Bang & Olufsen brings its sleek, cutting-edge audio and video technology to a new showroom in Logan Circle. The store features the full line of Bang & Olufsen products, as well as the BeoLiving concept- an integrated system with customizable audio and video products that can interface with lighting, draperies and atmohsphere-control modules to suit any lifestyle. Pictured here are the BeoVision 7 LCD screen, BeoLab 3 loudspeakers and the BeoLab 2 subwoofer. The new showroom joins Bang & Olufsen's area showrooms in Bethesda and McLean. 1604 14th Street, NW; www.bang-olufsen.com .
It sounds like a childhood fantasy come true. Imagine a house that looks like a castle, complete with turrets, secret passageways—and an indoor sports court. Add 15 acres of rolling countryside with four barns, a herd of sheep, and alpaca, pigs, cows and a couple of ponies on the way. And don’t forget the pool, scheduled to be done in time for summer.
This fantasy has taken shape in the heart of Potomac, where a couple and their four children, ages four to 12, recently moved into a new French Norman-style farmhouse designed by architect John Neufeld. The couple initially spotted one of Neufeld’s other projects in Potomac and approached him about adapting its style for the new home they were planning. Also inspired by holidays at Villa d’Este on Italy’s Lake Como and The Cloister in Sea Island, Georgia, the twosome wanted to weave Old World details and a sense of whimsy into plans for their future residence.
John Neufeld was happy to comply. “We started working with John and we knew we could do whatever we wanted. He was super open and said, ‘This is your house.’ Whatever we saw, he would try to make work. And he brought us great ideas too,” says the wife.
Neufeld honed in on French Norman style, devising an 18,000-square-foot house with steeply pitched rooflines, turrets, Gothic arches and an exterior barrel-vaulted arcade leading into the home’s own private chapel. Stone, brick, stucco and a variegated slate roof lend the exterior undeniable style and authenticity.
The front entry leads into a vaulted foyer with stone floors. To the right, a massive wooden balustrade and stairway lead to the upper level. To the left, a Gothic arch opens to the richly appointed dining room.
Interior designer Sharon Kleinman, who worked on the couple’s previous residence, collaborated with the homeowners and John Neufeld on this new home. Adept at dressing up traditional homes to be chic and sophisticated—but not overdone—she achieved a delicate balance throughout the interiors. “I wanted to complement the architectural style but at the same time, I was trying to go along with the client’s wishes,” says Kleinman, who incorporated both new furniture and antiques into the home. “We tried to add a lot of whimsical aspects to the design. We were trying to mix it up.”
Kleinman joined the project before construction, so there was sufficient time to work out interior architecture and design elements with the builder and architect. She and Neufeld refined countless details together—from the style of the moldings to the cabinet design. “Typically, architects and interior designers don’t always work that well together,” says Kleinman. “But this [project] really dispelled the myth that it can’t be done.”
Shortly before breaking ground on the project, the wife approached Neufeld with a new concept for the gallery: to change what was to be a plain hallway into an intersecting barrel-vaulted passage. “She found a photo of a gallery that had vaults in it and said, ‘Can you do this?” he recalls. “So I went off and figured out how to do it. And we took the concept and just applied it.”
Neufeld had to modify the design and account for the openings to the dining room, living room, loggia and family room along the vaulted gallery. “Having to get the vaults to scale right and to work on both sides of the opening with the restrictions we had in place…was hard because we were behind the curve,” he says. “But it came off.”
The gallery opens to the living room, which offers a light and airy contrast to the rest of house. “The homeowner wanted a soft, dressy room,” explains Kleinman. “I love it that as you come in, you’ve got the heaviness around you but this room is very bright and the light comes in.”
The gallery culminates in an open kitchen and family room. Reclaimed pine flooring and stone hearth walls warm the space. In the family room, a vaulted ceiling makes way for a towering arched wall of windows that Neufeld had custom-made at a mill in Texas.
The adjoining kitchen features a casual dining area and cozy morning room, with upholstery in bright green and coral shades and a TV that Neufeld strategically concealed in the stone wall, behind a barn-style door. The room is one of the family’s favorite gathering spots.
