Re-imagined: A 1908 Chevy Chase Bungalow

• October 7th 2013

by Lori Steenhoek

After a several month hiatus, UrbanTurf returns with our Re-imagined series, where we help "re-imagine" what a DC area home in need of renovations could look like one day.

In this week's installment, Capital Pixel's Lori Steenhoek and Cassie LaPorte help re-envision a 1908 bungalow located on Northampton Street NW in Chevy Chase DC. The three-story house is in good shape, but it was home to the same owner for decades, who didn't do much in the way of updating during those years. The recently-sold property features large rooms with French doors, high coffered ceilings, and original molding and trim-work. Here are a few things Lori and Cassie would update.

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The Living Room

The living room is a dusty area that one enters as soon as a they walk through the front door. As far as improvements, we'd add a fresh coat of paint and refinish the wood floors; an accent color to the fireplace wall would be a good way to create a focal point in the room. The space is not huge, but large enough to arrange two separate seating areas and still allow cross traffic to pass through. Weʼd also install a larger chandelier that feels more appropriately proportioned to the room.

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The Kitchen

The kitchen has not been updated in decades. Currently it is a mix of floral wallpaper, faded linoleum floors, dated cabinetry, blue trim, and a yellow door. Weʼd renovate the space with new hardwood floors, granite countertops and new cabinetry, and we'd create a neutral color palette for the walls and trim. The existing handle hardware looks interesting, so weʼd try to keep and re-use those. Weʼd add a little extra storage space with new cabinets at left, removing the existing radiator. As a bonus, we'd put in a low desk under the window for a little extra workspace.

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The Bedroom

The bedroom suffers from a flimsy linoleum flooring that was put in over the original hardwood and a sickly color of yellow paint that looks even worse under the fluorescent lights mounted on the ceiling. Weʼd paint the walls and trim a lighter color and remove the linoleum to expose the hardwood floors that would warm up the space.

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The Dining Room

The dining room, like the other spaces in this home, has some great details and really only needs a fresh coat of paint. We think a darker gray color would work well since the room is so large, and it ties in with the black beams in the ceiling. Weʼd keep the vertical trim pieces on the walls, but paint all the way up to the ceiling with the accent color to make it more cohesive.

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Lori Steenhoek is a Digital Artist with over seven years of experience creating architectural renderings. She is the founder of Capital Pixel, a DC-based rendering company, and is currently finishing her Masters thesis in Animation and Visual Effects. She can be reached at lori@capitalpixel.com

Cassie LaPorte has been a digital artist with Capital Pixel since April 2013. She received her BFA in interior design from Cazenovia College in New York. She can be reached at cassie@capitalpixel.com

Do you know of a home that needs some re-imagining? If so, drop us a line at editor2013@urbanturf.com.

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This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/re-imagined_a_1908_chevy_chase_bungalow/7632.