Home & Design

Rooms We Love: Living Room A Victorian house in Georgetown beckoned to a family of six. But its interiors were woefully outdated and inconvenient, so the owners tapped interior designer Marika Meyer for an update that would make it more functional for family living, with public spaces such as the living room conveying a sense of graciousness and sophistication for large-scale entertaining.

Separated from an adjoining parlor by pocket doors, the living room boasts distinctive features such as the original, marble-clad fireplace and a turret. Meyer enhanced the room’s elegance with additional millwork, then added built-in bookshelves. “The owners are big readers,” she observes. “The bookshelves add a personal dimension and a casual vibe.”

In its previous iteration, the living room had a convoluted floor plan with too many tables and limited seating. Meyer incorporated a baby grand piano in the turret and repurposed a crystal chandelier from the dining room above it. Existing sofas and a glass-topped coffee table were re-oriented for a more functional furniture plan, and an antique French commode and mirror and an occasional chair by Victoria Hagan, upholstered in vibrant blue, add interest. Niermann Weeks floor lamps flank each sofa and a Tibetan rug is layered over a thinly woven sisal to create texture.

A Restoration Hardware console is paired with a series of graphic prints from Natural Curiosities, while above the fireplace, an original painting by Wolf Kahn creates a focal point. Meyer eschewed window treatments in favor of the existing shutters. “This way,” she says, “we kept the space open and airy.”

INTERIOR DESIGN: MARIKA MEYER, Marika Meyer Interiors, LLC, Bethesda, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: ANGIE SECKINGER.


Other Rooms We Love:

Bathroom

Bedroom

Dining Room

Kitchen

Outdoor Room

Rooms We Love: Dining Room When redesigning a Bethesda home for a couple that loves to entertain, Andrew Law envisioned an elegant dining room where guests could linger with comfortable seating, plenty of space and a warm, welcoming feel.

To achieve his goal, Law first created a connection between the dining room and nearby library that encourages guests to congregate in both. To do this, he commissioned Classic Woodworking to install millwork in the library that matches the wainscoting in the dining room; made of quarter-sawn oak, the new millwork has a distinctive grain—which decorative paint studio Billet Collins then matched on the dining room’s wainscoting and crown molding with a faux-bois finish. Hand-blocked wallpaper by Rose Tarlow picks up what Law calls “putty with crimson accents” in the faux finish that “create warmth and depth in the room.”

Law furnished the dining room with clean-lined, traditional pieces. A Bausman & Company dining table is paired with British Khaki dining chairs and reproduction Chippendale end chairs in Chinese red leather from Rose Tarlow. A sofa by Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman and a wing chair by Victoria Hagan allow “guests to finish dinner and linger,” says Law. Twin iron consoles by Salvations Architectural Furnishings are topped with limestone; they complement the hand-stitched iron-and-vellum sconces and chandelier by Roman Thomas. Putty-colored silk-and-linen draperies warm the room and a pale blue-painted ceiling offsets its warmth. Architectural photographs above the consoles, taken on a trip to Prague by the homeowner, sound a more personal, contemporary note.   

INTERIOR DESIGN: ANDREW LAW, Andrew Law Interior Design, Washington, DC. PHOTOGRAPHY: ANGIE SECKINGER.


Other Rooms We Love:

Bathroom

Bedroom

Kitchen

Living Room

Outdoor Room

Rooms We Love: Kitchen Homeowners in Avenel wished to update their 15-year-old house and contacted designer Kristin Peake for the job. To overhaul the builder-grade kitchen, Peake tapped Hedy Shashaani of Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens to design a fresh, transitional space that would reflect the home’s aesthetic while imparting new levels of quality and functionality.

The original layout was problematic, with one large, angular island that held the cooktop, downdraft hood and sink. The size and location of the island impeded traffic flow, and the walk-in pantry was awkwardly situated. “We created flow by breaking up the island into two,” Shashaani explains. “Now each island has its own purpose.” One is for food prep and the other—with seating for five and a wine cooler—is for entertaining; located by the breakfast area, it also serves as a buffet. The walk-in pantry was replaced with a wall of easy-access pantry cupboards.

Shashaani relocated the cooktop (now a 36-inch gas range and oven from the Wolf Pro Series) to the far wall. The new range is paired with a custom hood in contrasting finishes that measures over seven feet, creating an attractive focal point for the room. “A lot of houses have downdraft ventilation, but it’s rarely sufficient,” Shashaani comments.

The peripheral cabinetry, by Elmwood, is painted in Warm Concrete with Oyster glaze, while the furniture-like islands are stained in Driftwood. Dishware is stored in a hutch with antiqued mirror doors near the breakfast area. The countertops and backsplash are made of honed Calcutta Gold marble.

KITCHEN DESIGN: HEDY SHASHAANI, Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens, Rockville, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGN: KRISTIN PEAKE, Kristin Peake Interiors, LLC, Rockville, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: GREG LENTZ. PHOTOGRAPHY: STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG.


