McGovern paid homage to the building's architectural past, re-creating its plasterwork and molding detail.
Will McGovern, who grew up outside of Pittsburgh, loved to comb the city’s architectural relics with his parents. He studied the history of art and architecture at the University of Pittsburgh and eventually enrolled at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he earned master’s degrees in both interior design and historic preservation. The combination could not have been more appropriate for this young designer, who is as much at home restoring centuries-old national treasures as he is designing cutting-edge contemporary lofts in DC’s hippest neighborhoods.
During a summer internship with The Hillier Group in DC, McGovern worked on the restoration of the Virginia Capitol, originally designed by Thomas Jefferson. After graduating he landed a job with Forrest Perkins, where he was named lead designer on the multi-million-dollar restoration and renovation of Washington’s venerable Jefferson Hotel. As such, he was responsible for all of the interior architecture and design facets of the project down to the tiniest detail.
When the Jefferson was complete, McGovern took the leap and opened his own firm in 2010. “I always knew I wanted to be on my own,” he explains, “and because of how involved I was in almost every aspect of the Jefferson’s restoration, it seemed like a natural breaking point for me to leave when it was done.”
Today McGovern keeps busy with residential work and multi-family and hospitality projects that range in style from modern to traditional. “I like to switch gears and design styles to keep things fresh and exciting,” McGovern says. “A lot of my clients say, ‘You really have a diverse portfolio, but even your most traditional projects have a clean, modern eye.’”
INTERIOR DESIGN: WILLIAM M. MCGOVERN, ASID, McGovern Design Studio, LLC, Washington, DC.
Other Hot Talent:
ELIZABETH REICH
Jenkins Baer Associates
Baltimore, Maryland
JUILE DASTVAN, ALLIED ASID
Dastvan Designs, LLC
Darnestown, Maryland
DARLENE MOLNAR, ASID, LEED AP
Darlene Molnar LLC
Washington, DC
J. ALLEN
Perceptions Interiors, LLC
Washington, DC