Crafty Transformation ? Chesapeake Home + Living

This renovated Chevy Chase rancher expresses a mix of contemporary green building techniques and Old World charm design.

Shahab Kamrad and his wife, Homi, appeared in the Bethesda-based offices of Studio Z Design Concepts as the design clients of a dream with a definitive plan. Shahab studied architecture and works as the operations manager of a large construction firm. Meanwhile, Homi works for Maclaren Strollers, the well-known British manufacturer of baby gear targeted at parents with well-defined design sensibilities. The couple has a daughter, Golnaz, in high school who helped spur their house-sized project.

?We bought the house when Golnaz was born because we needed more room,? says Shahab Kamrad. ?We decided to start the renovation because we wanted her to get some benefits from the new space before she went off to college.? The Kamrads bought the rancher in Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1995 and lived in the house for 14 years before deciding to take the plunge and reconfigure the space. ?It was a very nice home when we bought it,? says Kamrad, ?but I always doodled with the idea of popping the top and adding a floor.?

Even though the couple had plenty of design and build skills in their own tool box, they sought professional counsel from Paul Davey, principal at Studio Z. ?They loved the neighborhood, and they had already redone the basement,? says Davey, ?they came in and said ?if it was your home, what would you do?? ?

The answers that emerged from the highly collaborative design process were a mix of contemporary green building techniques and Old World charm. ?We definitely wanted Arts and Crafts, we love every aspect of that style,? says Kamrad.

Instead of plowing the rancher under, the exterior walls were preserved and re-skinned in cedar shake shingles above and dry-stacked stone below. The stone became a point of emphasis for the homeowner/designer. ?We went to three or four quarries to select the stone,? says Kamrad, ?then we had masons build mock-ups, so I could see how the joints would look.? The basement was sealed off to protect it from the demolition and construction as the family pulled up stakes and rented a house for a year.

Six inches of blown-in foam insulation, energy efficient windows, and tankless water heaters give the home serious green credentials. Kamrad wanted to be able to see through rooms to provide visual connections for his family, an effect that was seriously lacking in the original hall heavy configuration. The home stayed pretty much within the original footprint except for a section of the rear wall, which grew out two feet.

A re-imagined foyer complete with knee-walls and pillars welcomes guests into the tiled entrance. An abundance of natural light warms the inviting new space. Oak floors stained ebony offer a functional and sturdy design element that ties the first floor together and leads guests into a tastefully appointed living room, perfect for sitting and catching up. But as you might expect, that is not where the guests typically hang out.

?The rooms in the original section of the house were small,? says Kamrad, ?the kitchen was small with a small sitting area.? Since interior walls in the original structure were scrapped, the design team had a blank palette to reconfigure the downstairs. ?When we laid out the new kitchen, we were thinking about entertaining needs,? says Davey, ?there really isn?t a family room on the first floor, and we also wanted to create a space that?s good for reading the paper on Sunday morning.?

Studio Z Design Concepts reconfigured this kitchen for the family's entertaining needs. The new design uses dark hues in the floors and cabinetry topped off with neutral, cultured-stone countertops.

The new kitchen carries the hues of dark floors up onto the cabinetry, which is topped off with neutral, cultured-stone countertops. Backsplashes employ recycled glass tile. The island provides informal seating and contains a second sink that?s crucial for successful parties. A low table and two comfy, armless lounges provide more space for impromptu family gatherings. Oversized windows illuminate the fine-tuned kitchen. ?It turned out really great,? says Kamrad, ?we spend most of our time in that room.?

The other place to have an informal meal began life as an under-used back porch. With three sides of the room exposed to sunshine, the design team saw a diamond in the rough. ?We raised the floor four inches to bring it up to the same level as the kitchen,? says Kamrad, ?we also had to run duct work to the room. There were a bunch of challenges there.?

Upstairs, the master bathroom turned into a sanctuary defined by a selection of slate that circles the soaking tub and then extends into the shower to provide a seat for the weary. Brazilian granite was used on the shower surround as the design team pulled stone choices from two handpicked slabs.

On any whole-house renovation, challenges are easy to find. It turned out that Davey had no issues working with another architect as a client, and he came away from the experience with nothing but happy stories. ?It actually came together pretty easily,? says Davey. ?The couple?s daughter, Golnaz, even got involved with the process by designing her own bedroom. She did a mock-up, complete with little cutouts of all her furniture. I really enjoyed the process, and it was exciting to see it come to fruition.?

For Kamrad, the renovation was made more difficult by the decision to keep as much as the original house as possible. ?Raising the first floor ceilings was structurally challenging,? he says. But the end results are worth all the fretting and upheaval.

?I love every bit of it,? says Kamrad, ?especially the little things we did. For instance, there?s a space under the stairs on the first floor that?s perfect for storing the Christmas tree. We also wired the whole house for a sound system. But the best part is sitting in front of the fireplace with my wife enjoying a cocktail.?

Scott Sowers is a contributing writer for Chesapeake Home + Living.

Contact:
Studio Z Design Concepts: studiozdc.com or 301-951-4391

Source: http://www.chesapeakehome.com/2012/02/09/crafty-transformation/

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