A New Home Packed With Old-Fashioned Charm

Walt and Dana Lukken (pictured with their kids, Genevieve, 9; Crawford, 6; and Will, 12) were getting frazzled. Their 1890s duplex in Washington, D.C., was undeniably quaint but way too teeny. There was only one bathroom, and they were a family of five. In 2011, eager for space, they scooped up a 2002 townhouse only a few blocks away as fast as it hit the market. While they loved that it was more than 3,600 square feet over four floors and had suburban-style amenities, like a garage — a rarity in their historic neighborhood — there was a hiccup: The rooms, with their generic crown molding and bland lighting, felt charmless. “The new place lacked the character we had in our 100-plus-year-old house,” says Dana. To age the interiors, the couple enlisted designer Kathryn Ivey and embarked upon a six-month reno. Demolishing a wall, gutting the kitchen, and adding throwback details created a patina of the past. The home seems so authentic, first-time visitors are convinced it’s a preservation project. “It fools a lot of people,” says Dana. 

It could pass for historic architecture, but the Lukkens’ brick-front home is one of 18 new-construction townhouses all built in a row on a former parking lot. Since the couple liked the previous owner’s paint job — Sebring White by Benjamin Moore — and formal front garden, their only alteration to the exterior was installing a gas-burning lantern beside the front door. 

A super-slim console and a zinc mirror turn a sliver of the living room into a foyer.

Cyan Design Schafer 42½"W x 13"D x 30"H wood and iron console table, $238, luxedecor.com