Charles Wagner-designed mid-century modern in Moyaone Reserve.

Demand for Mid-Century Modern Homes Strong

UrbanTurf writes about the continuing demand for mid-century modern homes in the Washington area despite Mad Men being off the air for the past five years.
“Mad Men concluded its television run in 2015 and it seemed like people’s infatuation with mid-century modern design went with it,” writes Nena Perry-Brown. “However, interest in the DC area’s mid-century housing market remains high.”
Read the full article here and explore some of the mid-century modern neighborhoods in the Washington, D.C. area.

Washingtonian Magazine Top Agent Recognition

I am honored to be recognized once again as a Washingtonian Magazine Top Agent. Thank you to all of my clients, family and friends who have supported Modern Capital for the past 14 years. Please reach out if you are thinking of buying or selling a mid-century modern home. Happy to meet and discuss today’s modern real estate market.

Furnishing a Mid-Century Modern Home: Inspiration & Sourcing

A guest post on sourcing mid-century modern furniture from our partner, ATTIC.
Nothing completes a beautiful mid-century home like furniture and decor drawn from the same aesthetic. The simple, sleek lines of MCM furniture pair up perfectly with the modern, open and airy feel that make mid-century homes the gems that they are. The following post provides some inspiration, whether you’re just starting or continuing to furnish your home. We’ll focus on two spaces: dining rooms and living rooms.

We’re also going to introduce you to ATTIC, a one-of-kind resource that will help you find the best mid-century furniture from stores of the DC and Baltimore regions. After all, who wants to buy a “forever” piece of furniture without ever seeing or touching it? ATTIC makes that process so much easier. ATTIC is now available in cities throughout the country, but is owned and operated by a small team based right here in Washington, D.C. Its mission is simple — to make it easier for consumers to shop from small, local businesses.

Dinner is Served, In Style
Whether it’s with family or friends, the importance of meal time transcends culture. As such, dining rooms and breakfast nooks are often visual focal points in modern homes. And with pieces like those pictured here, it’s no wonder why. Rectangular, round, “boat-shaped”…small, grand, or expandable…mid-century dining tables come in a vast array of options. Likewise, some of the most famous furniture designs in history are those for mid-century dining chairs.

Rosewood Dining Table
Read More >

WashPost’s ‘House of the Week’ Open 1-4 pm Today

Kathy Orton of the Washington Post highlighted my listing in Holmes Run Acres by Michael Cook, AIA, of award-winning Cook Architecture, as the Post’s “House of the Week.” I will be holding it open from 1-4 pm today. Listed for $779K. A few photos by John Cole showing the design details.

My New Listing: Cook Architecture Renovation in Holmes Run Acres

Michael Cook, AIA, of award-winning Cook Architecture has transformed the original 2 bed/1 bath home into a 4 bed/2 bath 1,700 square-foot California-inspired mid-century modern space, including Heath tile and vintage lighting. Listed for $779K. I will be holding an Open House on Sunday, May 26 from 1 to 4 pm.
Originally designed by Francis Donald Lethbridge and Nicholas Satterlee, the home is located in the National Register of Historic Places-designated community of Holmes Run Acres inside the Beltway in Falls Church.
The house features all new plumbing, electrical, hot water heater, AC condenser, high-efficiency baseboard heating (in addition) and upgrades to the duct work. New solid ash wide-plank hardwood was installed throughout (with upgraded sub flooring). The front exterior of the house was rebuilt with new insulation and clad with charred wood (Japanese technique shou shugi ban) and decorated cement fiber board panels. The front door was relocated and new entranceway with porch and modernist portico created.

The expansive, open living-dining-kitchen area, which features the neighborhood’s signature wood beamed ceilings, opens to deck with modernist slat railings. The living room has the original brick wall fireplace and built in shelves and original cabinet.
The kitchen features a large island with quartz countertop, cantilevered bar area, stainless steel appliances, including integrated Thermador refrigerator, Bosch dishwasher and range. Solid ash shelves and wood accent walls play off the Heath-tile back splash and modernist cabinetry.
The brand new master suite has a custom bathroom, including soaking tub, walk in shower and custom solid Read More >

Mid-Centuries in Potomac Overlook, Holmes Run Acres

We have seen a bit of a slow down in the number of listings coming on as we head toward the July 4th holiday but here are a couple for you. This renovated mid-century modern in Potomac Overlook just came on and they are looking for offers by Friday. It is listed for $1.15 million. Nestled into the hills of Glen Echo Heights close to the Potomac in Bethesda, developer Edmund Bennett along with architects Arthur Keyes, Francis Donald Lethbridge and David Condon designed the award-winning enclave of 19 mid-century modern homes, which rarely come on the market. Builder John Matthews built the homes. Speaking of Lethbridge, he also designed along with Nicholas Satterlee the homes in Holmes Run Acres in Falls Church. This 3 bed/2 bath two-level is is listed for $560K.

