A melting pot of modern American cooking and Black culinary traditions, Marcus DC is the latest from chef/restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson. Global dishes reflect his journey from Ethiopia to Sweden as well as a lifetime of curiosity and travel. Cross-cultural creations include mambo-sauced roast chicken and cured salmon with goldenberry broth, fennel and a teff crisp. Executive chef Anthony Jones, a Maryland-native, brings local flavor to the mix with a dish inspired by his favorite Calvert County crab shack. Interiors by Kamille Glenn of dsgnrswrksp employ tactile materials, bold patterns and vibrant hues. An abstract collage by Baltimore-born artist Derrick Adams commands the dining room. 222 M Street, NE; 202-280-2288. marcusdc.com

For Dior’s Fall/Winter ready-to-wear collection, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri drew on the brand’s longstanding heritage as well as iconic pieces from the annals of fashion history, though her primary inspiration came from the androgenous title character of Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando. Take the embroidered dress seen here, which features a modern version of an Elizabethan ruff collar. With runway looks sporting wearable layers in velvet and brocade, such Gothic-leaning styles are perfect for the darker days of fall that lie ahead. Price upon request. At CityCenterDC. dior.com

Anyone who’s ever strolled through Somerset, Maryland, has undoubtedly been seduced by its small-town feel and eclectic mix of architectural styles—two reasons why “For Sale” signs are a rare sight in the neighborhood which borders Washington, DC. When interior designer Marika Meyer learned of a 1949 center-hall Colonial coming to market from a friend of her mother’s, it felt like a gift from the real estate gods. But the elderly owner didn’t have email, so Marika put pen to paper explaining that her family was outgrowing their Bethesda digs and that she and her husband Michael were looking for a forever home where they could usher their sons, Grayson and Colin, through the teen years into adulthood. It struck a chord with the owner who herself raised two boys in the house, so she invited the family over. “I couldn’t believe the letter in the mailbox worked!” laughs Meyer. “The house was perfect—it had plenty of space, it just needed some love.” 

Among the abode’s selling points were good flow and even better bones, but past renovations needed to be peeled back and rethought. In the early 1990s, the owners had blown out the rear of the house for an ill-conceived addition that contained an enlarged kitchen and great room, and later that decade a three-story L-shaped annex was put on to make room for an expanded basement, a main-level family room and a primary suite upstairs. After 30-plus years, those updates felt tired, so upon closing the deal, Meyer brought on architect Peter Miles of The Drawing Board, Inc., to address some of the more problematic areas and finesse the rest. 

“For starters, if you are a lover of symmetry, the kitchen addition was awful,” avers Miles. “The cooktop was in the island, which was centered under the opening to the addition, so half the cooktop was in the old house and half was in the new space, and the ceiling height changed partway through.” 

The awkwardly stitched-together “Frankenkitchen” had another problem: Because its shed-style ceiling sloped dramatically downward, the view outside was compressed to a sliver that didn’t do the scenery justice: Lush and private, the verdant rear yard borders the town’s tennis courts. “Peter understood right away that the whole back needed to be windows,” says Meyer.  

“We needed to make it feel like you’re stepping out into the garden,” adds Miles.

Now a conservatory-inspired kitchen with a raised ceiling connects seamlessly to the outdoors. Enlarging the cook space also meant rethinking the layout. Meyer’s husband, a serious cook, wanted space for guests to congregate while he prepares meals. The new arrangement is an entertainer’s dream with an ample island and a cozy banquette for everyday dining. 

Smaller changes throughout the home also yielded a big impact: Passageways were reoriented and enlarged; what was once the original tiny mid-century kitchen became a butler’s pantry; and utilitarian spaces such as a new powder room and coat closet were carved out of the main-level floor plan. White oak hardwood was installed to match the existing floors, which were restained. Future, longer-term projects currently on deck include updates to the library, upstairs bedrooms and baths. 

