Ben Bradlee, the famed Washington Post editor and bon vivant—played by Tom Hanks in The Post and Jason Robards in All the President’s Men—probably wouldn’t recognize his old Georgetown residence. Remodeled in an elegantly succinct style far more European than preppy, it’s still nonetheless his kind of place: the double living room is designed for hobnobbing, the dining table stands ready for a crowd, and every room is filled with family mementos, a pair of water skis included. What’s more, Bradlee would find plenty of things in common with the new owners: Miriam Mahlow, a former journalist who grew up in Berlin and has two degrees from Stanford, is a managing director at Human Rights Watch, and her husband, a Georgetown local, is a star investigative reporter.
The couple have three young sons and were living in Istanbul when New York-based architect Lauren Wegel received a call: would she help them pull together their dream house on a budget? A protégé of Annabelle Selldorf’s, Wegel now runs her own office. Mahlow, a self-described “design junkie” and longtime Selldorf groupie, had admired Wegel’s “pure but welcoming and livable” version of minimalism on Remodelista. And she liked the idea of bringing an outsider’s prospective to DC living. Wegel herself, Mahlow says, took some convincing—until she saw the place. Join us for a tour of the results.
Photography by Richard Barnes, courtesy of Lauren Wegel.
![built in the mid \19th century, the mansard roofed victorian with attached carr 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-1-733x544.jpg)
Bradlee and the then senator are said to have met while pushing strollers in the neighborhood; their off-duty friendship led to Bradlee’s 1975 book, Conversations with Kennedy. And the discussion still rages over the 1964 murder of Bradlee’s artist sister-in-law, Mary Pinchot Meyer, who, it came out, had been having an affair with Kennedy while living in the house; her case is still unsolved. Mahlow and family holed up in the carriage house during construction.
![\2\20;the house is strangely grand and intimate all at the same time,&am 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-13-733x498.jpg)
Like most remodels, a lot of the work is invisible and included “new columns, footings and a deep new beam running the width of the house to correct major settling issues,” plus new central heating and AC. Because all of that was costly, the couple decided to focus the design tweaking on the parlor floor, starting with the original Southern pine floor, which was stripped of carpeting and lightened. (“We briefly thought about going with Dinesen’s wide boards—way over our budget —but I’m glad we didn’t,” says Wegel. “It would have had a very different feel and the existing flooring suits the house.”) The pendant light is the IC Lights S Pendant by Michael Anastassiades.
![the living room puts in an appearance in the post—the movie\2\17; 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-2-733x499.jpg)
The Le Corbusier LC3 Grand Model Sofas are signed originals passed down by Mahlow’s mother (“you can feel Le Corbusier’s signature etched on the undersides”). Anticipating that their black upholstery would be too heavy for the space, Mahlow ordered several sets of linen slipcovers in Istanbul: “you can walk into a fabric store, make your selections, and have them stitched in a few hours for about $5o.” As for the period chandeliers, they’re hand-me-downs: Wegel and Mahlow were having trouble finding twin lights that could carry the space when a new neighbor about to do a gut renovation asked Mahlow if there was anything in her place she could use. (Scroll down to the bottom for a look at the lighting the room came with.)
![\2\20;the room is very much lived in—but there\2\17; 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-3-733x489.jpg)
There are next to no window coverings and only a few rugs by choice: “I loved the house most when the work was just complete and all the rooms were empty,” says Mahlow.
![the \1954 abstract painting over the mantel is by w. mülle hufschmid. 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-5-733x508.jpg)
![\2\20;it was very important to me that we establish a clear line from li 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-6-733x492.jpg)
![the sandstone topped dining table is actually three joined tables that mahlow h 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-7-733x509.jpg)
![the space is brightened by the kitchen\2\17;s new view of the garden thr 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-8b-733x448.jpg)
The architect credits project general contractor Kaz Malachowski of Falcon Construction as key to the success of the renovation: “I could trust him to get all the details right and my clients loved him. For me, being long distance, Kaz was truly a godsend.”
![the team started from scratch in the kitchen, which mahlow tells us she envisio 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-9-733x504.jpg)
Though she was initially resistant to the idea of an island, Mahlow was persuaded that it was the best option for the space: “She can cook and enjoy her family at the same time,” Wegel says. The island has a Walnut Butcher Block Top from John Boos. The Viking cooktop (and the oven below it) has a retractable downdraft hood, all by Viking. For similar lights, see 10 Easy Pieces: White Globe Pendants.
![unlike most of wegel\2\17;s clients, mahlow asked for a sense of opennes 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-10-733x551.jpg)
The refrigerator is a Fisher & Paykel: “It isn’t as expensive as a Sub-Zero, but you get the counter depth and the custom panel,” says Wegel. “I also like the high freezer: it allows a lot of storage and coordination with the counters opposite.” Note the art throughout the room (Mi!, the neon sculpture on the wall, was a 10th anniversary present to Mahlow from her husband). See The New Gallery for more examples of art in kitchens.
![the kitchen table came from west elm and the rush chairs are a vintage gio pont 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-11-733x461.jpg)
![a new powder room tucked under the stairs has a cement tiled backsplash in a pa 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-12-733x1109.jpg)
![the upper two floors have yet to be fully tackled: upgraded bathrooms are on th 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-15-733x1123.jpg)
![the houses\2\17;s back stairs, something wegel had never encountered in 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-remodel-architect-lauren-wegel-richard-barnes-photo-16-733x543.jpg)
![the house has a new steel deck off the kitchen. the garden is getting tackled n 31](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-townhouse-new-french-doors-lauren-wegel-architect-richard-barnes-photo-733x885.jpg)
Before
![the backyard was accessed through a single door and underutilized. 32](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/before-photo-georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-pre-remodel-1-733x977.jpg)
![in the house\2\17;s previous incarnation, there was pile carpeting, mod 33](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/before-photo-georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-pre-remodel-entry-hall-2-733x550.jpg)
![all of the appliances were on show, and the kitchen was dominated by a large br 34](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/before-photo-georgetown-ben-bradlee-former-townhouse-pre-remodel-3-733x550.jpg)
![lauren wegel\2\17;s ground floor plan introduced an entirely new kitchen 35](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/georgetown-townhouse-floor-plan-architect-lauren-wegel-1-733x1016.png)
Here are the two projects that inspired Mahlow to reach out to Wegel:
- Rehab Diary: A Hardworking Brooklyn Kitchen by Architect Annabelle Selldorf
- Before and After: A Galley Kitchen Reinvented
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
(9) Join the conversation