Sneak Preview of the DC Design House

Michael Roberson accepted the challenge of refreshing the vestibule, a small space no one else wanted to do. She transformed it from a gloomy, dark green with an uplifting stria golden yellow wallpaper. “It brings the sun into the house,” says Roberson. “I consider this a transitional space between the inside and outside of the house.” In addition to the sunny-colored walls, Roberson included a mirror from John Rosselli with a sunburst etching. “This is a reproduction, but it’s so well done, they even included a seam. John Rosselli was telling me there is a seam here because that’s the way a mirror would have been made in 1820,” she says.

Michael Roberson tackled a space no one else wanted – the vestibule. She lived up to the challenge taking it from dark and gloomy to light and uplifting.

JD Ireland used Farrow & Ball’s The Lotus Papers in the front hallway, which leads to the vestibule.

Roberson painted the ceiling in Farrow & Ball’s Mouse’s Back to connect the vestibule with the front and rear hallways, which were designed by JD Ireland. Joe Ireland and Julie Weber used The Lotus Papers, a dramatic new wall covering by Farrow & Ball with that same shade of gray, in the front hallway. “We wanted to go for punch. We wanted to do pattern and get something that is not typical DC. We think people need to have more fun with their houses.” Ireland says.

Stacey Tranter of Twin Diamond Studios did a beautiful job of hand-painting the walls in the back stairway with a tree motif for JD Ireland. 

Sarah Wessel did a wonderful job in the library, despite major challenges including a floor that slopes four inches from the edges of the room to the center. She used eco-friendly wing chairs by Lee Industries (wing chairs are a big trend throughout the house), and had the bookcases built. “The thing about bookcases is you always need more books than you think, because they swallow them up,” Wessel says. She spent about 20 hours wrapping books in Farrow & Ball papers, because she couldn’t find enough leather-bound books to fill the shelves.

Sarah Wessel had to have the custom built bookcases raised about four inches because of a slope in the old floor.

Sarah Wessel sits on a Lee Industries wing chair that includes a frame and wood made of certified wood, soy-based cushions, and recycled metal springs.

The library feeds into the dining room, which is awash in a cheerful Orangery shade. Interior Designer Camille Saum, who created this warm and embracing room, says, “I thought about my Mom and doing a room that she would love.” Not only did she think of her mother, Lou Fraser, she worked with her sister, Beth Junium, who arranged the tea service in the corner. Her round table was set with Missoni china she found at Gore Dean in Baltimore, and Deborah Gore Dean strung the chandelier herself. Saum also commissioned Elizabeth Dax of Annapolis to create the artwork over the mantel.

Camille Saum’s dining room is filled with color and special details including fine china and linens. “I starched and ironed everything myself,” she says of the table cloth and linen covering for the console she designed.

Camille Saum, who adores color, created a dining room that epitomizes southern hospitality.

When David Mitchell began thinking about how he was going to decorate the large and long living room, he knew he wanted to include a mix of “high and low, elegant and casual.” He also wanted people to be able to envision themselves in this space. He separated the room into two seating areas, one end with a sofa and chairs, the other with a day bed. A big skirted table topped with a spray of cherry blossoms in a glass container in the center of the room gracefully divides the two areas and makes what could be a large and intimidating space feel comfortable.

Mitchell cut graphic art paper into 9-inch-by-6 inch rectangles, then put them into color combinations that he liked and framed them to create a strong art element on two walls in the living room.

David Mitchell incorporated a stone urn he’s had for years into the end of the living room that leads to the garden.

Susan Thompson of Thompson Interiors paid respect to the historic nature of the house by decorating it in an old-fashioned, traditional, pretty way. “Being a church rectory, it seemed like it needed an English country kind of kitchen,” says Thompson, who had the floor painted and stenciled, and personally hand-painted flowers above the existing fireplace. She even had the posts of the island made to resemble the columns on the front porch to give the house continuity.

The cabinetry in the kitchen is by Executive Cabinetry through Amicus Green Building in Kensington, MD.

Susan Thompson was inspired by Swedish painters Carl and Karin Larsson when she hand-painted the fruits and flowers on the wall in the kitchen.

Samantha Friedman turned a typical small powder room beneath the front stairs into a little jewel box. “I thought, ‘Everyone has a small powder room, how do you make it special?’ ” she says. She covered the walls in a lilting design, The Ringwold Papers by Farrow & Ball, and added crystal touches on the towel holder and glass shelf above the commode. She enclosed the original exposed pipes and created a sink alcove, then dressed the tiny sink with a sheer mint green skirt and the window with sheers and a valance by Pilchard Designs. “I wanted to take advantage of the natural light,” Friedman says.

Samantha Friedman turned the small powder room into a jewel box.

Left, Sally Steponkus and Heather Safferstone accented the Mouse’s Back gray sitting room with yellow, inspired, Steponkus says, by First Lady Michelle Obama, who often wears yellow.

Sally Steponkus collaborated with Heather Safferstone to create a comfortable sitting room with Kravet wing chairs with a quatrefoil pattern that inspired the rest of the room.

Marjorie Segal of The Well-Furnished Garden & Home decorated a bedroom with a coronet bed and Brunswig & Fil fabric.

“It’s a mix of traditional and more today,” says Marjorie Segal, of the bedroom she designed, which is reflected in this mirror.

Marlene Weiss Alexander of Weiss Designs sits on a glamorous bed she designed, which is part of the new Weiss Alexander Collection for Atrium Furniture, which will make its debut in High Point, NC, later this month.

Weiss Alexander also designed the desk in the guest bedroom. The chair is by Dessin Fournier.

Wayne Breeden created a wonderful mix of florals and stripes in the owners’ bedroom. He envisioned this as the bedroom of a widow, who also owns a country house and who longs to bring a bit of the country into town.

Wayne Breeden says he always looks for a room with a great vista when choosing rooms to decorate for a designer show house. He found one here with a view of the garden and the Rectory’s interesting Victorian roofline.

“I wanted to create a retreat, where the whole family can come hang out for a while,” says Iantha Carley, who incorporated a white armoire from Baker into her design. She also decorated the bathroom.

Iantha Carley transformed the sitting room of the owners’ bedroom into a cozy and comfortable space using drapery fabric from Cowtan & Tout, which was the design inspiration for the room.

“This was covered with mud and snow when I first saw it,” says Kathleen Litchfield of Petro Design/Build, who did the landscape design for the garden. She saved the tree behind her, which everyone thought she would remove. “I thought, ‘What cool bark,’ ” she says.

Litchfield also did the landscaping in last year’s DC Design House.

Draza Stamenich elevated the laundry room to a whole new level with hand-painted wallpaper from Gracie. “I wanted it to be uplifting and to refuel your energy and spirit,” he says.

Skip and Debbie Singleton, co-chairs of the DC Design House for the second year, take a break in the lovely library. Once again, they’re thrilled with what top designers did with a formerly rundown house.

Watch for more details about the 2009 DC Design House in the July/August issue of Washington Spaces.