Bowers Design Buil created this outdoor living space with a partial trellis roof above an outdoor kitchen and fireplace seating area.
After 14 years in their custom-built Southern-style historical replica home, original owners Louis and Theresa Dupart of Great Falls, Virginia decided to expand their living space with an updated kitchen, enlarged family room, and a new patio. The Duparts, who have two grown sons, 22 and 19, use this new and improved area of the home for entertaining and fun-filled family gatherings.
When it came time to decide on exactly who to requisition for the project, they chose Bowers Design Build in McLean, Virginia. “We selected Bowers because we saw them complete a project for our neighbor. They were always on time, and they cleaned up after themselves. When we saw our neighbor’s finished project, we were very impressed,” says Theresa.
While the Bowers team undertook this eight-month renovation, the family used a hot plate to cook meals in the basement. “The Duparts’ vision was to update, enlarge, and lighten the kitchen/family room space while adding an outdoor living area,” says Wilma Bowers, co-owner of Bowers Design Build. She adds, “The kitchen/family room was a very dark space. The finishes and cabinetry were dark, and there really was no light coming in except for one very small kitchen window and one bay window in the family room.”
The Duparts not only needed more space, it had to blend seamessly with the existing architecture. “While we wanted a larger space, the most important element of the design was retaining the character of our home,” says Theresa.
Bowers went to work on the spaces–adding two sets of French doors that open up onto the new patio. Large windows were added to both the kitchen and the family room, which now bathes the rooms in natural light. “Part of the trellis roof over the patio also brings in light,” says Theresa. The kitchen was also enlarged to add a separate eating area and an island.
The updated kitchen was outfitted with top-of-the-line appliances, including a Wolf convention oven, microwave and range, GE Monogram refrigerator, Miele dishwasher, Wolf warming drawer, and a Herbeau Luberon farmhouse sink. The new Brookhaven Springfield cabinetry is recessed in a natural cherry with black glaze. “We used two different types of granite in the kitchen, one in the perimeter and the other in the island. The backsplash is made of limestone,” says Theresa. “The kitchen is perfectly designed for cooking and entertaining…it is my favorite place,” she adds.
The original family room was torn down to give the room higher ceilings that were supported by steel beams, which were exposed between the kitchen and the family room entrance. “We had to make the beams pretty, so we added a coffered ceiling in the kitchen to camouflage the steel beams,” explains Bowers. “Our in-house interior designer, Gigi Parr, used colors and finishes to reflect a modern version of a classic period home,” adds Bowers.
The focal point of the new outdoor dining area and kitchen was a two-sided stone fireplace.
At the very end of the project, the Duparts brought in Martha Blair FitzGerald, an interior designer from Chevy Chase, Maryland and friend, to furnish the new kitchen and family room spaces. “Theresa expressed a desire for the space to feel tasteful and traditional, but keeping in time with the rest of the home’s décor,” says FitzGerald.
FitzGerald incorporated Sabre leg counter stools and four English side chairs upholstered in fabrics from Thibaut—‘Ballantyn’ on the front and ‘Brompton Stripe’ on the back in the kitchen. The chairs sport a light Antique English finish, which complements the rectangular dining table with a Parquet top and refectory leaves.
In the family room, FitzGerald used two Lee Industries sofas in a Cadet Camel fabric, four contrasting pillows in Cowtan and Tout Cornwall stripe, and a Wesley Hall chair with matching ottoman in a Bambu Rye fabric. Window treatments made from fabric by Osborne and Little make the room complete. “I wanted a warm, comfortable, and inviting room, presented nicely for guests, but livable for our family,” says Theresa.
Beyond the French doors of the new and improved indoor space was a new patio and outdoor living space that included an outdoor dining area and kitchen. The focal point of this new living space in the two-sided stone fireplace is “practical and interesting,” says Bowers. “There are two separate fires for the indoor and outdoor spaces, but it is unique to have them back to back.” The patio with natural cleft slate flooring supports a Lynx Pro-Sear outdoor grill, Lynx outdoor refrigerator, and a sitting and dining area.
“Great Falls, Virginia has a very rural, country feeling. The colors and organic materials that we used inside and out reflect those natural surroundings. The key to the success of this project is that the addition ties into the existing structure and natural elements of the environment,” says Bowers.
Says Theresa of the finished project, “we are so pleased with the finished product in beauty, design, and function.”
Jennifer K. Dansicker is the Special Projects Editor of Chesapeake Home + Living.
Contacts:
Bowers Design Build, Inc.: bowersdesignbuild.com or 703-506-0845
Martha Blair FitzGerald: 301-656-3670
