Arlington Residence, Virginia, USA home

Arlington Residence in Virginia

November 6, 2026

Architecture: EL Studio

Location: Arlington, Virginia, USA

Photos: Jenn Verrier

Designed for a mother and her two small children, this renovation transforms a 1930’s Colonial in Arlington into a home that would allow room for her kids to grow, while also maintaining a space of her own.

The client sought to expand the shared living areas with a larger, more functional kitchen and family room while creating a private primary suite for herself. This resulting solution is achieved through a thoughtful addition that respects both the character of the original house and its unique natural setting.

Situated adjacent to a nature reserve and surrounded by mature trees, the property offers a rare connection to the landscape, which became a guiding principle for the design. Rather than competing with the existing architecture, the design extends it.

The addition takes the form of a contemporary reflection of the original house, replicating its massing and roof pitch in a new volume positioned directly behind the existing structure. This placement preserves the home’s presence on the street, ensuring the addition remains largely invisible from the neighborhood and maintains the scale and character of the surrounding context.

The new and existing volumes are connected by a light-filled glass “gasket” that connects the basement to the first floor and bridges the existing house to the addition. Skylights above wash the original brick wall with natural light and bring daylight deep into the ground-floor living spaces.

The connection between old and new is carefully achieved by reusing existing window and door openings wherever possible, supplemented by new openings at the ends of the original corridors to create a seamless flow throughout the home.

The addition houses an expansive kitchen and family room on the ground floor, creating generous spaces for everyday family life.

Above, a new primary suite is accessed via a bridge spanning the glass connector, offering elevated views across the adjacent meadow and reinforcing the home’s relationship to the surrounding landscape. The result is an addition that feels both familiar and distinctly contemporary—an architectural intervention that honors the original 1930s Colonial while enabling it to support the evolving needs of its owners for years to come.

Arlington Residence in Virginia, USA – Property Information

Design: EL Studio – https://www.elstudioarch.com/

Project size: 5066 ft2
Completion date: 2026
Building levels: 3

Photographer: Jenn Verrier

Arlington Residence, Virginia, USA Building images / information received 061126

Location: Arlington, Virginia, United States of America

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