New owners bought this stately 1918 home on a prominent corner lot in Chevy Chase Village, just outside Washington DC, to house their growing family. The stone house was sturdy, but badly in need of renovation. The plan was poorly organized and had little connection between the house and ample rear yard.

Our approach was to open up the house to the sunlit pool terrace and reorganize the plan to meet the needs of a modern family, while maintaining the historical layout of the house as much as possible.

A complementary addition was added to the rear of the house to hold a modern eat-in kitchen. Living spaces were arranged along the south side of the house, and undersized windows were replaced with generous French doors opening onto new limestone terraces. Doors were removed from the central hall, encouraging easy circulation between the living spaces, the new kitchen, and the raised terraces. High ceilings and raised openings carry sunlight through the house. Throughout the interior, existing moldings, woodwork, and mantels were repaired and rehabilitated. The original knotty pine paneling of the old library was carefully preserved in the new music room.