The Shaw Shine Redemption

Q and A with Suzane Reatig  
by Beth Herman

Heralded for her consistent redesign and accruing revitalization of D.C.'s deteriorating Shaw neighborhood, where she practices architecture, Israeli-born and Technion-educated Suzane Reatig of Suzane Reatig Architecture continues to shine a tenacious light on Shaw's blighted blocks. Moving to Maryland during the 1975 recession, Reatig toiled for two years as a carpenter before finding work for various architectural firms, finally posting her own shingle in 1989. While her award-winning buildings are considered affordable as opposed to luxury designs, they are tantamount to the latter in many respects and celebrated for their exuberant facades, spare spatial qualities and prodigious use of natural light and air. DCMud spoke with Reatig about her latest multifamily project in Shaw.

DCMud: What is the genesis of the 623 M Street building, your eighth building in 20 years in Shaw, which we understand didn't start as a housing project at all.

Reatig: The existing building with eight apartments was in terrible shape, next to a church. The occupants were elderly, and they could walk to the church, though the building had a lot of exterior  steps which made it hard for them. The client, with whom I'd worked on another project, asked me to design a ramp. It really didn't make sense because there were also stairs inside the building these people would have to negotiate on their way to the ramp. I was able to convince the client that something more drastic was needed: a new building.

DCMud: But how did that work in terms of displacing an elderly group of residents - even temporarily?

Reatig: I was doing another building for the client on 7th Street and told him we would have some of the units accommodate these people for a while. Then we could bring them back. Interestingly, some of them loved the other building so much, they let us know they were going to stay.

DCMud: Did this alter the M Street design in any way?

Reatig: When we realized the elderly residents were not coming back, we added a mezzanine (with staircases) to three top floor units, making them larger and fancier. These could be rented at market rate and there were nine units in all.

DCMud: What about the site itself, which we understand was a real challenge?

Reatig: We were dealing with only a 4,700 s.f. site, including building and parking, and all the zoning regulations. But we achieved the design, in three stories, with an elevator though it was no longer critical in terms of the residents' needs. The exterior is concrete and has brightly-colored panels.

DCMud: Can you explain the absence of wood in this design, and perhaps in some of your other projects.

Reatig: We could have built it like you build houses, but it's an urban design, so for noise and fire safety purposes we do it the way highrises are built.

DCMud: Some may say there's an absence of sustainable elements in the M Street building, but you have other ideas about that.

Reatig: To build sustainably, you want to build something that will stand a long time and that people will want to use. It's not about LEED points but rather if it's built well, it will endure and people will continue to be comfortable living there.

DCMud: Tell us about the interiors, with your signature focus on light and ventilation.

Reatig: The lower six units are one bedroom, 800 s.f. The top floor (three units) are 900 s.f. with the mezzanines, and a roof deck. Some apartments have three exposures so they are more like a house. Glass is low-E with a mix of fixed and operable windows. The units have cross-ventilation. There are exposed polished concrete floors.When they were marketed, they rented immediately. I've said before that whenever we design housing, we do something we would want to live in.

DCMud: You have spoken a great deal in the past of infill architecture, like this building on M Street. So how does it reflect the neighborhood vernacular?

Reatig: Actually it's very different than the surrounding buildings, which are very old and a brown brick - very monotone. We have a building that is cheerful and makes people smile. You can always see the light inside and lots of color.

DCMud: In what ways does your considerable stint as a carpenter in the '70s affect your work today?

Reatig: It gives me something important in terms of understanding materials as we don't always consider how things are built. I also have a great appreciation for these people who do the work. I always tell the contractor that as architects, we do a small portion of the work. They are the ones who build and are much more important than us, though the teamwork is also very important.

DCMud: Speaking of a city that thrives on teamwork, is there a particular D.C. site that appeals to you?

Reatig: There are a lot of buildings I love in D.C. like the Corcoran and I.M. Pei's National Gallery. I love buildings like the Freer that have courtyards. The Portrait Gallery enclosed theirs in glass, but I loved it when it was open and you could sit there with fountains and trees. It was lovely - a real oasis.

