Here’s this week’s roundup of the ten most expensive home sales in the region, as reported by American City Business Leads.  

The Box Score
Virginia: 5
DC: 3
Maryland: 2

$4,500,000—4641 Dexter Street, NW, Berkley
$3,250,000—9599 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls
$2,950,000—2126 Bancroft Place, NW, Kalorama
$2,200,000—4009 Everett Street, Kensington
$2,199,564—4119 Woodlark Drive, Annandale
$2,165,000—8142 Old Dominion Lane, McLean
$2,040,000—2366 N. Edgewood Street, Arlington
$1,900,000—5153 37th Road North, Arlington
$1,875,000—3925 Upton Street, NW, North Cleveland Park
$1,850,000—8704 Brickyard Road, Potomac

By Lynne Shallcross 

Design Within Reach’s Fun 1 Floor Lamp is, well, just that. From Danish designer Verner Panton, the lamp is a recently reissued design from 1964. While the handcut mother of pearl discs, shown at left, make a tinkling noise with a passing breeze, you can also choose polished stainless steel discs that softly reflect light around the room. Each lamp, priced at $1,688, is signed by the designer and comes with an individual edition number and a certificate of authenticity.

Locations in Adams Morgan (1838 Columbia Rd,. NW; 202-265-5640), Georgetown (3307 Cady's Alley, NW; 202-339-9480), and Bethesda (4840 Bethesda Avenue; 301-215-7200). 

 
If you want to lighten up without lightening your wallet, check out the Capiz Floor Lamp from West Elm, shown at right. The glamorous, cascading natural shells come in white and mocha. For $179 (with free shipping when you order online), you might just want both.

Tysons Corner Center (571-633-0227). 

With ten drawers, this wooden apothecary table could serve as a coffee table and storage bin. It’s going for $300 on Craigslist.

More good finds:

• Dining room table with four chairs for $650
• Oak buffet hutch for $150
• Hammock for $200
• China cabinet for $500
• Wine rack for $120


Thanks, Craigslist!

The May issue of The Washingtonian features a package on the latest in bathroom design—everything from showers with iPod hookups to sleek sinks made of copper and glass. We offer ideas for saving energy and water by going green. You’ll also find a list of peer-recommended designers and showrooms that can help you build your dream bath. Click here to take a look. 

A Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens design.

Rockville-based Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens has designed and installed thousands of kitchens in the Washington area. We sat down with the firm’s owner, Larry Rosen—whose father, Jack, founded the company in 1982—to ask some questions about kitchen design.


Why is kitchen renovation so popular?
The kitchen is the heart of the home. So much time is spent in the kitchen. With family members going in different directions, the kitchen is always a reliable gathering place.

What do people want in their kitchens?  What are the biggest trends?
Our clients seem to want the kitchen to present a theme. It can range from traditional to contemporary, but it often makes a statement and sets a tone for the rest of the house. High-end appliances are desired, including built-in refrigerators, commercial-style ranges, and quiet dishwashers. Two sinks and two dishwashers are desired when the space allows.

What are the biggest mistakes people make when renovating a kitchen?
The biggest mistake people make is rushing into the project. Preferences can change in the course of doing research. Also, time should be taken to find professionals that you feel comfortable working with. Don’t compromise on quality. If it means waiting a little longer to increase your budget, it is worth the wait.

Does someone remodeling a kitchen usually recoup most of the cost when selling the house?
I am always happy to read in consumer and investment magazines that kitchens and baths have the highest rate of return among remodeling projects. Also, kitchen remodeling can accelerate a sale.

What’s the most expensive kitchen you’ve done?
The price of the cabinets exceeded $180,000.

What advice would you give someone who is considering a kitchen renovation?
Do your research. Look through kitchen magazines to determine the styles, colors, and features you want. Get referrals from others who have done similar projects.

What’s your own kitchen like?
Okay, I admit—I am designing my kitchen now. After years of considering a move or an addition, we have decided that with the children away at college we are happy with the size of the existing space. Also, as I indicated earlier, we will not compromise on what is important to us. Our budget has also increased with the passing of time. I can’t wait. The kitchen will be contemporary. Its fun to be on this end of the project.

Here’s this week’s roundup of the most expensive deals in the area, as reported by American City Business Leads. Two of the top ten are on Grenata Preserve Place, the heart of a development of custom homes in Leesburg. Former Redskin Chad Morton owns an 8,000-square-foot house on the street that he bought last July for $2 million.

The box score:
Virginia: 6
Maryland: 2
DC: 2

$3,200,000—940 Division Avenue, NE/5216 Just Street, NE, Deanwood
$2,850,000—8900 Heatherwood Court, Potomac
$2,700,000—2124 Bancroft Place, NW, Kalorama
$2,418,294—10466 Springvale Meadow Lane, Great Falls
$2,272,215—43605 Edison Club Court, Ashburn
$2,177,148—40903 Grenata Preserve Place, Leesburg
$2,118,342—40471 Grenata Preserve Place, Leesburg
$1,950,000—1019 Utterback Store Road, Great Falls
$1,906,330—1631 Irvin Street, Alexandria
1,850,000—104 Newlands Street, Chevy Chase

As the weather warms, gardeners are tending to rose beds, and homeowners are dusting under beds in a fit of spring cleaning. Why not enjoy the fruits of their labor with a home-and-garden tour? Here’s a guide to a few this week and weekend:

• Clifton Community Woman’s Club Homes Tour. Affectionately known by townspeople as the “Brigadoon of Virginia,” the village of Clifton shows off renovations of a few of its historic homes as well as artwork and antiques from around the world. Browse an artist’s show, silent auction, and two boutiques. Thursday, May 17, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Tickets $25.

• Georgetown Garden Treasures: Tudor Place and Dumbarton Oaks. Take a guided tour through two of Washington’s most historic gardens from women in the know—Gail Griffin, director of gardens and grounds at Dumbarton Oaks, and Mary K. Crow, horticulturist at Tudor Place. Saturday, May 19, 11 am. Tickets $12. Registration, available online, is required.

• Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage. Features nine stops in Anne Arundel County, including homes on the National Register of Historic Places and one where George Washington frequently visited a friend. Saturday, May 19, 10 am to 5 pm. Tickets $25.

• Frederick's Beyond the Garden Gates. Get ready for green-thumb inspiration when you stroll through seven private and three public gardens, from a certified wildlife habitat to an original “postage stamp” garden. Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20, 1 to 5 pm. Tickets $15.

• Historic Hyattsville House Tour. Take a peek at how homeowners merge life in an historic home—from art-deco to Queen Anne-style Victorian—with the comforts of 2007. Sunday, May 20, 1 to 5 pm. Tickets $12, $10 in advance.