The family room also opens to the covered loggia, with arched stone doorways framing the backyard. The homeowner, who was active in 4H as a child, wanted to find a property large enough for raising farm animals so that her kids could have a similar experience. Since moving into the home in March, the family has acquired sheep, with more animals to come once the barns are ready.
Despite its grandeur, the home was created with kids in mind. Neufeld devised three secret passageways, which are an instant favorite for the kids during play dates. One of the passageways leads from behind a mirror in the gallery upstairs to the parents’ sitting room. Another leads from the second-floor hallway into a family study that opens to a deck.
With Kleinman’s assistance, the couple selected child-friendly furnishings whenever possible. “Because it is a family house with dogs and farm animals and kids running around, we tried to choose fabrics—except for the living room—that was going to be durable and stand the test of time,” she says. Read some effective spring cleaning tips for dog owners at Bored Cesar.
With the holidays approaching, the homeowners are looking forward to throwing a Christmas party that’s been on hold for a couple of years during the home’s construction. They’ll host some 200 guests inside the house and on the tented loggia—sure to be an enchanting evening for all.
Architecture: John Neufeld, John Neufeld Architects, McLean, Virginia. Contractor: O’Neill Development Corporation, Gaithersburg, Maryland. Interior Design: Sharon Kleinman, Transitions, Potomac, Maryland.
Photographer Gwin Hunt is based in Annapolis, Maryland.
Washington Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels, one of the team’s most recognizable players, is known for his tenacity and force on the field. But at home in Vienna, Virginia, the six-foot-five, 310-pound Samuels is sweet as pie as he relaxes on the patio with his girlfriend, Monique Cox, and their two mastiffs, Coach and Blue, after a tough day of training at Redskins Park.
Samuels bought the 9,000-square-foot house for its generous size and large lot surrounded by woods. However, he and Cox were not fond of the home’s existing interiors, where a dull beige palette and pickled-white wooden floors prevailed. When the couple attended a birthday party for Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell at the home of a mutual friend, they were so impressed with the design of the home that they contacted their host’s interior designer, Chad Alan of Chad Alan Designs in Washington, DC, for help.
Cox and Samuels explained to Alan that they wanted to infuse their home with color and create a comfortable environment for both time alone and entertaining. They spent a day touring The Washington Design Center with Alan, who got a feel for their likes and dislikes. Two weeks later, Alan presented them with a book of room drawings, furniture selections and fabric, wallpaper and paint swatches—some 400 options in all. “I said, ‘Sleep on this and call me next week,’” Alan recalls. “They said, ‘No, there’s really nothing that we don’t like.’ On the next Monday, my crews were here starting to prime and paint.”
The designer embarked on a “dramatic transformation” of the entire home, replacing the beige with a vibrant palette of persimmon, gold and earth tones. “They were very adventurous,” says Alan. He hired decorative painter Maggie O’Neill of O’Neill Studios in Kensington, Maryland, to create custom treatments throughout the home, commissioned original artwork and selected furnishings to suit Samuels’s style—and his physical stature.
“Chad made it easy for someone like me. I’m just a guy,” says Samuels. “I’m not good at stuff like this at all. If he was telling us something, I couldn’t visualize it. I was totally lost. Once he brought in the drawings and the fabric, I could see it a whole lot better.”
Alan infused the home with color and a sense of drama—especially in the dining room, where a hanging chandelier of glass spheres, a mirrored ceiling and walls upholstered in nutmeg-colored velvet envelop guests In style. In the nearby living room, the walls are finished in a brown high-gloss paint by Dutchlac while the ceilings are covered in an aged golf-leaf wallpaper by Schumacher. A bold portrait of Samuels, Cox and their dogs is a personalized piece of pop art on the wall. Alan commissioned the piece by Bel Air, Maryland, artist Melissa K. Shatto, who also painted several other works in the home.
