A family room in Baltimore gets a colorful lift from draperies in a Sister Parish print and chairs from TCS Designs upholstered in Galbraith & Paul fabric; the light is from Regina Andrew. Photo: Ellen McDermott.
Caroline Kofol’s road to interior design didn’t follow a straight line, but it makes perfect sense in retrospect. A native of Westchester County, New York, the designer “grew up in a 1906 Victorian house in a town that doesn’t allow any new builds, so that’s what spurred my love of old homes,” she shares. After earning a degree in psychology, she went on to work for a public relations firm that specialized in luxury travel. Only when tasked with finding an interior designer for a hotel rebranding did she realize that the field might be a better fit. Reaching out to designer Katie Rosenfeld led to a job in Boston. Eight years later, she moved to Washington, DC, and launched her own firm.
Inspired by the work of her mentor Rosenfeld along with that of Ashley Whittaker and Lucy Doswell, Kofol’s aesthetic is color-rich and pattern-happy. Working from a studio in Bethesda with one assistant, she begins her design process by finding the lead fabric for which she draws on her psych major background. “When I go to the design center, I like to get into the headspace of a client,” she says. “There is a psychological aspect to it. Knowing who your client is and trying to understand them and their personality goes a long way in this business.”
Interior Design: Caroline Kofol, Caroline Kofol Interiors, Bethesda, Maryland. Styling: Anthony Santelli Creative (sitting room, nursery); Frances Bailey (living room).