Washington, D.C
Nobody Wants an Open Kitchen, Says Washington, D.C. Architect
The homes at 111 West 57th Road are amongst the loftiest in Manhattan, and also their layout obtained Nicholas Potts reasoning. From 2014 to 2016, he operated at store Architects, the company behind the overpriced condominiums, and also he enjoyed as Workshop Scofield’s interior decoration group placed wall surfaces around the structure’s kitchen areas, resting spaces and also damp bars in the bigger, much more costly devices. To Mr. Potts, this indicated an end to the common open kitchen area.
After moving to Washington, D.C. from New York City City, Mr. Potts began his eponymous art and also design method. While renovating his co-op house with his companion, Aaron Wile, a manager at the National Gallery of Art, they chose to relocate wall surfaces, as opposed to to tear any kind of down. Initially, hiding lunch messes in the kitchen area while functioning from residence inspired Mr. Potts.
“Not needing to be revealed to jobs you should take care of is most likely one of the most relaxing point an individual can do,” Mr. Potts stated.
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He located that purposely securing the kitchen area off from the living-room with a door and also a wall surface made a visible influence. Dividing the spaces made each feeling appropriately proportioned. The living-room, currently much more cocoon-like, was less complicated to provide. Therefore, what’s old is brand-new once more.
“Possibly it’s a post-pandemic point, yet no one desires an open kitchen area,” Mr. Potts stated. “They desire light and also space, yet nobody desires a mess. It’s even more relaxing, honestly, to have meaning and also to be able to eliminate on your own from a space where someone could be on a video clip meeting, or where you simply made lunch yet don’t intend to do the meals yet.”
Manor Global talked with Mr. Potts regarding just how including wall surfaces and also unforeseen coatings to kitchen areas raises both functioning and also captivating from residence.
Manor Global: You’ve serviced high-rises and also social organizations in the past. Just how did you come to be thinking about residences, and also especially, the wall surfaces in residences?
Nicholas Potts: With every little thing in design, you take these wild off-ramps and also on-ramps, and also when I began, I would certainly have never ever visualized myself collaborating with homes. My initial work was collaborating with social organizations, galleries, a mausoleum in Minneapolis made from extremely extravagant products—calm, for life structures.
With the Venice Biennale [international architecture exhibition], I got involved in the concept of wall surface application and also moldings. Wall surfaces prevail and also they specify the rooms we stay in, yet they’ve been opposed and also revamped. They have lots of concepts around them, from being garnished, to plain, to strong, to light. It’s abundant region, as opposed to being something that’s simply there.
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MG: Just how did this convert to your deal with your residence’s format?
NP: I began checking out just how we live and also the wall surfaces that border us. It began at my very own residence. We acquired a co-op that had actually been remodelled in the ’70s. It remained in a beautiful 1920s Beaux Arts structure. Things had actually been destroyed, it was difficult to provide, the format was ridiculous and also all the accessory had actually been disrobed. It was a pandemic job. We resided in the apartment or condo listed below while it was taking place. I sourced the exact same lumber firm that offered the millwork and also moldings in the initial structure. Certainly, in the layout, I wouldn’t do something completely oldschool. We’re a 21st-century household, we’re uncovering that throughout the pandemic, it’s mosting likely to be a work-from-home circumstance.
MG: Just how did you locate methods of functioning from residence, possibly occasionally in the kitchen area, while preserving a feeling of space?
NP: There’s absolutely nothing far better than a full-height cupboard for having a lots of storage space. It’s an effective means to load a great deal of storage space right into a little impact, which you can after that balance out by not having uppers [wall cabinets] anywhere. This provides the impression of even more room, and also makes it really feel much less claustrophobic since you’re not bordered by cupboards on all 4 sides at eye degree. Yet to do a full-height cupboard, you require a wall surface.
As opposed to randomly opening a wall surface, locate an axis of proportion that associates with various other locations of your home, or that facilities around a device. It’s everything about enforcing wanted lines and also pecking order in an area.
