Capitol Hill, DC - 1st Floor Interior Remodel

Brief Explanation of the Scope of Work

Our client was in the process of purchasing this turn of the century Capitol Hill row house when she contacted us. The home was in relatively good shape, but its aesthetic didn’t match the homeowner’s. Selectively changing select elements within each of the living room, dining room, kitchen room, and powder room stretched the budget to realize the homeowner’s design goals. The look of the home went for 1980’s neoclassical revival to a more contemporary, warmer look.

Unusual Constraints/Challenges & Creative Solutions

Living Room/Dining Room

The existing living room featured a tiled fireplace wall which was strangely out of place in this home. We created a focal point by reworking this wall with Cherry cabinetry above the reinstalled gas fireplace insert and matching cabinets with bypass doors below. A careful installation of Brazilian multicolor slate coordinates well with this cabinetry.

We stripped the plaster off of one party wall to expose the original brick. Painted plaster or drywall is an interior finish which people often take for granted as the only viable option in their homes. It is the status quo and most people give it no thought. The exposed brick adds textural warmth to the place. However, removing the plaster from the brick is usually challenging and time consuming. Luckily these walls required little repointing in few locations due to the fairly good condition of the bricks. This work also required our electrician to install conduit and surface mounted switch boxes.

As much as any feature of the home, the homeowner disliked the closed-end stair to the second floor due to the painted handrail, ornate, balustrades, and the panel molding on the sides. After considering a wire rail system, we settled on a simple metal + wood handrail which the homeowner supplied. The new handrail creates better sightlines through the first floor and also allows more light to filter through.

Kitchen

The simple measures of removing the arch and decorative columns along with the majority of the trim opened the kitchen up to the adjacent dining room and created a more contemporary look. Chipping up the monotone ceramic tile and replacing it with Nepalese multicolor slate better grounds the room while creating an exotic aura. We also replaced the exterior kitchen door and the window over the sink.

Powder Room

The homeowner wanted to update the powder room sink elevation with a radius counter, a vessel sink and a wall mounted faucet. This required reworking the framing to support the counter and installing a plywood support for the slate counter and reworking the plumbing for the wall mounted sink. We also replaced the traditional mirror, towel bar and lighting sconce with more contemporary models. With plenty of planning, these simple changes completely transformed the bathroom.