Blog Tags

1960's Contemporary 3-D A Rustic Basement Addition additions additions bethesda additions maryland American Institute of Architects Montgomery an attractive yard Anti-Mansionization Arlington Award Winner Remodeler bath addition bath renovation bathroom Bethesda Bethesda home Bethesda MD home remodel big snow home tips brenneman & pagenstecher Brenneman & Pagenstecher Architects build bethesda build chevy chase Builder Built-ins Built-ins bethesda Built-ins chevy chase Built-up roof buyer cedar walls Chevy Chase classically-inspired treatment clean lines closets and lockers Commission National Association of the Remodeling Condensation Connecting with Nature consider more expensive changes if necessary Construction Services Cotswold Cottage countertops County Historic Preservation curb appeal Curbside Appeal Darnestown MD Darnestown MD pool house decks Design Design Build Design Detail Design focus Design Services Design Solutions Designer designers & master builders Designers bethesda designers chevy chase designs dining room remodeling Dining Rooms in Bethesda District of Columbia don't ignore the driveway dream home Earth Tones Bring Outside In Edgemoor elegance emphasize pathways End of Summer Home Maintenance English Cottage EPA lead certification exterior fireplace firewood first impression Frank Lloyd Wright French doors FSC Certified Wood garage doors Garden Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays Glen Echo Heights gracefully curving roof Great Falls Green Building Green Design Green Remodeling heating system hidden doors hidden wires hide wires on remodeling hide wires on renovation highly detailed designs home Home Remodeling home remodeling in Potomac home renovation hide wires home renovation in potomac Home Renovations Home Theater Home Theater house remodeling Home Theater renovation potomac hot water heater house House on a Hill house remodeling HVAC unit's ice damage impact In House Building In the trees Industry Professional Remodeler Iron Railing Itallianate Villa Style Kenwood kitchen kitchen remodeling kitchen renovation kitchen renovations ladders landscape lead-based paint Light living space Low VOC lumber major winter storm home damage make your entryway inviting Maryland master bath Master Builder Master Builders Master Designers McLean Md mid-century rambler Modern architecture Mohican Hills mold and asthma mold on renovations mold remodeling Montgomery County mud room or mud zone natural wood New-Old House Northwest DC Not So Big House outdoor kitchens outdoor living space outdoor retreat outside walls overhead ceiling lights paint resist moisture and corrosion patios planning to stay in your home polished Carrara Marble rug porch Potomac Prarie Style preprogrammed smart devices RefrigeratorsSmall regulations on Lead-Based Paint Remodel Remodel in Phases remodeling bethesda remodeling chevy chase remodeling mclean Remodeling Services Remodeling Solutions Renovate renovations bethesda renovations mclean Residential Builder Residential Design Roman Grille Roof failure room room addition room design room remodeling Room with a view Round Room rustic lodge sanding or removal of lead-based paints Scale Schedule a professional checkup sell Seneca sandstone September is “Holiday Prep Month!” severe mold snow damage snow damage diagnosis snow leaks on door snow leaks on windows Space special features spectacular hillside views stainless steel Stone counter stone countertops stone hearth stone tops kitchen Sustainability Sustainable Building Sustainable Remodeling synthetic stucco mold tall cabinets Tear-Down termostats the landscape the pool house Thinking outside of the Box tile tile rug traditional windows Transformation Transformations of Older Homes Transforming a room Turn your home into a Smart Home tv remodeling wires typical brick rambler Unique Clients Unique Homes Unique Solutions vacation cabin vinyl siding mold Virginia Virtual Washington, DC Where can I put those wires Whole House Makeover window seat WindowsSmall winter wonderful feeling of warmth wooden elements XDining Rooms in Bethesda XDining Rooms in chevy chae

All Around The House

Thoughts and Advice from the experts on Improving your existing Home.
Tags >> classically-inspired treatment

Architectural Built-ins for Dining Rooms in Bethesda and Chevy Chase

Posted by: B&P on Oct 7, 2010

As an Architect who remodels older homes, I constantly adjust my design approach; to serve the differing circumstances created by the wide range of styles found in the Washington DC area.  Here are two very different architectural solutions for dining room storage and display, in two very different homes -- both in Bethesda, MD:


The first home received a formal, classically-inspired treatment, with storage cabinets and display shelves recessed into the wall.  Notice that the third bay of the built-in is actually the door to the kitchen!  The door panels are recessed into the vertical dividers of the cabinetry, creating a "paneled portal" effect.  Additional storage and serving surface are provided by a lovely breakfront.

 


The second home is a mid-century rambler, in which we replaced a single window with a group of 4 windows and a pair of skylights, framed by built-ins.  This is how we resolved the conflicting need for more light with the need to furnish along that same wall.  Notice the floating shelf separating the upper and lower windows; it provides serving and display surfaces, but it also allows us to treat the windows in entirely different ways.  The upper windows are trimmed-out and subdivided into 4 panes, reinforcing the traditional notion of what a window should be, while the lower windows seem to disappear in to the adjacent woodwork and serve as a place to display sculpture.  The lighted display cases in the surrounding built-ins serve to anchor  the entire composition.  
Every home and every client are different.  So my simple formula for pleasing architectural designs is this:  Unique Homes + Unique Clients = Unique Solutions.
 
Brenneman & Pagenstecher
301-933-9305