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MG: Why do so lots of property listings highlight the open kitchen area?
NP: My concept is that it originates from 2 locations. The initial is the HGTV impact. When you’re creating a half-hour television program, you require to do something significant where it’s “one and also done.” Individuals like to see sledgehammers. That minute of demolition remains in the formula for television.
The 2nd is the duty of property. Every real estate agent’s technique is to make something tiny appearance large. You see it with wide-angle digital photography and also open strategies. When an area is a little also tiny, or the footwear doesn’t fit, they can claim, “The footwear will certainly extend.” An open strategy looks larger than it actually is as a result of the deceptiveness of no furnishings or wall surfaces. As soon as you begin placing in your sofas, mounting your television and also hanging your art, the entire mirage dissipates.
We require order in our lives. The charm of properly designed rooms is that they mount sights and also they make you seem like you’re part of something that’s gotten, sensible, relaxing and also serene. You require to specify rooms to do that.
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MG: What’s the one style aspect that promptly raises a kitchen area?
NP: Having excellent products and also equipment can make a distinction. I definitely like, if I’m picking a marble counter top, to run that as much up the wall surface as feasible. Since it’s a little unforeseen, it includes a chance for pattern and also shade, yet it doesn’t present an additional aspect like a different backsplash. That can wreak havoc. It’s having even more of an advantage.
Equipment is likewise something I invest a great deal of time considering, particularly just how to do something attractive and also unforeseen. It’s a chance to generate a little fancifulness and also do something various. In my very own kitchen area, I located some hand-forged brass draws that remain in the form of a hand. It’s a chance to do something enjoyable and also perishable. It’s not simply the pulls. It’s the choice regarding subjecting joints to look even more retro, or mounting flush pulls or ring pulls. There’s innovation in cupboards that we consider provided.
MG: Where’s your favored area to look for kitchen area equipment?
NP: I generally attempt to utilize something from P.E. Guerin in New York City. They’ve stayed in business given that the 1850s. They still make nearly all their equipment in Greenwich Town. Their archive is unbelievable, and also they can make anything. It’s definitely attractive.
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MG: Cooking areas have a tendency to be the center when amusing. Just how does specifying the kitchen area with wall surfaces boost the amusing experience?
NP: You’re permitting visitors to loosen up. The kitchen area is an area for job. It’s developed around jobs like reducing food. The host is undoubtedly putting beverages or doing final prep work. It’s even more regarding not making the host really feel separated. It’s important to ensure the kitchen area isn’t a stumbling block, which it has sufficient flow room. Individuals will certainly intend to incline the host, yet it’s even more regarding being with the host when they’re making prep work, yet after that having the event go on. You’re not consuming at the island. You relocate right into the living-room or the dining-room.
MG: What is your meaning of high-end?
NP: My meaning of high-end is something that’s positive and also doesn’t call way too much interest to itself. Self-confidence and also uniformity. Cash screams, riches murmurs. You can have a fantastic item of equipment, and also it doesn’t need to have a brand added it. It can be a durable aspect that has a tale behind it. High-end is everything about distinction. If you’re not making use of the mass-produced and also the usual, that’s the best high-end.
Click to find out more high-end property specialists share their understandings
Sidwell Friends School and St. John’s College continue to headline the District of Columbia girls basketball Top 10 poll.
The undefeated Quakers (7-0 overall) are headed to California to participate in the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic in San Diego while St. John’s (10-0) will be home for Christmas after winning the St. Petersburg bracket at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational in Florida.
The Cadets will host their Holiday Hoopla mixer, Dec. 30 and 31.
Theodore Roosevelt debuts in this week’s poll at No. 10.
Previous rank: 1
The Quakers will play at the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic in San Diego starting Thursday.
Previous rank: 2
The Cadets won the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational championship in Florida.
Previous rank: 3
The Frogs, winners of three straight, next plays at the Christy Winters-Scott Invitational Dec. 31.
