Home & Design

Sarita Simpson and Jason Claire pose in Thos. Moser's Georgetown showroom. © Michael Ventura.

An office space features a Barcelona daybed beside a linen-and-cut-paper work by Rex Ray.

A carpet from Timothy Paul grounds the living area, with furniture from B&B Italia.

A Saarinen Womb Chair sits beside a painting by Jorge Macchi in the master bedroom.

An acrylic-on-linen canvas by Anoka Faruqee is featured to the left of the bed.

In the redo of an Arlington condo, the challenge was to work with the owner's modern art collection and add warmth.

Collaborative Effort

Partners Sarita Simpson and Jason Claire of Interior Matter bring warmth to dynamic, modern spaces

Sarita Simpson first met Jason Claire when she landed a job at Vastu, then a popular furniture showroom on DC’s 14th Street. One of its founders, Claire worked with Simpson for the next eight years before shuttering the store in 2014 to move to Switzerland. Back in the U.S. five years later, Claire reconnected with his former colleague, who had her own interior-design business by then—and the two decided to merge their talents. “It was clear we had a yin-yang, strengths-and-weaknesses paradigm,” Claire observes.

Interior Matter, the partners’ commercial- and residential-design firm, is on track to complete 10 projects during its first year. While Claire handles business development, Simpson focuses on clients. However, they collaborate on design work, sharing an aesthetic they cultivated at Vastu. “We have an affinity for modern,” Simpson says. “But what we look for is warmth and a sense of timelessness.”

Adds Claire, “We want to understand what people enjoy in their homes, what makes them comfortable. We don’t want to just create pretty spaces.”

Interior Design: Sarita Simpson and Jason Claire, Interior Matter, Washington, DC. Contractor: Centerline Design Build Inc., Rockville, Maryland. Styling & Photography: Stylish Productions.

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HOME&DESIGN, published bi-monthly by Homestyles Media Inc., is the premier magazine of architecture and fine interiors for the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia region.

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