2012 NARI CAPITAL COTY, MERIT AWARD WINNER, RESIDENTIAL BASEMENT INTERIOR A newer house in the suburb of Ashburn, Virginia, is home to this military couple. With a growing family and a daughter moving back home, they were in need of more space. An unfinished basement offered plenty of space for a remodel, but coming up with a desirable floor plan was difficult due to the location of a stairway that the builder had installed and the location of the furnace and hot water heater. Working with Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, the couple came up with a plan that moved the furnace and hot water heater to a storage room and redirected the stairway in order to create a workable layout. The primary goal was to have a home office, full bathroom, guest bedroom and a large entertaining area. The focal point of the design is a new gas fireplace embedded in ledge stone with a large LED television above it. A bar with custom cabinetry, exotic stone countertops and decorative pendant lighting creates a central area for the family to gather.

The challenge: Create a dual office that can be closed and secured when the weather turns ugly and soccer practice comes inside. In addition, incorporate design feature to redirect heat from wall-length baseboard. The result: Large-scale custom cabinets open to reveal individualized offices—a balance of performance and design. Pocket doors disappear, creating leg room below and exposing open work areas above. File drawers are in abundance and a supply cabinet in between provides the two spaces with ample storage for office necessities. When closed, the doors protect computers and technology creating a barrier against whatever life throws at them. An inset backer board channels heat from baseboard to air vents above and below cabinets. Kara Lashuay

2012 NARI CAPITAL COTY, MERIT AWARD WINNER, RESIDENTIAL BASEMENT INTERIOR A newer house in the suburb of Ashburn, Virginia, is home to this military couple. With a growing family and a daughter moving back home, they were in need of more space. An unfinished basement offered plenty of space for a remodel, but coming up with a desirable floor plan was difficult due to the location of a stairway that the builder had installed and the location of the furnace and hot water heater. Working with Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, the couple came up with a plan that moved the furnace and hot water heater to a storage room and redirected the stairway in order to create a workable layout. The primary goal was to have a home office, full bathroom, guest bedroom and a large entertaining area. The focal point of the design is a new gas fireplace embedded in ledge stone with a large LED television above it. A bar with custom cabinetry, exotic stone countertops and decorative pendant lighting creates a central area for the family to gather.

This room was completely dysfunctional with a fireplace on one wall and the TV all the way across the room on the opposite wall. They never used it, so we closed it in and redirected the focal point to fit their needs. The partial wall/soffit was removed between the family room and kitchen eating area creating an unobstructed view to the game. Photo by Brian Bossert Photography.

2012 NARI CAPITAL COTY, MERIT AWARD WINNER, RESIDENTIAL BASEMENT INTERIOR A newer house in the suburb of Ashburn, Virginia, is home to this military couple. With a growing family and a daughter moving back home, they were in need of more space. An unfinished basement offered plenty of space for a remodel, but coming up with a desirable floor plan was difficult due to the location of a stairway that the builder had installed and the location of the furnace and hot water heater. Working with Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, the couple came up with a plan that moved the furnace and hot water heater to a storage room and redirected the stairway in order to create a workable layout. The primary goal was to have a home office, full bathroom, guest bedroom and a large entertaining area. The focal point of the design is a new gas fireplace embedded in ledge stone with a large LED television above it. A bar with custom cabinetry, exotic stone countertops and decorative pendant lighting creates a central area for the family to gather.

**Please Note--If you click on the tags in this photo you may NOT be taken to the actual vendors. Anyone may tag photos and redirect you to their own site. Photo: Donovan Roberts Witmer

This corner lot was taking on a lot of water from the street, as well as headlights from passing cars. To solve both problems, we created a berm and densely planted it with evergreen screening plants. The berm redirects water around the house, as well as elevating the plant material.

The intent in this project was to transform the least used space in the back yard into a vital entertaining space. The bluestone patio became an extension of the front bluestone walkway anchored by the stone fireplace. The fireplace / pizza oven becomes the lively center of attention. As a result the fireplace breaks up the linearity of fence beyond and redirects views upwards towards open view to sky.

This garden is comprised of CA native plants, a dry river bed to redirect the rainwater, a funky gravel driveway and two rain tanks. This garden also has no irrigation system and is thriving just fine.

The intent in this project was to transform the least used space in the back yard into a vital entertaining space. The bluestone patio became an extension of the front bluestone walkway anchored by the stone fireplace. The fireplace / pizza oven becomes the lively center of attention. As a result the fireplace breaks up the linearity of fence beyond and redirects views upwards towards open view to sky.

