Exciting News: Kips Bay 2014

Exciting news has just been released about the 2014 Kips Bay showhouse. Not only will it be held within one of the 1884 Villard Houses by the famed architectural firm of McKim, Meade, and White but the list of designers selected is stellar!  Much of the rest of the building is the New York Palace hotel which looks stunning (in case you need someplace to stay while visiting the showhouse!)

The list of talented designers with links to their websites are as follows:
Carrier & Company Interiors Ltd.
Christopher Peacock
Cullman & Kravis Inc.
Darryl Carter, Inc.
Edward Lobrano Interior Design, Inc.
Ingrao Inc.
John Douglas Eason Interiors
Juan Montoya Design
Kirsten Kelli, LLC
Mark Hampton LLC
Markham Roberts Inc.
Martyn Lawrence Bullard
Matthew Quinn
Mendelson Group, Inc.
Meyer Davis Studio, Inc
ODADA (Orlando Diaz-Azcuy Design Associates)
Robin Sacks Decorative Painting
SPAN Architecture
Vincente Wolf Associates
Villalobos Desio
William T. Georgis Architect
Young Huh, LLC

Stay tuned for more details and a history of the structure. The house will be open to the public May 1 until May 29th - I'll see you there!

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Recent work: Dramatic before and after

Reading and writing blog posts everyday I can sometimes forget to mention I'm more than a blogger: I also work in the design industry!  I thought I would share the design process with you on a recent project, a renovated master suite (above is a finished teaser of the bath).

Lets get the ugly stuff out of the way first. My friend had a vintage 1920s house in the lovely Cleveland Park neighborhood of DC (you may remember a built-in I completed for him in the family room HERE). Old houses are great, I think we can all agree there, but old bathrooms are NOT so great - just look at it above!

Above the partial floorplan shows the original layout of the area I worked on which had great potential but didn't work for the client. A small, worn hall bath serviced the master bedroom as well as a small bedroom which my friend used as a dressing room as closet space was inadequate. The front half of the plan not shown on the left had the formerly renovated master suite which had been turned into another hall bathroom, separate laundry room, and a large bedroom facing the street.

Previously one came up the staircase and was confronted with the L shaped hallway seen here (remember, this is the BEFORE!).

Lots of square footage was wasted on the hallway in the tight plan and I had to come up with a way to best utilize the space.

The criteria was for a gracious master bedroom suite complete with en-suite bathroom, separate generous dressing room with loads of storage, and a separate sitting room.

The bones were all there but how best to reconfigure the space while respecting the vintage charm of the house?  Another piece of the puzzle was leaving the exterior of the house untouched as it lies within a historic district where exterior changes are hard to get approved.

I decided to claim the 2nd hall closet and a fair amount of the hallway itself to enlarge the bathroom and provide all of the amenities one expects today in a house of this caliber.  Above you see the 'demo' plan and how I was going to accomplish this.

The plan worked out nicely. Instead of coming up into a vast L shaped hallway, a more compact hall was created with a flush wall great for art at the head of the stairway. The master suite is now entered through a private vestibule which separates the bedroom from a dressing room.  The opening between the dressing room and sunny sitting room was filled in to allow for more storage in the closet and a built-in bookcase in the sitting room.

The bathroom walls were completely removed to both insulate the exterior walls as well as reclaim any space we could find which previously housed ductwork and pipes which could easily be moved out of the way. Our contractor was a great help here!  I decided to panel the walls with wide beadboard which added a vintage charm to the bath of the 1920s time period while also providing a 'warm' environment.

A separate soaking tub and large shower were added as well as an additional sink thanks to the space gained from the hallway.  Now lets see how it turned out!

The hallway is still a generous size and makes sense for the house. Two bedrooms are left on this floor with a 3rd on the floor above. In the photo above you are looking into the new vestibule (painted the same purple as the bedroom) lit by an antique sconce found at my favorite lighting source just down the street in Cleveland Park, Artisan lighting.

Another antique frosted glass ceiling fixture was found at Artisan Lamp for the bedroom, on  a dimmer switch for ambiance of course! You can see through the former closet door into the newly enlarged master bathroom.

Looking the other direction one can see into the sunroom sitting area.  The natural linen curtains lining the wall hide an off-center window as well as provide a focal point for the bed.

The small bedroom became a proper dressing room with ample storage. Double hanging rods fill one entire wall while a large dresser sits opposite.  The antique lamp on the dresser is also from Artisan - you can tell I love to shop there! The closet of this former bedroom was lined with cedar to become storage for sweaters and other off-season items.

The sitting room received a fresh coat of sage green paint as well as a major clean-up. An odd closet was ripped out of the corner as well as an unnecessary non-working but extremely HEAVY radiator.

However the piece de resistance is surely the newly created master bathroom. Wide 6" painted wood paneling was installed rather than drywall or tile as it created a warm, vintage feeling environment.  Foam insulation was blown into all of the walls for sound isolation as well as temperature control.  The window received a cafe height plantation shutter for privacy and a new marble sill perfect for additional storage. Antique neoclassical sconces were found at Artisan which really become the jewelry of the space.

