Master Suite & Exterior Home Remodeling in Chevy Chase, MD

A tall niche on each side of the bed
replaces a traditional nightstand
with display space above and
storage cubbies below—without
taking up floor space.

From Online Remodeling Book Chapter 9 “A Master Suite Updates a 1960s Home”

I get a kick out of being an architect who specializes in remodeling because I like helping people improve their daily lives. For example, one of my clients liked her 1960s Neocolonial house in Chevy Chase, Maryland, except for two flaws. The first was the unappealing façade, which was discouraging to come home to and didn’t match her home’s attractive interior.

The other problem, to which she woke up every morning, was a first-floor master bedroom with limited storage and a small attached bathroom. This arrangement, although common in the 1960s, no longer made much sense. For lack of closet space, my client had to rotate many of her clothes in and out of seasonal storage elsewhere in the house. The rooms were also arranged so that the bathroom could only be reached through the bedroom, making it hard for one person to shower and get ready for the day without disturbing the other. The bathroom, which measured 5 by 7 feet, was fitted with a sink, a toilet, a shower, and not much else.

A new curbless walk-in shower
features garden views.

Goals of the Home Remodel

My client put our goal simply: “make my house look and feel upscale.” She originally hired our design-build studio to make the front of her house more substantial and inviting. Our façade design pleased her so much, however, that she decided to put off construction. Instead, she asked us to design a modern master suite to replace the existing bedroom-with-bath. My studio could then build the master suite and the new façade at the same time, resolving both of her issues at once.

To read about the details of this home remodeling project, download our eBook!