Home & Design

A living wall is a focal point in the dining room, which combines a Molteni table and Holly Hunt chairs.

A painting by Washington artist Jorge Caceres hangs above a console by Iatesta Studio in the living room.

A waterfall countertop of statuary marble takes center stage in the kitchen.

The ensuite spare bedroom features a Minotti bedstead and a dark-stained closet by Molteni.

Furniture by Minotti is grouped before a textured-stone fireplace in the living room, where a sculpture by Corbin Bronze graces a corner.

Clean Slate

Christopher Boutlier makes modern magic in a vintage Georgetown row house

When a Georgetown homeowner enlisted Christopher Boutlier to guide the redesign of her newly purchased vintage row house, the project began as a simple paint job. As is often the case, however, the scope of work grew until Boutlier found himself overseeing a whole-house makeover in bold, contemporary style.

“My client had lived in a fussy, overdone space for years and was ready for something new,” he relates. “I said, ‘let’s paint everything white’—and it snowballed from there. We started with a paring-down process, stripping the baseboards and adding a modern staircase.”

Boutlier envisioned a black-and-white palette, which his client embraced. “I think I brought out the minimalist in her,” he quips. A stacked-stone fireplace replaced a traditional one in the living room, while strongly veined Statuario marble backsplash and countertops direct attention away from traditional kitchen cabinetry, now painted white. In the master bath, large-format porcelain tile clads the floor and shower enclosure. Clean-lined furnishings combine white upholstery with dark-stained wood pieces. Bold, abstract artwork chosen by the homeowner pops on the walls. Pine floors throughout the house are stained dark.

A defining element in the home is a lush living wall rising from the dining area to the master bath above it. Installed by the previous owner, it experienced a rebirth in the hands of Boutlier and his client, who replaced its ferns and small sculptures with greenery that seems to burst out into the room. “We thought about putting it behind glass,” Boutlier says, “but there is something nice about being able to touch and interact with it.”


Interior Decoration: Christopher Boutlier, Allied ASID, Christopher Boutlier, LLC, Washington, DC. Contractor: Vicente Pro Handyman LLC, Arlington, Virginia. 


Ask Christopher

How do you make a monochromatic space sing?
The key is tonal variations. The space should be quiet and restrained, but layered and complex.  Form is also really important. Color brings visual interest and can make clumsy or uninteresting shapes and proportions acceptable; without it, if things aren’t scaled correctly, you’ll notice instantly.

Describe a design shift that you favor.
I love highly patterned and dramatic stone. It’s been plain white marble for so long, it’s nice to see people branching out.

What is your furniture-selection process?
It’s form, color, pattern, then texture. We create a furniture plan with design boards that show us how pieces interact. Then we move on to rugs and fabrics, then accessories and accents to finish off the design.

Advice for clients embarking on a design project?
Be bold and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Fear is the antithesis of creativity. Besides, most things are fixable. I think it’s better to make mistakes than to play it safe.

You may also like:

Design Scene
ASID Washington Metro 2015 Awards
Simple + Serene
Celia Welch imparts clean lines and sophisticated style to a condo in Old Town Alexandria
Drawing Board Interior Design
Creative Infusion
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.

The company also publishes an annual H&D Sourcebook of ideas and resources for homeowners and professionals alike. H&D Chesapeake Views is published bi-annually and showcases fine home design and luxury living in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

The H&D Portfolio of 100 Top Designers spotlights the superior work of selected architects, interior designers and landscape architects in major regions of the US.

Stay Connected with HOME & DESIGN Newsletter

Copyright © 2024 Home & Design. All rights reserved. | Back to top
magnifier