Hot Holmes Run Acres

Holmes Run Acres, the National Register of Historic Places-designated neighborhood of nearly 350 homes in Falls Church, has been bursting with activity this spring. Currently, there are four active listings and another three under contract. Just yesterday, my clients architect Michael Cook (who grew up in HRA) and developer Steve Wheeler closed on this two-level property (above and below.) I will be chronicling the renovation here so stay tuned for updates as the project progresses.
Stay tuned for a modern renovation of this two-level mid-century in Holmes Run Acres.
I also helped clients get a contract on this beautiful home.

The Luria bothers started the mid-century modern community and built approximately 260 homes, while the Gaddy Construction Company built 71. Andre Bodor finished the neighborhood in the late 1950s with more than a dozen homes, which were larger than the others and feature “shallow-pitched gable roofs, and use contrasting materials such as brick, wood, and glass. The most noticeable change is the entry, with large windows immediately adjacent to and above the first-floor door,” according to the neighborhood’s National Register submission.
All the homes in the neighborhood were based on designs by Nicholas Satterlee and Francis Donald Lethbridge.

Two MCM Foreclosures in Holmes Run Acres

Here are two foreclosures in Holmes Run Acres in Falls Church.
1959 5/2.5 – $408K – Open today from 12 to 3 p.m.
1956 4/2 – 397K – This listing has no images.

Hollin Hills, Holmes Run Acres Via Flickr

Here are two nice Flikr groups showcasing Hollin Hills and Holmes Run Acres to join–or just to view.

The Post Remembers Francis D. Lethbridge

Francis Donald Lethbridge, one of D.C. leading modernist architect during the 1950s and ’60s who helped design Cardeorck Springs, Holmes Run Acres, Pine Spring among other contemporary neighborhoods, died last week at the age of 87. The Washington Post ran a lenghty obituary today on the contributions to local architecture scene Lethbridge made during his career here in D.C.
Here’s a great quote from Lethbridge:
“The whole idea of contemporary design was so new in Washington that Nick [Satterlee] and I had to write the ads and the brochure to explain what we were trying to do,” Mr. Lethbridge said in 1974. “I guess we succeeded, because the printer of the brochure went out the next day after setting it and bought a house in Holmes Run.”

Old House Journal: Modern for the Masses Article Highlights D.C.

A 2005 Old House Journal piece about post-war modern housing highlights D.C. as an area that has a number of such developments, including Hollin Hills and Holmes Run Acres. Here’s the excerpt:
“Near Alexandria, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C., is another successful Soft Modern development, the woody suburb of Hollin Hills. Built by developer Robert Davenport, with houses designed by architect Charles Goodman, Hollin Hills grew to include 450 houses spread over 225 acres. The project benefited enormously from the landscaping advice supplied to early owners by landscape architect Lou Bernard Voight. After Voight’s death, another noted landscape architect, Dan Kiley, took over the landscape planning for Hollin Hills. Similar developments can be found all around Washington. One of the best, Holmes Run Acres in Fairfax County, was designed by the Washington architectural firm of Nicholas Satterlee and Donald Lethbridge.”

Washington Post on Holmes Run Acres

Here’s yesterday’s Washington Post story on Holmes Run Acres, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in March. The community of 355 homes was built between 1951 and 1958 by three builders based on designs by architects Donald Lethbridge and Nicholas Satterlee. Brothers Gerald and Eli Luria built a majority of the homes in the Falls Church neighborhood.
One issue I have with the story is writer Susan Straight’s statement that “the Washington area has just a few large modern-style subdivisions.” She mentions Pine Spring, the Luria brothers other community in Falls Church, and that’s it. As I have tried to show here, many of these communities (some larger and some smaller) do exist in our area. All you need to do is search them out.

Holmes Run Acres Virginia