A  young couple with three children under the age of ten hired Dana Schwartz to dress the interiors of their new build in Potomac. For the dining room, they requested a loungey aesthetic reminiscent of the restaurants and bars they frequented as New Yorkers. Schwartz found the cornerstone of the design in a Phillip Jeffries wallpaper depicting a night sky that she applied on the ceiling. Once that went up, everything from the moody palette to the cloudlike chandelier fell into place.

Because the space is exceptionally long, she sanctioned off the front of the room to create a cocktail zone. There, in collaboration with GTM Architects and Thorsen Construction, she employed a genius idea: A double-arched wall smartly conceals the window treatment hardware and allows the fenestration to shine. Says Schwartz, “It was a cool solution that also happens to look really beautiful.”

EXPERT TAKEAWAYS

Advice from designer Dana Schwartz

• With such a long room, it’s important to create zones to give an open-plan space purpose.
• So many people are afraid of color; if something is a bolder choice than you’re used to, make sure it’s something you will love for years to come.
• When a room isn’t used every day, take a chance and do something a little more special or dramatic with the design.

Architecture: GTM Architects, Bethesda, Maryland. Interior Design: Dana Schwartz, Dana Schwartz Design, Washington, DC. Builder: Thorsen Construction, Alexandria, Virginia.