family ties A grand old Chevy Chase home is expanded and updated to accommodate three generations

By Carolyn Weber

Although the classic style and details are true to the original house, the new wing of the Simmons/Warner home feels like a contemporary living space. Left: The family enjoys time together (from left): Sylvia Simmons, Robert Simmons, Sloane Warner, O.G. Warner, Leslie Simmons Warner, Austin Warner and Brandon Warner. DARREN HIGGINS

220 September/October 2012 | Bethesda Magazine HOME KEN WYNER

Bethesda Magazine HOME | September/October 2012 221 family ties

From the outside, The front of the house retains its original brick colonial style. this elegant brick colonial in the leafy Kenwood neighborhood of Chevy Chase looks like any other single-family home on the block. But it’s actually two households in one. Drs. Leslie Simmons Warner, an OB- GYN, and O.G. Warner, a dentist, occupy the main portion of the house with their three children, ages 21, 18 and 13. Her parents, Dr. Robert and Sylvia Simmons, live in an adjacent unit. Think of them as one big, happy family under a single roof, with separate living areas. It’s a new ap-

proach to an old-fashioned concept. KEN WYNER (3) It all started when Warner’s father died a few years ago, and the couple starting thinking about the future. “My parents were getting older, and we had to think about plans for their living situ- ation,” Simmons Warner says. Around the same time, she and War- ner were outgrowing their home in Chevy Chase Village and planning to expand it, but they faced some remod- eling obstacles due to historic trees that had to stay put. Her parents offered a solution: The younger family could take over their own large house and renovate it to suit their needs; and the older couple could stay in the home they’d loved for 30 years and downsize at the same time. It seemed like a good plan. The Warners previously had admired the work of Bethesda’s GTM Architects, and even had the company’s president, George Myers, draw up plans for their old house. “We liked his technique of blending the new parts of houses with the old,” Simmons Warner says. So the couple and Simmons Warner’s parents had an initial consultation with the GTM team about how to blend the 222 September/October 2012 | Bethesda Magazine HOME Even though they were downsizing, the grandparents wanted their wing to be as elegant as the main house, complete with built-ins and molding details. The walls are a cheery pink, Sylvia Simmons’ favorite hue.

two households. “Our goal was a place courtyard, and French doors open to a where we could be together but sepa- pair of well-appointed living areas and rate,” Simmons Warner says. a full-size kitchen beyond that. Upstairs One surprise that emerged at the are two spacious bedroom suites and meeting was the need for two kitchens. a sitting room. “We jokingly call it the Simmons Warner’s father revealed that West Wing,” Simmons Warner says. he planned to do more cooking when Through Myers, the family found build- he retired, and her husband wanted his er George Papaheraklis, president of Fine- own culinary domain. craft Building Contractors in Gaithersburg. “The original house was amazing,” He and Myers are longtime friends who Myers says. “There was already so much have collaborated on projects through- square footage, and plenty of room to out the area for more than 20 years. Papa- make a situation like this work.” heraklis “struck me as an honest guy and His plan was to create separate liv- a straight shooter,” Simmons Warner says. ing quarters for the two families, adding She also came to value the builder’s flexibil- 1,400 square feet of new living space to ity and patience, as her parents lived in the the 4,526-square-foot, 70-year-old home. house throughout the renovation, which at “The front was so nice that we didn’t times was an emotional process. want to change it at all,” Myers says. “It The project took 11 months, and already sort of looked like a main house some of the old house had to go to make and a guest house.” way for the new. An original back porch He’s right: An original courtyard was demolished to allow for bump-outs A large addition spanning the spans the space between the house and in both living spaces. A large rear addi- rear of the house features the the garage in the front. tion houses an open-concept plan in the open concept that modern The architect designed the new sec- main house, with a kitchen, breakfast families love, along with custom cabinetry, granite countertops tion for the grandparents to be like a area, family room and screened porch and top-of-the-line appliances. large, two-bedroom apartment. They on the first floor, and a master bedroom enter it through the brick-walled front for the Warners on the second. Bethesda Magazine HOME | September/October 2012 223 family ties

Left: The rear of the house as it originally appeared. Below: The remodeled back of the house, where doors from a second-floor master suite lead to a balcony over the screened porch. Right: Two sets of French doors connect the new family room to the screened porch. The outdoor room includes recessed lighting, flagstone flooring and a wood-burning stone

COURTESY OF CLAIRE SIMMONS COURTESY fireplace.