Previous rank: 4
The Colts will play Archbishop Carroll at the Title IX Classic Holiday Invitational in Maryland Friday.
Previous rank: 5
The Cubs will play at the Candy Cane Classic at Thomas Johnson (Md.) Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 6
The Ramblers will play at the Beltway 8 Holiday Classic in Houston starting Friday.
Previous rank: 7
The Bulldogs will play Charles H. Flowers (Md.) at the Title IX Classic Holiday Invitational in Maryland Friday.
Previous rank: 8
The Tigers will play at the Candy Cane Classic at Thomas Johnson Friday and Saturday.
Previous rank: 9
The Penguins split with Anacostia and No. 6 Eastern.
Previous rank: Not ranked.
The Roughriders will play KIPP School at the Title IX Classic Holiday Invitational in Maryland Friday.
A technician installs an electrical heat pump at a home in Washington, DC, in August 2024.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
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ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
Heat pumps are electric appliances that can both heat and cool your home.
Scientists see them as a climate solution because heat pumps reduce planet-heating emissions. They cut pollution from burning gas for heating, and reduce the use of gas infrastructure that leaks planet-heating methane gas.
And heat pumps are highly efficient, which means less electricity is needed to use them than traditional heating systems like fossil fuel furnaces and boilers. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory calculate that 62% to 95% of households would save money by switching to a heat pump. “ It’s an enormous amount of savings,” says Ari Matusiak, CEO of the nonprofit, Rewiring America. “That’s just a fact of the technology being superior.”
The Biden administration’s 2022 climate legislation introduced new federal tax incentives of up to $2,000 for heat pump equipment and installation costs. Many states as well as cities and utilities offer additional financial incentives.
So what money is available right now for a prospective heat pump buyer? And how might a second Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress impact this money?
Here are the answers to your heat pump and money questions.
Before we get to money, remind me, how do heat pumps work?
Heat pumps are “basically this magical two-in-one device,” Matusiak says.
For cooling, heat pumps work like air conditioners. They run on electricity and use refrigerants. For heating, heat pumps also use refrigerants. The refrigerants absorb bits of heat from outdoor air and bring them inside to warm up a home.
Some types of heat pumps are specifically designed for extra cold climates, and heat pump sales are booming in countries like Norway, Finland and Sweden.
What kind of money can I currently get from the federal government to buy a heat pump?
The U.S. federal government is currently offering up to $2,000 for homeowners buying heat pumps. The money comes in the form of a tax credit, which lowers your final tax bill, says Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a research organization working on saving energy.
Nadel notes not all heat pumps are eligible for the federal tax credit. The heat pump has to have a high efficiency rating from the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, a nonprofit. Some manufacturer websites list tax credit-eligible equipment, as does the ENERGY STAR Product Finder. Nadel says to check the Department of Energy’s website to see which heat pumps qualify for federal tax credits.
James Tucker with an efficient heat pump for his home near Oakland, Calif.
Julia Simon/NPR
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Julia Simon/NPR
What about states, cities, and my local utility? Can I get money from them?
Many homeowners can get additional money for heat pumps from their local utility, state, or city. Some states, cities and utilities have incentive programs they pay for themselves. There’s some additional money for states from the federal government and the 2022 national climate legislation.
Some states offer heat pump money as tax credits. Some money comes in the form of “point of sale” rebates. That means the money comes off the top of the price of equipment or installation. Utilities often offer post-purchase rebates.
Rewiring America and another nonprofit called The Switch is On have online tools that use people’s zip codes and income to search for which federal, state, local, and utility incentives consumers qualify for. Nadel encourages prospective buyers to check in with their local utility to see if it offers additional money.
I’m a renter and want to buy a heat pump. Can I get money too?
More than a third of Americans rent. While some renters are not in a position to, say, swap out their homeowner’s furnace, some renters with flexibility might be interested in a portable heat pump. Portable heat pumps can go into a window much like a window air conditioning unit and plug into the wall for power.