2012 NARI CAPITAL COTY, MERIT AWARD WINNER, RESIDENTIAL BASEMENT INTERIOR A newer house in the suburb of Ashburn, Virginia, is home to this military couple. With a growing family and a daughter moving back home, they were in need of more space. An unfinished basement offered plenty of space for a remodel, but coming up with a desirable floor plan was difficult due to the location of a stairway that the builder had installed and the location of the furnace and hot water heater. Working with Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, the couple came up with a plan that moved the furnace and hot water heater to a storage room and redirected the stairway in order to create a workable layout. The primary goal was to have a home office, full bathroom, guest bedroom and a large entertaining area. The focal point of the design is a new gas fireplace embedded in ledge stone with a large LED television above it. A bar with custom cabinetry, exotic stone countertops and decorative pendant lighting creates a central area for the family to gather.

During - 2016 - Was all weeds/turf approx 3 years ago. Solarized and smothered entire lawn in stages in 2013. Redirected water by digging a "dry creek" bed 1-2 feet and filling with gravel in 2013. Covered with cobblestone in 2016. Landscaped over past 3 years with azaleas, rhododendron, ferns, lamium, delphinium, carpet roses (drought tolerant), iceberg roses and a 50 year old Chrysler Imperial rose transplanted from the back yard. Also, ground cover herbs such as lemon thyme, creeping thyme, compact oregano and corsican mint (as well as alyssum). Walkway replaced with pavers in 2016. Flagstone walkway to driveway being placed. Will also be re-mulched. Facing North.

Amy Le Sueur
Photo of an asian landscaping in DC Metro.

During - 2016 - Was all weeds/turf approx 3 years ago. Solarized and smothered entire lawn in stages in 2013. Redirected water by digging a "dry creek" bed 1-2 feet and filling with gravel in 2013. Covered with cobblestone in 2016. Landscaped over past 3 years with azaleas, rhododendron, ferns, lamium, delphinium and carpet roses (drought tolerant). Also, ground cover herbs such as lemon thyme, creeping thyme, compact oregano and corsican mint (as well as alyssum). Walkway replaced with pavers in 2016. Will also be re-mulched.

This garden is comprised of CA native plants, a dry river bed to redirect the rainwater, a funky gravel driveway and two rain tanks. This garden also has no irrigation system and is thriving just fine.

LeafGuard® Brand Gutters are a one-piece, seamless, hooded system that collects large amounts of rain and redirects them away from your home. Even more reassuring is that LeafGuard® Brand Gutters are certified to handle more than 32 inches of rain in an hour and come with an iron-clad no-clog guarantee. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at a project our craftsmen completed for our client, James.

Starting its life as a dark, walled in space with inadequate cabinetry and multiple awkward components, I knew the only way forward with this penthouse kitchen, was for it to undergo a complete rebuild. The clients were hoping to welcome a child in the years following this renovation, however they love to entertain so also wanted a modern and sophisticated kitchen. Therefore, the task became marrying functional indestructibility with clean, elevated design, resulting in a timeless, architecturally forward kitchen with sensible storage and innovated finishes. The first and most important task when addressing the modernization of this kitchen, was to remove the existing walls that closed off the space. Accomplishing this allowed for a more free-flowing feel and opened the sightline to the rest of the unit. This also invited the opportunity for a new, more welcoming floor plan including the addition of a large island with ample counter space and optional eat-in functionality. In order to maximize functional efficiency and overall aesthetic value, I knew the plumbing required substantial relocation. However, with concrete ceilings and floors, combined with a strata unwilling to allow trenching of the slab, moving the plumbing to the most effective location was no easy feat. Ultimately, I was able to accomplish this by creating a hidden channel inside the cabinetry that allowed the plumbing to be redirected to the ideal location without visible detection. Creatively, I was inspired by the idea of injecting dimension, by way of juxtaposing materials that wouldn’t necessarily be found together in nature, yet worked harmonious when combined. You’ll notice the cabinet fronts are all made of solid Dekton – a manmade stone that while costly, is nearly indestructible. This created the base in which we inset the countertop, backsplash and surround, all made in a wood-like material. As if a huge ice-cream scoop glided into a slab of solid stone, uncovering beautiful layered depths of wood. I worked with a local company to custom manufacture this is a high impact, one-of-a-kind laminate specifically for this project. It’s nonporous, fingerprint resistant and antimicrobial. It offers a matte finish which has a beautiful hand-feel resembling real wood but because it’s manmade, it’s not subjected to the same expansion and contraction of natural wood, making it an exceptional choice for this application. Final details also include a touchless kitchen faucet, integrated appliances, hidden storage, Italian lighting, delicate Australian hardware and smart switches and plugs.

A smart TV installation on the stone fireplace feature using wireless HDMI and video streaming. This TV model has built-in speakers and a wireless subwoofer for discreet yet large sound. Before TV installation, the room focus was re-directed to left wall for a media cabinet and furniture layout was not aligned with original home design.