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| Chevy Chase, MD Kitchen Transformation |
PM Monday, March 7. Thanks!
3/1/11
Vote for Wentworth, Inc. in the d5R's Kitchens: Transformed Contest!
PM Monday, March 7. Thanks!
2/18/11
A Wentworth, Inc. Kitchen Remodel in Today's Daily 5 Remodel!
Here at Wentworth, Inc. we were excited to see one of our recent kitchen remodel projects featured in today's Daily5 Remodel! This Chevy Chase, MD kitchen remodel is also a 2010 National Association of the Remodeling Industry Metro DC Chapter CotY winner. Check out the great feature here.
2/14/11
Wentworth, Inc. in the News: A Small-Scale Estate in McLean, VA
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| December 2010, Viva Tysons |
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| Before and After: A Dramatic Transformation |
2/11/11
Wentworth, Inc. Wins Two 2010 NARI Capital CotY Awards!
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| Wentworth, Inc.'s Steven Barnard, Accepts the Capital CotY Grand Prize Award |
The 2010 Capital CotY Grand Prize in Residential Exteriors went to a spectacular remodel of a 1960s home in Silver Spring, MD. The finished project is a stunning transformation of the home's front facade, resulting in a home that is sophisticated and modern.
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| 2010 Captial CotY Grand Prize Winner, Residential Exteriors |
The 2010 Capital CotY Finalist Prize in the high competitive Residential Interiors Category was awarded to Wentworth, Inc. for a dramatic reconfiguration of interior space. A 1980s Chevy Chase, MD home featuring an outdated and compartmentalized floor plan was given new life in this remodel of a kitchen, adjoining breakfast space, family room, and laundry room.
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| 2010 Capital CotY Finalist, Residential Interiors |
Award-winners spanned over 30 categories ranging from "Best Green Home Construction to Best Bathrooms under $30,000." Eighteen Maryland companies took home 30 CotY awards, and Wentworth, Inc. is honored to be included in a group as talented as the firms belonging to the NARI Metro DC Chapter.
1/31/11
Doing More with Less: A Townhouse Kitchen Remodel
A tiny and dark galley kitchen in an urban townhouse usually equals a variety of daily frustrations: cramped cooking space, difficulty entertaining guests while slicing and dicing, and the cliched, yet extremely common too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen issue, among many others. Often the only solution is a smart and carefully executed remodel. That's where Wentworth came in.
When a couple downsized from a suburban home to a 1920s historic townhouse, the tiny kitchen had to fit their lifestyle. Working within the confines of a small space has its limitations, but our clients were willing to sacrifice their back porch for additional kitchen space. This sacrifice paid off: a sunny breakfast nook with a view of the garden now sits where the porch used to be. The space is cozy, warm (thanks in large part to the kitchen's energy-efficient radiant heated floors) and sure to be enjoyed year round.
Innovative design features maximize space elsewhere in the kitchen - from cabinets with roll-out shelving to turning unused space under a stair into a pantry. These features and the resulting open-plan kitchen fit the client's informal lifestyle, proving that you never have to sacrifice style for function or space. For more on this project, visit the Hill Rag's January Home & Gardens Feature, Making the Most of Townhouse Kitchen.
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| Space Sacrificed: An Unused Porch Before |
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| Space Gained: Sunny Kitchen Addition After |
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| Let the Sun Shine: The Finished Kitchen |
Innovative design features maximize space elsewhere in the kitchen - from cabinets with roll-out shelving to turning unused space under a stair into a pantry. These features and the resulting open-plan kitchen fit the client's informal lifestyle, proving that you never have to sacrifice style for function or space. For more on this project, visit the Hill Rag's January Home & Gardens Feature, Making the Most of Townhouse Kitchen.
1/28/11
The Stroke of a Feather: How Inspiration Meets Design for Wentworth’s Interior Designer Christopher Patrick, ASID
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| Christopher Patrick, ASID |
Wentworth, Inc.’s interior designer, Christopher Patrick, ASID, knew from an early age he’d be painting clients’ rooms in bright and bold colors with successful results. At the age of 10, when most parents are fretting about dirty handprints on walls and muddy footprints on freshly cleaned rugs, his parents already trusted him to paint his bedroom. It wasn’t long before he’d moved onto bigger, more important rooms.
Fortunately for Wentworth, Inc.'s clients, Christopher is involved in more than just paint choices. Because Wentworth, Inc. is uniquely able to offer architecture, interiors, and construction under one roof, Christopher’s aesthetic as a designer, which he defines as clean and streamlined, informs all aspects of a client’s home remodel.
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| The Stroke of a Feather |
Christopher says his design sense, a mix of the old and new, is often inspired by nature. A recent remodel of a client’s study/home office was transformed with the stroke of a peacock feather. Actually, says Christopher, the peacock feather was more of an inspiration, a way to convince a client who wasn’t afraid of color to paint her new study/home office bright teal and an adjacent bedroom pale olive. “This certainly wasn’t your traditional color pairing, but I convinced her through a series of images showing how pale green and teal make an excellent, albeit nontraditional, color combination.”