Photos courtesy of Alan Karchmer.

Eat Stay Love: Lebanese Taverna

Q and A with Francisco Beltran and Angel Betancourt
by Beth Herman


Very much a family affair, the revered late 1980's-era Lebanese Taverna in Woodley Park, at 2641 Connecticut Avenue NW, is one of six restaurants, four cafe's and a market in the industrious Abi-Najm kin's epicurean gallery. Undergoing a complete demolition, Principal Francisco Beltran of Design Republica and project manager Angel Betancourt of Potomac Construction Services reimagined the 165-seat, 4,300 s.f. space. DCMud spoke with Beltran - veteran of more than 100 restaurant designs - and Betancourt about the venue, which reopened in early November.

DCMud: From a general perspective, what did the renovation entail?

Betancourt: It was a total demolition resulting in a more open feeling and contemporary design.

DCMud: Did anything survive the former design?

Betancourt: We did retain the cross-vaulted ceiling, though removed a lot of beams so the ceiling looks higher.

Beltran: The cross-vaults were something the family had invented back in '88, and that became the heart and soul of the restaurant. However previously, they'd had bulkheads that concealed air ducts and crossed the dining room horizontally that connected at points of the cross-vault. When we removed them, the illusion of a much grander ceiling, though it was already at 15.5 feet, was created. Removing the bulkheads gave a lot of verticality to the space as it's very linear and narrow.

DCMud:Was the space reconfigured in any way, and if so for what purposes?

Beltran: The restaurant had taken over an adjacent space in the mid-90s, making it into the private dining room - but it had no connection to the front of the house and people felt they were not dining in the heart of the restaurant. In the new design that space became the kitchen, and the new private dining room was conceived as a part of the main dining room.


DCMud: There appears to be a lot of sumptuous custom mill and tilework.

Beltran: The way we chose to finish the walls, floor surfaces and more was based on the Lebanese tradition of using hardwoods like walnut, much of which is reclaimed wood.Tabletops throughout are reclaimed walnut.

The main floor is assimilated wood plank flooring that's made of porcelain. It provides the illusion of warm hardwoods but is much more durable and non-slip. Custom concrete tile was used on the bar faces, and will be used on the storefront facade later on.

Carpet tiles in the restaurant are recyclable and have an oversized print and more of an antique look, which gave a warmth and character to the main dining room.

DCMud:  The private dining room appears to be swaddled, if you will, for luxury and sound.

Beltran: In that space, we used a floor-to-ceiling striping pattern where we alternated walnut hardwood planks in between 18-inch wide fabric panels, actually Homasote boards with batting, for dimension. We wrapped green tea leaf velvet fabric. All three major walls are encased in wood and velvet panels.

In the other part of the restaurant, we used copper velvet fabric for the banquettes treated with Nanotech stainguarding.

DCMud: Can you speak to the lighting?

Beltran: All lighting is LED. Chandeliers were custom made in Egypt specifically for this project. The chandeliers in the wall that divide the private dining room from the main dining room are Moroccan lanterns that we find in most Lebanese Taverna restaurants.

DCMud: Does the new restaurant resemble any of the others?

Beltran: From the time I first starting working with the family, in 2000, it was clear they didn't want their spaces to look like anything cookie-cutter, or a franchise. Each restaurant is specifically designed and detailed within the community - each has a different look and feel. And it's always a team effort, as the family, chefs and staff are deeply involved. The food, service and friendliness may be the same, but the experience of the surroundings is completely different. And the family treats each restaurant like it's their only one.

DCMud: More like Louis Sullivan's contextual architecture, perhaps.

Beltran: Each speaks the language of its community or neighborhood.

DCMud: You began working for family in the restaurant business when you were 14 years old, something that evolved to later experiences with renowned chefs/restauranteurs Victorio Testa, Roberto Donna and others. Is your hospitality design work a strategic outcome of this?

