The owners bought this 4 story colonial townhouse in Rosslyn, close to Key Bridge. They were about to start a family, and wanted the house to be ready for the baby’s arrival. Both had lived abroad and travel extensively and were convinced that, though the size and location of the house were ideal, the interiors could not stay. They both had modern sensibilities, and were open to our guidance. The wanted the house to have touches of their background- Grace’s family is from Taiwan, Thuy from Vietnam; a budha statue at the entry on a shelf above the cabinet with slippers for the guests- shoes are not worn in the house, a wall in Chinese red (good luck), feng-shui , lots of light, functional modern and warm. FORMA tried to improve the flow of the space, open up the layout to the abundant light coming from both the front and the back of the house, and bring the space to its potential with well thought out minimal but powerful moves. Moving or eliminating some walls, all new finishes and lighting and a selection of appropriately-scaled furnishings helped transform a run-of-the-mill developer grade townhouse into a memorable zen-feeling home for young Rowan, who joined mom and dad as they moved in in early winter. This Project has been featured in the April 2008 issue of Washingtonian Magazine and the May/ June 2008 issue of Washington Spaces. In addition, the project was recognized with a Bronze award for residential interior design by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

Photography © Geoffrey Hodgdon