A "Quiet Modern" Alexandria Home Fits a Traditional Street

A 4,500-square-foot home in Alexandria, Va., puts a traditional twist on contemporary design. Built by Maryland-based Square One Development Group and designed by local architecture firm MODE4 Architecture, the home takes inspiration from the neighborhood’s surrounding neo-colonial homes while still managing to be distinctly its own.

“The term we use is ‘quiet modern,’” says Christopher Tucker, owner and principal at MODE4 Architecture.

Designing Within Context

Grounding the design within the surrounding context of the neighborhood was a primary goal, explains Tucker. With two single-story ranch homes on either side of the property, scaling the home properly was especially important.

To reduce visual bulk, the design team chose to separate the main living volume and garage by a walkway clad in warm wood siding. A defined front entryway, porch, and a gabled roof also help contextualize the modern design among the more traditional neighboring homes.

“One of the things we focus on when designing is in the context of scale, but we also focus on contextual shapes and massing," says Tucker. "There's also comfort that clients find in specific shapes, like the more traditional roof shape of the gable roof.”

The home's floor plan is open in concept with moments of privacy throughout. A separate dining room, for example, provides a quiet space to share a meal, and a slatted wall along the stairwell creates defined hallways.

Still, the home feels bright and spacious. Large sliding glass doors on the back living room wall provide clear sightlines to the rear yard upon entering the home.

“The idea is to filter the view from the front all the way to the back,” says Kenneth López, senior associate with MODE4 Architecture.

A continuous staircase helps connect each of the three levels of the home as well, from the fully finished basement—featuring a home gym, theater, and home office—to the home’s private living quarters on the second floor.

A Contrasting Color Palette

The home features a minimalist color palette. On the exterior, the home is predominantly clad in warm black modern siding, with black vertical screening and a vibrant orange door that help define the front entryway.

The interiors, however, are light and airy. Warm white walls and oak flooring and cabinetry bring a sense of calm, while large windows and skylights allow natural light to flood the home.

“The clients travel a lot, so a lot of the furniture was selected in Denmark," says López. "It's Scandinavian-inspired with light wood and white oak floors while trying to keep it warm and neutral."

Working on Tight Lot Lines

Through collaboration and open dialogue, the team was able to meet even the biggest challenges head-on. One major hurdle was trying to accomodate the client's goals for space while working with restrictive lot lines.

The home sits on a 6,000-square-foot lot, with an existing pool taking up substantial space in the rear yard.

The project team had to work around the existing pool while also managing the scale of the home from the street. Ultimately, the solution was to shape the home into an "L," butting the back of the structure up against the rear lot line and turning the pool into a focal feature of the back yard.