Residents Understood

RU shopping for a unique piece of artwork? Maybe something large in scale – a real statement piece. Maybe something that represents a place you love – something that has special meaning. Maybe a flag – yeah maybe a flag would work. But wait, maybe the flag I want won’t coordinate with our new living room we’re designing  . . .

Stop right there because we might have the perfect solution to your design dilemma!

Kiera has branched out into the world of home accessories and started a new shop on Etsy called Flagged. In the shop you will find various custom hand-painted city flags. The current Flagged lineup includes the flags of DC, Chicago, and Denver (Portland & New Orleans are next ). All of the flags can be created to match whatever color you might need! Kiera chose a black and white version of DC’s flag to coordinate with her new living room.

We’re dying to see one of the flags in a nursery or kids room. How adorable would this pink flag look in a trendy chi-town momma’s little girls room!? Hmmm maybe we should start having our own kids so we can try it out  . . .

Leigh contacted us after one of my neighbors had referred her to us thinking our styles would work well together after walking through my home  - boy was she right! Leigh and her husband own a beautiful bungalow in Palisades. The house was a wonderful mix of traditional and modern pieces. Unfortunately (or fortunately for us) their dining room just wasn’t living up to its full potential. The space was basically a complete rewrite for us so we started from scratch and worked to create a beautifully mixed and matched room. Besides the new furnishings and fixtures Leigh was looking to possibly paint the wood floors – as designers who drool over painted wood floors our eyes lit up with possibilities. In the end we decided to go with painting the floors white (my personal dream floor) to visually connect with the original white wood paneled ceilings in the living room, one of their favorite features in the home.

{1. Restoration Hardware dining table, 2. Circa Lighting sconce, 3. Zinc Decor placemats, 4. Industry West stools, 5. Overstock dining chairs, 6. Zinc Decor napkins, 7. Schoolhouse Electric floor lamp} Want to see more products from the project? Check out her Pinterest Board!

Elana & Matt came to us excited and prepared to finally turn their relatively unused and empty formal living room into the sophisticated entertaining space of their dreams. With three little ones, the pair had concentrated their previous design efforts on the family and less on themselves. Their formal living room happens to be the first room you see when entering the home, so they wanted us to create a space that would set the tone and complement the rest of the house. We wanted to design a room that would feel grown-up, with a mix of modern and traditional elements, while also keeping it approachable and comfortable enough for their family-friendly lifestyle. Below is a glimpse at some of the products selected for their new sophisticated living room . . .

{1. Horchow tray, 2. MG+BW bench, 3. Room & Board arm chair, 4. Horchow table lamp, 5. Madeline Weinrib rug, 6. Horchow artwork} Want to see more products from the project? Check out their Pinterest Board!

We first met with Liz and Jarret in December when they contacted us to help with their first ever design endeavor as homeowners. The young couple owns a beautiful colonial home in Arlington and had been working with an architect to plan an addition. Most people wait to contact us until after construction is complete. However, these two were a step ahead of the rest and thought it would be wise to get a designer to weigh in before committing to the final placement of windows, fixtures, etc. (music to an interior designer’s ears!).

We can’t recommend this step enough to clients – thinking about furniture and fixture placement prior to construction will save you SOOOOOO much time, energy, and especially money in the end. Having a holistic view of the space from start to finish really is the best way to design. While it can sometimes be difficult to see its importance in the grand scheme of the project, each little choice along the way will truly influence the overall success of a renovation. Have I lectured you enough on this topic yet? In summary: don’t wait to contact a designer until after the major decisions have been made – pretty please!

So we worked with the brilliant Liz and Jarret on planning the most optimal use of the new space, which was to serve as their more casual dining and living room. Because the room needed to serve dual functions, we ended making tweaks to  the architect’s original plans. Once all the space planning and drawings were complete, we moved onto how they wanted to space to look and feel. The pair gravitates toward more traditional pieces, but still wanted the space to feel youthful and comfortable. Below is a glimpse of some of the products we chose for the new addition to their home . . .

{1. Dash & Albert rug, 2. Jamie Young pendant light, 3. Society 6 print, 4. West Elm table lamp, 5. World Market pillow, 6. Furbish pillow, 7. World Market dining table, 8. West Elm media console} Want to see more products from the project? Check out their Pinterest Board!

Today we’re excited to share some of the after pictures from the work we did for Doorways Safehouse. The project was certainly a challenging one but man was it rewarding – and with the support from all of you we were able to give the women and children at Doorways a wonderful new home away from home!

Let’s start with some of the detail shots from the space . . .

And here’s a look at the room before . . .

And now the room after  . . .

If you’re interested in learning more about the products we used check our blog post and Pinterest page. Once again we really couldn’t have done this without your generous contributions to the project – we just can’t thank you all enough!!!

Last week we shared a few of our design plans for our newest client Leah’s living room and dining room. This week we’re giving you a glimpse into her new loft area. The loft will functionally serve as both a lounge area and guest room. The most important feature is a wonderful wood burning fireplace that really sets the mood for a warm cozy space. Our product selections lean towards a modern bohemian vibe complete with a beautiful hanging chair – making for a super fun laid back room!

{1. Stray Dog Designs pendant light, 2. Anthropologie rug, 3. Anthropologie hanging chair, 4. Urban Outfitters pillow, 5. Room and Board pillow, 6. CB2 dresser} Want to see more products from the project? Check out her Pinterest Board!

