Staying Put
Jane and Jeff Bulman didn’t really want to move. They loved the Woodhaven neighborhood in Bethesda where they had lived for 30 years, raised two children and put down roots. But the two-story colonial house plan wasn’t working for them anymore. The couple, now in their 70s, wanted the ease of a first-floor master suite and wide-open entertaining spaces to accommodate their growing family, which now includes in-laws and grandchildren. “The dining room was so small that we had to put an extra table in the living room,” Jeff says. “Passing food was a logistical nightmare.” The Bulmans started looking for a new place, but couldn’t find anything that was move-in ready. “We figured we’d be better off renovating our house,” Jeff says.
They wanted an open plan, high ceilings, natural light, a connection to the outdoors and a clean, uncluttered style to reflect their modern aesthetic. “We were always more eclectic than our house,” Jeff says. It was up to architect Robert Black, the owner of Robert Black 5 Design in Silver Spring, to give the 1961 brick house a new lease on life. “It was great that they were so willing to experiment with a modern addition on a traditional home,” Black says.
Black expanded the dining room by 6 feet and opened it up to the living room, and designed a 1,400-square-foot rear addition that maximized the lot’s buildable footprint. The ceiling of the new family room rises to a dramatic 14-foot vault, and walls of windows flood the space with light and views of the backyard. “We wanted it to feel like nature was coming in,” Jane says. The solid portion of the side wall was reserved for the entertainment center. Rather than mount the flat-screen television on a plain white surface, interior designer Craig Embrey, the owner of Chevy Chase-based Joseph Craig Embrey Designs, recessed it into a custom walnut veneer panel that adds warmth and character to the contemporary room.
The master suite, which includes a walk-in closet and an 8-by-26-foot spalike bathroom, occupies the rest of the addition. Since the couple plans to stay in this home for many years, Black designed the bathroom with a curbless walk-in shower, 34-inch-high vanities, slip-resistant porcelain floor tiles, and blocking in the walls for grab bars in the future, if necessary.
Life in the Bulmans’ reconfigured home is convenient and comfortable, and there’s no need to negotiate stairs daily. They spend all of their time on the first floor now, and say it feels like a big, airy apartment. “When our grandchildren visit for sleepovers they use the second-floor bedrooms,” Jane says. The enlarged dining room is the site of some lively Friday night dinners. “We have a tradition of tossing the challah,” Jeff says, “and now our grandchildren can ‘go long.’ It’s a sight to see.”
