While many of us have been working away on more than a few jigsaw puzzles the past two years, Robyn Segal and her husband, Marshall Rifkin, have been puzzling over a large-scale version: their century-old row house in Washington, D.C.
“We were looking for a home that we could renovate,” says Robyn, the founder of Peltrie Place, a boutique real estate development firm. “The house had great bones, but the 100-year-old floor plan was formal and had a handful of underutilized connected rooms that blocked all of the light and were not practical for how we live today.”
Among the 21st-century upgrades needed: better use of space and much more light—all while keeping the historic elements (the stairs, doors, and molding) intact. So the couple gutted the entire space; shifted walls and rearranged rooms; and added a two-story, 15-foot addition to the back of the house, alongside architect Patrick Brian Jones and Robyn’s dad, who served as the project’s general contractor. “Given the fixed footprint of the home, it all felt like a jigsaw puzzle,” says Robyn. “Taking space from one part meant reducing space from another.”
Robyn and Marshall wanted the space to be practical, comfortable, and easily lived in—not just for them but for their pup, Markley, too. In every design decision along the way, they opted for the dog-friendly option—resulting in a space that’s both well designed and worry free.
Take a look (and keep an eye out for the many canine-approved details).
Photography by Brian Wetzel, courtesy of Robyn Segal.
Source: Remodelista
