Sneak Preview: Georgetown Jingle 2010

This past Thursday evening I had a chance to preview the beautiful trees and vignettes that are the hallmark of the Georgetown Jingle, which marks it fifth anniversary as a family-friendly holiday event benefiting the pediatric programs at Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Jingle takes place this coming Sunday December 12th from 5pm - 8 pm at the Four Seasons Hotel, a gorgeous backdrop for this wonderful event. Above is a mantel vignette, "Handmade by the Bay," designed by David Iatesta and Matthew Quinn of Iatesta & Company, Inc. Each designer is paired with a Patient Ambassador and David and Matthew were inspired by toddler Sean N. and the beauty of nature in creating this striking vignette.
This creative tree, "A Few of my Favorite Things" was designed by Suzanne Price of Suzanne Price Design LLC and inspired by Patient Ambassador Rhiann R. The tree is comprised of shelves as branches and displays some of Rhiann's favorite things, including her own artwork.
Beautiful!
Nestor Santa Cruz , who was paired with Patient Ambassador Jackie P., created "A Modern Holiday" and was inspired by the aesthetics of Scandinavian celebrations with a touch of White Christmas. Love the simplicity of this vignette.
Susan Donelson and Sharon Bubenhofer of Cleveland Hall Design had Patient Amabassador Noah E. and the therapuetic benefit of dogs in mind when they created, "Bark, The Herald Angels Sing." The stuffed dog, seated next to this gorgeous tree, will be replaced by a real life therapy dog on the day of the Jingle. (above image by Kevin Allen Photography)
Designer Sandra Meyers' tree, "Spirit of the Holidays" is on display at Georgetown Jingle partner Banana Republic. Partnered with Patient Ambassadors Allison C. and Chris S., Sandra's tree complemented Banana Republic's holiday theme, "Love the Present" and comes to life with a combination of vintage ornaments, crystal butterflies and over 2400 lights. (above photo by Kevin Allen Photography)

I've only shown just a bit of the 12 beautiful designs this year. A huge thank you to Catherine Funkhouser for inviting me to the preview! For more detailed information on the Georgetown Jingle 2010, sponsored by the Four Seasons Hotel, JDS Designs and The Washington Design Center, go here.

Haute Fabrics Now in Georgetown & books ON a wall

I mentioned this briefly in another post but this news warrants more coverage than that. Haute Fabrics (Marshall, VA) has opened a location in Georgetown at 2603 P Street NW Washington, DC, sharing space with Jean Pierre Antiques. The selection of fabrics has grown since my first visit two weeks ago and the ones I had my eye on were in the range of $16 - $26 a yard.



Haute Fabrics, 2603 P St. NW, Washington, DC, 202.965.1123 (*they're closed the day after Thanksgiving but I will update this post w/their hours tomorrow)

Earlier in the month, I posted on the amazing concrete books created by Richard Taylor of Flat Earth Designs. Check out the creative way Debra Phillips of Scentimental Gardens and SG Grand displays the ones she has for sale. Ask you would expect, customers are first surprised to see them on the wall and then to discover they're concrete to boot.

Meeting Darryl Carter

First off, a huge thank you to Lauren of Pure Style Home for letting me tag along with her to meet Darryl Carter and have our well-worn copies of The New Traditional signed. Here's a pic of her w/Darryl. (I would show you mine but will you understand if I said I was having a bad hair day...) Darryl couldn't have been more generous with his time or more enjoyable to talk to. It was really a highlight to meet him!

He recently joined Jura Koncius and Terri Sapienza of The Washington Post for their Home Front Q & A. Two things that impressed me so much: his willingness to give specific paint color suggestions and local design sources. Be sure to check out the complete discussion here. Here's just a bit of the advice from this talented designer:

- In response to a question about what to paint a repro Duncan Phyfe dining table: "Try Benjamin Moore Pashmina… Gesso the table white and then apply – probably will need a protective coat of matte finish to preserve for use. Ask the paint specialist how best to execute. Try a few colors in this family to execute to your taste."

- Request for a blue for a front door: "Benjamin Moore Wolf Gray or Gravel Gray - high gloss or satin finish."

- "My go to paint color is Benjamin Moore’s Moonlight White. It’s a white tone that is very rich with a good deal of depth. Being in an attached dwelling with limited natural light, Moonlight White will open the spaces and allow light to move with ease from the front of the home to the back and vice versa… The other unique aspect of this color is that it takes on different color tonality at different times of the day."

- Local Sources: Strasburg Emporium in Strasburg, VA; Deleplane Store & Antique Center, Deleplane, VA; Red Schoolhouse/Scottish Connection Antiques in Millwood, VA; US Marble & Granite in Beltsville, MD; Timothy Paul on 14th St. DC

If you're interested in more, Sonu Mathew, Sr. Interior Designer with Benjamin Moore & Co. has some great video interviews with Darryl posted on her blog, Living in Color with Sonu. The above paint picks are some of his favorite go-to colors via her blog.

I hope you have a great long weekend. I'll leave you with these beautiful, serene images of Darryl Carter's work.

