After raising three sons in their Edgewater, Maryland, home of 20 years, the owners set their sights on a refresh. To update the 12,000-square-foot, custom-built roost to fit their current lifestyle, the couple enlisted designer Kate Duncan of Pillar Interiors. 

“The mom has always loved design and wanted to create touches of glam,” Duncan says. “She and her husband are both from India and they also wanted to celebrate their shared culture and background.” 

The designer reimagined underused spaces with intentionality and style. The playroom became a lounge for the wife while the office where the boys once did homework at built-in desks is now a gaming room. Duncan was able to repurpose the lion’s share of their existing furniture and vintage collections. Among the most covetable: an oversized brass-and-crystal chandelier that had been salvaged from France and purchased from a Baltimore storefront during the original build, as well as an exquisitely detailed demilune in the living room. Dashes of color and bold art—including hand-painted murals—enliven every space. 

Though the sons have moved out, the home is primed for frequent multi-generational gatherings. One grandmother has moved in and the first grandchild has arrived on the scene. 

The family is delighted with the finished abode. As Duncan notes, “We honored their past, but also prepared them for what’s ahead in the future.” The following Q&A details the process.

What inspired the foyer mural?
My client dreamed of greeting guests with a serene landscape. She wanted to see nature and incorporate water, which signifies purity, rebirth and prosperity in Hindu culture. When we were planning the mural, she showed me and artist Deanne Lenehan of Lenehan Studios lots of photos. Dee created a forest waterfall scene that sets the tone for the entire house.

Explain how you dressed up the dining room.
I love to go dark and moody in dining rooms. Since this one has no windows, it was a perfect spot for color-drenching (which doesn’t have the same impact in a room flooded with daylight). We painted walls, trim and ceiling in Benjamin Moore’s Hunter Green, then added massive antiqued mirrors to make it feel less closed-in. Placing the overscaled, black-and-white images by Navin Sakhuja on a dark, saturated backdrop makes them really prominent.

How did you revive the living room?
It was a “look, don’t touch” room full of vintage furniture that was no longer comfortable. I suggested that they repurpose it as a hangout and cocktail area. We reupholstered the sofas in green velvet and blue suede, taking these colors from the photograph of an Indian temple in the room. And we restuffed the cushions so they’re comfortable again. 

Share the catalyst for the office makeover.
My client came across wallcovering called Gardens of Jaipur from Mind the Gap and said, “I have to have this.” Its colors are meant for this house. We used it in the office and painted the trim green to balance out the existing reddish-wood cabinets.

How do you decide whether or not to restore older furniture?
We love to reuse vintage furniture. If a piece is intact and just needs to be reupholstered or refinished, that is our go-to. As you can see in this home, heirloom pieces bring special details into a space and are also great conversation-starters.

Interior Design: Kate Duncan, Pillar Interiors, Crofton, Maryland. Decorative Painting: Deanne Lenehan, Lenehan Studios, Catonsville, Maryland. Landscape Design: McHale Landscape Design, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. 

ASK KATE

What design luminary inspires you?
My first job out of college was at a design firm in Chattanooga. In my formative years, I drooled over everything Ray Booth did. I met him at High Point Market once and was very much a fan girl.

Name a piece you’ll never part with.
A Biedermeier hutch that came from Germany with my husband’s family. We used it to store china in our last house; now it’s a game cabinet.   

True collector confession?
I love finding side chairs on the street and throwing them in the back of my car. I take them to my upholsterer and cover them in super-fun fabrics. 

What’s your latest wallpaper obsession?
I’m crazy about House of Hackney’s Pride pattern featuring ostriches strutting on a background of stripes. 

Portrait: MAUREEN PORTO