Christopher has a knack for working with Wentworth clients to make sure their vision is carried out, while simultaneously guiding them through the many nitty-gritty product and finish choices that come with a remodel. Even though clients often come to Christopher with an idea – pictures, samples, advertisements – of what they’d like their room to look like, Christopher works with them to find their way through a world of endless options.
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| Looking a Little Green |
As an interior designer, it’s Christopher’s job to keep abreast of the trends, from the newest in green innovations to the hottest paint colors. A recent kitchen remodel offered just the opportunity to utilize the latest green building products, and Christopher was more than happy to help the client navigate through the growing pool of eco-friendly building products. When the client decided on an Oceanside Glass backsplash comprised of a combination of pre-consumer, post-industrial, and post-consumer recycled material, Christopher suggested they also consider using Icestone for their island countertop. Made of recycled glass and concrete, Icestone is as beautiful as it is eco-friendly. Although the client was originally concerned with the durability and cost of a green product, Christopher knew it was the right choice. And it was. The client was thrilled with the finished look.
And that, Christopher says, is what it’s all about at Wentworth: “A client will usually tell you what they want, the givens - bed in the bedroom and table in the dining room - but how we style it and bring it all together, it’s a collaboration between us and the client. We take a vision and make it happen.”
11/3/10
Employee Profile: Gyan Manu, Associate AIA
By Daniel Dahlman
Gyan Manu is part of the team of architects and designers at Wentworth, Inc. and manages client projects through all stages; from initial conceptual sketches, to design development, and construction documents. At each step of the way, Gyan is there to ensure that every project meets Wentworth’s standards for quality, beauty, and attention to detail.
Gyan Manu is part of the team of architects and designers at Wentworth, Inc. and manages client projects through all stages; from initial conceptual sketches, to design development, and construction documents. At each step of the way, Gyan is there to ensure that every project meets Wentworth’s standards for quality, beauty, and attention to detail.
Gyan is involved with a client’s remodeling project from day one. A client will often discuss particular design issues they have with their home. In the early stages of a project the team measures and photographs the house to prepare “as-built plans”. When the as-built plans are ready the design team can commence the design phase, and Gyan, head architect Bruce Wentworth, AIA, and interior designer Chris Patrick, all sit down for a design meeting, or charrete, and develop three or four design solutions for each project.
The design process is one of Gyan’s favorite phases of a remodel.
“No two projects are alike,” says Gyan. “Each project involves learning as much as possible about the way clients live, and then designing creative solutions to make their homes more comfortable. Every single project has different challenges and it excites my intellect to find new solutions to these problems.”
Part of what makes the design through construction process so smooth and enjoyable is that Wentworth, Inc. is a design-build firm. Wentworth offers a unique service in that architecture, interior design, and construction professionals are collaborating together, in-house, toward a shared and clearly articulated design vision and budget.
“The fact that Wentworth provides design-build services is an important benefit,” says Gyan. “Traditionally, your architect, interior designer, and contractors are all separate, which can cause a lot of problems due to finger pointing and communication issues.”
Horror stories of projects that are delayed for weeks, or even months, due to poor planning and coordination among different contractors, architects, and designers are familiar to most clients. Gyan emphasizes the fact that, “the Wentworth design-build process brings all these professionals together, making it easier for everyone. Since we are skilled at managing the entire process, the remodel becomes hassle-free for the homeowner.”
Gyan, who grew up Ghana, has been interested in building and design from an early age. Although he was initially drawn to the idea of constructing ships and pursuing a career as a nautical engineer, Gyan’s father was a contractor in Ghana and he grew up surrounded by builders, craftsmen, and architects. A skilled illustrator, Gyan was attracted to the detailed design and construction documents his father used to build projects of varying sizes and dimensions.
Project Sketch
By the time he was 14 years old, Gyan knew he wanted to pursue architecture and found a mentor in an architect friend of his father’s named Mr. Taylor. After receiving his architecture degree from the prestigious Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, he had the opportunity to work with his father on the construction side of the industry. The invaluable knowledge Gyan gained from his father still guides his design process today.
“Knowing how things are on the construction side influences the design decisions you make,” says Gyan. “When you are engaged in the design process, there is always the back and forth question of ‘Can this be built?’ Having been part of the construction process certainly helps with that mode of thinking.”
Final Result
Gyan’s extensive background-which includes working both in Ghana and the U.S. and designing both residential and commercial projects, gives him a wide breadth of experience and skills to draw from. Throughout all his experience, residential remodeling remains his true passion.
“I’ve done both commercial and residential work, but one of the reasons I prefer residential is the emotional involvement,” says Gyan. “Nothing is more beautiful than being part of a process that ultimately improves the quality of life for a family or individual.”
Gyan has been with the firm for nearly three years and his commitment to high quality, beautiful design is evident in every project he is a part of. “What we do here happens on a very personal level,” he says. “ We are on a first name basis with all our clients, we gather information on all the minute details of how clients live, and provide solutions based on that in-depth understanding- all of these things I find exciting and very satisfying.”
Gyan loves what he does, and has a great time doing it—the goal of every professional.
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