PHOTO: SMALL STYLE January 1, 2014 • The Washington Post Magazine 1

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S U N DA Y, S E P T E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

FALL HOME & DESIGN

A HOME FOR THE

21ST-CENTURY FAMILY

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS: FIVE STAR REAL ESTATE P. 53-62, DESIGN TRENDS P. 25-30

KEEP CALM,

AND LET

THE KIDS

CARRY ON .. .

FALLHOME

&DESIGN

STORY BY

JURA KONCIUS

PHOTOGRAPHS

BY MIKE MORGAN

34 The Washington Post Magazine . September 25, 2016

A shley Gula, mother of a 1 and3yearold, doesn’t get much timeto relax in the elegant sitting roomof her Alexandria home. But if she doesdecide to take a break in one of itsFrenchstyle highback chairs, she can doso secure in the knowledge that the serenespace, with its pastoral wallpaper andblueandgreen trellispattern rug, istough enough to withstand two childrenclutching mushy Goldfish.

Designer Shazalynn CavinWinfreyworked with Ashley and her husband,Mike, a political consultant, to make surethe Gulas’ custombuilt house has thecoveted thoughtful elements of a 21stcentury family home. There’s the allimportant family zone on the first floor: aspacious kitchen with a counter andstools, large family room, and adjacentlaundry room with gift wrapping andcrafts stations. The bedrooms are cozyretreats, not cavernous spaces stuffedwith furniture. A small private office,painted chocolate brown, can be a quietspot to escape to.

From a practical standpoint, a sideentrance mudroom with a brick floor andwooden lockers deals efficiently with wetboots and damp parkas. A professionalorganizer developed systems for keepingorder in the linen closet, food pantry,bathrooms and clothing closets. The family room walls have metallic woven grasscloth that doesn’t show fingerprints. Upholstery and rugs throughout are treatedwith GreenShield to resist stains and repelspills.

And, finally, heirlooms, vintage children’s books and a framed family tree addthe warmth to make the house personaland nurturing.

“Mike and Ashley wanted the house tobe comfortable and easy to live in withtheir children and friends,” says CavinWinfrey, whose Alexandria firm is SCWInteriors. “They wanted to incorporate

The custom-built

house has space for

family and friends,

including an elegant

sitting room, pictured

on previous pages.

Furniture and carpets

have been treated to

resist stains.

Organization is key in

Mike and Ashley

Gula’s Alexandria

home. The laundry

room features a

gift-wrapping station.

The pantry has clear

plastic bins so items

can be seen easily.

An elegant housebuilt for a youngfamily can alsohandle Goldfishand mud.

September 25, 2016 . The Washington Post Magazine 37

color and have the spaces be timeless butquietly sophisticated. Basically, theywanted a happy house that is flexible andthat they can grow with and not out of.”

“Yes, we have small children and ourhouse can be chaotic,” Ashley says about3yearold son Bennett and 18montholddaughter Collins. “We worked hard tomake decisions about the house so that wefeel comfortable here and that our kids arewelcome in every room.”

Mike, 36, and Ashley, 32, had beenliving in an Alexandria townhouse whenthey decided it was time to move to abigger place with more green space. Theyhired CavinWinfrey, who helped themfind property in the Belle Haven neighborhood and select architect Christine A.Kelly of Crafted Architecture.

“It’s a traditional house with a modernfeel that is open and has tall ceilings andlots of natural light,” Kelly says. “Theywanted indoor and outdoor space thatwas well connected, a kitchen with a largewalkin pantry that was open to a familyroom — things every young family wants.”

CavinWinfrey collaborated with Kellyon room layout, cabinetry and bathroomand kitchen details. The Gulas “didn’t justwant spaces for looks,” she says. “Theywanted to use every inch of space for theirlifestyle and for the long haul.” Ashley hadcombed through Pinterest, Houzz andInstagram for inspiration, and CavinWinfrey talked with her about the tradeoffs between ideas gleaned there and “theneed to create a design for longevity.” Shealso turned to furniture and family heirlooms the Gulas owned. “You are theconservator of your own family history.It’s important to bring some of your pastinto your own home and honor it,” shesays.

An organization plan was key. “In ourold house I grew to understand the needof being organized, especially as a newmom,” says Ashley, who worked in publicrelations before becoming a stayathomemom after Bennett was born. She hiredRachel Rosenthal, a professional organizer whose Bethesdabased firm is Racheland Company, to create functional andstylish systems. Rosenthal asked the couple how they saw each space functioningand came up with creative solutions whilecomplementing CavinWinfrey’s interiors.

The brick floor and

wooden lockers in the

side-entrance mud

room are practical yet

attractive.

Decorated in soothing

chocolate browns, the

home office can be a

retreat from a hectic

family life.

38 The Washington Post Magazine . September 25, 2016

eventually gets two twin beds. There arebooks and needlework passed down fromboth sides of the family. Bennett’s roomhas a large storage cabinet repurposedfrom the Gulas’ old house. His bed istucked into a niche, which, CavinWinfreyexplains, makes a child feel safe. His dad’scollege baseball jersey, bat and balls areframed above his bed.

“My philosophy is that you don’t needintermediate pieces for the kids,” saysCavinWinfrey. “You should reuse thingsyou have or buy things that will grow withthem. Kids have to learn to live aroundbeautiful things and respect their ownand other people’s homes.”

“Shazalynn made us think past thebaby stage,” Ashley says. “This home willgrow and evolve with us.” n

Jura Koncius has covered style, homeand design for The Washington Post for40 years. To comment on this story,email wpmagazine@washpost.com orvisit washingtonpost.com/magazine.

wash clothes: Metallic woven bins on highshelves hold laundry detergents and vacuum bags, clear acrylic trays corral artsupplies, and drawers are outfitted withcontainers for ribbon and gift bag storage.The nearby pantry compartmentalizessnacks and staples in clear plastic bins.“You don’t overbuy when you can seethings,” Rosenthal says. “I designed everything not as a onetime event, but as a wayof life.”

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms, onefor guests. The master bedroom, a peaceful spot in a lightfilled corner of thehouse, is decorated in champagne, paleblue and gold. CavinWinfrey painted thewalls Farrow & Ball Skylight, which shesays matches the color of Ashley’s eyes.

The kids’ bedrooms were designedwith a nod to the past and an eye to thefuture. The wallpapers can be cleanedwith a damp sponge. Collins’s room ispink, yellow and aqua and has Ashley’schildhood rocker. A white lacquer chestwill be used as a nightstand when Collins

From the front door, a gracious entryhall leads to the more intimate spaces: thesitting room, dining room and homeoffice. The 12by12foot sitting room haswalls covered with woodland scenes bySusan Harter, an artist whose customcanvas wallpaper is digitally printed withher original murals. This one is CotswoldsSky, inspired by the British countrysidethat reminds Ashley of Virginia. Thedining room is done in silver and champagne.

The hub of the house is the familyroom and kitchen area. “It’s a place we canall be comfortable and the kids can play,”Ashley says. “This is where all the actionhappens.” Toys are stored in canvas drumbins under a large upholstered ottomanfrom Wisteria. The aqua pebbled leatheron the counter stools and banquette canbe wiped clean.

The laundry room just off the kitchenis an inspiring space that would do MarieKondo proud. The beautifully wallpapered room is much more than a place to

Daughter Collins’s

room has a rocker

that belonged to her

mom. The wallpaper

can be cleaned with a

damp sponge.

Ashley with Collins, 18

months, and Bennett,

3, in the family room,

where toys are stored

under the ottoman.

For more

photographs, visit

washingtonpost.com/

magazine.

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