VIP Luxury Home Tour
Story by Liesel Schmidt
Photography Courtesy of Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
As a newly-purchased home, this new single-family house in Vienna was destined for a complete renovation to become what the owners envisioned—something much more modern to fit their tastes and lifestyles. After several design meetings with Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, the young couple who owned the home began a complete overhaul that would incorporate the Middle Eastern and Moroccan art they collected as well as bold patterns, saturated colors and unique architectural detailing.
The house was furnished with five-inch-wide gray plank hardwood flooring and a new railing system featuring wrought iron rails on the staircase. On the main level, the old living room was opened up and a large archway was installed, separating it from a two-story foyer and creating a formal dining room. A new ceiling panel, crown molding, wainscoting and gold and navy-blue color themes were used to complement the new furnishings in the space.
Just across the foyer, the old dining room was converted into a library by adding wall panels and curved ceiling panels. “The mint green and cream paint has made a big impact on the look of this room,” says Sonny Nazemian, Master Designer of Kitchen/Bath at Michael Nash. The old office became the guest suite/mother’s suite with a newly-added full bathroom. The new bath was designed with a glass block transom and given a black and white Art Deco aesthetic, featuring beaded wall panels, a furniture style vanity and walk-in shower. Finally, a doorway was made to accommodate a Moroccan hand-carved door, keystone molding and Middle Eastern hanging lights.
In the family room, new windows were added while others were closed up, a new fireplace was added to the center of the left wall of the two-story space and the wall was covered with floor-to-ceiling stone veneer. Overhead, a new chandelier beautified the space.
The kitchen was, by far, the home’s biggest problem and one that almost deterred the couple from purchasing the house from the offset. The space was narrow and tight and had limited lighting, so the new design plan called for the removal of several major bearing walls to open the kitchen into the adjacent family room and sunroom. The back of the kitchen was bumped out and given a new five-foot-deep addition with a massive picture window, allowing generous natural light into the room.
Widening the kitchen allowed for the reconfiguring of cabinetry and also made room for a large island with a 48-inch gas range top and recessed hood. The south wall became home to a large stainless-steel fridge and freezer, espresso maker, double oven and more storage space. “We had to install four major steel beams and supporting poles from the basement up to structurally allow this addition and open up the kitchen,” says Nazemian.
A set of French doors was added to the sunroom, leading to a new stone outdoor patio and fireplace. The old laundry room and coat closet were demolished, then re-created into a new mudroom space with locker-style cabinets and a large walk-in space for the couple’s future wine cabinets. The side of the mudroom was fitted with a new door, while a side porch and steps were added to lead to the driveway as the couple’s main point of entry to the house.
As avid entertainers, the couple greatly needed outdoor entertaining space. To accommodate their frequent gatherings, a large screened-in porch was built just off the interior kitchen and installed with a full outdoor kitchen, all covered with Middle Eastern hand-painted floral tile and a contrasting porcelain tile floor. The walls are brick, with a ceiling of beaded paneling adding a sense of warmth to the space. “Now that their home is complete, the owners love to throw parties for friends and family both indoors and out,” says Nazemian.