Open House

When media consultants Hilary Rosen and Elizabeth Birch first saw their 6,000-square-foot Washington, D.C. trilevel, the spec-built house was under construction and they didn't like its style. Enter designer Nestor Santa-Cruz, a partner at SKB Architecture and Design, who's known for his clean, modern interiors.

"This home weaves together modern and traditional until the border between them disappears," designer Nestor Santa-Cruz says. In one of two connecting living rooms, a photograph by Tim Hailand—with the word transcend superimposed over the ocean—sets the quiet, spare tone.