Our Modern Vintage Colonial

We are simply giddy about our next house! When we toured it, we knew it was perfect and we wanted to fall in love - but we are also extremely aware of the competitive DC market. Given this house had just been listed, the fact that we would have a sales settlement contingency in our contract, and that there was another offer, we knew the chances that this house would be ours were slim. But it was so perfect - it was the house we always wanted...a big yard with towering trees, three bedrooms /two baths upstairs, space to build/grow, a garage, a walkable neighborhood, and a great school district. Seriously, I wanted to hug the house before we left because I was certain we would not be back. And then by the grace of god, the intel of our lender (who happens to also be the neighbor), and the advice of our great real estate agent, we landed our dream house.

The house has great history - it was owned by Frank Taylor, a founder of the Smithsonian and great mind of old DC. As we were putting together our offer, I read an interview Mr. Taylor conducted a few years before he died at the amazing age of 104 and I could instantly tell you that I would also want to give Mr. Taylor a hug and sit with him on the screened in porch drinking lemonade and listening to his life stories. Knowing we were up against another offer with a very desirable house, we decided to make our offer as strong as we could and to include a personal letter sharing our story with Mr. Taylor's daughter (the seller). My husband, John, is a very gifted writer and he crafted a beautiful, almost poetic letter to Mrs. Taylor, which is ultimately what got us the house. We are honored to live in a house that tells the story of a great man and look forward to restoring the property in a way that would make him proud.

We'll be partnering with John's brother, Adam - an architect in LA, to create the renovation plans . Stay tuned for updates as we break ground on August 1st and hurry to get the house somewhat livable by the time school starts! Here's a sneak peak into some of our plans.

Entry Way - plan to keep this bright and light

Living Room - swoon those beams and a working fireplace!

Dining Room - love all this natural light! We plan to open the kitchen into this space.

Kitchen - I'm letting Adam share his ideas first but I am obsessed with that original vintage wall and that iron farmhouse sink. The sink must stay!

Master Bedroom or Han's room - currently the master bath is on the other side of that wall so we may switch things around or Han's may have the best windows in the house.

The baby's room - I had planned a nursery design before we found this house and it feels a bit too boho for this colonial, so need to work on a new vision for this space.

The scary basement bathroom - this will be gutted and turned into a full bath.

The scary pink basement - will also be gutted and turned into a guest suite/family room with a new wall. There is actually a working wood fireplace on the wall opposite the windows.