Beltran: I knew in junior high school I wanted to be an architect. Combining food and design was more of a coincidence, though, when the first architecture firm at which I worked  did a restaurant. I said, 'I know all this,' so it was a natural blending and I never looked back.

DCMud: Is there a particular D.C. building that has impacted you as an architect?

Beltran: It has to be the Holocaust Museum. It's not so much the displays but the actual path through the building - the lighting. It's the way the walls enclose and direct you to experience the space - something very successful, very powerful and moving. I try and do that with my restaurants. I want to tell a story and give a different experience in any point of the restaurant - not just have it be one big open space where you see everything and know what it is. If you sit in different areas, they should evoke different feelings and emotions.

Washington DC retail design news

A Biotech Firm Runs Through It

Q and A with Jill Schick and Howard Goldstein
by Beth Herman


Charged with creating the behemoth mixed use world headquarters, including offices, laboratory, daycare center and 90-foot-long steel and glass connector for the 250,000 s.f. United Therapeutics Corporation, 1040 Spring St., Silver Spring, Maryland, Jill Schick and Howard Goldstein of Schick Goldstein Architects P.C.left no stone unturned -- and no terrace untree'd. A biotech firm on the cutting edge of developing and marketing specialized products for individuals with chronic and life-threatening illnesses, the program for UTC included three buildings, green roofs and individual terraces, street level retail shops and extensive exterior and interior public spaces. Phase II, at 7 stories, achieved LEED Gold (the others were not submitted) and won the USGB's National Capitol Region Chapter 2010 Award of Excellence Project of the Year for New Construction.  DCMud talked with Schick and Goldstein about the decade-long project.

DCMud: Tell us about the unusual venue for UTC.

Schick: Most biotech firms in the area would go out to I-270, where they'd have a sprawling piece of land and not have to deal with city codes, etc.  Dr. Martine Rothblatt, who is the CEO, has lived in Silver Spring for years. She wanted to bring UTC to an urban setting and give back to the city by bringing in professional people, as a tax base, as well as offering the many courtyards incorporated into the design to the public.

DCMud: What was the process?

Goldstein: We were asked to develop a master plan for the entire project in 2002-2003, so prepared a number of designs for the three buildings at the same time. They were built individually, the 4-story laboratory building completed in 2006, the 7-story Phase II in 2010 and the last one opening just this year.


DCMud: What was the program for the second building?

Goldstein: It's mixed use. The first floor is retail shops and lobby space, entered from an amenity space. There are more laboratories on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors, and it has offices on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors. Green roof terraces exist off of the 5th and 7th floors, accessed from individual offices. A vast interior stair encourages high use and interaction as opposed to employees using an elevator or fire stair.

DCMud:What about some of UTC's sustainable elements.

Goldstein: First, we have 5,000 s.f. of solar panels on each building.

Schick: On the first building we used a lot of precast concrete for environmental purposes. There is also a lot of channel glass which affords much natural light but does not sacrifice privacy for the employees. There are exterior sun control louvers on the south and west facades.

DCMud: We understand the choice of terracotta skews wide.

Goldstein: We used (environmentally friendly) terracotta to define the area where the lab is on the 3rd and 4th floors of building #2. The office area above it on floors 5, 6 and 7 is glass and metal panel. The terracotta also scales the building down because there's a residential area to the north, so we used a color that's similar to brick. It also serves as a rain screen system, where the waterproofing is between the screen and the skin.

Schick: It's done a lot in Europe. There's no caulking, sealing and tightening.You're getting the water not to penetrate the building at all; the rain drips down behind it with its pressure equalized. And architecturally, the design of this building swoops you around to the public space on Cameron Street.

DCMud: What was the thinking behind the extensive use of public spaces?