With the first-floor renovations mostly complete, it was time for Meyer to dress the spaces in her signature style. If many of the furnishings look familiar, it’s because they’ve migrated from her previous house, which was profiled in this magazine in 2022. Beloved treasures, such as a T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings palm frond coffee table, chinoiserie mirror, elephant garden stool and dining chairs backed with Schumacher’s Imperial Trellis fabric, reappear in the mix. “I love vintage pieces for many reasons, but for these houses that were built in the 1940s, it has a lot to do with scale.” Her affinity for timeless furnishings with a bit of patina runs in the family. “I was mostly inspired by my maternal grandmother, who was a decorator in Washington, and who was also named Marika,” she shares. “Her personal style was heavy on the classics. For this house, I loved the idea of a return to tradition, but in a way that felt fresh, light and updated.”  

Of course, there’s always room for brand-new traditions to take hold, too. After surveying the living room post-renovation, Meyer wondered, “What can I do to make this room compelling?” The answer: Farrow & Ball’s Lotus wallpaper. A long-time favorite of the designer’s, the art nouveau-inspired paper wrapped the dining room walls in the old house. “It was exactly what this living room needed,” she observes. “I think that pattern has become our family’s love language. As soon as it went up, one of the boys walked in, smiled and said, ‘Now it really feels like home.’”

RESOURCES

DINING ROOM

Wallpaper: schumacher.com. Trim Color: Mizzel by farrow-ball.com. Dining Table: vintage. Side Chairs: vintage. Side Chair Seat Fabric: perennialsfabrics.com. Side Chair Back Panel Fabric: schumacher.com. Green Host Chairs: vintage. Chandelier: visualcomfort.com. Chandelier Fabric: marikameyer.com. Window Treatment Fabricator: JK Drapery; 703-941-3788. Window Panel Fabric: schumacher.com. Window Panel Tape Trim: fabricut.com.

LIVING ROOM

Wallpaper: Lotus by farrow-ball.com. Sofa: vintage. Sofa & Accent Pillow Fabric: schumacher.com. Chairs: vintage. Chair Fabric: cowtan.com. Existing Coffee Table: vintage Robjohns-Gibbons. Table: Custom by marikameyer.com. X-Bench: Vintage Dorothy Draper. Lamp: vintage. Lamp Shade: ballarddesigns.com. Portrait: vintage.

BUTLER’S PANTRY

Mirrored Cabinetry: Kevin Smith. Fabric Roman over Sink: pennymorrison.com.

KITCHEN

Ceiling Paint: Iceberg by benjaminmoore.com. Pendant Light: urbanelectric.com. Cabinet Maker: stuartkitchens.com. Range: bluestarcooking.com.

BREAKFAST ROOM

Banquette: livenupdesign.com. Grasscloth: thibautdesign.com. Tulip Table: allmodern.com. Chairs: vintage. Chair Fabric & Artwork: marikameyer.com.

POWDER ROOM

Wallpaper: Lee Jofa by kravet.com.

“For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the act of making a home feel personal,” says interior designer Julia Longchamps. But it was only while taking a furnishings elective during the last semester of earning her fashion degree from F.I.T. that she wondered if she chose the wrong major. “I figured I’d work in sports apparel for a bit,” she recounts. “Then I realized the corporate world wasn’t for me.”

When she and her husband acquired a fixer-upper on Kent Island, it only reinforced her passion for interiors—and inspired her to want to better understand construction documents. Because she already held a design degree, she decided to attend community college between the births of her three children to master software programs such as CAD and SketchUp.

Since then her eponymous firm has grown to include two other designers. Of her clean-lined, classic aesthetic, Longchamps says, “I think it’s ever-evolving. The foundation of my work is updated traditional, then we bring in furnishings with modern or organic textures that you can easily switch out over the years.” That pragmatic approach has won over clients: “When they say, ‘This is a thousand times better than anything I could have imagined for my family,’ that is the best feeling. It’s like I’ve cracked the code.”

Interior Design: Julia Longchamps, Julia Longchamps Design, Stevensville, Maryland. Architecture: Ratcliffe Architects (Hunt Valley). Contracting: Benhoff Builders (Hunt Valley); One Source Contracting, LLC (Annapolis).