Her underwater scenes in the foyer reflect Samuels’s passion for sea life and fishing. “I just love being on the water,” says Samuels, who also owns a waterfront vacation home in southern Maryland. “Any time I’m out there, I’m really relaxed.” Two large aquariums—one built into the wall between the family room and kitchen and the other installed in the master bedroom—display an array of tropical fish.
“We both have pretty decent-sized families,” adds Samuels. “We also have a lot of friends, especially with my teammates. We want to throw cookouts, barbecues and have little family get-togethers here. It’s a house that we can live in and be comfortable but on the flip side we can entertain here too.”
Since joining the Redskins in 2000, Samuels has been active in the local community, counseling inner-city youth. “I go down to DC and talk to the kids at Anacostia and Ballou high schools in Southeast. It’s a rough area. I just feel like I can make a positive impact on their lives.”
In 2006, he launched the Chris Samuels Foundation, which this year sponsored a 16-year-old Suitland High School student to attend the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s official school in New York. The Foundation also recently donated a house to a family in need in Samuels’s home state of Alabama, where he is building a development of 70 homes.
Samuels is upbeat about the 2008-2009 Redskins season. “I am excited about the new head coach,” he says. “Our team has been making the playoffs, but we get knocked out around the first round. Hopefully, we can get in there and make something happen and win a Super Bowl like the Giants did.
“We’ve got the greatest fans, no doubt about it.”
Photographer Bob Narod is based in Sterling, Virginia.
INTERIOR DESIGN: Chad Alan, Chad Alan Designs, Washington, DC.
A Warholesque portrait of the couple by Melissa K. Shatto
dominates the living room. The artist incorporated Samuels’s
number 60 and the couple’s mastiffs in her work.
Alan achieved a sense of drama in the dining room with a
glamorous chandelier by Eurofase, a mirrored ceiling and
glass drapes by Global Views. He upholstered the walls in
nutmeg-colored velvet by Robert Allen. “Dining rooms are
about presentation and theatre,” says Alan. “It’s all about the
moment.”
The kitchen features plenty of seating along two breakfast
bars, while an aquarium by The Marine Scene in Herndon,
Virginia, displays an array of colorful tropical fish.
The master suite incorporates a Beacon Hill bed with a
leather headboard, a chaise by Henredon and Mokum
drapery through Hines.
Art in Concrete
Waterworks recently unveiled the Promenade line of handmade, individually pressed concrete tiles. The concrete is made from a combination of natural elements such as crushed limestone, sand, water and aggregate. The decorative Fleurette tile incorporates aggregate tile with shimmering mother of pearl (using material that is actually waste from the button industry). Visit www.waterworks.com.
Barn Wood Reborn
Carlisle Wide Plank Floors salvages antique siding from historic barns. Typically a mix of pine and hemlock, its antique barn siding is carefully removed and then graded for color and structural durability. Each wood plank is milled to bring out a rich, rustic patina. Planks are available from five to 12 inches wide. Visit www.wideplankflooring.com.
Carpet Whimsy
California-based Alicia D. Keshishian, a former art director and illustrator, now fashions custom rugs that are handmade in Nepal. Keshishian’s grandfather was an Oriental rug authority; she grew up surrounded by the vibrant patterns. Keshishian’s whimsical designs, such as Onnie, are made with the finest Tibetan wool and often incorporate silk as a lustrous accent. She also participates in RugMark, an international non-profit dedicated to ending illegal child labor. Visit www.adkcarpets.com.
Walk on Glass
Glass tiles have become commonplace in bathrooms, so why not use them on floors throughout the home? Nathan Allan Glass Studios Inc. of British Columbia creates glass flooring in tiles as small as 12 inches square and in sheets as large as seven by 12 feet. A safety finish provides subtle texture on the surface. Tiles come in six iridescent colors including FL Green Mist, FL Bordeaux, and FL Marine Blue. Visit www.nathanallan.com.
Geometric Motif
Furniture and accessories company Cobble Court Home has launched its first rug collection, designed by Rob Rizzo in collaboration with emma gardner design. The collection includes hilst, which puts a fresh spin on a classic geometric motif. All rugs are hand-tufted of Tibetan wool and are RugMark certified. Visit www.cobblecourt.com.