Matusiak says window heat pumps may soon be eligible for more of these rebate programs, so he encourages prospective buyers to also check out Rewiring America’s online tool.
What do the incoming Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress mean for current heat pump incentives?
Shuting Pomerleau, director of energy and environmental policy at the American Action Forum, a conservative think tank, is not optimistic about the future of federal heat pump money. “ Those incentives, whether they’re tax credits or, rebate programs are likely to go away under the upcoming Republican trifecta,” Pomerleau says.
The incoming Republican-led congress will be looking for revenue to pay for tax cuts, says Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the center for energy, climate, and environment at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington. They will likely get rid of spending programs from Biden’s 2022 climate legislation, she says, including the tax credits for heat pumps.
The Trump transition team did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.
Pomerleau notes that while federal heat pump money is at risk of drying up, some states may choose to continue their incentive programs using other money.
Matusiak says that heat pump rebate programs have been popular in red and purple states as well as blue states. He notes that after the election, states including Texas, Nebraska, Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio applied for federal money for their heat pump rebate programs.
A technician removes a gas water heater from a home in Washington, DC. Researchers see heat pumps as climate solutions because they often replace appliances that run on fossil fuels like gas. Heat pumps run on electricity that’s increasingly powered by renewable energy.
BASTIEN INZAURRALDE/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
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BASTIEN INZAURRALDE/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
So if I’m thinking about getting a heat pump, does it make sense to get one sooner rather than later?
Nadel and Matusiak say before you rush out and buy a heat pump, think about what you already have in your home and how well it’s working.
“If you have a perfectly functioning furnace that you bought two years ago, you shouldn’t go get rid of it,” Matusiak says.
But if it starts to die, he says, then buy a heat pump.
Pomerleau says it may make sense to buy that heat pump sooner rather than later to be sure to access federal money. She thinks it will take Republicans some time to make changes to the tax code, but she suggests buying a new heat pump before the end of the 2025 calendar year to be more sure of qualifying for a federal tax credit.
Washington, D.C
New homes by New Year: DC’s Humane Rescue Alliance racing to get 100 dogs adopted – WTOP News
Animal shelters across the D.C. region have often reported throughout 2024 that they are over capacity, but those at D.C.’s Humane Rescue Alliance say the need is especially urgent.
Animal shelters across the D.C. region have often reported throughout 2024 that they are over capacity, but those at D.C.’s Humane Rescue Alliance say the need is especially urgent.
“We’re hoping to find homes for at least 100 dogs by Dec. 31,” said Diane Ashton, a spokesperson with the HRA.
“Overcrowding has been a problem all year long,” she said, but the situation is critical due to upcoming changes at the organization. “Animal control and animal care is being transitioned from HRA” to Brandywine Valley SPCA, which will take on the current Humane Rescue Alliance facility on New York Avenue and open two other spaces in the new year.
That leaves the rescue alliance with the facility at Oglethorpe Street in Northwest D.C., Ashton said.
“Starting Jan. 1, our space at Oglethorpe will only hold 115 dogs, and we have 260 dogs in our care,” including many in foster homes, she said.
On top of that, Ashton said they could see an additional 35 to 55 dogs that need shelter before the end of the year.
“People can help by adopting, obviously, or fostering a dog,” Ashton said.
Adoption fees are only $25 for all animals through Dec. 31.
“And that means dogs, cats and small animals,” she said. “You can foster a dog or a cat over the holidays. It’s a great way to give back and it’s really a lot of fun.”
Fostering takes the pressure off the crowding at shelters and gives dogs and cats a chance to relax in a home setting.
For those planning on taking in a pet over the holidays, Ashton said it’s smart to dedicate a space for your new four-legged friend.
“It’s important to have a quiet place where the animal can decompress,” she said.
Ashton said if the rescue alliance can’t meet its goal of finding new homes for at least 100 dogs, “We do have transport partners around the country that may be able to take in some of these dogs, but we’re hoping we don’t have to go that route.”
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