When Bob Comment bought his home in Bethesda, he wasn’t really purchasing it for its style. “I got an agent and I told him, ‘I want a house with lots of big trees’,” Comment recalls. “He found me this one, except that the house was, well, derelict would be too strong a word, but it was in rough shape.”
The house was a typical mid-century modern rancher, with small rooms, minimal natural light, and mahogany paneling. After about five years of making minor repairs on his own, Comment contacted Rob Brennan of Brennan + Company Architects to practically gut the home, salvage the most valuable materials, and reinvent the space into a more functional, contemporary style.
“He loved the views out from the house and wanted to build on that,” says Brennan. “He also loved the natural wood in the house, the mahogany, and he wanted to reuse that.”Comment put very few demands on Brennan; he was happy to let the professionals make the decisions regarding the project. His only requests were to open the floor plan and to use natural materials, especially unstained, unadulterated woods. He first came across this aesthetic at the home built by his brother-in-law in the woods of Washington State. “At first I thought all these different kinds of wood he used was a little weird,” says Comment, “but I got to appreciate it. Wood is so attractive.”
While ecologically-sustainable building practices are still gaining momentum here in the Mid-Atlantic, the flexibility Comment gave Brennan for much of the design allowed Brennan to flex his “green” muscles and experiment with products and strategies that would make the architecture more environmentally friendly. For example, much of the wood used for flooring and trim throughout the house was reclaimed from earlier use. And rather than enlarge the house, Brennan worked within the home’s original confines, articulating the space to create the look of size and scale without building-out an enormous addition.
The living room in this renovated mid-century modern rancher, sports fewer walls and a new open floor plan.
“It’s the Not So Big House philosophy of taking a small house and making it livable,” Brennan explains, referring to Sarah Susanka’s book and philosophy and noting that almost every room in the house was touched by the renovation. “It’s a mid-century modern house renovated into the new century’s image of modernity, while retaining the initial character of the house.”
Brennan’s design added a small addition to the front of the house that creates an airy entryway. Walls were removed, creating an open floor plan that makes the small home feel much larger. Two small bedrooms became one large master suite. The basement, previously accessed by a rickety staircase, was integrated into the main home with new mahogany stairs. It now houses a bar and a guest bedroom. The carport was extended to accommodate two cars, and the industrial steel columns and beams used on that structure were softened by the addition of cedar inserts. “I have the prettiest carport,” says Comment. “Usually they are rather mundane things, but mine is quite nice.”
The use of recycled and renewable materials was extremely important on the project. The old mahogany paneling was given new life in the floors, beams, and trim.The original brick fireplace, with its dramatic metal flues, was sheathed in stone to be more in keeping with the use of natural materials. The bathroom uses recycled glass tile, limestone, and teak wood (which can be sustainably grown) for accents.
Tucked behind the stone fireplace, the infomal dining room features natural materials.
Materials are what make this house unique, what give it its modern look and organic flair. The exterior of the house is wrapped in tongue-and-groove cedar. Inside, cherry and mahogany cabinets are offset by slate tile floors and countertops. Per Comment’s request, all the woods used in the home were clear-coated to maximize their natural beauty. “The original ’50s house had redwood siding outside, mahogany paneling, and a stone foyer,” Comment recalls. “That’s all gone, but it’s been replaced with similar materials.”
Brennan provided beautiful views onto the wooded lot by using oversized windows. But they serve a greener purpose as well. Brennan selected tilt turn windows for better circulation, reducing the need for air conditioning (although the homeowner says this is a challenge on hot, Maryland summer days). Brennan also reconfigured the window layout for improved solar gain in the winter; the large windows produce tremendous natural light, reducing the need to use electricity during daylight hours.
“I really like the big windows,” says Comment. “The construction guys said they were the biggest windows they’d ever installed.” Comment’s favorite window in the house is much smaller—the skylight over his shower. “It’s like showering outside,” he says. The use of frosted glass doors throughout the house preserves the feeling of openness and conveys natural light without sacrificing privacy.
The most prominent feature of the home’s interior is undoubtedly the kitchen, which is ironic given that Comment is hardly a gourmet cook. In fact, he originally wanted a galley kitchen, but Brennan convinced him that would be too idiosyncratic.
“You don’t need to be a gourmet cook to appreciate a good kitchen, even for us hot dogs and beans people,” says Comment. He adds that it is also nice that, “I can stand in the kitchen and see two-thirds of the house.”The large, open kitchen is surrounded by a u-shaped island that has bookshelves on the exterior and cabinetry within, an aesthetic that appealed to Comment. Inside it he can cook his franks and beans in stainless steel appliances. (Kitchen designer Lobkovich, Inc. also created the basement bar.)
The large, open kitchen is surrounded by a U-shaped island that has bookshelves on the exterior and cabinetry within.
Comment handled the interior decoration of the home himself so he says it is hard to give it a name. “I like classic modern design with nothing weird,” he simply states. Comment found much of his artwork online, and invested in clean-lined leather furniture by Paris maker, Roche Bobois.
“I work at home so it’s got an office feel to it, although it is far nicer than any office I’ve worked in,” Comment explains. He is self-employed as an expert witness, so he lives and works in this space. From his office window he can watch deer meander through his wooded lot. “It’s a place where I was going to spend most of my time. For that reason, I wanted the finishes and furnishings to be nicer than the average house—many people don’t actually spend that much time in their house.”
While some might look at Brennan and Comment’s efforts and wonder why they didn’t just tear down the old home and start over–or simply buy a new home—Comment is adamant that the work was worth the year and a half it took to make the house a reality. “I’m much, much happier than I would have been buying an off-the-shelf house or an in-fill house–they’re substandard. They don’t call them McMansions for nothing,” he says. “And when they do them, the first thing they do is tear out all the trees. By doing a remodel instead of a new house, I was able to save almost all the trees.”
Christianna McCausland is a Contributing Editor to ChesapeakeHome.
Contacts:
Brennan + Company Architects: brennanarch.com or 410-788-2289
Lobkovich Inc. Kitchen Designs: 703-847-0601
Vogan Associates, Inc.: voganassociates.com or 301-929-2852
Allentuck Landscaping: allentucklandscaping.com or 310-515-1900
Roche Bobois: roche-bobois.com