Pop Art for Floors
emma gardner design reinterprets classic motifs using new “pop art” color combinations in a line of bold, brightly colored rugs. They are hand-knotted of Chinese silk and Tibetan wool and come in standard and custom sizes. Spray is pictured in chocolate/blue; it’s also available in eggplant/pepper. All rugs are RugMark certified. Visit www.emmagardnerdesign.com.
Renewable Resource
Ann Sacks recently unveiled Mesquite Knot floor tiles, crafted entirely from Texas mesquite wood, a durable and renewable resource. By cutting the wood on its radius, the manufacturer achieves a random pattern that reveals the tree’s rings and natural irregularities. Visit the Web site www.annsacks.com.
Black & White
Part of Karastan’s Sierra Mar Collection, Kismet offers a new take on typical black-and-white. The rug features a sensuous, winding scrollwork motif in pure black vividly set against a rich ivory background. The rugs are woven with pure New Zealand worsted wool. Visit www.karastan. com.
Exotic Import
More than 30 natural stone products from around the world recently made their debut at Charles Luck Stone Center in Sterling, Virginia. Among the many that are exclusive to Charles Luck is Arcadia tile from Italy. The linear marble-and-travertine mix is available in multiple color palettes. Visit www.charlesluck.com
One of Mars’s challenges was figuring out how to integrate the structure with the pool in the back yard’s limited area. The solution minimized the use of space while maximizing the project’s cool factor: Mars abutted the structure directly up to the pool and installed a glass, automatic garage door to provide both a visual and a physical connection between the indoor seating area and the pool. Besides saving space, says Mars, placing the pool up against the house “also adds a lot of drama because the pool acts as a reflecting pool from the inside. You can also sit on the edge under cover.”
Built for entertaining, the pool house is equipped with a drop-down, rear-projection movie screen designed so that guests can watch films from the seating area—or afloat in the pool. Meanwhile, a TV pops up from the kitchen countertop. From the kitchen, a large pass-through window opens to the side terrace, which houses an alfresco dining area and built-in grill.
Though the body of the pool house is clad in brick to complement the main house, Mars and interior designer Stephanie Radomsky selected other materials that would establish a more modern sensibility, including stone floor tiles (heated for year-round use), stainless-steel stair rails and concrete countertops. The front exterior volume of the house is clad in granite. “The stability of the brick anchors the pool house but the stone adds a little bit of life and greater character and craft,” says Mars. They found just the right type of granite at Charles Luck Stone Center in Sterling; masons had to specially cut the Van Tassell granite on site for its application, which resembles a dry-stacked treatment.
The same granite was used on the seat walls throughout the landscape program, designed and built by Surrounds Landscape Architecture and Construction. The project incorporates hardscape, lush plantings, strategically placed boulders, a fire pit and a hot tub built into the rocks.
Both client and architect are thrilled with the outcome of the pool house; Mars is now finalizing plans for a renovation of his client’s main house that will reflect the modernism of the pool structure.
Though they are a small part of his practice, Randall Mars appreciates the playful nature of pool-house designs. “We’ve done several pool houses,” he says. “It’s a fun type of project. Function is important, but function always revolves around somebody having a good time.”
Anice Hoachlander is a principal of Hoachlander Davis Photography in
Washington, DC.
ARCHITECTURE: Randall Mars AIA, project designer; Kristen Uitto, project architect, Randall Mars Architects, McLean, Virginia.
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Gruver and Cooley, Leesburg, Virginia. Landscape Architecture: Surrounds Landscape Architecture and Construction, Sterling, Virginia. INTERIOR DESIGN: Stephanie A. Radomsky, Fairfax, Virginia.
A dramatically pitched roof lends the structure
a modern sensibility.
The upstairs bedroom loft overlooks the pool.
From the kitchen, a large pass-through opens to the side
terrace, which houses an alfresco dining area and built-in
grill. A concrete countertop serves as a bar.
There’s no shortage of talented interior designers in the Washington area.
