Houzz Tour: Bright, Colorful and Family-Friendly
An architect found on Houzz by a couple’s young daughter transforms their townhouse into a contemporary family home
Becky Harris
June 20, 2021
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
These creative parents of three young children knew when they saw it that this townhouse in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C., could be the family home of their dreams. But years of decline by previous owners had left the interiors a derelict shell. While the couple were in the process of buying the home and pondering what to do with it, their 10-year-old daughter presented her parents with Lorena Checa, an architect she’d found on Houzz. “I knew these were my kind of people because they were raising their kids with social awareness. For a 10-year-old to say, ‘Mom! She not only does these great houses, but she’s a woman and she’s Latina.’ They were all amazing, very creative and had great energy,” Checa says. “Every conversation we had was fluid and rich. We were simpatico from the beginning.”
The architect studied how the family liked to live by visiting them at their home at the time and asking key questions. She found the whole family to be full of creative energy. “Karen is a playwright and Rett is a lawyer who is also creative,” Checa says. Both embraced bold color — they wanted the home to inspire them creatively. The architect suggested that she lead the conceptual process and overall design of the home and that they hire a design-build firm to collaborate. Steven Bradley and Kelly Callahan of Space Crafters joined the effort, and together the team gave the family a bright, colorful home with an easy flow and great spaces for spending quality time together.
The architect studied how the family liked to live by visiting them at their home at the time and asking key questions. She found the whole family to be full of creative energy. “Karen is a playwright and Rett is a lawyer who is also creative,” Checa says. Both embraced bold color — they wanted the home to inspire them creatively. The architect suggested that she lead the conceptual process and overall design of the home and that they hire a design-build firm to collaborate. Steven Bradley and Kelly Callahan of Space Crafters joined the effort, and together the team gave the family a bright, colorful home with an easy flow and great spaces for spending quality time together.
“After” photos by Kenneth M. Wyner Photography. “Before” photos from Checa Architects
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Karen Zacarias, a playwright; her husband, Rett Snotherly, a lawyer; their three children; and their dog
Location: Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Size: 3,193 square feet (297 square meters); three bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms, plus a rental apartment on the ground level
Architect: Lorena Checa of Checa Architects
Interior architect: Frederick Johnson of Checa Architects
Builders: Steven Bradley and Kelly Callahan of Space Crafters
Looking at the exterior of the house, the ground floor is a separate 1,100-square-foot rental apartment. The floor at the top of the steps is the main floor, the floor above it is the second floor and the top level is the third floor.
Find a local architect on Houzz
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Karen Zacarias, a playwright; her husband, Rett Snotherly, a lawyer; their three children; and their dog
Location: Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Size: 3,193 square feet (297 square meters); three bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms, plus a rental apartment on the ground level
Architect: Lorena Checa of Checa Architects
Interior architect: Frederick Johnson of Checa Architects
Builders: Steven Bradley and Kelly Callahan of Space Crafters
Looking at the exterior of the house, the ground floor is a separate 1,100-square-foot rental apartment. The floor at the top of the steps is the main floor, the floor above it is the second floor and the top level is the third floor.
Find a local architect on Houzz
Before Photo
Before: This photo was taken from the dining room, located in the center of the main level, looking toward the front entry. The living room is to the left of the entry door.
Over the years, the house had been turned into a rooming house, and the property had fallen into decline. The layout had been chopped up into a lot of bedrooms, and the rooms were dark. The family wanted to open up the floor plan for the way they like to live.
A lot of the existing architectural materials were beyond repair and didn’t work with the homeowners’ more contemporary tastes. The pros at Space Crafters were careful to salvage what they could. They donated the salvageable doors that were removed during the renovation to Community Forklift and other architectural salvage to Vintage House Parts & Radiators.
Over the years, the house had been turned into a rooming house, and the property had fallen into decline. The layout had been chopped up into a lot of bedrooms, and the rooms were dark. The family wanted to open up the floor plan for the way they like to live.
A lot of the existing architectural materials were beyond repair and didn’t work with the homeowners’ more contemporary tastes. The pros at Space Crafters were careful to salvage what they could. They donated the salvageable doors that were removed during the renovation to Community Forklift and other architectural salvage to Vintage House Parts & Radiators.
After: Checa kept the existing entry door, transom and sidelights but opened up the entry hall to the living room, and the living room to the kitchen. Apple green paint livens things up. Extending the color across the headers and into the hallway defined this area within the open plan. “I use color to delineate sculptural forms in architecture … and I use color to define blocks of space,” Checa says.
