The owners of this modest 2,300 square foot country home wanted to minimize their impact on the Earth and establish a lasting connection to nature. The project employed local craftsmen and used natural, recycled, locally sourced materials. The sunroom features an earthen mud floor made from the soil of the site! The house employs passive solar design concepts; the sunroom, situated at the center of the house, captures the warmth of the sun and radiates it throughout the living spaces. With sustainable building techniques, sensitive attention to the surrounding environment, and framed views of the exterior from every interior space, this house celebrates its site and connection to the land.

Erlantz Biderbost

Photos Courtesy of Sharon Risedorph

Dining + Kitchen end of Great Room in Guest House. Cathy Schwabe, AIA. Designed while at EHDD Architects. Photograph by David Wakely

Holly Marder © 2012 Houzz

Photos Courtesy of Sharon Risedorph

Photo by David Loveall Kitchen was built with Ikea cabinets.

Photo by Lincoln Barbour

Interior of The Glass House, Designed by M Square Lifestyle Design. The house was designed by Nico van der Meulen Architects

Carmel Brantley

Simon Maxwell

Maletz Design

The 364 square foot lower level of this historic row house in Georgetown is intended to be an urban retreat for an eternal bachelor. The overall goal was to create a sanctuary of modern living: efficient, clean, and minimal. One of the greatest challenges was to fit a large amount of program into the narrow 14' width, including kitchen, powder room, sitting space, mechanical area, and washer / dryer, while maintaining as much open floor area as possible. The other challenge was to create an effect of light and openness, within what had previously been a dark and uninviting basement. Design Strategy Two storage volumes define either side of the space: along one edge glossy white kitchen cabinets line the wall, terminating in a cantilevered wine bar, and along the opposite edge a series of sliding doors conceal the more functional aspects of program: powder room, mechanical units, and washer-dryer. The existing chimney along this wall was retrofitted to accommodate the television and custom cabinetry, including additional wine storage below. These two linear volumes serve to frame the space, while glass planes traverse at each end. A sliding wall of backlit translucent panels hides the existing basement windows along the street façade, and a folding glass wall opens onto the rear garden, The result is a light, airy space that visually expands from interior to exterior.