In fact, choosing one designer from the dozens of established professionals working in DC, Maryland and Virginia is no easy task. The choice is getting even harder, we are happy to report, thanks to a crop of young designers who are coming of age in the region. The six individuals featured on the following pages bring a fresh perspective to their work. They can’t be defined by any one look but, like all good designers, successfully articulate their clients’ style. They are experienced enough to have mastered the nuances of color, balance and scale, but are not afraid to break the rules. And they are proof that the future of interior design in our region is bright.
Toto's Ethos Collection
Toto’s Ethos Collection pays tribute to great American cities. Celebrating New York’s Art Deco movement, the Design N II Pedestal Lavatory and Widespread Faucet shown here are sleek and simple but sophisticated enough to work in any style of bathroom. The faucet is polished chrome with contoured lever handles. Visit www.totousa.com.
Available in brushed nickel, the eight-inch Sunray showerhead plays to the whimsical side of shower lovers’ tastes. It features five adjustable shower spokes that radiate from the center spray hub; it mounts to any standard shower arm. Visit www.danze.com.
After introducing the square WaterTile shower spray last year, Kohler debuted the WaterTile Round Shower Spray in 2008. Both products were designed to eliminate the visual clutter of multiple showerheads. The round tile covers the same basic footprint as its square counterpart, comes in two spray intensities and can be adjusted up and down and in all directions. Visit www.kohler.com.
JACLO’s Rain Canopy is designed to transform the mundane shower into a luxurious day at the spa. Rain canopies are available in round, square, oval and rectangular models and in a range of sizes from 12 to 20 inches. Visit www.jaclo.com.
Los Angeles-based Alchemy Glass & Light recently introduced the Celestial Series of sinks, which are crafted from geometric shapes reminiscent of a meteor shower. The Mosaic sink shown here incorporates glass shards and pebbles in a brilliant spectrum of color. Visit www.alchemyglass.com.
Perfect for a powder room or compact bath, Stone Forest’s space-saving Slab Vanity marries a Carrara marble top with a sleek stainless-steel stand. The top is also available in honed basalt. Visit www.stoneforest.com.
Kohler’s new Revival wall-mount faucet creates a clutter-free countertop space that is easy to clean. This wall-mounted version is a new design of one of the company’s most popular faucet collections, perfect for both traditional and transitional settings. It is available in several finishes, including brushed nickel, gold, bronze and brass. Visit www.kohler.com.
THG’s latest line of faucetry is made of Bernardaud porcelain, emulating the finest French dinnerware. The Capucine Mauve motif shown here combines painted purple butterflies with a gold finish. Other styles are stamped with metallic accents or drizzled with garlands of black and gold bay leaves. Visit www.thgusa.com.
The Sirius faucet by Danze makes a sleek, sculptural statement in the bath with its ribbon-like spout. Available in brushed nickel and chrome, the Sirius collection includes a full line of accessories, including shelves. Visit www.danze.com.
Freshen up for spring with Waterworks’
newest line of bathroom accessories. The collection includes toothbrush holder, lidded containers, tank tray and wastebasket (not shown) in iceberg and crepe. Visit www.waterworks.com.
Ann Sacks’ new Mirror tiles bring a modern aesthetic to the bath. The product’s smooth surface and metallic effects—available in silver or copper—convey a minimalist vibe. Intense polishing imparts these porcelain tiles with their reflective surface. Visit www.annsacks.com.
The grandson of Jacques Yves-Cousteau, this present-day explorer and environmentalist carries on the family business with 21st-century flair. At 29, he is the president and CEO of EarthEcho International, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that he and his sister, Alexandra Cousteau, founded to encourage people to help restore and protect oceans and freshwater systems through the power of the media and personal experience. He has lectured on sustainability at Harvard and the United Nations and also runs Azure Worldwide, a strategic “green lifestyle” consulting firm. And then there’s his television career, which keeps Cousteau on the road (and out to sea) for weeks at a time.
