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[A WORD FROM CHIP]
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This year marks Gruver Cooley's 110th year in home building. As I reflect on the evolution of our company during that time, I realize that much has changed, yet much remains the same. Our family commitment to craftsmanship, quality, customer satisfaction and lasting value has never wavered. Yet, we have adapted geographically to the enormous growth of the Washington, DC area and have kept pace with continuous innovations in building techniques and materials.
This issue of our newsletter fittingly features an article by Cathleen Gruver, our Interior Designer and a member of the latest generation of Gruver Cooley. In it she explores the newest design trends, which she experienced firsthand at this year's Kitchen and Bath International Show, and how they may benefit our clients. In showcasing our most recent work, we feature a gorgeous 13,000 square foot custom home we completed for a client in the upscale Creighton Farms golf community in Loudoun County, Virginia. Additionally, a master bathroom expansion and renovation in Arlington, Virginia demonstrates our versatility and commitment to meeting our clients' needs in every size project we undertake.
I always welcome the opportunity to partner with new clients and have them experience the exceptional service in which Gruver Cooley takes great pride. I also enjoy hearing from our previous clients who have found that it is time to refresh, remodel or build again. Please let me know if we can help you in any way in 2018.
Sincerely,
Chip Gruver
President, Gruver Cooley
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[The Perfect Combination Of Comfort And Luxury]
Please click the image above for more photos.
A successful executive wanted a custom home in a gated horse-country community which would provide privacy, welcoming spaces for people to gather and areas to meet each family member's needs. Working with
Architect, Bruce Hutchinson of Rockville, Maryland and the client's
Interior Designer, Mary Anne Antonides of POSH! in Vienna, Virginia, Gruver Cooley made her vision a reality.
Eschewing formal living and dining rooms for more comfortable spaces, the client chose instead a great room with a high ceiling, custom timber frame beams with plaster inlays, and warm, faux finished walls. The large adjacent kitchen provides multiple seating areas, including a banquette for watching TV, two marble topped islands to gather around and a dining area with a vaulted ceiling overlooking the 45 foot pool by
Town and Country Pools. The kitchen includes appliances by Wolf, Sub-Zero and Miele and a large butler's pantry. A powder room on this level displays a mosaic marble floor, antique vanity, gold Sherle Wagner fixtures and a Swarovski crystal door knob. The lower level contains an additional entertainment area with custom Italian walnut cabinets and bar, a pool table area, multiple TVs and a gathering area. Family and guests can also enjoy an exercise room, complemented by a spa bath featuring a body spray and steam shower from
Thomas Somerville and addtional custom cabinetry.
The owner's suite is a peaceful retreat with a fireplace, vaulted ceiling, spacious closet/dressing room and luxurious bath with a laser cut marble, mosaic inset in the shower. It shares an adjoining windowed sunroom with a private suite for the client's mother. This nearly self-contained suite includes a living room with fireplace, a bedroom and a bar area.
The sons' rooms reflect their personalities and interests. One room has a blue and white beach theme with wood paneling and a large, industrial-look shower. The other has a cozy upper loft which is accessed by a ladder. The home also includes a private space, which the boys share for video games. Even guests are very comfortably accommodated in a suite which has a bedroom, private sitting room and bathroom. Custom doors and unique antique doors, cabinetry and fixtures are located throughout the home.
With
landscaping by Alan Skipper of Metes and Bounds and a location in tony
Creighton Farms in Aldie, Virginia, this home offers everything the client and family could desire for years to come.
Please contact us if you would like more information or are interested in exploring the possibility of building your own custom home in the
Creighton Farms Community.
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[2018 Kitchen & Bath Trends]
To see more from Cathleen's trip, click the image above.
This year's Kitchen and Bath International Show in Orlando was an exciting and interesting display of 2018's design trends. During three days - and over 24 miles logged on my Apple watch - I viewed and tried thousands of new products. The following are a few of the trends I wanted to share with our Gruver Cooley friends and "family".
Technology continues to be a driving force in kitchen and bath innovation and is now integrated nearly everywhere! In the bathroom, the shower can be voice controlled to achieve designated water temperatures. By the time one is ready to hop in, the shower is ready to go too. In the kitchen, faucets can measure exact amounts of water, and refrigerators can send pictures of their contents to designated phones at the closing of their doors.
Organization, function and aesthetics continue to be highlighted in kitchens. In cabinetry, storage systems abound, and open shelves are making appearances under sinks and ranges, mixed in freely with closed cabinetry. Ever more versatile sinks provide large work prep surfaces, custom drying areas over dishwashers and work spaces at varying levels. A stunning mix of wood tones and cabinet depths breaks up the monotony of many previous years of kitchen design. Appliances are trending toward black stainless finishes, accompanied by a handsome array of black and gold hardware and details.
Lighting is playing a starring role in bathrooms. Cabinets, mirrors, toilets and tubs are now including lighting features. Colored interiors in cabinetry are on the rise, with dark green being a favored color in various applications. (See photo above from the Kohler booth, featuring green bathtub and focal wall tiles).
I returned from the show with renewed enthusiasm and energy for implementing what I learned there in this year's projects. Please contact me if you are interested in exploring the possibilities for an update to your kitchen or bath in 2018!
Cathleen Gruver, M.A.
Interior Designer
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[An Artful Arlington Upgrade]
Please click the image above to see more images of the renovation.
Once the kids are grown and out of the house, many parents face a decision about whether to move or to upgrade in place. This Arlington couple loved the home they had built many years ago, with one exception; they wanted an enlarged, separate shower and a soaking tub. They saw this as an opportunity to stay in place while completely remodeling and expanding the master bath and worked with Architect
Dwight McNeill of McNeill Baker Design Associates to develop plans. After securing approval for external modifications from the local historic review board, they were ready to expand their second floor bath with an addition over the first floor.
The centerpiece of the expansion is a large soaking tub within the light-filled, windowed addition. A marble floor with a basket weave inlay from Mosaic Tile provides a bright and attractive approach to the tub. A ceiling heater was added over the tub to provide a luxurious touch of extra warmth during longer soaking sessions. The shower was remodeled and enlarged to include dual shower heads, glass tile and a frameless glass surround.
Rounding out the upgrades are white wood vanities topped by Virginia Mist marble countertops with ogee edges. This same marble is used on the deck of the new tub to provide design continuity throughout the room. At the project's completion, we received a much appreciated note of thanks which says, "We think your company did a great job and the project turned out perfect..... The smartest thing we did on the project was to select you as the general contractor."
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