It sounds like the craziest episode of
House Hunters ever: She loves Victorian architecture, he loves 1950s kitsch. How will they ever compromise on a dream home?
The answer is about to be listed for sale in Germantown, where an 1800s farmhouse with a replica 1950s diner on the premises will hit the market Thursday for $1,250,000. In addition to the nearly 4,000-square-foot main house, the seven-acre property includes a historic corn crib, extensive gardens with a koi pond, a peacock pavilion (which, yes, once held actual peacocks), and an eight-car garage that’s also done up in a retro theme.
Key elements: Antique fixtures, steel-framed shower, hex tile.
Architect Jim Rill and designer Lauren Liess teamed up to create this 1900s-inspired space in a recently renovated Reston house. “The client was really drawn to those old, turn-of-the-century New York City buildings,” says Liess.
To capture that feeling in an otherwise new room, she brought in genuinely vintage touches, such as the towel bars and the prismatic-glass ceiling light. Other elements, including the tub sprayer and custom vanities, are modern-day recreations of antique pieces. Matte black hex tiles, brass library sconces, and a steel-framed shower enclosure with transom-style glass add to the industrial aesthetic.
Take a Look at the Insane Luxury Condos Coming to Phase Two of the Wharf
The priciest penthouses will cost more than $12 million.
Renderings courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront.
The second phase of the Wharf, under construction since 2019, will bring another half-mile of mixed-use development to the glitzy waterfront destination when it finishes in 2022. Among the new additions: Amaris, a 96-unit, 12-story condo building, with amenities like an indoor saltwater lap pool, a “spa suite” with private treatment rooms, and a car elevator that will take residents’ vehicles down into the garage.
The residences will all have outdoor balconies or terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows for taking in views of the Washington Channel, plus high-end finishes such as honed marble countertops, custom Italian cabinetry, and white oak floors. One-bedrooms will start at $690,000, with nearly 6,000-square-foot penthouses reaching all the way up to $12 million-plus.
Photos by Chris Ellenbogen.
The sprawling six-bedroom house in Bethesda’s Bannockburn neighborhood has plenty of luxe features. Its nearly acre-sized lot, for instance, or its walls of windows, or the glass-enclosed home office that seems to float among the trees.
But some of its most impressive traits aren’t so easy to spot. Like the fact that it’s constructed almost entirely of aerated concrete blocks designed for exceptional thermal insulation. Or that it was positioned on its lot to capture the optimal amount of warmth from the sun. Or that it runs on a geothermal system that, despite the house’s more than 6,000 square feet, keeps monthly utility bills under $300.