As the brass and black enameled sconces are really focal points I didn't feel the other finishes needed to match and they were all spec'd in a polished nickel finish sourced from the Waterworks studio line ( a wonderful lower priced line which still has the great quality and heft of other Waterworks fixtures). The tile also came from Waterworks. I used a large format dark stone-like porcelain tile for the floor and the coordinating 2x2 tile for the shower floor. The shower walls were lined with a miniature subway tile and a long niche was created for soaps and shampoo. I love the industrial exposed surface-mounted shower fixtures from Waterworks! In-floor radiant heating was installed which can be controlled with the thermostat by the door for warm feet in the cold winter.

The same Italian Crema marble from the Restoration Hardware Gramercy vanity was used for the window sill, shower curb & surround, as well as to line the shower niche. I know you're wondering why I selected an open vanity as opposed to one with storage but I was worried the bathroom would feel tight when it lost that visual space below the sinks. Large medicine cabinets provide tons of storage. The freestanding bathtub from Victoria & Albert was clean lined while still having the appearance of an old Victorian soaker tub (seen best in my drawing earlier in this post).   I'm very pleased with the entire renovation and more importantly so was my friend!  What do you think?
Special thanks to my fantastic photographer friend Bill Bramble who provided the before and after pictures!

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2013 DC Design House

As I mentioned in my teaser yesterday, last week I attended the preview of the DC Design House open now through May 12th. The showhouse raises money for Children's National Medical Center, a very worthy cause. The bar, located on the first floor, was one of the few built-in spaces (kitchens, baths) which was totally changed. Andrea Houck changed out the builder grade bar countertop for luxurious onyx and filled it with fun, vintage barware. I love that she subtly lit the glass shelf edges with LED lights causing them to glow and also added a beautiful glass lamp for ambiance.

Victoria Neale completed the cozy family room, centrally located off the main hall. I love the curtains which really complete the room and the linen and bleached oaks tones are very trendy right now.

At the very top of the house, Savant Interior Design included a built-in fish tank into their media room; an underused element in such fun spaces I think!

Yes; family room, media room, library, living room - this house is BIG, huge in fact. You certainly get your money's worth on the tour this year!

David Mitchell decorated the wood paneled library with views out to surrounding trees; a very cozy space which almost feels like a treehouse. Mitchell believes in comfortable rooms where all the furniture can be used and enjoyed. This room certainly fits the bill!

 I loved this mission style chair with the wool plaid fabric.

 The mix of warm elements makes this one of the coziest rooms in the house.

As I mentioned the house contains many sort of 'extra' rooms - such as a lower level dining room (in addition to the formal dining room and the breakfast room off the kitchen!).

This dining room was beautifully decorated by Scott Cooke in a very traditional vein which you know I love. The room is very large and even contains a sort of library nook looking out onto the backyard.

Cooke took a cue from the elaborate tray ceiling and placed a round table in the center of the room. Round dining tables are my favorite and I love the comfortable upholstered chairs he choose, perfect for lingering over long dinner parties.

Beautiful antiques fill the room such as these candle sconces. Dining by candle light is a beautiful thing, I'm so glad he included them (wicks correctly pre burnt I might add )!

Another corner of the room featured this beautiful vase atop a gilded pedestal, artfully lit. I love the wood floor detailing.

The large hall on the 2nd floor outside of the master suite was decorated by Claire Schwab out of Alexandria. Schwab choose beautiful moss tones with hints of orange to create a cozy landing out of what otherwise would be a banal hallway.

 I mean this as the highest compliment when I say it felt very 'Martha Stewart', particularly the plants in front of the window.

One of the most talked about spaces was the morning room decorated by Iantha Carley. The cheerful, sunny room was fitted out with a variety of beautiful textures and patterns but what I most appreciated was the attention to small details, such as the orange colored dog bed in the corner!

Saving the best for last, by far the most successful space in the house is the Master Sitting room on the 2nd floor designed by Michael Hampton.  Hampton based the room on the beautiful flame-stitched carpet from Patterson Flynn he had always wanted to use on a project; showhouses are great for such experimenting!

The room is a luxurious retreat with soft, warm neutrals comforting the user. While the house this year feels harmonious with the rooms flowing nicely together for the most part (unusual for a showhouse), this was still a soothing room to enter. Recognize the side table from Bunny Williams's Beeline Home collection?

Much loved were the towering Circa light fixtures on either side of the bookcase. Notice the faux bois wallpaper which has been cut into squares and alternated to create movement on the walls? Great details!

The vestibule is papered in a fantastic luxe lacquered wallpaper which adds glamour to the tiny space. I loved the neoclassical light fixture which Hampton says he got off ebay for only $200 years ago (I love finds like that)!

The room is anchored on a comfy daybed in the center of the room ideal for lounging or even extra sleeping. Great light fixtures throughout the room provide a nice layer of detail and finish.

Be sure to visit the showhouse this year located in Wesley Heights along Foxhall Road, you won't regret it!
Read more coverage by other local bloggers here:  Design du Monde, DC by Design, and My Notting Hill

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DC Design House teaser

Last week I attended a preview of the DC Design House which is located on Foxhall Road. Before I bring you my favorite rooms, I thought I would bring you some fun ideas from Designer Regan Billingsley.

Generally bathrooms in design houses are either filled with loud wallpaper, passed over, or simply left with the door closed.  However, Billingsley made it a prominent feature of her Teenage Boys Room.  The black painted doors were highlighted with the sides painted a bright red. That pop of color with the door open was amazing!  I also loved the message she put on the wall backwards only legible in the mirror "Don't grow up, it's a trap".  Wise words from a clever designer! More tomorrow......

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