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
Modern Mobler

Walnut Dining Set
Peg Leg Vintage

Teak Read More >

Sold: Historic Charles Wagner Design in Moyaone Reserve

This historic Charles Wagner Design in Moyaone Reserve is a mid-century modern-inspired 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home with studio space on 5 acres. Wagner was a noted modernist, who worked with Charles Goodman and Louis Kahn. The property, known as the Odell House, is designated as a historic property by the Maryland Historic Trust (MHT). We received multiple offers and sold it before it went on the market. (Photos by Tod Connell.)

“The Odell House is significant as the penultimate late-Midcentury-Modern residential work of Charles F. Wagner, Jr. in the Moyaone Reserve,” the MHT says in its designation. “Wagner is linked both to the colony’s early days (he was close friends with Alice and Henry Ferguson of Hard Bargain Farm) and the postwar reimagining of the area as an environmental preserve for family life. The Ferguson’s “enduring legacy of conservation and community”1 was expanded by Wagner and his colleagues after World War II. The persistence and desirability of Wagner’s aesthetic can be seen in the 18 total houses designed by him and built in Accokeek from 1946-1978. The Odell House’s significance is enhanced by its intact setting and materials and is further significant as an example of how Wagner’s aesthetic evolved to accommodate trends in Modern design and residential construction.”

This home features high ceilings, exposed metal I-beams, warm Maple floors, skylights, and walls of glass on two sides. 36-inch stainless Vulcan gas range. The seller has invested in many new updates including a shingle Read More >

Sold: Renovated Caspeer Neer MCM in Moyaone Reserve

My private exclusive mid-century modern listing in Moyaone Reserve sold before going on the market. The 1958 mid-century modern with A-frame studio on six acres was designed by local architect Casper Neer, a long time resident of Hollin Hills who graduated from Harvard’s School of Design during the time that Marcel Breuer and I.M. Pei. It sold for $585,000. (Photos by Jaren Drew.)

When my client bought it several years ago, it was in need of major repair and updating. Her aim was to save the house and she did: from replacing all the glass to the high-end kitchen with Italian Pedini cabinets. The seller redid bathrooms, created a full guest suite downstairs and redid the entire entrance patio area.

The 4 bedroom/3 full bathroom house with full guest suite was originally designed for the Lawless family. Ben Lawless, an artist at the Smithsonian, hired Neer who was a close friend of Charles Wagner, a modernist architect who did many homes in Moyaone Reserve. Neer’s original design was for a smaller split level with three bedrooms and one bath. His addition, with larger public spaces, including the 45-foot living room with the window walls and many glass sliding doors to the decks, was built in 1965. It also has a separate four-car garage.

The Moyaone Reserve is a community of 180 homes situated along the Potomac River contiguous to Piscataway National Park, home of the National Colonial Farm, and to The Hard Bargain Farm, an environmental education center. The homes in Moyaone Reserve were first Read More >

Coming Soon: Caspeer Neer-Designed MCM in Moyaone Reserve

Here is a first look at a new listing I having coming to the market in a few weeks. It is a renovated custom 1958 mid-century modern by Caspeer Neer on more than 6 acres in Moyaone Reserve. The renovated house, which features Pedini kitchen cabinets and updated glass throughout, also has a four-car garage and A-frame studio/workshop. Neer, who was a long time resident of Hollin Hills, graduated from Harvard’s School of Design during the time that Marcel Breuer and I.M. Pei were professors.

Moyaone Reserve is a special neighborhood in Accokeek, MD, just 20 miles south of Capitol Hill. The heavily wooded community of 180 homes is situated along the Potomac River contiguous to Piscataway National Park, home of the National Colonial Farm, and to The Hard Bargain Farm, an environmental education center. The homes in the community–many are mid-century modern and contemporary styles–were first built after World War II by the likes of architects of Neer, Charles Wagner and Charles Goodman. All the lots in the community are five acres or more and are protected by federal scenic easements to protect the view shed from Mt. Vernon, just across the Potomac River. The Moyaone offers a community pool and garden, as well as a friendly neighborhood. Learn more at Moyaone Modern.
Please contact me for more information.

Build Your Own Modern Home in Moyaone Reserve

Build you own MCM-style home on 6.25 acres for sale in the mid-century modern community of Moyaone Reserve in Accokeek, Md.

Moyaone Reserve Accokeek MD