Goldstein: In CBD's (central business districts), you're allowed to double the FAR (floor area ratio) if you provide a public amenity space in 20 percent of the lot. Our FAR was 'one' on this project, which was extremely low. One means if the property is 40,000 s.f., as with the lab area, then you can only build that much. But if you offer a public amenity space, like the courtyard we created, you can double it, which is what we did.

We created what are called pocket parks. Across the street there is an apartment building with an amenity space also, so they could double their FAR. So when you take their amenity space, and our pocket parks, and then an atrium we've created for Phase III, it becomes one large dynamic green space with a road running through it, which is the goal of the Parks Department.

Schick: There's also a public space that's interior, and it's three stories tall. It's always open, so if there's inclement weather, or you just want to experience that space, you can do it -- including on your way to the Metro which is nearby.

Goldstein: Our client calls the UTC campus 'one of the gateways to Silver Spring.'

DCMud: We understand the connector between two of the buildings has a bit of a backstory.

Schick: That was a hard thing to get approved by the neighbors. They didn't want a bridge because it takes people off the street, but this was purely for the company - and it's really called a connector. It was constructed in the South, trucked up and lifted into place. They had to close the street.

DCMud: Tell us about the final building.

Goldstein: It's an office building for staff. The entry is a 3-story atrium space off of Cameron Street. There's a pocket park off of Spring Street at the west end of the property, which is linked to the Cameron Street entrance through the atrium. The first floor is retail. The second and third floors - open to the atrium - are these 'Google spaces' - open, casual, working on your laptop, playing ping pong, having coffee or juice kinds of spaces. There's a lecture hall here as well.

DCMud: A potent feather in Silver Spring's municipal cap - and yours - to say the least!

Photos courtesy of Alan Karchmer and Anice Hoachlander

Very Far, Very Fast: Firefly

Q and A with Griz Dwight and James Lafley 
by Beth Herman

Delivering a fully redesigned, rejuvenated restaurant in three weeks' time, architect Griz Dwight of GrizForm Design and Superintendent and Senior Project Manager James Lafley of Potomac Construction Services raced to reopen the outmoded Firefly, 1310 New Hampshire Avenue NW, located inside the Hotel Madera. Frequented by tourists and locals who covet the venue's famed pumpkin hummus, and steamed blue bay mussels, expanding the now 62-seat dining space and adding 8 more bar and lounge seats was at the top of the menu. DCMud spoke with Dwight and Lafley about the project.

DCMud: Why the rush? Where's the fire (fly)?!

Lafley: Firefly is a working restaurant and staff was given three weeks off. There are many regular, local customers, and there were functions like weddings planned, so we had to accomplish a phenomenal feat given the extent of the work.

DCMud: Describe the existing space.

Lafley: The whole space - a back dining room; main dining room; bar; a reception room - was drab and dingy. There was a round, outdated, inadequate bar with worn wood on the back. A wall around the kitchen with a cobblestone-like finish looked like the 1950s, though it had been installed in the '60s. Carpeting was very old.


Dwight: The space already had a woodsy feel and we were limited by time and budget, so rather than come up with a completely new scheme, we wanted to take what was there and amp it up. We took the idea of dining alfresco in the woods as far as we could. There was a tree there before, so we attached a swing for cocktail seating.

DCMud: The kitchen appears to be something out of a storybook.

Dwight: It was made to appear like the outside of a house or cottage. We used recycled brick, windows and shutters. They open up so the chef can pass items through them for happy hour. It feels like the kind of space in which your grandma might be as she calls you in for dinner.

DCMud: What are some of the design challenges you faced?

Dwight: One of the major goals of the renovation was to address some of the problems the restaurant was having. There was a huge sound problem, so a lot of our design intention was focused there.

Lafley: The ceiling was sprayed with an acoustical paint for a quieter environment.

Dwight: Acousti-Coat is a NASA-invented paint with ceramic modules inside the paint to dull sound. We also clad an entire dining room wall with leather-wrapped sound panels. The leather has that warmth and outdoorsy feel and absorbs 100 percent of the sound that hits it. We also took tree flaps - giant slices of naturally fallen trees - and made a dividing screen between the bar and dining room. So the bar can have that happy hour where people get a little bit louder, but the sound isn't going right to the dining room.


