home life style · much of the furnishings in the backus home were purchased in paris flea markets...
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April/May 2009 ❖ Great Falls Connection
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Draza Stamenich ofMcLean is a graduateof Langley HighSchool and
Marymount University, and de-signed the laundry room in thisyear’s Washington D.C. DesignHouse. The house for this year’sshow is the Rectory at St. John’sChurch located at 3238 O StreetNW. The show features the work ofover a dozen local designers. Pro-ceeds from the show house benefitthe Children’s National MedicalCenter. Arlington designer MichaelRoberson and McLean designerDraza Stamenich are both featured.The show is open through May
Small SpaceShopping for Design
10th. Visit www.DCDesignHouse.com
From www.dcdesignhouse.com:
Draza Stamenich, In His Own Words“Growing up, I had a habit of collecting pictures out
of magazines of interiors that I thought were extraordi-narily stunning, and these tear outs fostered my pas-sion for Interior Design. As I got older, I found myselfbeing associated with like-minded people and had tomake my dreams of creating beautiful spaces come tofruition.
“After completing a Visual Merchandising course atMarymount, I had the fortune of freelancing forBergdorf Goodman doing their windows, as well as forNeiman Marcus in their Visual Department. Beingluxury department stores, they impacted me in the wayof allowing the quality of my taste and creativity to beimpeccable as well as original in visual presentation.
“This evolution helped narrow my focus to interiors,and I worked for Alefantis & Associates for severalyears, which let me experience the ideas as well ascomplications that emerge during the creative processfrom beginning to end. I decided to open my own firmin 2007.”
“Growing up, I had a habit of collectingpictures out of magazines of interiorsthat I thought were extraordinarilystunning, and these tear outs fosteredmy passion for Interior Design.”
Draza Stamenich, In His Own Words
Decorative stone finials fromJohn Flocks.
Aviary Wire screen doors add to theairiness of the small space andcomplement the birds on the Graciewallpaper.
Gracie wallpaper adds a sense of openness and space to acompact laundry room.
Draza Stamenich of Draza, LLC is a graduate of Langley High School.
Photos by Louise Krafft
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Mirage, Kahrs, Bruce, Mercier HardwoodsMasland, Nourison, Mohawk Carpet & RugsDalTile, Marazzi, American Olean Ceramic TilesWe Also Have A Great Selection of “Green” Products
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Sold: Million-dollar Homes In February and March, 79 homes inthe area sold for $1 million.
Photos by Robbie Hammer/The Connection
Great Falls❖ 1105 LEIGH MILL RD (a 5 BR, 4 FB, 3 HB Detached Home on 2.41
acres) in Leigh Mill Estates sold for $2,100,000 on March 31, 2009❖ 721 ELLSWORTH AVE (a 5 BR, 5 FB, 1 HB Detached Home on 0.57
acres) in Green Acres sold for $1,921,000 on Feb. 26, 2009❖ 203 CARRWOOD RD (a 3 BR, 2 FB, 1 HB Detached Home on 5.84
acres) in George And Rita Davis sold for $1,800,000 on Feb. 12, 2009❖ 1002 SHERMAN CT (a 7 BR, 6 FB, 1 HB Detached Home on 1.00
acres) in Seneca Gate sold for $1,758,250 on Feb. 27, 2009❖ 10306 ELIZABETH ST (a 6 BR, 7 FB, 1 HB Detached Home on 2.30
acres) in Forestville sold for $1,750,000 on Feb. 13, 2009❖ 10917 BELGRAVIA CT (a 5 BR, 5 FB, 2 HB Detached Home on 2.22
acres) in Great Falls Meadows sold for $1,700,000 on March 31, 2009❖ 812 OLDE GEORGETOWN CT (a 5 BR, 4 FB, 1 HB Detached Home on
1.73 acres) in Fallswood sold for $1,500,000 on Feb. 25, 2009❖ 9306 MORISON LN (a 5 BR, 4 FB, 1 HB Detached Home on 1.72
acres) in Morison Estate sold for $1,492,500 on March 16, 2009❖ 736 FOREST PARK RD (a 5 BR, 4 FB, 1 HB Detached Home on 2.12
acres) in Allegro sold for $1,284,500 on Feb. 02, 2009❖ 10210 AKHTAMAR DR (a 5 BR, 4 FB, 2 HB Detached Home on 2.00
acres) in Akhtamars Haven sold for $1,260,328 on March 20, 2009❖ 10941 WOODLAND FALLS DR (a 5 BR, 5 FB, 0 HB Detached Home on
1.74 acres) in Woodland Falls sold for $1,250,000 on Feb. 12, 2009❖ 1103 AMANDA DR (a 4 BR, 4 FB, 1 HB Detached Home on 0.87 acres)
in Great Falls Hunt sold for $1,087,500 on March 02, 2009
1105 LEIGH MILL RD in Leigh Mill Estatessold for $2,100,000 on March 31, 2009.
721 ELLSWORTH AVE inGreen Acres sold for
$1,921,000 on Feb. 26, 2009.