On the rare occasion that he’s in town, he enjoys relaxing at home. “I love design,” says the tall, navy blue-eyed Cousteau, who has spent two years finding just the right mix of furnishings for his bachelor pad. Honing in on a “classic contemporary” look, he has selected clean-lined pieces that convey an Asian aesthetic. Red accents embolden the neutral color palette in the main living space. It opens to his home office, where he works from a sleek glass-topped desk. A world map dominates one wall, while black-and-white photographs of his grandfather adorn another. In his bedroom, a Lumeo bed by Ligne Roset evokes a Zen-like vibe.
Throughout his home, Cousteau displays a treasure trove of artifacts from around the globe. Many of these mementoes were collected by the father he never knew. Philippe Cousteau, Sr., traveled the world to direct, film and produce more than 30 films for “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.” Tragically, he died in a seaplane crash just seven months before his son was born.
Being home, Cousteau says, “kind of reminds me of where I come from and where I’m going. All the things from my father and the things I’ve collected over the years have a lot of significance. They connect me to those places and remind me of the importance of the work that we’re doing.”
Born in Los Angeles, Cousteau grew up in the U.S. but spent summers in the south of France. He earned a master’s degree in history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
By the time Cousteau was old enough to go on expedition, his grandfather had traded active duty aboard the Calypso for the life of an “elder statesman,” says Cousteau. Though they never explored together, Cousteau remembers “everything from tasting wine with him—he was a wine connoisseur—to talking about the environment. It was a broad dialogue and that really influenced my sister and me in terms of how we have looked at our work.”
It was his father’s friends, explorers and scientists, who took Philippe, Jr., on his first expeditions. “I got my first exposure to travel exploration and filming,” recalls Cousteau. “And I loved it.”
Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau founded EarthEcho International in memory of their father, in order to take his work to the next level. “My grandfather really opened people’s eyes to images that we take for granted today,” says Cousteau. In turn, Philippe, Sr., studied man’s impact on ecosystems. “Now that we understand a lot of that interplay, how do we take action? That’s the third generation,” Philippe, Jr., says. “We’ve expanded our horizon not just from exploration and oceans, which are kind of the hook and which are sexy,” he continues, “but then how do you translate that into a dialogue with people about a new lifestyle ethic? We’d like people to change their behavior overnight, but that’s not going to happen. It’s really important to take baby steps.”
Cousteau does not own a car; he takes Metro. He buys organic, locally grown food whenever possible. His cleaning supplies are toxin-free. His sheets are organic cotton. And he vows that his next home will be a loft in a green building. All of these choices, he says, help make a difference.
Cousteau’s documentary career dovetails nicely with EarthEcho’s mission. In Animal Planet’s “Ocean’s Deadliest,” which Cousteau co-hosted with the late Steve Irwin, he made the claim that the deadliest creature in the oceans is humankind. In “Oceans,” he has witnessed the horrendous practice of shark-finning in Mozambique, investigated the invasive lionfish in the Bahamas and looked a sperm whale in the eye in the Sea of Cortez. June will find him in the Arctic—the last journey in a year of filming the eight-part, hi-def series. “Oceans” will air in the U.S. in late 2008 or early 2009. Until then, Cousteau faithfully shares adventures and insights from the field in his blog at EarthEcho.org.
One posting made last November upon arrival in Africa for the first time in his life reveals this explorer’s intense passion and purpose: “Trepidation, excitement, joy and wonder have all combined into a tight ball of energy in my stomach….This is going to be quite an adventure and as my father once said, ‘Adventure is where you lead a full life.’”
Photographer Lydia Cutter is based in Arlington, Virginia.
Interior designer Gwen Seidlitz had a clear vision of the look she wanted to achieve in her teenage son’s bathroom in her family’s new Great Falls home. She wanted it to be masculine and convey an Old World style, but also wanted to avoid anything too traditional or fussy.
Seidlitz turned to kitchen and bath designer Davida Rodriguez to help make her vision a reality. Given the architecture of the long, narrow space, installing a bathtub and a separate shower wasn’t an option. Seidlitz chose to forgo the bath, since there are several other tubs in her home, and opted for a spacious shower clad in textural travertine. To create interest, Rodriguez added a chair rail detail to the shower, above which she created a diagonal tile pattern on the wall. She also designed a diagonal pattern on the shower floor to complement the walls.