DCMud: Can you speak to some of the unusual lighting?

Dwight: We were really limited by ceiling height, but wanted to enhance the idea of tree branches and fireflies. Accordingly we attached bent pipes around the ceiling to imitate branches. Each one ends in a dimmed Edison bulb, which evokes the tail end of a firefly. Between this feature and the (cottage) kitchen, it makes it a very warm space.

DCMud: What are some of the other design elements you incorporated?

Lafley: California wood slabs were installed behind the hostess stand and between the two dining rooms, suspended on rebar, to give you the feeling of being outdoors. The outdated carpeting was replaced with engineered wood flooring that matches Brazilian cherry. Stone Source Trend Q tiles, which are recycled and in this case have a greenish cast, tops the new bar and really dresses it up. Slate flanks the side of the bar and runs around the base of the kitchen "cottage," as well as the entrance foyer. We installed glass walls that open up to the outside. In warm weather, the restaurant can be exposed to the street and patio out front.

DCMud: Sounds as though you beat the clock without sacrificing anything - except maybe some sleep.

Washington D.C. restaurant design news

Envisioning the Visio and Murano

Q and A with Suman Sorg   
by Beth Herman

Seeking to venerate but modernize Washington D.C.'s classic row house archetype, and drawing from the surrounding urban U Street corridor neighborhood, Suman Sorg of Sorg Architects created the 19-unit Visio and Murano, 2109 10th Street NW. Studying historic preservation at Cornell University, though a modernist at heart, Sorg's work is often a confluence of the two, with compatibility a word she uses to define her efforts in the contextual realm. The Visio and Murano has won six awards, including two AIA awards for Architectural Excellence and one for Washington Residential Design. DCMud spoke with Sorg about the project.

DCMud: What was the design impetus behind the Visio and Murano?

Sorg: The idea was to build so-called stick buildings that are not steel or concrete but wood, and to redefine the concept of infill row housing. When we built the Visio, we used mezzanines -- or internal stairs -- in each apartment so you could get extra space and still build a building out of wood frame, though the exterior is brick and glass.We had really tall ceilings -- 11 to 18 feet high -- each one has a double-height living room. We used English basements to create extra square footage at street level.

DCMud: How did the neighborhood's vernacular manifest in the design?

Sorg: We wanted to make these buildings compatible with the adjacent church. There's an alley between the church and Visio and Murano, but they almost form a street line. My idea was to look at what's important in the church, which is a turret, and how to add that kind of verticality to the facade of Visio. I wanted to work with the church's material which is red brick -- traditional Washington. We used that but in a modern application. I was also thinking about the industrial character of the area. You look at the Visio's front stair through bent steel - almost sculpture, and then the windows have steel mullions. The brick is sharply cut; it's not antiqued at all. These are some industrial features in the design.

DCMud: In what ways does the design emulate more doctrinal area architecture?

Sorg: In D.C. we have what's called the traditional bay house which allows you to project into public space by four feet. I was interested in incorporating that concept, but in a modern way. I wanted a modern vocabulary -- one that's Washington's own vocabulary rather than an imported one -- as well as taking advantage of what zoning allowed so we could have maximum square footage inside.

DCMud: Can you elaborate on the concept of imported, or as some have called it borrowed, architecture?

Sorg: I believe we've been importing architecture from Europe since the very beginning, and lately importing architects themselves. Washington's own architecture can develop in its neighborhoods rather than downtown where there's more commission scrutiny. We should look at what's traditional to D.C. and then reinterpret it.

DCMud: There is a prodigious use of glass in these buildings, and they are not towers, so with that how was privacy executed in the Visio and Murano?

Sorg: There's a general trend right now -- a shift from post modern to modern. Because the shift was so quick, people went back to early modernism -- the 20s and 30s. In residential architecture, however, people don't want to live in a glass box. They do want a sense of privacy and warmth.