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but what does it take to launch an interior design business? For Cindy Eyl, the answer was her tight-knit Arlington neighborhood. “I’ve always loved design,” she shares. “But growing up in Manassas, people didn’t really hire designers so it didn’t seem like a viable pathway.” Opting for a career in education, she spent 15 years teaching high school social studies. Buoyed by the encouragement of friends and neighbors on her street, she decided to pursue her passion and earned a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. As a tribute, she christened her firm Jefferson Street Designs.

With a constant curiosity and an appreciation for all things aesthetic, Eyl describes her design style as layered, eclectic and most of all, inviting. “I don’t ever want a room to feel stuffy,” she says. She finds inspiration everywhere, including hotels, restaurants and in her travels to places like Vietnam (she’s part Vietnamese), where she first spied the antique conical hats that now grace her living room wall.

Today, her boutique design firm employs two other designers and counts many of those original supporters as repeat clients. “They pushed me to start this journey,” she says. “It’s not just the street I live on; it’s a community.”

Interior Design: Cindy Eyl, Jefferson Street Designs, Arlington, Virginia. Architecture: Fotiu Architects (36th Street). Contractor: Marks-Woods Construction Services (36th Street). Stylist: Kristi Hunter (36th Street). Photography: Jenn Verrier; Angela Newton Roy (36th Street).

CAFTAN CHIC Interior designer Meg Braff has teamed up with Sue Sartor on a capsule collection of summery block-print dresses and hand-loomed, embroidered silk caftans. In juicy shades of watermelon and chartreuse, the pieces effortlessly embody Palm Beach style. $695 each. suesartor.com

ARM CANDY Heritage design house Schumacher has joined forces with Pamela Munson for a series of limited-edition handbags using the brand’s iconic prints. Crafted of handwoven straw with embroidered details, the cheekily named Lady Bag will elevate any summer ensemble. $495. pamelamunson.com

GIVING SHADE Named for the iconic French actress, Krewe’s Brigitte sunglasses take a classic cat-eye silhouette and sass it up with a scallop-edged frame. Made of lightweight acetate, the handcrafted sunnies ensure you can go incognito in style—just like Bardot. $335 at Krewe Union Market; krewe.com

Rachel “Bunny” Lambert Mellon’s passion for horticultural pursuits can be seen in the extensive gardens and botanical library of Oak Spring, her former home in Upperville, Virginia. Thanks to a new collaboration with heritage brand de Gournay, the beauty of Mellon’s natural world is captured in six hand-painted wall coverings and select porcelain pieces.

To bring the collection to life, de Gournay’s artisans found inspiration in manuscripts from Mellon’s own library as well as in plants and flowers on the property. Espalier, a trellis motif dotted with apples and pears, pays homage to specimens still thriving in her garden today.

Though she passed away in 2014, Mellon’s legacy lives on in the verdant spaces she designed—she helped plan the White House Rose Garden at the request of Jackie Kennedy. Now, plant enthusiasts can bring her garden-inspired artistry into their own homes. degournay.com

Located in the new SIXTY DC hotel, Casamara splashes onto the Dupont Circle dining scene, inspired by the coastal cuisines of Spain, France, Italy and Greece. Regional flavors meld together in homemade pastas and dishes such as branzino crudo and harissa roast chicken, while Old World tapestries, marble floors and earthy tones lend the space a golden patina. 1337 Connecticut Avenue, NW; 202-410-1313. casamaradc.com

Those seeking serenity may just find it—along with killer views—at the new 107-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica. Originating from the Chorotega word for “lush garden,” Nekajui is perched atop a cliff on the Peninsula Papagayo, which means guests enjoy panoramic Pacific vistas. Highlights include a 27,000-square-foot spa, treetop private rooms, surf school, golf, nature tours and artisanal coffee pour-overs made from local beans. Rooms from $1,225. ritzcarlton.com

BLOOM AND BOARD Specifically engineered for paddlers of all levels, the lightweight and stable BOTE Breeze Aero inflatable paddleboard sports an eco-friendly deck material made from algae that’s been harvested during harmful blooms to help restore aquatic ecosystems. $799. At REI stores; rei.com

