Oakland Terrace, Alexandria, Virginia

Oakland Terrance, Alexandria, VA was a total renovation of a beautiful Historic Home. It was the boyhood home of the now owner, Donald Simpson Jr. The home, which has been in the family since the 1940’s, comes with a rich history, having hosted President Roosevelt for dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson Jr. wanted to create their own mark on the beautiful home by reconfiguring the floor plan for increased circulation and functionality, while maintaining the homes’ historic features.
The program turned the existing dining room into the kitchen with an island under the chandelier, maintaining the axial components of the original plan, while providing ample room for circulation. Mrs. Simpson, working closely with Nestor Santa-Cruz Decoration, found a set of antique Hope French doors In Peekskill, NY which were installed into the new opening created from the formal living to the existing breakfast room. This facilitated more informal gatherings spaces and increased the circulation. Additional openings were created on both floors. The opening from the kitchen into the sun room was expanded for a future planned dining room addition.
Care was taken by “Energy House” to recycle and dismantled built-ins in the existing kitchen. The energy upgrade, included geothermal, new windows, insulation and mechanical systems, which resulted in lowering the average heating bill for the 5000 square foot home to $58.18 per month after one year of monitoring during one the harshest winter on record.