“The travertine is a new material from Turkey,” says Rodriguez. “There’s only one quarry that makes it. It just has this beautiful movement, which really adds a lot of interest.”
As the focal point in the room, Seidlitz selected double-vanity cabinetry by Habersham in a distressed wood finish. The natural material palette also includes an ebony-stained hickory floor, which is used throughout the house. Rodriguez suggested a Cosmic Black granite countertop to tie together the dark floors and the travertine, which has dark striations.
Plumbing fixtures in a dark, “live” finish are the final touch. “They actually change tone and develop a patina over time,” says Seidlitz.
INTERIOR DESIGN: Gwen Seidlitz, Sage Interiors, Great Falls, Virginia; Bath Design: Davida Rodriguez, Davida’s Kitchen & Tiles, Gaithersburg, Maryland; photography: Bob Narod, Sterling, Virginia
RESOURCES: Vanity: Habersham. Plumbing Fixtures: Rohl. Travertine Tile & Countertop: Davida’s Kitchen & Tiles.
Capital Design Week
Celebrity designers and showroom experts introduced a host of chic new arrivals at The Washington Design Center in March
Roger Thomas, the designer behind the interiors of the Wynn Las Vegas and Wynn Macau resorts, unveiled his new 26-piece collection for Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman (along with a killer slide show of his luxe hotel rooms and lavish casinos) to a full house of local designers. Thomas travels the world for inspiration. The Roger Thomas Signature Collection includes the Veneto lounge chair with silver-leaf frame (pictured at top with Thomas). The Belgrave desk boasts an inset leather top. “I love chairs to be as dramatic from the back as they are in the front,” said Thomas. As for desks, he continued, “When they stand alone, they need to be pieces of sculpture.” A winning combination, indeed. Visit www.el-fm.com.
The Salon Sofa is one of 25 pieces that recently debuted in the Henredon for Scalamandré collection. This dramatic high-back piece combines tufting and nailhead trim. Visit www.scalamandre.com.
Stephanie Odegard introduced some of her latest rug designsVisit www.odegardinc.com.
Farrow & Ball has introduced 18 fresh new colors to its palette. Visit www.farrow-ball.com.
Interior designer Candice Olsen, host of HGTV’s “Divine Design,” offered design tips and introduced her new upholstery collection during Capital Design Week. “I wanted to showcase beautiful design schemes on classic shapes,” she said, describing her line that includes the Beckett chair and the Ollie sofa. Olson’s collection is available at the Charles Ray showroom or visit www.candiceolson.com. —Sharon Jaffe Dan
Party Central
Find 145 bar stools under one roof
Great Gatherings, a 17,000-square-foot showroom dedicated to the art of celebration, recently opened in the new Virginia Gateway Center in Gainesville. The store offers all the accoutrements of home entertaining—from billiards tables and bar stools to outdoor furnishings and grill ensembles. Great Gatherings also features a wide range of accessories, including tabletop items and barware from brands such as Waterford, Nambé and Mikasa; espresso machines; Wurlitzer juke boxes and more.
Great Gatherings plans to serve the Washington, DC, party circuit well, with four additional stores slated to open in the area by next year. The showroom is located at 13177 Gateway Center Drive in Gainesville, VA. Phone (703) 753-0515 or visit www.mygreatgatherings.com.—SJD
On the Shelf
New books celebrate good design indoors and out
Tour an eclectic mix of residences that capture the cultural diversity of the nation’s capital in Dream Homes: Greater Washington, DC. Part of a hardcover series, the book features homes designed by many of the Washington area’s top architects, with styles ranging from classical Gothic, Italianate and Victorian to chic urban contemporary. Panache Partners, Plano, TX, February 2008; $34.95.
Noted interior designer Charlotte Moss takes you through a couture-inspired home in her latest design book, A FLAIR FOR LIVING. Balancing the rich details of the French court with patterns reminiscent of English manor life in her design, Moss emphasizes that spaces with personalized elegance can be attained without forgoing comfort. Assouline, New York, NY, May 2008; $65.
