One of the best things about DC is the many, many house tours that go on in the area. I am a total sucker for these! A chance to see how other people have decorated their home? I'm there. So when I heard about the Hollin Hills house tour I was even more intriqued because all of the homes are mid-century modern homes (on the outside, not necessarily on the inside) and were build post-WWII just south of Old Town Alexandria. I had no idea this neighborhood even existed! My other favorite part about DC is the National Building Museum (best gift shop which is like a design library and interesting exhibits) which had a lecture on the Hollin Hills development. Yep, I was there and even joined the museum. A total sucker. But it was for a good cause :).
There were about 12 homes on the tour and some you could take photos of and others you couldn't. Here are some photos that I was able to take (with my Iphone) of the exteriors and interiors.
Most notable features of these homes:
- The original homes were small in size at about 1400 -1600 sq ft (I sort of think that is a perfect size where you use all of your space every day and not more to clean!); many have added additions that blend seemlessly and the houses still don't seem to be on top of each other
- The exterior of each home was mostly glass (and most of the homes we saw do not have window coverings -- even at night!)
- The plumbing was installed in the center of each home, again to pull everything away from the exterior to allow for the glass walls -- seems efficient.
- The original bathrooms we saw were so stylish and well kept -- gray tile on the floors and walls, white cabinets, skylights. Like someone designed it now. Really amazing that they restrained themselves from using hideous pink or green tile.
What I liked most about the homes?
- The sense that the owners were not wasteful. They chose furniture and finishings they liked with the goal of being timeless and used what they had until it wore out. Some of the furnishings were definitely worn well but they still looked great and didn't take away from the home. It was just interesting to see especially as you compare that to what is in the magazines, blogs, etc.
- The bathroom below. I would love to have just a shower and have it all tiled.
Want more info?
Click here and here to see some that are/were for sale.
And here for a Flickr album with more photos of Hollin Hills homes.
Here for an article on the house that I took a lot of photos of -- the bath, kitchen, office below. (Note the art in the living room photo in the article -- definitely interesting!)
Cool pictures! I enjoyed the tour as well, and snaped several images of the same homes.
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