A dazzling renovation by architect Andreas Charalambous imparts clean lines and a strong connection to the outdoors

Aziz and Badria Azimi purchased a traditional Falls Church, Virginia, Colonial for its scenic, private grounds, which include a meandering creek. Though the property was everything they wanted, the 2001 home, with its small windows and closed-in rooms, made it difficult for the couple to appreciate its surroundings. They decided to build an addition that would provide the openness the house lacked, and turned to Forma Design architect Andreas Charalambous to do the job. VIA

However, Charalambous had other ideas. At 7,000 square feet, he told them, the house was large enough. What it needed was for the first floor to be reconfigured and opened up. “There were a lot of chopped-up rooms,” he says. “They didn’t need an addition; they needed a space without all those walls and doors.”

Eventually, the architect was able to persuade the couple to change tracks—a task made easier by the fact that Badria had always wanted an open, contemporary-style home—and work within the existing footprint of the house. The result is a clean-lined, modern expanse full of light, with easy access to the picturesque, quarter-acre yard and nearby Lake Barcroft.