GRAN TURISMO The 2025 all-electric, midsize BMW i4 Gran Coupe features a sleek package with updates to its four- and six-cylinder engines, color finishes and headlights. Inside, the modern dashboard with touch display helps you stay connected with the latest tech, including the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. Starting at $57,900. bmw.com

LISTEN UP Bang & Olufsen has partnered with Italian natural stone brand Antolini on a series of stylish speakers. Available in natural quartz or fossilized wood finishes, it’s the rare speaker that looks as good as it sounds. Each speaker is made to order; price upon request. bang-olufsen.com

When new owners acquired a historic estate on the banks of Maryland’s Choptank River as a weekend retreat, they also inherited a ramshackle caretaker’s cottage on the property. Hoping to turn it into a charming guesthouse for visiting friends, they tapped architecture firm Becker Morgan Group and Ilex Construction to helm the project. Due to its dilapidated condition, the existing structure required an extensive renovation, but “because of Chesapeake Bay code parameters, we had to adhere to the original footprint,” says lead architect Christopher Pattey. The clever solution: Changing the roofline not only created a more inviting façade, it allowed for more usable square footage on the second floor.

Now, with 1,084 square feet of living space—plus a screened porch—the revamped two bedroom, two-bath cottage feels airy, thanks to an open plan and the implementation of larger windows. On the exterior, crisp, white siding and a cedar-shingle roof echo the elegant look of the main residence. The design team also contributed two all-new structures in a similar style: a pool cabana and a four-car detached garage with guest quarters above it. “All the buildings were designed so that the architectural aesthetic would have continuity,” shares Pattey. “This vernacular is so timeless to the Eastern shore; it’s as relevant today as ever.”

For owner TJ Hindman, The Modern Bulldog in Easton, Maryland, combines two of his loves—Mid-Century Modern furniture and dogs. In fact, the store name was inspired by his French bulldog, Beatrice.

Throughout the showroom, works by design icons such as Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, George Nakashima and Hans Wegner mix and mingle in thoughtfully constructed vignettes with lesser-known finds for every price point. “If you want a Nakashima piece, we absolutely have that, but we also have beautiful pieces of Italian Bitossi Lava pottery for someone just starting to collect,” says Hindman.

Every item in the store is personally sourced by Hindman or comes from a word-of-mouth referral, a point of pride for the shopkeeper. “When people trust you with their furniture and their parents’ furniture, there’s no higher compliment.” 12 N. Washington Street; 443-239-6668. themodernbulldog.net

If there was a Venn diagram of soul-soothing activities, surely getting lost in a good book and petting an adoring pooch would intersect. That idea was the impetus for Book Hounds, a new St. Michaels, Maryland, shop that caters to both bibliophiles and their four-legged friends.

To design the bookstore, which is housed in a 1920s-era Victorian, owner Michelle Coughlan reached out to Philadelphia-based Michelle Gage Interiors. The goal was to create a space that felt inviting and lived-in—a place where humans could stroll in with their dogs and leisurely browse the stacks. Gage accomplished that by leaning into the owner’s love of English interiors, with each room having its own distinct palette and mood.

“Overall, we wanted the store to have a cozy, curated vibe—much like a home,” she says. “Michelle is such a lovely person to be around and we wanted the interiors to have the same effect.” 104 N. Talbot Street; 410-745-8070. bookhoundsmd.com.

For the owners of a 1915 Capitol Hill row home, it was a chance encounter at an open house that set the wheel of fate in motion. “A woman sat down next to me and started speaking Italian,” relays the wife. “I happen to speak Italian, too, so we chatted about how beautiful the house was and how it had a definite soul. There was an energy in the house that I hadn’t experienced. Within 15 seconds of walking through the door, I knew we would buy it.”

The couple—he works in finance and she in tech—put in an offer, but theirs wasn’t the winning bid. One week later, they got a call from their realtor. Turns out the woman who spoke Italian was the best friend of the owner and convinced her to take the couple’s offer instead, based on their brief but memorable conversation. “I told her that I believe when you renovate a historic home, it’s something you do in partnership with the house,” shares the wife. “So I’ve tried to treat the house throughout this process like we are stewards and partners, and not owners dropping in for a few years and then leaving.”

