JULY/AUGUST 2010
A West Coast native, Michael Hampton got his start in San Francisco but arrived in Washington six years ago to work as a senior designer for the renowned Thomas Pheasant. “It took my experience to a whole new level,” Hampton says appreciatively. After five years he felt ready to go out on his own, and so far he hasn’t looked back. “I love it,” he says. “I wish I’d done it sooner.”
For Hampton, one of the fascinations of interior design is what he describes as “the way a room can change the way one feels.” His own home is a perfect example: It’s a 1937 DC Colonial that imparts warmth and elegance at the same time. “I’ve surrounded myself with things I love,” Hampton says, referring to an eclectic collection of furnishings and accessories—from a Ming Dynasty sculpture of a meditative Chinese scholar to a foam-core Corinthian column rescued from the old Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. These pieces blend seamlessly, adding interest and personality to the home.
Hampton moved here with his partner three and a half years ago. They loved the house, but found the interior dark and “choppy.” So Hampton pulled down the wall separating the kitchen and dining room, creating an airy kitchen and breakfast room, and converted a dark-paneled study into a formal dining room. A light, fresh palette of neutrals and soft blues provides the backdrop to a selection of artwork—including graceful architectural watercolors by Hampton, whose first gallery exhibit is upcoming at John Matthew Moore Fine Arts in McLean, Virginia.
INTERIOR DESIGN: Michael Hampton, Michael Hampton Design, Washington, DC.
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