The first day we met Leah we knew we wanted to work with her – not only was her new apartment amazing (complete with a loft, exposed brick walls, fireplace, and amazing deck which we promised we’d be using come summer) but her style screamed Kiera and Jessica. She was looking for someone to create a modern but eclectic home with some feminine touches to soften things up. The first space we tackled was a combined living and dining room on the first floor. The only existing piece she had was a sofa she had recently had cut to fit perfectly into a bay window. Other than that she gave us the power to create her and her husband’s dream home. One of several challenges to this project was a tight timeline – Leah was expecting her first child only weeks from our start date so we had an incredibly quick turnaround so the major pieces could be purchased before baby’s arrival. And we finished not a second too soon – a week after the final design presentation baby made an early appearance!

{1. West Elm rug, 2. Room & Board side table, 3. Zinc Door ikat pillow, 4. Anthropologie orange pillow, 5. DWR chandelier, 6. Industry West chairs, 7. Anthropolgie leather chair} Want to see more products from the project? Check out her Pinterest Board!

As many of you know we’ve been busy over the last few weeks raising money for the volunteer project we’ve been working on for Doorsways Safehouse. We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of our clients, friends, and family with your help we’ve been able to raise over $3,000 for the redesign project! So today we thought we’d share a little sneak peek of our design plans for the room. We’ll continue to keep you updated as the installation progresses and will certainly share some of the after photos!

{1. Overstock dresser, 2. Urban Outfitters hardware, 3. World Market butterfly chair, 4. Anthropologie hook, 5. West Elm sheets, 6. PB Teen pillow, 7. Dash & Albert area rug} Want to see more products from the project? Check out the Pinterest Board!

And just so you can see how needed this renovation was here’s a glimpse into what the room looked like before  . . .

This might be my favorite project we’ve worked on so far. And anyone who knows me can probably guess why rather quickly . . . one word –  PINK! I have a slight (or maybe it’s verging on the edge of a full) obsession with the color. Needless to say, it’s a very rare occasion when we get to use it in our designs. For some reason a majority of people don’t share my affinity for the amazing color it is (so sad, I know). But, I recently hit the design jackpot with one  of our latest projects.

Kaydee owns a wonderful row house in Capitol Hill with all the architectural features a designer hopes for in a space – exposed brick walls, exposed ceiling beams, hardwood floors, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Not only did Kaydee give us a wonderful blank slate to work with, she also gave us (ok really it’s just me) the gift of pink because the girl also shares my love for the color. So let’s see – we have a great space – check. We have the color pink – check. And now if only she liked Anthropologie as much as Jessica . . . oh wait she does – double check. We were incredibly lucky to work with someone who happens to share a lot of our own personal style, it really was like winning the design lottery! So without further ado, below is a little glimpse of Kaydee’s new living room:

{1. West Elm dresser, 2. West Elm side table, 3. Etsy & pillow, 4. World Market table lamp, 5. Room & Board sofa, 6. Anthropolgie area rug} Want to see more products from the project? Check out her Pinterest Board!

We’re excited to be starting 2013 with a project that means a lot to the both of us – a project that we are hoping will make a difference in a lot of lives. Last month we were asked to volunteer our services to a wonderful cause – the remodeling of the Doorways Safehouse in Arlington. Doorways is a local non-profit that helps women and children displaced due to domestic violence.  The safehouse is a temporary shelter for those who are in danger in their current living situation.

The project will entail a desperately-needed extensive renovation to the interior of the home. We’ll be joined by five other local designers who will be responsible for not only redesigning their designated spaces, but also furnishing those rooms. We have volunteered to work on what is known in the safehouse as the “dorm room” – it’s a space in the basement of the home that houses multiple families at one time. It is the largest bedroom in the home, and sadly it’s also what staff describe to be the coldest and darkest of the bedrooms.

We were recently given access to the home for the first time in order to really see what we’re working with. After touring the home and learning more about the women and children escaping to its security, we became even more determined to give them the best design solution possible for the dorm room. These women and children deserve to escape to a beautiful home – a warm, comforting, and cheerful place.

This is where you come in. We’d like to ask all of our readers, family, friends, and clients to join us in our effort to provide these women and children with a space that will lift them up, comfort and encourage them as they move forward to create better lives for themselves. As we mentioned, all of the furnishings, fixtures, bedding, etc. that we include in the design will be purchased using funds donated from you and the rest of the community we are reaching out to. We need to raise around $3,500 by January 24th to make the project happen. Giving any amount will be a significant help and get us one step closer to completing the design for the dorm room. Plus, all donations are 100% tax deductible. Once the project is underway, we will be sure to update everyone on the details of the design so you can see where your donation is being used!

A donation can be made towards our room renovation directly on the Doorways website (http://www.doorwaysva.org/donate/). The donation process from there is incredibly simple:

STEP 1: Click the purple DONATE NOW box

STEP 2: Type in the donation amount you’d like to contribute (no amount is too small or too large!).

STEP 3: Now this is the IMPORTANT STEP - in the “Additional Information?” box please type in ”Donation for RU Dorm Room Design”. This will ensure your generous donation goes directly towards the design project.

STEP 4: Click the NEXT button and then enter in your payment information.

STEP 5: Be very happy with yourself for donating to a wonderful cause.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottoms of our hearts!

- Jessica & Kiera -