Wanting to partner with a like-minded designer, she called Shannon Claire Smith of Shannon Claire Interiors, with whom she worked on a previous home. “When it comes to older houses, I always try to approach them with a lot of sensitivity,” says Smith. “I tend to focus first on what can be preserved instead of what can be changed.”

While the footprint of the 3,379-square-foot, four-bedroom house stayed intact, room designations shifted on the main level. Avid cooks, the couple wanted the kitchen moved from its rear location to the center of the house. Placing the dining room in the front parlor satisfied their desire for a more formal entertaining space, and bumping the living room to the back of the house created an intimate, British-style “snug” for relaxing. On the second floor, the primary bedroom annexed a smaller, adjacent bedroom to become an ensuite bath.

For inspiration, both designer and client bonded over their love of touring historic residences all over the world. As such, a timeless European sensibility is felt the moment you step inside, thanks to a grayscale Sandberg mural of an Old World cityscape. Just ahead, a hand-painted checkerboard floor delineates the central stair hall. “The floors are wood throughout, so I wanted to break up the space visually and draw attention to all the beautiful interior architecture,” explains Smith.

Millwork was either lovingly restored or painstakingly recreated: The dining room’s mantelpiece was preserved and a new built-in cabinet was added to mirror an existing one. While the kitchen is all new, both designer and client made sure it felt of-a-piece with the rest of the house. Inset cabinetry with decorative curved feet lends the appearance of fine furniture and feels era-appropriate for its architectural envelope.

When it was time to decide on a palette, the homeowner landed on an unusual source of inspiration. After taking a course in Paris on how to dress for her complexion and hair color, she discovered that deep jewel tones suited her and an idea began to take shape: “I thought about how cool it would be to someday redo a house with my colors in mind, so I wanted to incorporate some of those super-saturated tones,” she shares.

Those bolder hues come into focus as you progress toward the back of the house. Past the kitchen, an emerald green butler’s pantry is tucked away next to a floral-festooned powder room that’s the definition of a jewel box, thanks to its House of Hackney wallpaper. Beyond that, the snug’s wine-colored walls—cloaked in Farrow and Ball’s Brinjal—form a cozy scene paired with a herringbone brick floor and outdoor-style lantern. “I really wanted to lean into that European-meets-DC carriage house vibe,” says Smith.

Upstairs in the primary suite, the designer installed paneling to add interest to the walls before drenching the bedroom in Farrow & Ball’s Parma Gray and the bath in the brand’s French Gray. There, the marble floor tile possesses a sentimental significance. The ivory, camel and dove gray stripes evoke the Carolina Herrera gown the owner wore on her wedding day.

Stripes also happen to be a favorite motif of both Smith and the client, and they appear on repeat throughout: floating up the dining room walls, crossing the powder room and primary bath floors on the diagonal, wrapping a slipper chair in the bedroom and swathing a stool in the center hall. “We didn’t set out to have a striped house, but it became a running theme,” admits the wife. “It’s proof that if you fill your home with things you love, it will all somehow work.”

And work it does. “Everything just feels right,” sums up the wife, who with her husband just welcomed their first child. “You walk in to this house and there’s a happy, comfortable energy. I don’t really know how to describe it, except when you respect something, it pays you back.”

When a DC-based family of six left the city for the Maryland suburbs, they knew they wanted their Kensington home to convey a chic, cosmopolitan vibe. The couple met while attending Georgetown, which the wife followed with a stint as a fashion editor in New York City. She hoped to bring a touch of Big Apple glam to their new interiors—but with four kids and two dogs, the house also needed to strike a casual, unfussy note. So they called on interior designer Regan Billingsley, who’s known the husband since high school, to bring the right balance of sophistication and family-friendliness to the 4,027-square-foot, cottage-style home.

