After years of admiring this colonial revival American foursquare, the owners embraced the opportunity to purchase the house. In doing so, they embarked on a loving journey of historic preservation for this 1917 Chevy Chase gem. With numerous twentieth-century accretions and hazards, including radiators, lead pipes, antiquated sewer, and asbestos, we took the interior down to the original studs, revealing along the way unexpected features – original brick jack-arches and bracketed beams –  to be incorporated into our design. Using  modern structural elements, such as flitch plate beams and a steel landing platform, we were able to reconfigure and open up the expanse of the interior. By introducing full-sized shed dormers in the attic, we transformed a storage area into a spacious third storey with two bedrooms and bathroom. These adjustments allowed us to subtly re-define the interior space of the house as a whole, all the while preserving its original gracious sense of proportion and detail. Refined classical millwork trim recalls the care of arts-and-crafts construction and offers welcoming framing to each individual room. Working in close collaboration with the house’s original blueprints, we preserved as many elements as possible:  narrow-plank oak flooring, original shutters, the antique clawfoot tub, and pedestal sinks. Both interior designer Caroline Kofel and the client encouraged this approach, scouring architectural antique shops and sifting through arts-and-crafts finishes to recreate an appropriate interior. The restoration of the original exterior brickwork and of the house’s projecting cornice reflected our principles of architectural care for the entirety of the original site – a colonial revival ethos that has produced an historically authentic space that works for today’s modern era.

Photography by Gordon Beall