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There’s something to be said for not bringing “gems” with you when you move. There’s no “baggage”– no sentimental items that have to fit into a new decor, no antiques to work around. In fact, it’s how some interior designers prefer to work – with a clean slate. And what complements a clean slate? A fresh design. “My design philosophy is ‘less is more,’ ” says Kristin Peake, principal of Kristin Peake Interiors LLC. “Simple lines, classic patterns, timeless pieces create clarity and balance and produce a well-designed space. If you use color in small doses, it adds impact.”
Peake sees her role as part of a team – the project manager – who works with the contractor, architect, and owners to make interiors calming, functional, and fun. “It’s an investment,” she says, when working with an interior designer. Making sure the scale is right, the colors coordinate, the mechanics work – that’s the team approach Peake prefers.
“Seeing, understanding, and interpreting how to envision a space” is how Peake operates. With a degree in interior design from the University of Maryland, Peake, 35, also received instruction in architecture so she understands floor plans, provides architectural drawings, is versed in built-ins, and suggests alternatives in new construction and renovations.
It’s a balancing act to have everything come together at once and often Peake’s clients have her design their entire primary home and then move on to their second residences. For instance, the Rhoas, who hired Peake to decorate their Potomac home room-by-room during a year-long renovation, are now having her design the sunroom and meet them at their new Bethany Beach condo to weigh in on the decor.
For Drs. Liz Tanzi and Peter Pinto, Peake was the perfect choice for the redesign of their 1998 colonial featuring outdated elements, such as colors, moldings, fireplace surround, and window treatments. A simple phone conversation with Peake sealed the deal.
Find out how Peake infused her interior design savvy into the Rhoa and the Tanzi and Pinto residences.
The Rhoa family enjoys a child-friendly, yet elegant decor
Peake’s Perspective
With shades of butter yellow, straw, and celadon mixed with caramel and sage greens, Peake uses white-washed finishes and distressed woods to downplay formality at the home of Joe and Tina Rhoa and their three children, Claire, 4, Luke, 3, and Jack, 3 months. Mixing old and new pieces together gives a timeless feel to the interior, like a farmhouse, Peake says. “The colors used throughout the house are very soothing. I wanted the house to feel warm and cozy.”
Peake knew she had to think practicality. “I always think about how the family is going to live in the space and make the appropriate decisions for function and livability, but the key – it has to be practical,” Peake says. “Livable comfort and function were the staples to my thought process” at the Rhoas’, Peake adds. “Wearability is key in decision making for all fabrics. You have to know that baby formula and red juice are going to be spilled on fabrics and toy trucks and cars will be rolled on table tops. It’s real life, not a show house.”
Liz Tanzi and Peter Pinto relax in a calm, casual, and chic home
Peake’s Perspective
“I want to see my clients’ visions come to fruition,” Peake says. One way she did that at the home of Liz Tanzi, a cosmetic dermatologist, and Peter Pinto, a urologic surgeon, was to minimize the abundance of moldings in their home and create architecture.
“The previous homeowners had really made some mistakes in paint colors and molding applications,” Peake says. “I went in with the approach of ‘let’s use what we have and redevelop it.’ ” Peake removed some wallpaper and moldings but painted most of the trim to give the illusion that there is less of it than there actually is.
“Liz and Pete had a very clear vision of what they wanted to see happen to their home,” Peake adds, so the design was based around their likes and dislikes. “It’s a classic tone-on-tone design. Again, clean, crisp, timeless. It will never grow tired and can be dressed up or down,” Peake says.
The Rhoas’ Family-Friendly Furniture
Finding a great Potomac home with good bones, a circular driveway, and a large lot in need of a revamp was lucky for the Rhoas. But they knew they needed help to make it the right home to raise their family. After seeing both modern and traditional homes Peake had designed, the Rhoas liked how she got the big picture and was very responsive. Plus, for Tina, 35, and Joe, 38, Peake’s ability to be in on the ground floor of their year-long whole house renovation made the process run smoother.
“The first thing Kristin did was work on the layout,” says Joe, a patent attorney. Peake and the builder, Michael J. McCurley of Canal Associates LLC, collaborated on where to remove or add walls, windows, doorways, and lighting, as well as which style of molding would fit the home’s new lines. Peake even helped with the bonus room design over the garage.
