2010 DC Design House

I headed over to the DC Design house this past Saturday with a few friends and as always it left me inspired! This year the design house was located in Chevy Chase, MD in a Georgian-style country house built in 1905. The home has had many owners/tenants including the Ambassador of Mauritius. Walking through the home, you can clearly see it is a house for entertaining as you weave through a maze of rooms.

All the designers who participated in the show house did a wonderful job in keeping with the nuisances of a Georgian-style home but they also put their own spin on their designs whether it be adding a modern touch or choosing a whimsical detail to the room. There were a few veteran designers such as Kelley Proxmire, Barry Dixon and Page Palmer and a few new designers like Cynthia Ferranto, Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey and Barbara Franceski.

Unfortunately, they did not allow photography so I don't have photos of all the rooms, but I've pulled photos from the Washington Post and DC by Design blog to give you a grasp of the house.

The formal living room was designed by Frank Babb Randolph. I love the classical styles of the columns and the symmetrical arrangement of the furniture sets the focus on the beautiful fireplace.

(photo via me -I sneaked this one)

Tracy Morris was the brains behind the eclectic artist studio. I wish I could have gotten a detailed shot of the floors as she had them painted and "dragged" providing a textured look to the floor. I would love to call this my office!

The library was created by Victoria Sanchez. Victoria selected soothing colors, and this room has a wonderful view of the garden and pool.

Kelley Proxmire is responsible for the wonderful family living room with dark chocolate walls. I love that she dared to go dark!

Isn't this "closet" a dream! Celia Welch had custom storage made for this room. On the wardrobes is Farrow and Ball's "Elephant's Breath" and the walls are in F&B "Charleston Gray." This room led into a small bathroom that had a fantastic Greek key tile boarder.

Last we have the dining room created by Basha White. I love the painting she chose as the focal point and her inspiration for the pallet of the room. If you can look closely, Basha had the ceiling painted with silver leaf which gave the room an intimate glow.

There were so many more rooms I wish I could share! Hopefully other publications and blogs will highlight the other amazing designers. Make sure you check out next year's DC Design House and see for yourself the creativity that goes into a show house. I hope to be a part of this great event one day!