“They’re very close-knit, so they needed a lot of design moments where they could just hang out as a family, but also be able to throw large dinner parties,” explains Billingsley. “It had to be comfortable enough for the family to kick back, but presentable enough to entertain on the spur of the moment.” Here, a Q&A details how the designer delivered on both fronts.

Describe your aesthetic.
For me, design is about who the client is and how they live in and experience the space, not about how I think they should be experiencing it. Every project starts with the floor plan; we focus on symmetry, proportion and clean lines, then layer the client’s personality on top of that. Here, because of the wife’s background in fashion and her sparkly personality, we wanted to bring an element of glam to every room. For instance, there’s subtle shimmer in the living room drapery fabric and flecks of gold on the dining room ceiling.

The colors in this home work so well. How did the palette develop?
It was important to balance masculinity and femininity, while also making the house both kid-friendly and sophisticated. We brought in fabrics, wallpapers and rugs all centered around a palette of plum and navy blue with a little bit of black and some softer pinks, which we carried throughout the house. For example, the family room and primary bedroom are darker and more masculine, but if you were to put them next to the living room, which is lighter and feminine, they harmonize. Every room has something that is reminiscent of another room, and that’s how we keep the color flow consistent throughout the home.

What’s your secret for blending traditional and modern elements?
In every room we try to have something old, something unexpected and something black. The something old doesn’t necessarily have to be an antique, but an element that feels familiar or leans traditional. Those pieces offer a sense of timelessness. In the living room, we were working with existing furniture from their old house which had very traditional silhouettes. We like to reuse pieces when possible so we reupholstered everything. Then we brought in modern art to create a juxtaposition that feels fresh and of the times.

Highlight some ways you kept the design kid-friendly.
I never liked the concept of a museum house. I know that works for some people, but I find that very uncomfortable and stiff. That’s not how I want people to live. We used indoor-outdoor fabrics, wool rugs which have natural stain-guarding, and in the mudroom, wipeable paint that you can write on. Everything is really durable. Nothing is off limits. But there are whimsical touches, too. For instance, when we styled the den, we wanted to display the kids’ art. Kids have a voice, and I think that needs to be nurtured and respected.

What was the most rewarding aspect of this project?
This house was so special to me because the client allowed us to really push the design envelope and not play it safe. Some homeowners get nervous about straying from the norm—by that I mean doing something different from what their neighbors have or what they see on social media or in magazines. This house shows that when the finished interiors reflect who you are, not only does the environment feel more personal, but it also enhances your well-being because it’s a more comfortable place to exist.

Ask Regan

Who is your design muse?
Spanish designer Isabel López-Quesada is endlessly inspiring because her rooms are so classical and timeless, yet there’s a casualness about them that really invites you in. Aesthetically, they’re a breath of fresh air.
What’s your go-to dinner party soundtrack?
Pink Martini, because they pull from so many different musical genres. I think it’s perfect for any situation–dinner parties included.
Where do you source vintage wares locally?
I grew up shopping on Kensington’s Howard Avenue with my mom, and Goldsborough Glynn is my favorite spot there for beautiful antiques and accessories.
Name a film or TV set that’s inspired you.
The movie Roma: Because it’s shot in black and white, the absence of color draws your eye to all the amazing Mexican mid-century design details.

Perched on a strip of land along a tributary of the South River near Annapolis, this sprawling Shingle Style home was conceived to take full advantage of 180-degree views. “It’s a nice, deep lot right on the water, so we stretched the house out to get as much of an uninterrupted view as we could,” says architect James McDonald who helmed the project.

The clients, a family with teen-to-college-age children, desired a permanent waterfront residence that would evoke a distinctly New England sensibility, both indoors and out. “They wanted to bring the Nantucket-inspired exterior elements inside the house and keep the color palette and use of materials simple,” explains the architect.

That casual, coastal aesthetic can be seen in the centrally located kitchen and breakfast nook, which open to the vaulted family room on one side and abut the cozy hearth room on the back. A neutral palette of grays and creams, natural materials and transparent light fixtures create a relaxed vibe while making sure the focus stays on the main attraction—that glorious waterside setting.