Residential Projects

This project involved the demolition and expansion of an existing kitchen addition to a Tudor style house. The owner wanted to maintain the Tutor elements, yet still have a modern kitchen filled with light.

This project was designed in collaboration with Robertson Development and Shawn Ewbank Design Collaborative and constructed by CRx Construction. The design of this house included an attached, but independent apartment that could be rented out separately, a pool and patio with enclosed seating room, bocce ball court and outdoor fire pit with seating.

Sited on a steeply sloped lot overlooking wetlands of the James River Park System, this house nestles into the site on the entry side and opens towards the wetlands as the site slopes. The house is two stories with sunken living/family room. The family room and kitchen open to an expansive deck and screened storage below for outdoor gear such as kayaks, etc.

This project consisted of a three story brownstone townhouse infill on a corner lot. in NW Washington DC. It is organized as a tri-plex with a separate unit on each level and a shared roof terrace at the back of the building.

The scope of the project was to reconfigure an existing pool patio and existing garage to improve the accessibility to the pool area. To improve the access, the footprint of the garage was reduced to accommodate a breezeway between the house and garage. The garage was also designed to double as an art gallery space.

Yellow Room partner Scott Gordon purchased this pre Civil War Union Hill historic home ‘shell’ with the intent to renovate it as investment property.  After almost 2 years of design and hands-on construction work, he moved into the property himself making it his primary residence.  Showing great sensitivity to the historic nature of the house, the renovation included preserving as much of the original wood siding as possible, replacement of all the windows with custom made replica wood windows, and careful integration of an underfloor hydronic heating system.  Underfloor heating is especially effective in the English basement, where there was little room for bulky supply and return air ducts.  The house also featured the preservation of 5 fireplaces and original heart pine flooring.  611 N. 22nd Street is the third historic structure in Richmond’s Churchill neighborhood that Gordon has acted as both architect and general contractor.

Bunn Avenue Residence – restoration and modern addition to a 1920’s craftsman style home.

Richmond, Virginia

1,450 s.f. new addition

642 s.f. existing house renovation

This project, completed by Yellow Room Partners Scott Gordon and James Vea, was a major renovation of a typical 1920’s craftsman style cottage that satisfied the owner’s wishes to restore as much of the original house as possible while integrating a major, modern addition providing a new kitchen, living, and lofted studio spaces.  This new addition appears to be ‘woven’ into the original structure and respects the original craftsman style not so much thru direct, obvious compatibility, but through the establishment of a modern dialog addressing simplicity and honesty in form and massing, while introducing a new palette of materials such as redwood, metal, and concrete.  The owner has continued the transformation of this home with the design and construction of a Japanese garden and fence in the backyard, resulting in a truly unique and comfortable urban home.

Sited adjacent to a lake in rural Prince George county, the Wilkin’s residence is a new single family home currently under construction. The house takes advantage of the sloping site to give most rooms a view of the adjacent lake. Living areas are centered around a large eat-in kitchen that opens to a covered dining porch. The client’s program calls for spaces that can accommodate large informal family gatherings and for all the living spaces to be on one floor level. An airy central foyer acts as the central ‘hub’ of the house and will feature tall ceilings, Italian tile to reflect the family’s Italian heritage, and decorative plaster veneered walls. Sightlines are another important element of design. The private bedroom wing of the house is accessed by a generous hallway connected to the large foyer at one and terminated by a curved wall of windows at the master bedroom end, activating the corridor and enhancing the experience of circulation.