Other Rooms We Love:

Bathroom

Bedroom

Dining Room

Living Room

Outdoor Room

Rooms We Love: Bedroom A couple with three young children and a correspondingly hectic lifestyle were looking to remodel their Alexandria home one room at a time. They hired Paola McDonald of Olamar Interiors for the job, which started with the master bedroom. “Ultimately, the bedroom felt like a priority because of their busy lives,” McDonald says. “They asked me to turn it into a retreat where they could rest and recharge.”

The wife also requested a “coastal” vibe for the space. “She wanted it to have a beachy feel, but without being beach-themed,” explains McDonald. “I used colors, textures and materials to evoke the experience of being at the beach.”

The large bedroom needed a focal point, so McDonald created an accent wall covered in large-format wallpaper from Thibaut, then placed the couple’s Restoration Hardware bedstead, with its imposing upholstered headboard, against it. The wallpaper, in shades of cool blue and earthy brown, conveys that coastal sensibility; custom linen Roman shades emphasize the brown while surrounding walls painted Benjamin Moore’s Constellation pick up the restful blue hue.

McDonald used the elaborate tray ceiling to add interest to the room. She painted the moldings and sloped surfaces crisp white, then covered the ceiling in sand-colored grasscloth from Thibaut. Both wallcoverings give off a metallic shimmer that imparts a layer of sophistication.

A rope-and-bronze chandelier, blue-glass bedside lamps and a bronze-framed floor mirror—all from Uttermost—complete the picture. Rustic night tables and a tufted bench are from Caracole.

INTERIOR DESIGN: Paola McDonald, IDS, Olamar Interiors, Haymarket, Virginia. PHOTOGRAPHY: Greg Tinius.

 


Other Rooms We Love:

Bathroom

Dining Room

Kitchen

Living Room

Outdoor Room

Rooms We Love: Bathroom

After 16 years of living with a circa-1970s master bath in her Potomac, Maryland, home, Deborah Kalkstein—owner of Contemporaria in DC’s Cady’s Alley—was ready for a fresh, modern overhaul that would turn the dated room into an inviting, functional space.

The original bath was spacious at 12 by 18 feet; Kalkstein further opened it up by removing a wall that separated the shower stall from the rest of the room. She replaced it with a sleek, glass shower enclosure. “We also took out drop ceilings above the sinks to allow the mirrors to go all the way to the ceiling,” the designer explains.

Kalkstein’s material selections emphasized functionality and a spare, contemporary look. “I wanted everything to be easy to live with,” she says. Choices include gray-tinted, poured-concrete counters and custom vessel sinks made of crisp, white Corian with tk fixtures installed in the walls to keep the surfaces uncluttered. The custom, wrap-around vanity is dark-stained oak with plenty of carefully considered, customized storage; for example, a series of deep drawers holds toiletry bottles standing up.

Floors and walls are clad in the same porcelain tile, but the floor tiles are large format and smooth while the wall tiles are smaller and textured. The shower surround is marble and the luxurious sunken tub is made of white Corian.

The lighting plan was important to the design. “We used warm LED lights with different switches for lighting different areas of the room,” Kalkstein says. Simple, roll-up shades provide privacy while admitting natural light.

INTERIOR & BATH DESIGN: DEBORAH KALKSTEIN, Contemporaria, Washington, DC. CONTRACTOR: Patagonia Enterprises, LLC, Point of Rocks, Maryland.  PHOTOGRAPHY: STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG.

 


Other Rooms We Love:

Bedroom

Dining Room

Kitchen

Living Room

Outdoor Room

 

Rooms We Love: Outdoor Room When the owners of an Annapolis home on the South River tasked designer Michelle Miller with decorating their interiors, they also asked her to outfit their outdoor living spaces in casual, easygoing style. She set out to complement the beautiful landscaping already in place with clean-lined, comfortable furniture that would make entertaining a breeze.

“We created little environments out there, just like we’d do inside,” Miller explains. Her furniture plan encompassed three gathering areas on a long terrace located under the rear deck of the house, overlooking the pool and the river beyond. On one end, a large, modular sectional provides plenty of seating; plush cushions in Holly Hunt outdoor fabric combine comfort and practicality. In the center, a long dining table boasts benches on either side to seat lots of kids. And on the far end, a pair of inviting lounge chairs with matching ottomans creates a perfect spot for two. Brown Jordan chaise longues around the pool invite sunbathers to linger. Custom pillows reflect the bright colors of perennials blooming on the grounds.

“My clients love the water and being outside,” Miller says. “When kids are in the pool, the adults can sit here and relax—they don’t have to be on the pool deck.”

Miller purposely kept the seating arrangements open so guests can navigate through the space without feeling blocked. “One of the things I try to avoid is overwhelming a space with too much furniture,” she says. “There’s a lot of beauty in simplicity.

INTERIOR DESIGN: MICHELLE MILLER, Michelle Miller Interiors, Baltimore, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMIE SENTZ.


Other Rooms We Love:

Bathroom

Bedroom

Dining Room

Kitchen

Living Room

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