When there are large amounts of glass in residential architecture, proportion is important. Again people don't want to live in glass boxes, so we broke it into smaller panes. We used zero sightline windows so the ones that do open don't look different from the rest of the glass. We also set the glass back behind balconies for shade. Hardwoods were used in the interior, including wood stairs. We followed LEED Silver requirements and used some natural materials, low-E windows and Energy Star appliances, though did not pursue certification.

DCMud: You work extensively internationally, as well as in D.C. Does the Visio and Murano reflect anything you have done before?

Sorg: I did a similar housing project in Kuwait in 2005. Following the war, the U.S. was given a piece of property by the king on which to build a new embassy. We did the housing in the embassy compound. It's somewhat the same in its proportion and materials, including glass and shading.

I've also been working in historic neighborhoods for a long time. The Visio and Murano are the evolution of townhouses that we did in Georgetown and particularly in Ledroit Park, south of Howard University, where we built 14 brand new infill townhouses. While you couldn't tell them apart from other historic townhouses in the neighborhood, it taught me about proportion and management of materials in these historic buildings. It became a foundation for the Visio and Murano's modern interpretation.

DCMud: Speaking of interpretation, is there a place in the District that calls to you?

Sorg: I like buildings that are unassuming -- beautiful, quiet buildings or spaces where, when you walk or bike around the city, they do not scream for your attention. One of these is the Decatur Terrace Steps and Fountain (sometimes referred to as D.C.'s Spanish Steps) between 22nd Street and Decatur Place. The large trees that surround it make for a perpetually shaded resting spot to listen to the bubbling fountain and enjoy a respite from the busy city.

Design for an Abled Life

by Beth Herman


Contracting polio as a child, Idaclaire Kerwin learned to make the most of every moment.

Commissioning interior designer JoAnn Zwally, ASID, of Ashton Design Group, who'd worked with Kerwin and husband Tom on previous residences, and Jonas Carnemark of Carnemark Design + Build (also a Kerwin design veteran), along with Carnemark Principal Michael Stehlick, the couple sought a residence that facilitated life with physical limitations but in which the accruing design was neither stark, ordinary nor clinical, and in fact was driven and enhanced by the challenge.

With a drive and determination reflected in her favorite color, a potent cinnabar, the almost life-long force in the League of Women Voters (now treasurer for the Arlington, Virginia chapter) was guided by Zwally to infuse a new apartment at Arlington's senior residential community, The Jefferson, with a strong color palette featuring cinnabar. The spicy hue both affirmed Idaclaire's bold spirit and served as a unifying element. And because of her disability, issues of flow and "purpose" were tantamount to aesthetics.

"It was actually two apartments that had been made into one some years ago," Zwally said of the 2,036 s.f. space, "but it was really appalling the way it was - so much waste that needed reconfiguration." The idea was for the homeowner to able to traverse the space unimpeded, accordingly doorways were widened, site lines created and design logic was employed, so to speak, where she could move to and through a reimagined foyer, master bath, hallway, kitchen, master bedroom, home office and more.

Life design
Speaking to principles of handicap accessible design, Carnemark said while his goal was to create a user-friendly space, other components factored in as well.

"For me, as a designer, there is universal design, but it's nice to design for the the life of the home and for whomever is going to use it: grandparents and grandkids. We look at design as purposeful. And one objective was to open up the space and make it feel bigger," he said.

As the homeowners wanted something minimal without sacrificing coveted storage space, Carnemark included elements such as a pop-up counter and wall-mounted fold down cutting board next to the refrigerator where they could chop vegetables - geared for wheelchair use. Instead of cabinets, drawers contained dishes.


Designed as height-specific to accommodate Idaclaire, counters were lowered - the sink side is 33 inches and the cooktop area is 30 inches as opposed to a normal 36, and Siematic cabinetry, which adapts well to unconventional spaces, was employed.The refrigerator has a bottom freezer for easy access, and the cooktop has a halogen top which makes it easy to clean and maintain. A speed oven - combination oven and microwave - sits below it at a comfortable height for the homeowner.

