When architects work for clients, they sometimes need to curtail their imaginations to bring their clients’ vision to life rather than their own. But when architects design their own homes, well, then, the sky’s the limit.
Architect Charles M. Goodman designed the home at 510 N. Quaker Lane in Alexandria, Va., for his own residence, a contemporary home with walls of glass and extensive outdoor space. On the market for $1,249,000, this dramatic home has approximately 4,800 finished square feet of indoor living space and an additional 2,000 square feet of stone patios, terraces and walkways surrounding it.
While most visitors are struck by the home’s dramatic design, the grounds that surround it also deserve attention. Massive stone walls enhance the entrance to the property and edge the meditation garden in front of the home, while a stone garden wall provides a backdrop to a stone patio just outside the great room. Another patio is just outside the library. A covered courtyard patio features a soaring hardwood ceiling, and a concrete reflecting pool with a flagstone bottom adds light and movement to the outdoor cocktail terrace.
The grounds feature mature trees and plantings, including Japanese maples, with bluestone paths separating the garden areas.
The home was designed for entertaining crowds and features a parking court with space for 10 or more cars. While some guests may be tempted to linger under the hardwood ceiling of the atrium plaza, admiring the reflecting pool, others will be drawn into the foyer, which has a massive stone wall and a stone floor with radiant heat.
The main level’s focal point is the “Goodman Room,” a 34-by-20-foot great room with 10-foot hardwood ceilings and 10-foot walls of glass framing views of the surrounding trees, gardens and patios. The room has natural stone floors with radiant heat and a cantilevered concrete fireplace anchored into a 10-foot-tall stone wall.
Nearby, a gallery measuring 38 feet by 6 feet links the great room to other wings of the home, including the architect’s library, which has hardwood floors, deep windows and a built-in custom credenza and glass shelving. The library also has a wood-burning fireplace.
Adjacent to the library is the family room, located near the kitchen and a full bath with a counter of German green stone and a vessel sink.
The formal dining room includes a 14-foot-long wall of glass, wood floors and access to the rear garden patio. Adjacent to the dining room is the kitchen, which has a hardwood ceiling, black granite counters and a center-island cooktop. The kitchen includes midcentury-modern cabinets, pendant lighting, stainless steel appliances, an undercounter oven, a stone backsplash and a granite buffet counter linking the kitchen to the dining room.
The main level also has a laundry room close to the library.
Upstairs, the landing includes hardwood flooring and a wall of glass. The master suite sits in a private wing with a dressing area with a bank of closets as well as a walk-in closet. The master bath has a granite-topped vanity, a stone floor and a whirlpool tub.
The second bedroom has a custom-designed built-in credenza, a low cabinet and double closets, plus windows on two sides.
The third bedroom has windows on two sides, while the fourth bedroom has both a closet and built-in cabinetry. These three bedrooms share a hall bath.
The home also has an alarm system, pull-down stairs to the attic and two-zone heating and air conditioning.
For more information on this Alexandria home, contact Susan Walters of Long &Foster Realtors at 703/244-4155.
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