The green continues around the corner and up the staircase on the left. It also highlights new structural elements that replaced the original load-bearing walls. The headers cover structural beams, and Checa wrapped a serious structural steel column in aluminum column covers by Pittcon. On the right side of the photo, the white wall delineates hallway space and creates a connection to the kitchen.
The architect had a lot of tricks up her sleeve to give the family the house of their dreams while keeping a tight budget. For example, she elevated the look of inexpensive ready-made cubbies by covering the sides and top with a thick honed black granite. This unit provides a place for everyone in the family to stash shoes, bags, mittens and scarves, while also providing a sense of separation between the hallway and living room. “This was a crafty way to create storage on a budget,” she says.
Browse sofas in the Houzz Shop
The green continues around the corner and up the staircase on the left. It also highlights new structural elements that replaced the original load-bearing walls. The headers cover structural beams, and Checa wrapped a serious structural steel column in aluminum column covers by Pittcon. On the right side of the photo, the white wall delineates hallway space and creates a connection to the kitchen.
The architect had a lot of tricks up her sleeve to give the family the house of their dreams while keeping a tight budget. For example, she elevated the look of inexpensive ready-made cubbies by covering the sides and top with a thick honed black granite. This unit provides a place for everyone in the family to stash shoes, bags, mittens and scarves, while also providing a sense of separation between the hallway and living room. “This was a crafty way to create storage on a budget,” she says.
Browse sofas in the Houzz Shop
Now the existing fireplace has a sleek new mantel, plus a new hearth composed of large-format honed slate tiles. The new surround is composed of onyx mosaic tiles, a material that pops up in other places on this floor. “I repeated design elements to keep harmony,” Checa says.
The architect knew the kitchen was going to be a big, important space, so she placed it where the dining room had been in the center of this floor. And she deliberately left a wide, empty space behind the kitchen island. “You don’t want function everywhere — I call these buffer spaces ‘self-expression spaces.’ When things are filled with furniture, there’s no place to dance. The kids are super creative. They need spaces to break out dancing or burst out into a performance scene,” she says.
The architect knew the kitchen was going to be a big, important space, so she placed it where the dining room had been in the center of this floor. And she deliberately left a wide, empty space behind the kitchen island. “You don’t want function everywhere — I call these buffer spaces ‘self-expression spaces.’ When things are filled with furniture, there’s no place to dance. The kids are super creative. They need spaces to break out dancing or burst out into a performance scene,” she says.
The kitchen, once relegated to the back of the house, now serves as the heart of the home. By moving it to this location, Checa also took advantage of a dogleg in the home’s footprint that allowed for a window. The team worked with lighting design firm CodeLumen to get all the artificial light right.
The couple kept the kitchen budget in check by using an employee discount they had for Samsung appliances. And Checa suggested inexpensive ready-made cabinets with customized doors. Interior designer Frederick Johnson specified glossy white customized doors to dress up the cabinets. The cabinet doors and white quartz countertops reflect the light.
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The couple kept the kitchen budget in check by using an employee discount they had for Samsung appliances. And Checa suggested inexpensive ready-made cabinets with customized doors. Interior designer Frederick Johnson specified glossy white customized doors to dress up the cabinets. The cabinet doors and white quartz countertops reflect the light.
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The glossy white finishes brightened the kitchen, but without mixing in additional elements, they would have made the room feel cold. “We needed to bring in some soul,” Checa says. So she introduced two earthy elements. The first is an onyx mosaic tile that matches the onyx on the living room fireplace surround. This backsplash wraps the kitchen all the way to the edge of the window wall. “The onyx mosaic is like old-world craft. It’s not perfect,” Checa says. “Bringing the backsplash in around the window makes it feel like a stone wall.”
The second element that brought in some soul was one of the big splurges in the house: a beautiful live-edge red elm and walnut island top. The natural stone of the tiles and the wood bring just the right amount of warmth to the modern space. “It’s modern and warm. It’s not just crisp and sharp,” Checa says.
Local craftsman Marcus Sims of Treincarnation crafted the island counter. “He has a collection of fallen trees from storms — his barn is like a library of trees,” Checa says. He cuts the trees into slabs for customers to choose from. Checa took the homeowners on a field trip to his barn to scout the right wood for the island top. “It was a really necessary ingredient,” she says. The 10-by-3½-foot island is designed for a crowd, with room for six comfortable counter stools. Using two sides of the island for seating eases conversation.
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The second element that brought in some soul was one of the big splurges in the house: a beautiful live-edge red elm and walnut island top. The natural stone of the tiles and the wood bring just the right amount of warmth to the modern space. “It’s modern and warm. It’s not just crisp and sharp,” Checa says.