Ideas? E-mail [email protected]
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By Julia O’Donoghue
John Backusdescribes hisGreat Falls homeas “Tuscany
meets Jackson Hole.”The 15,000 square foot
house is atypical for North-ern Virginia. It bears acloser resemblance to themain stage at Wolf TrapNational Park for the Per-forming Arts than mosthomes located offGeorgetown Pike.
When Backus, whofounded Reston’s NewAtlantic Ventures, attended
Stanford University, he fell in lovewith the architecture and greeneryof the American West. His home is,in part, inspired by the AhwahneeLodge in California’s YosemiteNational Park.
After buying five acres in GreatFalls five years ago, Backus wentin search of an architect whoshared his vision. He consideredusing someone from Aspen, Colo.,but decided on a local, architectBill Sutton of the Sutton Yantisfirm.
Sutton, who owns a house inColorado’s Beaver Creek ski resort,was familiar with the type of homeBackus hoped to build.
“I wanted it to have that ‘great
outdoors’ inside the home feel.This was not a style that manylocal architects understand,” saidBackus.
Even the builder, Dave Haber ofGreat Falls Construction, toldBackus he enjoyed working on thehouse because it was so unusualfor the area.
“Everyone loved working on thishouse because it was so different,”said Backus.
INSIDE THE HOME, Backus andhis wife Caren, who is managingdirector at AH&T Insurance inLeesburg, tried to create a com-fortable feel.
“He thought about all the de-tails. We wanted the house to be aplace where we actually lived,”she said.
The couple married a little undera year ago and found that theirfurniture – mostly in tones ofbrown, yellow, blue and orange –blended together nicely.
In anticipation of moving intothe house, Backus made two tripsto France and picked out pieces
Nesting In Great Falls
Printers type makes a table top in a sitting room on the patio level.
Much of the furnishings in the Backus home were purchased in Paris flea markets by John.
Cairn Backus did much of the decorating intheir custom built home.
John and CarenBackus with their 10month old puppySasha.
from the Parisian flea markets.More recently, Caren has alsopurchased rugs from HosseinNilforoush of Persepolis OrientalRugs in Tysons Corner.
CAREN finds very few reasons toleave the house, given that manyof the outside world’s amenitiescan be found in her home.
The house, which the couple hasnamed “Falls Nest,” has a homemovie theater and a full gym.Backus has also built an indoor
basketball court in the basementfor his sons.
Several of the smaller features inthe house are also custom-madefor Backus’ family.See Nesting, Page 8
Photos by Louise Krafft
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From Page 7
See Nesting, Page 10
The venture capitalist is6 ft. 5 inches tall and his15 year-old son is 6 ft. 8,so the bathroom countersare slightly higher thannormal. The steps in thehouse are also slightlywider to accommodatelarger feet, he said.
A Diet Coke fan, Backushas also installed a foun-tain soda machine withDiet Coke syrup, like youwould
The Backus home in Great Falls.
At Home
NestingPhotos by Louise Krafft
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From Page 8
usually find in a restau-rant or bar.
BACKUS also made aneffort to create an envi-ronmentally friendlyhouse. He used “re-claimed” flooring, includ-ing heart pine and wormymahogany. The exposedbeams that support thehome’s roof are fir timberfrom renewable forestsand still have some of thesap seeping out of them
occasionally.Backus also used
energy-efficienticynene foaminsulation andinstalled a geother-mal heating andcooling system,which was moreexpensive up frontbut will save himmoney over the long run.
The landscape architect, Rich-ard Arentz of Arentz Landscapes,only used plants native to Vir-ginia, like blueberry bushes, onBackus’ property, he said.
The focal point of the view from thewindows is the waterfall.Sting, the kitty.
At Home
Nesting
Photos by Louise Krafft
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