comfortable seating for when they entertain up here.”
“They spend a lot of time in this den,” Chulew says. “They watch TV from the sofa, she likes to work from the daybed, and they wanted a lot of comfortable seating for when they entertain up here.”
The colorful patchwork rug was a must-have that sets the tone for the room. The blue paint and the bright accents make it feel energized and inviting.
The carved wood coffee table, Danish modern-style armchairs, gold Moroccan pouf, global mix of pillows and layers of textiles give the room a relaxed California modern bohemian vibe. His more traditional style comes in through the fireplace surround, Shaker-style cabinetry and other new millwork. The built-in cabinetry is topped off with soapstone counters that match the hearth.
The window seat is a twin-sized mattress that serves as extra bedding so that this room can double as a guest room. “A lot of their overnight guests have children, so we kept that in mind when designing this room,” Chulew says.
The carved wood coffee table, Danish modern-style armchairs, gold Moroccan pouf, global mix of pillows and layers of textiles give the room a relaxed California modern bohemian vibe. His more traditional style comes in through the fireplace surround, Shaker-style cabinetry and other new millwork. The built-in cabinetry is topped off with soapstone counters that match the hearth.
The window seat is a twin-sized mattress that serves as extra bedding so that this room can double as a guest room. “A lot of their overnight guests have children, so we kept that in mind when designing this room,” Chulew says.
Colorful Master Bathroom
Before: The couple decided to make the entire third floor their master suite. The previous homeowners had used the third floor as a guest floor, so the bathroom up here lacked the storage and functionality a master bathroom requires.
Before: The couple decided to make the entire third floor their master suite. The previous homeowners had used the third floor as a guest floor, so the bathroom up here lacked the storage and functionality a master bathroom requires.
After: Chulew had the bathroom completely ripped out and rebuilt. The geometric cement floor in blues and greens livens things up and adds another playful California-inspired touch. She found a ready-made double-sink vanity that fit just right and then had it painted periwinkle.
The vanity wall brings in more traditional style — it is weathered shiplap, and the mirror and sconces have an antique look. In the mirror, you can see the shower tile, which is another elongated subway tile in a herringbone pattern, on the left and the toilet nook, which also has a weathered shiplap wall, on the right.
Shop for a double-sink vanity
The vanity wall brings in more traditional style — it is weathered shiplap, and the mirror and sconces have an antique look. In the mirror, you can see the shower tile, which is another elongated subway tile in a herringbone pattern, on the left and the toilet nook, which also has a weathered shiplap wall, on the right.
Shop for a double-sink vanity
Indoor-Outdoor Urban Living
Before: The roof deck, an amazing asset for a home in D.C., wasn’t living up to its potential.
Before: The roof deck, an amazing asset for a home in D.C., wasn’t living up to its potential.
After: This space is the biggest nod to California modern bohemian style. At the right, you can catch a glimpse of a new outdoor kitchen, complete with a sink, fridge and soapstone counter. The couple love to have their morning coffee here instead of going down two floors to brew it. And this outdoor kitchen saves them from making many trips up and down the stairs for cocktails when they entertain on the deck.
The teak outdoor furniture is upholstered in Sunbrella weather-resistant fabrics. That set plus a concrete coffee table, an outdoor rug and modern planters make the deck a comfortable and inviting space where the couple enjoys a relaxed indoor-outdoor lifestyle in the middle of the city.
The now-newlyweds made it through the challenge of a renovation about a month before their wedding. “When we were all done, they told me that they didn’t want to go on their honeymoon yet because they loved the house so much that they didn’t want to leave it,” Cheluw says.
Takeaways
More on Houzz
Read about other home renovations
Get inspiration from browsing photos by room and style
The teak outdoor furniture is upholstered in Sunbrella weather-resistant fabrics. That set plus a concrete coffee table, an outdoor rug and modern planters make the deck a comfortable and inviting space where the couple enjoys a relaxed indoor-outdoor lifestyle in the middle of the city.
The now-newlyweds made it through the challenge of a renovation about a month before their wedding. “When we were all done, they told me that they didn’t want to go on their honeymoon yet because they loved the house so much that they didn’t want to leave it,” Cheluw says.
Takeaways
- If you and your partner are struggling to find style compromises, enlist a talented neutral third party like an interior designer. If you’re feeling inspired, start looking right now.
- Opening up a floor plan isn’t always as easy as knocking down a few walls. This couple were committed to having more space and went to the trouble of installing a giant structural beam.
- Traditional architecture can work beautifully with modern-day style elements.
- Concentrate upper cabinets, wall ovens and a refrigerator on one interior kitchen wall. This will leave room for windows and some breathing room along the exterior walls.
- If your window trim is light, painting just the sashes a dark color draws the eye.
- Many older bathtubs are salvageable with a new glaze. Contractors and plumbers can help you find a pro to do this for you.
- Ready-made vanities come in many sizes and can be customized with paint, countertops, faucets, sinks and hardware.
More on Houzz
Read about other home renovations
Get inspiration from browsing photos by room and style
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