Page 29 - ArchDC_Spring 2020

Front façade before renovation.
Note the narrow windows on
the main floor, which were enlarged
during the renovation.

Close-up view of the bay window. Courtesy of Balodemas Architects
Project: Holbrook Lane Renovation,
Potomac, MD
Architects: Balodemas Architects
Structural Engineers: Stann Structural Engineering
General Contractor: HebNCo Construction

The finished renovation reflects the architects’
consistent, thoughtful deference to Cross’s original
design. Eschewing wholesale change for its own sake,
Shahsavarian and firm principal Lou Balodemas, AIA,
retained the house’s basic structure and layout, adding
no square footage. Significant modifications to the
exterior were limited to a new, wider entry bridge and
enlarged windows. On the interior, most alterations
were modest but tactical, maintaining and, in some
cases, accentuating aspects of the house’s distinctive
character while making it feel much more contemporary.
A small but revealing example is the treatment
of the main entrance door, which is recessed slightly
from the outside wall. Prior to renovation, the tops of
its bracketing interior walls were disengaged from the
underside of the angled ceiling, creating an awkward
leftover space above. Now these walls extend all the
way to the ceiling, eliminating a useless niche while
accentuating the ceiling’s slope, which is characteristic
of many houses of its era and enhances the sense of
volume in the living area.
More substantial changes included removing a
wall lined with closets and shelves that separated the
kitchen from the dining area. The layout of appliances,
cabinets, and counters in the kitchen was also reorganized
in accordance with present-day tastes and cooking
practices. One of the kitchen counters now extends
along the outside wall of the dining area, visually
linking the two spaces while providing additional
storage cabinets.
The most significant interior alteration was the
removal of a set of partial-height walls between the
living and dining areas that previously framed the
Main entrance, with walls extended to ceiling.

A LIGHT TOUCH 27