Tanzi and Pinto’s Sense of Calm
After spending a year searching for the right home, Tanzi and Pinto moved into the 1998 Bethesda colonial that came with a decor stuck in the ’80s. Very “Miami Vice” is how Tanzi and Pinto describe their home’s previous interior design with its mauve, green, and blue walls and white outlined moldings.
But with busy schedules and their first child expected in the spring, they had no time to implement the design ideas they had formulated over the years and had been gathering from magazine articles. Then a patient told Tanzi about Peake.
“After talking to Kristin on the phone, I knew,” says Tanzi, 36, who had interviewed several interior designers before hiring Peake sight unseen. “I heard Kristin was a stickler for details and that was attractive to us,” Tanzi says. Plus, she didn’t try to impose her will or style on us, Pinto, 37, adds. Originally from the suburbs of Manhattan with New York sensibilities, the homeowners knew they wanted clean lines and a contemporary style, but not ultra-modern. “Kristin knew exactly what we wanted,” Tanzi adds.
The Rhoas’ Home Central
With the hub of the home the family room and kitchen, Peake says, she worked with Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens Inc. and kitchen designer Kori Keyser to create a kitchen that complements the white-washed furnishings that give the Rhoas’ home a fresh feel. The kitchen stayed in the same spot but was modernized with a built-in curio cabinet facing the hearth room fireplace and up-to-date appliances, counters, and custom tiles by Best Tile in Rockville.
“People entertain less formally now and want a home where everyone can eat everywhere,” the designer says, including in rooms, such as the hearth room, adjacent to the kitchen. A square table fits in the once blank corner next to the fireplace where two chairs – now tufted and reupholstered – are the only remnants from their previous home.
Dark paneled shelving was removed in the family room and replaced with a French door leading to the formal living room and a doorway open to the hearth room. The comfortable family room is now where everyone ends up.
Tanzi and Pinto’s Inspiring Places
Tanzi and Pinto met in medical school at Syracuse University and had always thought they’d move back to New York. But Tanzi, who completed her residency at Columbia University and now is co-director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery, and Pinto, who specialized in laparoscopic and robotic surgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Center and now is a urologic surgeon at the National Institutes of Health, fell in love with DC. Since they planned to move, they had waited to collect furnishings until they were settled. This gave them the opportunity to purchase timeless pieces in neutral tones, just what they wanted to create a calm, uncluttered decor.
“The design is a mixture of modern and transitional,” Peake says, a style inspired by Barbara Barry. Tanzi likes the warm, yet elegant living room, while Pinto enjoys reading scientific journals in the lounge chairs in the family room, which includes ottomans for extra seating.
The Rhoas’ Reaction
Peake makes sure everything is taken care of and that the home “looks done,” Tina says. “The overall look is wonderful,” Joe adds. The furniture’s scale, the comfort level, the feeling of the fabrics – it’s a complete package. “I’m a mom and I know real life,” Peake adds. “I can see myself living in the spaces I design.”
When the Rhoas saw the completed home for the first time, they were awestruck. “I had planned the install to happen the week they were on vacation,” Peake says. “We provided a turnkey installation, where all the furniture was done, draperies installed, accessories purchased, and art hung … down to candles lit, fresh flowers everywhere, and pistachios – Joe’s favorite – in the bowls awaiting their arrival.”
“Our first reaction was our jaws dropped,” Tina says. “It was absolutely amazing.”
Tanzi and Pinto’s Design Reality
One of the great things Peake does is store the furnishings and install them all at once, Tanzi says. “It felt like I was on a reality show,” she adds, when she first walked into the newly designed rooms. With candles lit and flowers everywhere, “I was speechless,” Tanzi says.
Signature Peake
With a new office space in Rockville, a staff of five, and residential and commercial projects in Boston, at the beach and all around Montgomery County, Peake is staying busier than ever. With a budget and timeline in mind, Peake works with clients to deliver a signature Peake space – one that might include a Ralph Lauren linen or floral fabric. “I really like the timelessness and the simplicity it brings to any space,” Peake says.
“I like to have a common thread that runs through the whole house, so it’s subtle, not overbearing,” Peake adds. It can be a color, a fabric, a pattern – something that ties it all together.
