Built to be the Best

Creating ideal spaces.

By Scott Sowers

Photographer Greg Hadley

Recognition by one’s peers always carries more value than any other kind. Each year, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) bestows Contractor of the Year honors to identify the “best of the best” in the design/build business. Earning one award in the annual competition is impressive, but Bielski Design/Build of Alexandria recently brought home two.

Of course, the real story lies in what happens before they open the envelopes.

Ice Blue to Tuscany Warm

Ray and Jean Witter, both retired naval officers, live in a condo in Crystal City. Jean bought the place in 1991 and Ray moved in four years ago after they got married. At first, the possibility of a kitchen remodeling project was not in the cards for the newlyweds. “I’m not so interested in cooking,” says Jean “but it’s a passion for him, so we talked about it for two years.”

Although Jean had changed out the appliances since purchasing the property, the basic design scheme was still in place. “The old kitchen was a pale, ice blue,” she says, “and we’d seen what a neighbor did with theirs so we had some ideas.” Through a referral, the Witters contacted Brian Bielski, and the design process began with a simple goal. “They wanted to remodel the existing kitchen to make it more functional,” says Bielski.

While Bielski and the Witters were having preliminary design discussions, Jean realized that she knew someone who could guide her and enhance her understanding of the whole process. “I have a friend who’s a designer,” says Jean, “but she was in Atlanta and we had to fly her in.”

Carol Harrington, a friend of the couple, agreed to lend a hand by taking a look at the early schematics. “It’s the job of the designer to help the client decide what they want,” she says. Harrington felt confident with the builder, but she set the homeowners to task, challenging them to define the exact changes that would make their kitchen perfect.

“She put us to work,” Jean recalls. “We had long conversations, filled out questionnaires, and we were sent out to buy design magazines.” What emerged was the selection of a warm color palette that reflected the couple’s love for all things Tuscan. But there was also a twist from Northern Europe. “We have Scandinavian furniture in the dining room,” she says. “It’s all teak with clean, simple lines.” Because the kitchen is located off a dining room outfitted with modern furniture, Harrington proposed a contemporary touch.

Like a Little Jewel Box

The L-shaped galley arrangement put space at a premium, and the new design called for borrowing inches from everywhere. The builder pulled out the sledge hammers and went to work. “We tore out closets, opened the wall between the dining room and the kitchen, and took it all down to the metal studs,” says Bielski.

The existing floor covering, cabinets, and countertops were removed. Pantry space was turned over to cabinets and an eat-in nook in the room vanished in the demolition. The new look and feel in the room starts with a natural cork tile floor. “It’s easy on the legs and we’d decided on putting a sheen on the ceiling so we didn’t need a shiny floor,” says Harrington.

A new drop ceiling clad in strips of maple with dark cherry stain provides enough room for recessed lights. Also, the ceiling now ties the room back to the cabinets that create a transition between the dining room and kitchen.

While the cabinets facing the dining room are maple stained dark, all the cabinets in the kitchen are natural maple. Appliances were upgraded starting with a new counter-depth fridge that immediately streamlined the room. A double sink was scrapped in exchange for a single sink near the dishwasher and a second utility sink just around the corner. A pot-filler was plumbed-in over the cooktop.

For countertops and the backsplash behind the cooktop, the decision went to Cambria, a natural quartz, non-porous surface that lends itself to a busy chef. Harrington made judicial use of a mirrored backsplash to bring more light into the room. Lights were also added under the cabinets and in the interiors of the cabinets with glass doors and shelves.

The construction took more than three months, during which time the couple made the best of living through the mess. “We had a portable microwave, bar fridge and a toaster oven set up in the dining room,” says Jean. The long-distance designer made three pilgrimages to the construction site. Everything else was done via e-mail, phone and fax.

“I like to go in there at night, turn on the cabinet lights, and turn off the overhead lights,” says Jean, “and it looks like a little jewel box; it’s a lovely place to be.”

The hard work paid off: the Witter’s kitchen earned Bielski the NARI Grand Award for a Residential Kitchen over $100,000. More important, says Bielski, the Witters are thrilled with their “little jewel box” of a kitchen.

A More Modern Contemporary

A contemporary home located on Lake Barcroft in Falls Church offers a glimpse into what makes for the creation of an award-winning residential addition of more than $250,000.

The homeowners approached Bielski about increasing the size of the public spaces in the house by bumping out the front and reconfiguring the interior walls. Already laid out on paper, the complex project continued to evolve as things went along. “There was an architect involved before we came on, and the homeowner had a lot of design ideas along the way,” says Bielski.

The drawings called for adding space to the front of the house by restructuring the foyer, replacing the front door and sheltering the new faÁade with a butterfly-style roof. Waterproof roof panels were used in lieu of shingles for the new roof section, a choice that helped maintain the contemporary look. To push things in a more modern direction, exterior sheathing on the home’s front elevation received a radical makeover. “Originally, the front exterior was brick,” says Bielski, “We used dyed plaster on the new part so the homeowner could select the color.”

A Flood of Natural Light

To flood the space with natural light, floor to ceiling fixed glass panels were added in the front and rear of the house. The angle of the roof’s pitch is picked up and reflected by the glass and wood frame trapezoids that border the tops of the panels. Sharp angles show up again on the back patio in the form of a bed of round stones that cuts across a deck of rectangular flagstones.

Expanded space in the front of the house enabled the new kitchen to grow to more modern proportions. Oak floors, maple cabinets and stainless steel appliances provide a gorgeous contrast to the black granite countertops and backsplash. A dual-height island with a built-in sink creates an inviting eat-in kitchen that links to the main living area.

The line made by the kitchen cabinets flows seamlessly into a spacious dining hall. A new ceiling made from natural finished Port Orford Cedar was hung and then bisected by a stainless steel cross beam.

“As a builder you get used to seeing the same things over and over,” says Bielski. “The way this one came together was very rewarding, with the diversity of the materials and all the different angles. This one was unique.”