Before & After: There’s a Hidden Meadow at the Heart of This Wabi-Sabi D.C. Home

By the time Peter Hennessy and Abigail Leonard returned to America after living in Tokyo for several years, the couple were ready to put down roots with their three children and connect with nature.

They sought a home where Peter, after working many evenings and weekends in Japan, could enjoy spending more time with the family, and they also wanted to lean into the Japanese design principles they’d come to love while abroad: natural materials, simple craftsmanship, and wabi-sabi— "this aspect of perfect imperfection," Peter says.

The new home would also be a place where Abigail, a journalist and author, could find work/life balance while raising kids and completing her book, Four Mothers: An Intimate Journey through the First Year of Parenthood in Four Countries (published by Hachette in May 2025).

While searching for a house in Washington’s historic neighborhoods, the couple engaged Colleen Healey Architecture and Zuckerman Builders to help them decide. "These houses, they’ve got good bones, but they’re all over 100 years old," Peter explains. "We didn’t want any major surprises."