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Houzz Tour: Townhome Customized With Parisian Industrial Flair
A designer layers a home with old-world elements, a variety of patinas and plenty of space to store books
These Washington, D.C.-area homeowners are intrepid real estate and design adventurers. “They love to switch it up every few years,” says their interior designer, Kirsten Kaplan. First they lived in the city, and then they moved to a single-family home in a car-centric suburb in Maryland. For their latest move, they decided to downsize to a townhome in a walkable Washington suburb that was planned using new urbanism principles.
“My clients always have something new they want to try,” Kaplan says. “They like industrial style, but this time around they wanted some Parisian flair. The wife was also interested in exploring a lot of saturated color, particularly in shades of purple and yellow.” The final result is a home that looks like layers have been added over time, mixing antiques, old-world style, Parisian flair and industrial elements.
“My clients always have something new they want to try,” Kaplan says. “They like industrial style, but this time around they wanted some Parisian flair. The wife was also interested in exploring a lot of saturated color, particularly in shades of purple and yellow.” The final result is a home that looks like layers have been added over time, mixing antiques, old-world style, Parisian flair and industrial elements.
To add texture and a vintage industrial touch, Kaplan had the ceilings covered in Stikwood. “This is a great product I use a lot,” she says. “It’s a very thin real wood veneer that’s peel-and-stick. We knew we wanted to work with the existing sprinkler system when adding to the ceilings and this worked beautifully.”
Also adding texture are metal grilles within the cabinetry. “These lightened up the cabinet and added a little bit of industrial texture,” the designer says. She also notes that her client keeps the office looking this neat all the time. “She wanted it to provide a nice view from the entry, so we created storage where she could keep everything organized and put away,” Kaplan says.
The designer was also able to bring in her client’s desired color palette of purples and yellows. The walls are a smoky lavender and the beautiful rug has citrine hues.
Wall color: Frozen in Time, Benjamin Moore
Also adding texture are metal grilles within the cabinetry. “These lightened up the cabinet and added a little bit of industrial texture,” the designer says. She also notes that her client keeps the office looking this neat all the time. “She wanted it to provide a nice view from the entry, so we created storage where she could keep everything organized and put away,” Kaplan says.
The designer was also able to bring in her client’s desired color palette of purples and yellows. The walls are a smoky lavender and the beautiful rug has citrine hues.
Wall color: Frozen in Time, Benjamin Moore
Before: Upstairs on the main level, this photo gives a sense of what a blank slate the home was when Kaplan’s clients bought it. This is the living room as seen from the edge of the kitchen and dining area.
The townhome was under construction when the homeowners hired Kaplan. “They had to let the original builders finish the construction before they could close on the house,” she says. “My goal was to have all the detailed drawings and plans ready so that the contractor could get started the moment after the closing was complete.”
The townhome was under construction when the homeowners hired Kaplan. “They had to let the original builders finish the construction before they could close on the house,” she says. “My goal was to have all the detailed drawings and plans ready so that the contractor could get started the moment after the closing was complete.”
After: None of the “after” photos quite line up with the “before” photo, but the staircase can help provide orientation — the living room is to the left. Kaplan used the same paint here that she used in the ground-floor entry. A wood-and-metal console table sets the industrial tone. Kaplan had her clients’ Asian prints hung above it, then she played off the artwork with the oversize wooden Asian vase. Playing with scale was a motif she carried throughout the home.
Browse console tables in the Houzz Shop
Browse console tables in the Houzz Shop
Kaplan reused this large industrial bookshelf that she’d sourced for her clients’ former home. But the metal-and-wood armchairs, mother-of-pearl-and-brass-inlay table and petite reading lamps are new.
“I just love to play with scale,” Kaplan says. “These reading lamps are only 49½ inches high and they are just perfect for reading in these chairs.”
Wall paint: Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball
Find the right bookshelves for your space
“I just love to play with scale,” Kaplan says. “These reading lamps are only 49½ inches high and they are just perfect for reading in these chairs.”
Wall paint: Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball
Find the right bookshelves for your space
Speaking of scale, the oversize mirror with antiqued glass was something Kaplan and the homeowners decided the room needed early on. It reflects light in the dark-walled space. The mirror is very heavy and Kaplan had it secured to the wall and the floor. “We hire professional art installers on every job we do for safety,” she says. Another large-scale element is the light fixture, which is made of faux horn. “My client and I had found this years ago and she’d always wanted to use it,” Kaplan says. The townhouse provided the perfect spot for it.
The designer continued the use of metal, wood and concrete on the tables. “The coffee table is siblings with the main level’s console table,” she says of the concrete-and-metal piece. The side tables are wood pyramids with metal bases. They give a nod and a wink to I.M. Pei’s pyramid at the Louvre.
