A Victorian house in Georgetown beckoned to a family of six. But its interiors were woefully outdated and inconvenient, so the owners tapped interior designer Marika Meyer for an update that would make it more functional for family living, with public spaces such as the living room conveying a sense of graciousness and sophistication for large-scale entertaining.
Separated from an adjoining parlor by pocket doors, the living room boasts distinctive features such as the original, marble-clad fireplace and a turret. Meyer enhanced the room’s elegance with additional millwork, then added built-in bookshelves. “The owners are big readers,” she observes. “The bookshelves add a personal dimension and a casual vibe.”
In its previous iteration, the living room had a convoluted floor plan with too many tables and limited seating. Meyer incorporated a baby grand piano in the turret and repurposed a crystal chandelier from the dining room above it. Existing sofas and a glass-topped coffee table were re-oriented for a more functional furniture plan, and an antique French commode and mirror and an occasional chair by Victoria Hagan, upholstered in vibrant blue, add interest. Niermann Weeks floor lamps flank each sofa and a Tibetan rug is layered over a thinly woven sisal to create texture.
A Restoration Hardware console is paired with a series of graphic prints from Natural Curiosities, while above the fireplace, an original painting by Wolf Kahn creates a focal point. Meyer eschewed window treatments in favor of the existing shutters. “This way,” she says, “we kept the space open and airy.”
INTERIOR DESIGN: MARIKA MEYER, Marika Meyer Interiors, LLC, Bethesda, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: ANGIE SECKINGER.
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