Tricia Huntley's Lake Geneva Transformation

A few months ago DC based interior designer Tricia Huntley of Huntley and Company mentioned on her blog, Luxe and Lucid, that she had a project in Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Recently she posted the results of this Montreax apartment transformation and it is luxe and gorgeous. This bedroom is a beautiful mix of patterns and textures with various stripes repeated throughout. I love the textile hanging behind the bed.
Here's just one peek into the living room. Love this chair! Along with the furniture, Huntley and Company installed the wallcoverings, lighting, textiles and accessories. The 1970's faux tortoise multi-faceted table is from Georgetown's Darrel Dean's Antiques which Tricia blogged about.
I've never seen this tie treatment for a bedspread - love this detail. Notice the zig zag pattern in the stitching of the spread and in the pillows.
Here's Tricia gazing out at the incredible view of Lake Geneva from the apartment. For more images of the interior and a fun, behind-the-scenes looks at the installation go here.

The Redesigned Oval Office: Yay or Nay?

Hmm. Very brown and very striped to me. I like the two lamps...but for me it's a nay. Just doesn't seem to live up to the architecture or the stature of the Oval Office.
How about you? (For more design details, check out the NY Times article.)

All images above via CBS News here.I prefer the Clinton version.

(image via White House Museum)

Nestor Santa-Cruz & Casa Claudia

You may recognize parts of this luxe Washington, DC home, designed by the very talented Nestor Santa-Cruz, from its appearance in Elle Decor Dec. 09. Nestor recently mentioned the home was also featured in the May issue of Lisbon based magazine, Casa Claudia. It's exciting to see whole rooms and elements in this spread that weren't part of the Elle Decor story. The green walls above are a faux-leather treatment. Nestor is known for his talent in seamlessly integrating art and accessories and the placement of the Italian vase and the client's oil painting above the console is perfection to me. Nestor found this piece while in Argentina; it's from the legendary Paris-based firm, Maison Jansen.

The room on the right never appeared in Elle Decor - love the bright contrasts of color against the white walls. Fab coffee table too!
The large pink ball is a great addition to this version of the study; the powder room with its patterned marble floors, inspired by the bathroom of French fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin, also makes a first appearance. (images of Lanvin's bathroom via Musee des Arts Decoratifs here)
To see more of Nestor's work in person, you can visit his study at the DC Design Center Hall of Fame 2010 Showhouse through Dec. 11. Images provided by Nestor Santa-Cruz, all photography by Angie Seckinger.

My Friend Anne's Gorgeous Porch & Gardens

In our hot and muggy D.C. climate, you really need to have a place to escape the heat and my friend Anne's beautiful screened porch is just such an oasis. Directly off her family room, she's designed the space to accomodate lounging and dining, all with a view out to her gorgeous English inspired garden.
Joni of Cote de Texas recently posted about her love of gray wicker and the gray pieces Anne selected a couple of years ago are stylish and nap worthy!

The whole porch has a light and breezy feel. Beadboard ceilings are painted light blue while the floors are a pretty gray.

A vintage wicker piece full of lovely things to admire ties in with the dark wood occasional table.
A blue painted tag sale find serves as bar table. Love the turned wood handles.

An unexpected surprise - a little hedgehog tucked-in on the stairs leading down to the yard.

Anne designed and created her gardens as a labor of love. A stunning copper armillary is encircled by boxwoods and a low stacked, stone wall. After finding the armillary, a long search culminated in a perfectly scaled column to show it off.

An arbor wrapped in clematis and roses soften the landscape and add a romantic feel. I love the profussion of blooms at varying heights. More is more!

In this view, you can see the porch's three skylights which allow light into the family room and the double ceiling fans. The uncovered side porch accomodates the bbq grill. The porch addition was designed by architect Gretchen Ginnerty, AIA (if you recognize the last name it's because Gretchen is married to my cousin.) Anne is a partner and interior designer with Dwellings by Design, LLC. Two summers ago, I posted about her office here. ***On another note, my comments section has been changed to Open ID. So if you don't have a google account you can still leave a comment.

Hope you have a great weekend. Tomorrow, Dan and I will be celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary. How time flies!

Washington Design Center & Elle Decor: Opening Night

Last night was great fun - the Washington Design Center and Elle Decor hosted an opening gala for the Hall of Fame 2010 Design House. Newly located on the 5th floor, the showhouse features the work of eight designers who have been honored for their accomplishments in the design community. Here is a sneak peek into one of my favorite rooms; Nestor Santa-Cruz's Study. In his description Nestor wrote, "Elle Decor is the premier magazine for featuring personal, beautifully designed, chic rooms." Enveloped in a dreamy blue, I think his room epitomizes the spirit of Elle Decor. (I believe the color is Farrow & Ball's Chinese Blue)
He selects his pieces with the eye of a curator and then moves forward with a design scheme that is warm, textured and sophisticated in the most comfortable fashion. I love this occasional table - artful but still practical as a resting place for your martini. The Stark area rug is absolutely beautiful.
Nestor found all these pieces at flea markets; the painting and blue ceramic vase are from Copenhagen and the blue platter was found in the Marais in Paris.
This sofa is accented by a warmly textured alpaca pillow from NYC textile designer Bryant Archie. I greatly enjoyed meeting Bryant - her work is amazing and I'm looking forward to doing a whole post on her textiles, throws and pillows. They're currently carried by a number of stores, including Thomas O'Brien's Aero.
Here's Bryant with Heather Safferstone to her left and Sally Steponkus to the right. They're having a banner year in 2010 as Heather has recently joined Sally's firm full-time.
More great people at last night's event - interior designer Lauren Liess of Pure Style Home and her husband David, and interior designer Raji Radhakrishnan and her husband.
There is more to share from the Hall of Fame Design House in future posts. The showhouse is open to the public, free of charge, through Dec. 4. Go here for more info.