"In addition to accessibility issues in the kitchen, we wanted to create a real contemporary look with a pop of color in the back," Carnemark said. To that end, Zwally selected a custom-painted piece of glass in cinnabar that was used as a substantial backsplash behind the cooktop, the color teased throughout the entire residence in furnishings, textiles, wall color, art and more.

In the curatorial-type dining room, a series of gritty, industrial photographs by Historical American Engineering Record photographer John T. "Jet" Lowe flank a Dakota Jackson dining table. Vintage fire-retardant chairs from the S.S. United States, a luxury passenger liner built at Newport News, Virginia in 1952, and described as the first sea-going vessel built in compliance with US Navy fireproofing guidelines."We had to cut down the legs of the table for it all to work, but it looks great," Zwally said.

A locomotive runs through it
A former senior railroad executive with the Norfolk Southern Railway, husband Tom desired a study/library that was borne of a bedroom on the other side of the dining room, replete with cherished items such as a piece of stained glass art replicating a train and an extensive collection of books. The study can double as a guestroom in the two-bedroom apartment. For his wife, a home office design, though smaller, with height-adjusted built-in console with wraparound counter that runs from patio to desk provides ample workspace for League of Women Voters business.

In the quest for enlarged, open space, Carnemark and Zwally eliminated an existing bath. While the clients were reluctant at first for resale purposes, they decided to focus more on their own comfort and joy, Carnemark recalled, adding he counsels clients to "do the things that really make them happy" for the best value in the long run. Accordingly the bathroom was removed and walls on both sides opened, creating a glass-shelved display area for the homeowners' many collections including pottery from Native American artists Joy Cain, Bob Lansing and Robert Silas. Storage spaces were conceived at this juncture to hold games and other items for visiting grandchildren.

In the existing foyer, walls were "offset and funky," according to Carnemark, who ended up aligning them to clearly define the space and help expand the kitchen.

"We weren't able to get rid of an entire wall, as we had to move some piping and in these buildings certain risers go from floor to ceiling that you cannot move, but we expanded as much as we could," he said, adding that a foyer niche with focal point for a vase was created when an adjacent pantry with sliding door was eliminated.

Creative controls
In reconfiguring the master bath, which went from 46 to 97 s.f. and is often a major issue for a disabled homeowner, thresholds were eliminated. To get the shower drain to work properly, the surrounding porcelain and glass mosaic tile floor was built up slowly, according to Carnemark. "There's a little bit of a ramp that rises up a level so we could back it down to the drain." A deep shower bench was calculated for a specific height, where the homeowner can sit and control the main and hand showers separately. Controls are deftly embedded in a knee wall next to the drawer base. The toilet was situated on a pedestal at a desirable height for the homeowner, who is not without some mobility. And when the homeowner exits the master bath toward the cinnabar-hued bedroom, a closet was relocated to the other side creating a long, open hallway for ease of movement.

Where lighting was concerned, Carnemark said one of the focuses was to provide a high level of contrast in task areas. Noting the process becomes a challenge in buildings like the Kerwins' because of concrete ceilings and floors, the designer said all too often the ceiling must be built down to hide recessed lighting or ductwork for exhaust fans. In the homeowner's dining room, in lieu of customary wire mold, the lighting track was extended farther along so that it met the wall. "This cleaned up the ceiling lines for flow," Carnemark said.

Citing his methodology for projects like the Kerwins', Carnemark noted he prefers to do things so that everything has a purpose. "If you drive the design that way, you can make it more beautiful on top, always considering how the flow (and function) works first and then filling in color, texture and light."

Said Zwally,"Jonas and I did everything together. In the beginning we came up with a lot of the same ideas, and others complemented each other. It was a real partnership."

Photos courtesy of Geoffrey Hodgdon and courtesy of CARNEMARK.