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exterior rear right view - carpenter's challege - Alison project
Carpenter's Challenge
Falls Church, VA

Nicknamed The Carpenter’s Challenge, this extraordinary renovation transforms a standard builder-grade home into a richly detailed, globally inspired residence where nearly every corner features custom millwork, trim, or built-ins.

While the original home offered generous square footage, it came with typical builder finishes, narrow rooms, a sunken basement, and an underutilized attic capped by a steep 12:12 roof pitch filled only with trusses. With a clear design vision shaped by their personal histories—the husband having grown up surrounded by Greene & Greene–style Craftsman homes in California, and the wife bringing her Austrian heritage and a love of detail—the couple sought to create something far more meaningful.

Their extensive travels and global collection of art and antiques, especially from Southeast Asia, shaped a deeply personalized and culturally rich design approach. To make space for this vision, we removed the original roof and replaced it with a lower-profile design, gaining a new third-floor library, study, and private living suite in the process.

Strategic, smaller-scale additions and the careful removal of interior walls brought natural light, depth, and openness to formerly dark or narrow spaces. The result is a one-of-a-kind home that balances global elegance with intricate craftsmanship—designed for both beauty and daily living.

  • exterior rear right view - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • dining room and lighting - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • living room detail towards kitchen
  • kitchen with view of breakfast room - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • front left exterior - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • front porch detail - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • front porch column detail - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • porch ceiling detail - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • front door carpentry - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • garage door detail - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • foyer detail - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • living room towards the study - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • kitchen looking towards living room
  • octagon breakfast room - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • master bathroom vanities and tub - carpenter's challege - Alison project
  • loft with windows - carpenter's challege - Alison project