French author and photographer Sébastien Siraudeau explores the antique shops and flea markets of France in his first book translated into English, VINTAGE FRENCH INTERIORS. Whether your home is minimal, traditional or rustic, a French treasure can spark up any room and make a distinct decorative statement. From hand-embroidered linens to cut-crystal wine goblets, this book provides plenty of ideas to help you create a French-inspired home. Flammarion, Paris, France, March 2008; $34.95.
Porches, versatile additions to any home, not only change the way your house looks but also change the way you live in your house as well. Take a break, sip a glass of lemonade and watch the world go by with ON THE PORCH. Architects James Crisp and Sandra Mahoney offer a complete design guide to porches, with tips on construction, maintenance, lighting and finishing touches. Taunton Press, Newtown, CT, April 2007; $30. —Margaret Lee
Smooth Sailing
The 143-foot Wally Esence marries the sleek form of an America’s Cup contender with the comforts of a luxury yacht. The high-performance, Italian-built sloop boasts a teak deck, a one-person sail handling system—plus air-conditioned cabins and satellite TV. Visit wally.com
Without a carefully thought-out lighting plan, says lighting designer Wayne Hinson of Washington, DC-based Hinson Design Group, you probably aren’t playing up the drama in your home to its fullest potential. “Lighting is very frequently overlooked,” Hinson says. “I work regularly with a lot of designers in the District because they recognize the need for a good lighting plan.”
A good lighting plan delivers multiple “layers” of light to a room, each individually controlled layer serving a different function. Layers might include overhead downlights, spotlights that highlight art, uplights that wash a wall with light and lamps that provide ambient light.
Hinson finds that many of his clients’ homes have only one layer of light in the form of recessed lights in the ceiling. “These lights really don’t function beyond putting light in the room,” he says. “To create interest in any space, you have to have contrast. When you light with one layer you’re basically doing the same thing as creating a cloudy or an overcast day because there is no shadow.”
Part set designer and part illusionist, Hinson can create a mood, accentuate art or architectural elements and even mask design flaws through the use of strategically placed lighting. Just as interior designers use color to lead the eye to a focal point such as an accent wall in a room, lighting can also perform a similar function. “If you add color to an accent wall and then wash it with light, even better. That wall will have much more interest,” he says.
“You can use lighting to create effects that alter your perception of a space,” Hinson adds. “For example, if you have a narrow hall you can make it seem wider by washing one of the walls with light.”
In a typical dining room project, Hinson might employ anywhere from three to six layers of light. One accent layer would highlight art on the wall or the texture of a fireplace. Another layer over the table would encompass two “pin” lights—1.5-inch spots in the ceiling that make flower centerpieces “pop” and add sparkle to crystal chandeliers. A third layer, two downlights equipped with flood distribution bulbs, would light the table surface so that guests can see what they’re eating, independent of the chandelier. The chandelier, Hinson says, should be lit dimly to simulate the soft, warm glow of candlelight. Barely discernible to the eye, these various layers interact to create an ideal mood in the room.
All of the layers Hinson creates are on dimmers, to allow homeowners to customize a room’s mood even further. Many of the new systems he installs are automated to allow users to select pre-programmed “scenes” in each room. He almost exclusively uses low-voltage lighting in all of his jobs. “They’re so efficient, you save a lot of energy and they provide a much higher quality of light,” he says. “They’re much better at accenting things and they render colors perfectly.”
Figures like these are a wake-up call to a growing number of area builders and architects taking the initiative to build homes that are more energy efficient and eco-friendly. Meanwhile, consumers are learning that they can help drive the marketplace, whether they are building a new home, remodeling an existing one or simply adopting new earth-friendly practices.
The following pages spotlight the work of DC, Maryland and Virginia architects and builders who are on the cutting edge of sustainable design. This feature also offers advice on how you can be a more responsible steward of the environment by repurposing building supplies and planting greener gardens.