The homeowners wanted to bring the custom sofas they’d had Kaplan design for their last home to this one. “My clients had wanted comfortable sofas that had tight backs for a more polished look,” she says. “We were pretty limited by the floor plan and this was the spot where they worked best.”
The designer continued the use of metal, wood and concrete on the tables. “The coffee table is siblings with the main level’s console table,” she says of the concrete-and-metal piece. The side tables are wood pyramids with metal bases. They give a nod and a wink to I.M. Pei’s pyramid at the Louvre.
The homeowners wanted to bring the custom sofas they’d had Kaplan design for their last home to this one. “My clients had wanted comfortable sofas that had tight backs for a more polished look,” she says. “We were pretty limited by the floor plan and this was the spot where they worked best.”
Kaplan continued the use of Stikwood on the ceiling and added beams throughout the main floor. She had to painstakingly plan where the beams would go before the renovation construction began. Not only did they need to work in an aesthetically pleasing way, but they also needed to accommodate the chandelier and the existing sprinkler system.
The orientation of the beams and Stikwood changes over the kitchen and dining areas, which delineates the spaces from the living room. Kaplan also had a custom room divider made to separate the two. “I had seen an iron-and-glass French room divider in a small hotel the last time I visited Paris, and my clients loved the idea,” she says.
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The orientation of the beams and Stikwood changes over the kitchen and dining areas, which delineates the spaces from the living room. Kaplan also had a custom room divider made to separate the two. “I had seen an iron-and-glass French room divider in a small hotel the last time I visited Paris, and my clients loved the idea,” she says.
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A walnut-and-brass tulip table and cobalt chairs add soft curves to the dining area. The chandelier is custom from Hubbardton Forge and has brass accents. Kaplan used brass throughout the house to create a cohesive vibe.
The buffet has dark marble doors. “In a home with so many manufactured industrial materials, it was important to bring in some organic ones,” Kaplan says.
The buffet has dark marble doors. “In a home with so many manufactured industrial materials, it was important to bring in some organic ones,” Kaplan says.
Before: This photo was taken from the living room, looking toward the dining area on the right and the kitchen at the back. The homeowners were able to choose the kitchen finishes with the builders of the townhome. “It was one of those things where they could choose from selections the builders provided,” Kaplan says.
After: The dining area flows into the kitchen. This photo also provides a good look at the wood and beams on the ceiling.
Wall paint: Street Chic, Benjamin Moore
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Wall paint: Street Chic, Benjamin Moore
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
The island has a quartz waterfall counter. Kaplan helped with the wall color, ceiling treatment, counter stools and pendant lights. The wall is painted the same smoky lavender used in the office.
Wall color: Frozen in Time, Benjamin Moore
Wall color: Frozen in Time, Benjamin Moore
Before: The main floor’s powder room was another blank slate. Having items like the toilet and sink installed new by the builders and then replacing them wasn’t ideal, but the homeowners supported Kaplan’s idea of donating the removed items to Habitat for Humanity and Second Chance so someone else could use them.
After: Kaplan suggested slate tile wainscoting and a black marble countertop with white veining. Both add strong contrast to the mustard yellow wallpaper her client wanted. Again, she played with scale here, using a large-scale wallpaper pattern in a tiny space. A round mirror with brass accents ties everything together.
Wallpaper: Cow Parsley, Cole & Son
How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity
Wallpaper: Cow Parsley, Cole & Son
How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity
Kaplan carried the same wallpaper into the primary bedroom in a different color. She used oversize reading pendants, but the clear glass keeps them from looking bulky. The large ceiling light has industrial rivet details.
Wall paint: Cement Gray, Benjamin Moore
Wall paint: Cement Gray, Benjamin Moore
The rustic wood nightstands add a vintage industrial touch and patina to the room. And on the new upholstered bed, there’s a special touch. “We all love my clients’ colorful throw, and I’ve worked it into every home they’ve had,” Kaplan says.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Washington, D.C., area
Size: 1,984 square feet (184 square meters); two bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designers: Kirsten Kaplan and Becky Wetzler of Haus Interior Design
“For inspiration, we drew on my clients’ love of Paris — the city’s romanticism and mix of architectural styles,” Kaplan says. To give it a look that mixed old-world finishes and industrial patinas, she included rustic wood, concrete and a range of metals.
The ground floor of the townhome includes this entry, an office and the garage. The concrete-and-metal console table brings the industrial vibe. The black-and-white photograph shows the view of Paris through the clockface in the Musée d’Orsay.
The clients wanted the office to feel like a calm and cozy library. Kaplan added lots of built-in bookshelves. Here they form a cased opening around the entry to the room. If the amount of books this couple has seems familiar, it’s because Houzz featured their previous home, which Kaplan carefully designed to accommodate their large collection of books.
Wall paint: Street Chic, Benjamin Moore
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