John Mahshie
Make the Switch
One of the things I admire most about some of the great architects of the Viennese Secessionist movement, especially Josef Hoffman, was the fact that many of their clients got a Gesamtkunstwerk. This idea of the “total work of art,” wherein everything was designed to work together, was not a new one in Hoffman’s time. The term was developed in Germany in the 1820s, but I contend that the roots go back at least to Alberti, whose sympathetic prose about proportion and scale certainly contemplated that everything in an interior space should be harmonious.
Other architects such as Victor Horta, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and Frank Lloyd Wright also developed their interiors as carefully as their exteriors down to the curtains, dinnerware, silver, maids’ uniforms, the lady of the house’s housecoat, and of course, light switches. A trip to P.E. Guerin to whip up custom switches is unlikely for most of us, but there are still many superb options that do not involve Home Depot or the corner hardware store. Mind you, I have nothing against either of these places, having shopped for plants several times at Home Depot (great value!), and the local hardware store is a godsend for otherwise unobtainable odds and ends. Still, for the thoughtfully designed interior, it is senseless to economize on critical elements that perform their simple tasks numerous times a day for years.
Something so utilitarian and plebeian as a lowly light switch or outlet cover is the last place where most homeowners want to spend their money. When you’ve got classical entablatures to worry about getting right, door surrounds that would make the Adam brothers proud, and modillions, mutules, and muntins swirling around your consciousness, why spend a minute on these humble workhorses of the home?
The answer to me is clear. Anything that you touch or use frequently in your home, whether it be a modernist Miesian manse or a classical revival masterpiece by Pennoyer, should be beautiful. Buying cheap plastic switches and then lavishing half your budget on rooms that you will never use is like using paper plates every day and relegating the “good china” to the back of the cupboard. You might get a little wistful when looking at it occasionally, but you’re better off chipping it, putting it in the dishwasher, and just plain using it instead of keeping it for your kids. Oh, and p.s., they don’t want it.
About 10 years ago, we decided to make the investment of changing every single light switch and outlet in our house to Forbes & Lomax. Even the basement bathroom and laundry room got the treatment. Every time I turn on the switch and hear that gratifying “clack,” I know that something is about to happen, whether it’s time to make coffee, work for a client, get dinner organized, or retire from the day’s ordeals. The sound that registers is part of the auditory memory that we are creating of our home. It’s not just the exquisite look of the polished brass plate, the gratifying feel of the switch itself, but also the sound that it makes turning it on and off. This sound punctuates the rhythm of our days like the wall clock chiming the hour in the living room. No plastic switch can do that.
Several years ago, we visited Cuba with the National Trust for Historic Preservation which included a tour of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Havana, erstwhile home of the Countess of Revilla de Camargo. The countess was known for her extravagant parties that took place in her exquisite home, which was a somewhat smaller version of the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Decorated by Maison Jansen and filled with some of the most important furniture, decorative objects, and artwork in this hemisphere, what did I remember most? Electrical outlet covers in brass that were stylized Van Gogh-esque sunflowers, concealing the actual outlet! These were in every room we saw. Even when discreetly tucked away behind Louis XV canapés, these small, marvelously idiosyncratic and petite works of art were still there. An inspired architect decided that even this detail was worthy of good design.
Budget for these small works of architecture in your next renovation or new construction. And use the good china tonight. It’s worth it.
John Mahshie has resided in the District of Columbia for more than 40 years and has had a life-long interest in architecture spanning Vitruvius through van der Rohe. He has worked on numerous renovation projects including his personal residence – a Spanish Colonial Revival built in 1926, published in Spaces magazine in 2006. His last renovation project was his winter residence in Miami Beach, Florida, where he is licensed with ONE Sotheby’s International Realty.
He has worked with esteemed architects and developers throughout the city and has sold four successful condominium projects totaling more than 100 units. A project he sold at 1401 Q Street, NW received a merit award from the American Institute of Architects, and the Washington Business Journal nominated his project for “Real Estate Deal of the Year.” He was the top individual producer at his firm for three consecutive years. As Senior Vice President, he works with the firm’s leadership and associates to increase their knowledge and understanding of American residential and commercial architecture. In 2008, he was appointed by Mayor Adrian Fenty to serve on the Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Prior to his affiliation with TTR Sotheby's International Realty from 1981 - 2002, John held positions at the Embassy of Malta and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He served as Counsel in the Litigation Section at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and was an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia. As an attorney, he has been an active member of the Virginia State Bar for the last 31 years.
John graduated from Georgetown University in 1981 with a B.S. from the School of Languages and Linguistics and studied at the American University in Cairo. He received his M.A. in Arab Studies from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1983. In 1989, he received his J.D. from the College of Law and an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
He is a former board member and Chairman of the Education Committee of the Washington Mid Atlantic Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA). He has developed programs relating to important commercial projects for the Wharton Club, and his most recent program for the ICAA was The Legacy of the Roman Empire’s Building Traditions on the Development of Islamic Architecture in Spain, held at the Cosmos Club in 2018. In 2020, he joined the American Institute of Architects as an Associate Member.
