Residence in Old Town Alexandria 
Alexandria, Virginia

This project involves the rejuvenation of the connective tissue of a small collection of historic buildings in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Over time, a suite of rooms had infilled areas between a Second Empire town house, a service building (or “flounder,” as they are locally known) and a garage. A previous, albeit recent, renovation of these spaces had created a strange, amorphous kitchen and family room suite. The acquisition of a neighboring small house gave the property a new guest house with a shared garden between and allowed for a reorganization of these spaces. A new breakfast room can now project into the shared garden, the kitchen—formerly with a seven-foot ceiling height—reconfigured in the now double-height flounder space, the family room enlarged, and circulation clarified. Throughout, materials are chosen for their expressive potential, with the intent that the connective spaces within this historic ensemble have an identity of their own.