A McLean Property Gets a Midcentury Makeover

When homeowner Cyrus Ramsey made interior updates to his 1960s McLean home, part of the renovations included expansive floor-to-ceiling windows on the back of the house to bring in light and enhance the exterior views.

With the landscaping in wider focus, it prompted Ramsey to commission an exterior makeover as well. “As a family, we wanted a space to enjoy together that was carefree. We wanted different seating areas for different moods during the day and seasons,” Ramsey says. “We wanted a pool to swim and lounge in, but we also wanted it to visually set a mood when viewing it from inside the home.”

Ramsey hired Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture to tackle the large-scale project, which included the addition of an infinity pool, enhancements to the cooking and dining areas, and new landscaping.

Angular Origins

Jordan Clough, the landscape architect on the project, says the inspiration for the exterior design originated from inside the home. “The original portion of the house dates to the mid-1960s. … And a lot of [the] interior furniture is midcentury modern inspired. And so, what that meant when we took that out to the landscape was just focusing on these big, bold, simple geometries.”

Those bold lines can be seen in the horizontal edges of the pool, terrace, dining patio, and steps. Dark rocks and gravel are used instead of mulch, and elements such as the poured concrete benches and concrete steps with recessed LED lighting further add to the modern aesthetic.

Clough says the infinity pool placement and design was “a matter of using the natural topography of the site, setting the pool at a point where it made sense, not only from the interior views, but it also gave us some pool terrace space on the uphill side,” he says. “Then we could use the downhill side for this really lush garden, which is also framed by the views out of the living room.”

A Softer Side

The garden plantings were chosen to offset the stark, modern lines. These include native grasses, perennials, and a mix of plants that will grow throughout the year. “There are things that you really let go through their entire life cycle, and even over winter. They all get cut back early spring, so they start fresh every year,” Clough says. The goal was to create a natural look with a lot of diversity to offset the architectural aspects of the project.

Ramsey says the plantings are some of his favorite features of the project. “The plantings all set different, thoughtful notes during different seasons of the year. Retaining the boulders that lived in this space pre-renovation … it lets us remember. [We transplanted] a red maple and fig tree from my parents’ home, hoping they’d survive, and they did. It’s a daily reminder of family and perseverance.” 

Custom Cooking Features

Ramsey is an avid outdoor chef, so the cooking space was enhanced with convenient features. “We integrated the two herb planters into that countertop design. And so, he’s got a lot of his cooking herbs at the ready right there along the back of the garage wall,” Clough says.

When discussing the fire pit area, Ramsey expressed interest in cooking meat over the open fire, so the team added an outdoor grilling system that allows him to cook large slabs of meat while raising and lowering them over the flame.

Clough says this part of the outdoor cooking and entertaining area has a distinctly masculine feel, with oversized chairs, the fire pit, and the meat grilling system. “We made it very nice and cohesive, but it was definitely meant for a different style of entertaining, or just a different group of people than maybe your typical outdoor kitchen that might be used on a more regular basis,” he says.

The entire landscaping project, which took about a year, was completed last fall. And Ramsey says he is already enjoying the redesigned outdoor space. “I enjoy time alone smoking a cigar in the fire pit area. Or walking and smelling the magnolias with the last rays of sun after a long day.” 

Feature image by Kate Wichlinski

This story originally ran in our August issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.