The owners of this unique Georgetown property sought a renovation that would create a holistic vision for this site while maintaining its historic integrity. As with so many houses in Georgetown, the original structure adjoining a former church, built in 1814 as the rector’s residence, had been expanded twice, including an inelegant 1960’s rear and side addition that lacked integration with the main structure. While maintaining the historic façade and working with the unique particulars of the site, we completely transformed the interior to create a cohesive unity to the space, sparing no detail. We replaced the original staircase with a staircase to offer central access to all three distinct levels of the house. Shifting doors and adding casement windows, we opened the warren-like plan on the main floor to create broad, gracious spaces articulated with beautiful accurate trim to recall the house’s nineteenth-century origins. To meet the owners’ request for a home office, we crafted a Monticello-inspired studiolo, paneled completely in oak, with hand crafted cabinetry, replete with hidden compartments and leather draw pulls. On the upper level, a short flight of stairs rises to a primary suite situated over the gracious living room, and a guest bedroom with vaulted ceiling is tucked above the new kitchen. The lower level cleverly answers the need for gathering space with a coffered ceiling of pecky cyprus, which offers elegance while cleverly concealing ungainly ductwork. The unique character of the cyprus works in dialogue with the heated limestone flooring, reclaimed from France, to create a gentle warmth for the family room. With interiors by Danielle Naeve, the house evokes the subtle grandeur of the nineteenth-century while fulfilling the owners’ desire for modern living.  

Photography by Gordon Beall