In addition to that spacious new mas- There are three connection points for ter suite, with its generous walk-in clos- easy access between the households— ets and balcony overlooking the yard, the one on the first level near the butler’s second floor of the main house contains a pantry, one off the second-floor hallway dentist, Warner says he has a special ap- new laundry room and three original bed- and one on the lower level. preciation for the impression technique rooms, each with an en suite bathroom. Everything in the old house was and the resulting custom detail. Papaheraklis built a new staircase tweaked and refreshed—new paint, Even with all this attention and ener- leading to the third floor, and convert- lighting, refinished floors, updated bath- gy paid to the interior, the family didn’t ed an unfinished attic to usable space. rooms and even the removal of a wall neglect to overhaul the backyard. The Now an open guest floor, it has two bed- between the living room and dining three-quarter-acre lot was large enough rooms, two bathrooms, a sitting room room. The transition from old to new to accommodate the rear addition, as and a workout space. is seamless, as the addition features the well as a new fully landscaped yard, patio Even the basement was given new same detailing and generous propor- with a fireplace and swimming pool. life. On the senior couple’s side, there’s tions—wide passageways, 12-foot ceil- “My husband and kids wanted a pool, a study for Robert Simmons, as well as ings—as the original house. but I didn’t want it to dominate the yard,” designated space for his collection of Papaheraklis duplicated the crown Simmons Warner says. “I wanted to look memorabilia. On the younger family’s molding and chair rails, and even made out my kitchen window and see flowers.” side, there’s a recreation room, home impressions of the 1940 rosettes and The designers at Olive Tree Land- theater and lots of storage. replicated them in the new rooms. As a scaping in Gaithersburg helped Sim- KEN WYNER (2) 224 September/October 2012 | Bethesda Magazine HOME mons Warner orchestrate the concept. and enjoy the good weather. “When we family, cousins and friends. She used the Although she’s busy with work and fam- open both sets of doors, it creates great dining room table as a buffet and set up ily, she finds time to garden and had def- flow for parties, too,” she says. smaller tables throughout the first floor. inite opinions about the design. The new Like most things new, adjusting to the “It was great. My mom made a turkey backyard includes a large flagstone patio living arrangement is a work in progress and everyone brought a dish,” she says. with a seating area that serves as an out- for all three generations. “We’re learning “It was a potluck Christmas.” door room for entertaining, lots of flow- to respect the boundaries, and it’s been re- Now that all the dust has settled, Sim- er beds, and the pool. “My mom loves to ally nice for us to be together,” Simmons mons Warner says she occasionally thinks swim, and uses the pool more than any- Warner says. “Our kids interact with their about the future and wonders if any of her one,” Simmons Warner says. grandparents on a weekly basis, which is kids will want to live there with her. If they Simmons Warner’s favorite spot in the much more than most kids do.” do, there’s plenty of space for everyone. n new house is the screened porch, which To make the childhood home feel is accessible through two sets of doors fresh for her own family, Simmons War- Carolyn Weber is a freelance writer spe- in the family room. “I love porches, and ner wanted to start some new tradi- cializing in home design. She lives in Silver knew this house would not accommodate tions. The first Christmas in the house Spring. To comment on this story, email a front porch.” She likes to sit out there she hosted a big party with immediate [email protected]. Bethesda Magazine HOME | September/October 2012 225