The 2025 DMV Modern Home Tour
10.4.24
10am - 4pm

The project was to redesign and convert a vacant warehouse in an alley in Washington DC’s Pleasant Plains neighborhood that would be inspiring and comforting to the owners: a designer who uses it as both his home and design studio and his husband, a public health scientist who often works from home. Although the goal was to keep most of the building shell intact to reduce the carbon footprint for the renovation, certain structural renovations were necessary. The east wall was compromised and had to be rebuilt. Because the design included a new second level, the 12-inch concrete ceiling needed to be reinforced with steel beams, with a section of the ceiling removed to allow for the staircase.

On the main level, the warehouse’s original 14-foot ceiling height and large, open space was maintained, with certain design elements added for practical purposes. The western wall was originally at a diagonal but was squared with a small addition using an insulated concrete block system. A new concrete floor was poured over the existing concrete on the main level to allow for radiant heat. The design studio on the main level was separated from the main living space with a 12-foot-wide by 10-foot-high sliding pocket door system with frosted glass. Given the incline of the alley, steps behind the kitchen lead up to a one-car garage and powder room.

The project was also designed to maximize natural lighting. The frosted glass sliding studio doors allow light to shine in from the west facing façade. Existing ventilation units on the north side were removed and replaced with new windows and additional window openings were added. A dramatic, large, southern-facing window in the stairwell leads to the second level, while also flooding the first floor in natural sunlight. The additional second floor contains a primary suite in the west wing. Custom cabinetry in the primary suite creates on one side a dressing area and, on the other side, headboard for the bed. The guest bedroom and the other office/bedroom are in the east wing which also has another bathroom, laundry/utility room and wet bar. Large windows in all the rooms and light oak floors were used to make the lower ceiling height feel grander. There is a roof terrace on the second floor that connects the east and west wings and provides a semiprivate outdoor terrace. Stairs on the terrace lead to the upper roof deck which features entertaining space over the east wing and solar panels over the west wing, which help offset the electric costs for this 100-percent fossil fuel-free home. A green roof runs the roof terrace’s 60+ foot length that, in addition to its aesthetic functions, serves as a means for storm water management, provides additional insulation, and creates a 6-foot buffer from the neighbors to ensure privacy.

The building’s exterior was kept simple. Existing brick was repaired and painted. A new entrance was “sculpted” in Corten steel, and the upper level was wrapped in corrugated metal panels.