Local craftsman Marcus Sims of Treincarnation crafted the island counter. “He has a collection of fallen trees from storms — his barn is like a library of trees,” Checa says. He cuts the trees into slabs for customers to choose from. Checa took the homeowners on a field trip to his barn to scout the right wood for the island top. “It was a really necessary ingredient,” she says. The 10-by-3½-foot island is designed for a crowd, with room for six comfortable counter stools. Using two sides of the island for seating eases conversation.
Shop for counter stools
Checa relocated the dining room to this space next to the kitchen. The purple was inspired by a piece of 3D art the couple’s niece was making for the space. Checa introduced the hue on the header that delineates the dining room from the kitchen on the kitchen-facing side, creating another sculptural block of space with color. Then she covered two walls in the dining room in the hue.
From her talks with her clients about how they like to live, Checa knew they’d enjoy a sitting area near the expansive windows and doors across the back of the home. It includes a sofa for working and napping. She painted the wall on the right side of the dining room in buttery yellow to tie it into the seating area. This is an example of how she used color not only to delineate spaces, but also to help the floor plan flow visually from one space to the next. This light shade of yellow serves as the main neutral hue throughout the house.
Another element she repeated was the inexpensive ready-made cubbies wrapped in thick, honed black granite. In the dining area, they provide storage and can serve as buffet and bar.
From her talks with her clients about how they like to live, Checa knew they’d enjoy a sitting area near the expansive windows and doors across the back of the home. It includes a sofa for working and napping. She painted the wall on the right side of the dining room in buttery yellow to tie it into the seating area. This is an example of how she used color not only to delineate spaces, but also to help the floor plan flow visually from one space to the next. This light shade of yellow serves as the main neutral hue throughout the house.
Another element she repeated was the inexpensive ready-made cubbies wrapped in thick, honed black granite. In the dining area, they provide storage and can serve as buffet and bar.
Before Photo
Before: The kitchen had been at the back of the house.
After: A large new expanse of glass along the back bathes the space in natural light. The door leads to a deck and exterior stairs down to the backyard. The new exterior doors and window headers are 8 feet high. “Coming from Latin America, I never understood 6-foot-8-inch doors. I grew up with tall doors,” Checa says. “We design tall ceilings and windows so that air and light can penetrate deeply. You get more sky and you get more access to light.”
The architect carried this 8-foot height to the interior doors, which lined up the tops of all the home’s doors in a pleasing way. “Our eyes catch horizontal elements … all of the light and sense of spaciousness flows from one space to the other,” Checa says. The existing doors she replaced were donated to an organization that could put them to use on projects where they would be a better fit.
The architect carried this 8-foot height to the interior doors, which lined up the tops of all the home’s doors in a pleasing way. “Our eyes catch horizontal elements … all of the light and sense of spaciousness flows from one space to the other,” Checa says. The existing doors she replaced were donated to an organization that could put them to use on projects where they would be a better fit.
The onyx mosaic tiles make a third appearance in the main floor’s powder room. Checa used some architectural tricks in the compact space. “A tiny sink does not feel bad when you have a recess behind it in the wall. And this gives you a chance to do a pretty tile,” she says. The mirror is flush with the tile on the wall, and both it and the niche are framed in matching metal Schluter strips.
Before Photo
Before: The back of the house was particularly bad. “It was so butchered,” Checa says. The townhouse once had porches that were later enclosed in a slapdash manner. It was in terrible shape inside and out.
After: The back of the house had to be completely ripped out and rebuilt. Checa created a streamlined facade full of large windows and doors. The improvements also include a new back deck off the main floor and a new roof deck off the third floor. The exterior is StoPowerwall Stucco Pre-Blended in a terra-cotta hue. To choose the right color, the team and the homeowners stood out in the back to look at samples in the sunlight.
The area of the home seen below the deck is the ground-floor apartment. New landscaping includes a new outdoor lounge area, fire pit and party lights.
The area of the home seen below the deck is the ground-floor apartment. New landscaping includes a new outdoor lounge area, fire pit and party lights.
Up on the second floor, there’s a family room over the main floor’s living room. This keeps TV noise contained and off the main floor. The buttery yellow paint on the walls warms the space. Checa had the existing brick fireplace surround painted white and added the same slate tile to the hearth that she used downstairs.
Before Photo
Before: This was the back area of the second floor. It was part of the back portion of the home that was ripped out and replaced.
