Maxwell MacKenzie
A new kitchen in existing space segues seamlessly to a casual di…
The key move in architect John Dennis Murphey’s plan is the narrow wing—kitchen and dining on the first floor, master suite above—that projects from the building’s rear. While only 12 feet wide, the kitchen and dining area offer a visually expansive experience of the wooded backyard. Nesting glass sliders open the east wall to a patio. A channel glass wall to the west screens a neighboring house while admitting late-day sunlight. With clerestory glass wrapping the entire dining area, “You get the light and view, but you don’t even know there’s a building next to you,” he says.
A lower ceiling defines the cooking area, which is lined on three sides by flush-front cabinets in European steamed beech with stainless steel accent doors and hardware. Countertops alternate between white Corian and stainless steel. “It’s two-tone,” Murphey says, “like a Chevy.” A fixed-glass window-cum-splash backs up the sink counter, while a pass-through/seating bar opens to the adjacent living room.
The master bath above extends the treehouse theme. Its white laminate lavatory base, wall-hung toilet, and frameless glass shower partition are gestures of the plainest geometry. “Simple, simple, simple is what we’re all about,” Murphey says. And with teak duckboards underfoot, “the whole room is essentially a big shower.” Although windowless, the room achieves communion with the outdoors via the large skylight that tops its sloping ceiling. “It was as close as we could get to taking a bath outside in the jungle.”
Project Credits
Builder: De Marne & Day, Potomac, Md.
Architect: Meditch Murphey Architects, Chevy Chase, Md.
Landscape architect: Jordan Honeyman Landscape Architecture, Washington, D.C.
Lighting designer: MCLA, Washington, D.C.
Living space: 4,488 square feet
Site: 0.17 acre
Construction cost: $275 per square foot
Photographer: Maxwell MacKenzie
Resources: Bathroom fittings: Duravit USA, Kohler Co.; Bathroom fixtures: Hansgrohe; Cooktop and dishwasher: Miele; Countertops: AK Metal Fabricators, DuPont (Corian); Flooring: Forbo Flooring North America (Marmoleum); Garbage disposer: In-Sink-Erator; Hardware: Ives Residential, Rajack Designs, Tydix Products, Valli&Valli (U.S.A.); Kitchen cabinets: Christiana Cabinetry; Kitchen fittings: Franke Consumer Products; Kitchen fixtures: Dornbracht Americas; Oven: GE Consumer & Industrial; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; Roofing: Follansbee Steel; Skylights/roof windows: Starlight Skylights.
