Living with Intention:

 craftsmanship, connection, and A Vita Chair

For Anne and George, home has always been more than a place to live—it’s a reflection of their values: a space shaped by experience, intentional design, and appreciation for craftsmanship. Their journey with Thomas Moser began in 2005, almost accidentally, when Anne stepped into the Georgetown showroom, drawn to a Vita Chair she saw in the window. Until that day, she had associated the brand with traditional Windsor styles—“Beautiful, but not quite my style,” she admits.

But this chair was different: sculptural, graceful, quietly strong. “I was smitten,” Anne recalls, “This was not just a piece of furniture, but a work of art.”  She wasn’t expecting to find the centerpiece of their future home that day—but sometimes, the most meaningful connections are the ones we don’t plan.

The interior finish is “A vessel to showcase the owner’s carefully curated art and furniture,” Moore Architects, PC.

As with the Vita Chair, their home began with a chance encounter. One day, while out for a drive at the height of the pandemic, the couple spotted a modest property for sale near the Potomac River. The location was prime, and the original house was charming, but it was cramped, dark, and outdated. Enter Charlie Moore of Moore Architects, PC. Together with the owners, the team of architects, designers, and builders assembled by Moore Architects set out to create a new home that would do justice to the lot and the owners’ intentions. The goals were to design a dwelling that was big enough, without intruding on the neighborhood; to combine modern forms with traditional local styling, and to provide interior spaces for the owners’ sizable art and furniture collections. The resulting

The first chair Anne saw in the window of the Georgetown Showroom was the Vita Lounge Chair.

collaboration gave birth to an award-winning 4800 square-foot house that serves as the perfect stage for those collections—and for their Thos. Moser furniture, in particular.

Above: The open-concept first floor allows for seamless movement between the kitchen, dining, and living room. The dining room is furnished with an Oval Ring Table and Aria Side Chairs in walnut and at the kitchen island is a Coal Shovel Stool in cherry. Below: A custom Crescent Side Hutch in figured maple, Edo Studio Chair in cherry, and Coal Shovel Stools in cherry at the kitchen island.

Their favorite Moser piece?  “That’s tough,” says Anne.  “We really love them all, but for sheer elegance, I’d say the Aria chairs.  They’re exquisite.”

Working with the Georgetown showroom, the couple gradually filled the new house with a remarkable collection of Thos. Moser furniture.  Here old and new Moser pieces blend seamlessly with family heirlooms and with what Anne refers to as “souvenirs” from their years abroad. “I wanted furniture that would stand up to our art and the Moore-designed interiors, without overwhelming or feeling trendy,” says Anne.

“What I love about Thos. Moser:  I love the beautiful materials, the craftsmanship—the joinery!

It’s all about making good things that last.”

The living room, grounded by rich walnut tones, is warm and invites conversation. In the dining room, a pair of antique French candlesticks feels right at home on the walnut Oval Ring table.  A custom-figured maple case sits casually below an early twentieth-century Hawaiian aquatint and across the room from an old family cedar chest. The loft, once just extra space, is now a sanctuary, filled with a Vita Three Place Sofa, Element Desk and Credenza, NYPL Chair, and the iconic Chaise. In the small spare bedroom, Anne’s mother’s portrait gazes down on the Studio Bed in cherry. The overall effect is interiors that are meaningful, harmonious, and quietly elegant.

Above: The Vita Bed in the primary bedroom is accompanied by two Vita Side Cubes.

Below: Anne’s sanctuary guest room includes a twin Studio Bed with a Vita Side Cube, the office features a built-in desk with a Cumberland Chair and the two-drawer Element Credenza.

When asked what guided their furniture selections, Anne explained that her initial criterion was mainly cosmetic: Does it look good? Does it fit the space? “It’s a curse,” she confesses, referring to her connoisseur’s eye.  She spent her formative years in Europe, where, as a child, she accompanied her parents to countless galleries, palaces, cathedrals, and gardens.  “Too many,” she says. “My mother was a great enthusiast of art and architecture!”

“Once you buy your first Thomas Moser piece, it becomes nearly impossible to turn back. The quality, the design, the philosophy behind each creation—it all becomes an essential part of how you experience your home,” says Anne.

The furniture also had to meet the couple’s high standards of quality and comfort–plus pass the “legacy” test:  Would their daughter want the furniture some day?  This past fall, they had the chance to answer that question, when they offered their original dining table and chairs to their daughter and son-in-law.  “What a pleasure it was to sit with them this past Thanksgiving at the very same Moser table and chairs that our daughter grew up with,” says Anne.

Left: The Chaise and Element Bookshelf.

Above: The loft features the Vita Three-Place Sofa, Element Credenza, Vita Credenza, Element Desk, and NYPL Branch Swivel Chair.

Below: A custom figured-maple Crescent Dresser, Edo Platform Bed, and a custom Hartford Dresser.

What’s next for the couple?  Nothing too ambitious, they say.  They hope to travel and see more of their family and friends scattered here and abroad.  “But it’s so nice to have a place to come home to, filled with the things you love.”  Including, of course, that first Vita Chair.

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