After: Now the back of the second floor serves as a multifunctional space. It’s Zacarias’ writing room, as well as a family project room. This is also a favorite homework spot for the kids, and there’s a sofa bed for overnight guests. The second level also contains the son’s bedroom, a full bathroom and the laundry room.
A detail worth noting is how the designers gave the cubbies at the back of this photo a built-in look. They had to address a necessary duct hanging from the ceiling. Integrating shelving underneath a soffit that covers the duct made it look intentional and harmonious.
A detail worth noting is how the designers gave the cubbies at the back of this photo a built-in look. They had to address a necessary duct hanging from the ceiling. Integrating shelving underneath a soffit that covers the duct made it look intentional and harmonious.
Before: This was the back of the third floor. The blue-painted former sleeping porch portion was also ripped off and rebuilt.
After: “The view was what attracted them in the first place. You can see all the way down to the monuments and the Capitol,” Checa says. She made the most of the back of the home’s redesign. Glass doors lead out to a new private roof deck.
“We had a small footprint to work with in here,” Checa says. West Virginia craftsman Joe Chasnoff of From the Woods crafted the custom mahogany headboard, which has shelves for books, glasses, water and other objects. One of Checa’s architectural tricks was adding the slim soffit above the bed. It houses reading lights and provides a comforting tucked-in feel for the bed. She used the green paint to tie everything on this wall into another pleasing block of color.
The frosted doors lead to a walk-in closet behind the headboard wall.
A skylight over the stairs can be seen on the right side of the photo. “In a townhouse, the magic is to bring in daylight as much as you can,” Checa says. She replaced an existing skylight with a Velux unit. To transfer that daylight to the staircase and hallway below, she designed a light well with splayed walls, creating an opening at the ceiling that’s much larger than the skylight’s opening at the roof. This allows more light into the living spaces from the skylight. “I like to design a home so that you don’t have to turn on electric lights during the day,” Checa says.
The frosted doors lead to a walk-in closet behind the headboard wall.
A skylight over the stairs can be seen on the right side of the photo. “In a townhouse, the magic is to bring in daylight as much as you can,” Checa says. She replaced an existing skylight with a Velux unit. To transfer that daylight to the staircase and hallway below, she designed a light well with splayed walls, creating an opening at the ceiling that’s much larger than the skylight’s opening at the roof. This allows more light into the living spaces from the skylight. “I like to design a home so that you don’t have to turn on electric lights during the day,” Checa says.
The couple’s two daughters each have their own rooms along the front of the house on the third floor, and they share a full bathroom. Since one of the girls has a smaller bedroom, the team broke through the ceiling into a low attic space to give her more height and a lofted area. Now her ceiling goes up to the roofline (minus the space needed for proper insulation).
Breaking through the ceiling opened the space up to an existing attic window. The loft gives the daughter a special spot to hang out, and it allows practical access to a hatch door that leads to mechanical equipment in the attic.
Breaking through the ceiling opened the space up to an existing attic window. The loft gives the daughter a special spot to hang out, and it allows practical access to a hatch door that leads to mechanical equipment in the attic.
“There was definitely a heart connection and mutual trust with the clients from the start, and that made for a happy experience even when we had to have difficult conversations,” Checa says. There was also a great connection with the design-build team. “This collaboration turned out to be easy as there was plenty of mutual respect. We didn’t have to be on top of each other, because there was so much trust,” Checa says.
The project was a labor of love, and the homeowners shared the love by hosting a fabulous party for the renovation team when it was complete. “This is such a happy home,” Checa says. “It’s important to make people feel at home.”
Others involved in this project:
Michael Vallese, collaboration on concept plans; Hoffland Architects, permit drawings
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Find a local design-build firm
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The project was a labor of love, and the homeowners shared the love by hosting a fabulous party for the renovation team when it was complete. “This is such a happy home,” Checa says. “It’s important to make people feel at home.”
Others involved in this project:
Michael Vallese, collaboration on concept plans; Hoffland Architects, permit drawings
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Find a local design-build firm
Shop for your home
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I wonder how much was this make over?. What was the name of the GC that was in charge of it?
Hi @elmermt
The contractors were Steven Bradley and Kelly Callahan of Space Crafters.
@Becky Harris thanks so much for including in your story the tools used by Lorena Checa. I will try to remember the one on color blocking to define spaces. I think that one will work well in my own home, especially downstairs. I also liked the one about not blocking off light and allowing it to penetrate into the interior, quite a trick in a townhouse.
The only thing I felt was missing was an attempt to provide summer shade over the frying pan of a backyard. I do like that the back yard was made into living space, but I bet nobody goes there between mid-July and mid-August.