Tuset Residence

Whole House Renovation & Addition
Fairfax Station, VA

A Welcoming Entrance
New entry and raised ceiling support larger living in Fairfax Station, VA

The clients were thrilled with their country property, but less enthusiastic about their house. The exterior was unimaginative and boxy, while the interior felt closed-in and dark. After considering several designs, the clients agreed to a major overhaul of the inside and a new foyer to enhance the home’s entrance.

The original entry had an out-of-proportion porch with a roof a story and a half up.  The front door opened to a small landing leading to stairs to the upper and lower levels.  We created a more gracious welcome by designing a larger foyer with more human scaled proportions.  The new door opens to a one story high entry topped with clerestory windows with a smaller second roof.  This second tier brings in light and connects the inside and outside with views out the front. Detailed craftsmanship, human scaled proportions and generous greeting space with room for a coat closet and small piece of furniture.

Inside, we removed several walls on the main floor and created a cathedral ceiling over the living and dining areas. A gracefully sculpted mahogany column and arching beams define the entrance to this area, defining the space and concealing a structural support.  The graceful lines and dark tones are echoed in the modern handcrafted furniture and woodwork.  The kitchen was renovated with light maple cabinetry and granite counters.  It opens to the living and dining areas for easy entertaining.

Lorena Checa was architect and project manager for a 3-phase full home renovation of our 5 bedroom, 3 bath split foyer home (circa 1973) on 2 acres in Northern Virginia.

This project involved (Phase I) building a deck that connected the master bedroom and communal areas, (Phase II) creating a new front entry and artfully opening up the living room, dining room and kitchen, and (Phase III) converting 3 bedrooms and 2 baths into office and hall bath, master suite with bedroom, sitting room, and master bath, and redesigning the family room adding a bar and patio walkout.

What makes Lorena’s services unique is her commitment to fully understand and experience your desires as client and homeowner and then translate them (using her talent, training and artistry) into an environment that makes a difference for you every day. We mention this quality because without it the product would have been solely hers and not ours. Although this project took fully 5 years to complete, we never tired of Lorena’s presence, advice and support. We now seek it out on any matter having to do with improving our home. Lorena is a trusted professional, counselor and friend.

Barbara & Raul Tuset
Fairfax Station, VA