Design Post Update

I had the pleasure earlier this week of attending a presentation by husband & wife fabric designers Elizabeth Hamilton and Peter Fasano at the beautiful John Rosselli showroom here in Washington earlier this week. I had first heard of the design duo on everyone's favorite design blog Style Court who frequently references their work. Events like this aren't only great learning experiences but a fun chance to catch up with friends.
Due to some unfortunate weather the crew was small but vivacious.  The ever lovely Sally Steponkus, Josh Hildreth, Frank Babb Randolph (who doesn't have a website but then again is a self-professed NON-reader of blogs), and Atlanta's notable blogger 'The Blue Remembered Hills' (amongst others) were on hand to learn about hand printed and hand painted fabrics.
The banter between Elizabeth and Peter was almost as interesting as the discussion of how they produce their fabrics; both those readily available (at John Rosselli) and their custom projects. You probably saw in last month's issue of House Beautiful magazine an article of 4 designers working with them on completely different custom fabric designs.
Naturally the fabric swatches of the husband and wife team are mounted side by side in the showroom.
Peter specialized in hand painted fabrics while they lived in NYC and after their move they've been concentrating more on silk screening. For all the pattern they are known for professionally Peter said in their own house they prefer more texture and no pattern!
As always the showroom was filled with goodies that I wanted to take home. I also loved that the store is scented with delicious candles. It's more like visiting a stylish friend's home instead of a showroom!  I particularly loved the lounge chairs below with the cute drinks table, available in wood or metal. Stop into John Rosselli in Georgetown to see whats new and prepare to be inspired by visiting all of the links I've included in this posting!
Many thanks to the staff at John Rosselli for making me quite at home and all of my dear friends who were in attendance making for such a fun mid-day treat.

This past weekend I visited charming Middleburg, Virginia, the heart of Washington equestrian life. While there I shopped -  naturally! One of my favorite finds was the antique & design shop Foxfire.
Located in the heart of town Foxfire features a number of continental antiques, primarily French, but a few in particular caught my eye.
 These French metal armchairs would be great sanded and painted a deep forest green or even black.
I spent a lot of time lounging in these 1930s club chairs with original leather. I love that the seat has been reupholstered in a brown velvet so your legs won't stick or slip on the leather cushion, depending on the time of year.
These artistic mirrors were my favorite piece in the store, though clearly not real antiques. An artist takes a number of different minerals to the backs of regular mirror to create very colorful versions of 'antiqued' mirror (the stylish smoky glass you so often see).
Some versions of this were imprinted with designs but I loved this matching pair of smoky versions (much like traditional antiqued mirror with the addition of color) in warm sunset colors.
The marble top of this antique table was so patterned that at first I thought it was faux-painted. This would make a great kitchen table and remain cool to the touch for baking.
The sides of these upholstered chairs were beautifully detailed with a natural oak finish. Be sure not to miss Foxfire Antiques when you visit Middleburg!

Last week I attended an event at Hines & Company in the new nearly finished Washington Design Center. I'm happy to report the new design center is a HUGE improvement on the old one (which isn't saying much), spacious and light filled.
The Design Center officially opens in about a week on November 12, 2014, but many of the showrooms are already open for business. Walking into most of these showrooms just make you want to redo your entire house with so much eye candy, which is always a problem!
 I'm dying to find a place for this Zoffany Wallpaper called 'Trade Routes'.
Lighting is one of my many passions ( see all of my previous posts on my favorite antique lighting store, Artisan) and the selection at Hines ranges from the contemporary to the classic.
My favorite lamp was this rock crystal column from Vaughan. It bridges the line between classic and contemporary with a luxe material; it would look great with a gilded and/or black shade.
I always love paisley fabrics, particularly natural linen, and this Fonthill fabric by Stark checked all of the boxes, named Amelie.  Thanks for inviting me Hines & Company and thanks for all of the inspiration too!

This past Friday I spent the evening at the National Portrait Gallery; at least it felt like evening since it was dark the entire time(they're open until 7pm)
If you haven't visited you really must;it's one of my favorite museums in DC. Housed in the old Patent office building completed in 1840, the Greek Revival structure was the 3rd public building constructed in the United States.
The third floor is a stunning open space which was restored a number of years ago. When built it was the largest room in the United States! President Lincoln held his 2nd inaugural ball here.
The art is thoughtfully displayed throughout the structure to show off not only the art but take best advantage of the architecture.  Enfilades are carefully ended in works of art. Symmetry is key here and nothing is left to chance with a work's placement within the building.
Sometimes the shadows are more interesting than the work itself!
 I've always admired the settings and 'rooms' created around special works of art. The alcove above is decorated as if one were in a cemetery.
One of my favorite paintings in the museum is Spring Dance by Arthur Mathews from 1917 -but the frame is just as stunning as the picture.
 Sometimes a painting is more interesting when in conjunction with another work of art; contrast.
I'm not sure why Whistler's 'Valparaiso Harbor' is at the portrait gallery but I wasn't complaining -I spent a lot of time studying this painting!

Just in time for Christmas this upcoming weekend (Dec 6 & 7, 2014) are 2 great housetours benefiting great causes in both my old and new neighborhoods in Washington, Cleveland Park and Logan Circle (home to our new design center). The first tour (Dec 5 & 6) benefits the St. Albans school and features 6 amazing homes in historic Cleveland Park. One of these houses was recently featured in Elle Decor magazine decorated by local talent Darryl Carter. Tickets are $40 and information on picking them up is HERE.
The second house tour takes place in my former neighborhood of Logan Circle. This tour always features a fascinating variety of city living from modern loft-like apartments to historic townhouses.Tickets are $30 and benefit the neighborhood historical society and walking trail. Information on purchasing tickets is HERE.  Hope to see you at both of these great events this weekend!

I hadn't been to my favorite shop, Artisan Lamp Co, in quite awhile so window-shopped the other night. As it turns out thats the best time of day to check out a lighting store!
The store is enormous and they have a larger inventory on their newly revamped website as well as on 1stdibs. They've been carrying a larger number of vintage 'modern' fixtures since they sell well.
 The owner loves to mix up the front window and it changes a few times per week. I especially liked this interesting lamp above.
 And an empire style boulette style lamp is always useful!
What do you think about window shopping? Beats shopping online!

In anticipation of 'Black Friday' later this week I thought I would share with you some of my shopping from this past weekend. I stopped in one of my usual haunts on DC's U Street NW, Goodwood.
GoodWood used to be more of a vintage furniture store but has turned itself into an authentic version of what Anthropology tries to be. The styling in the store is always artful and really fun to walk around. As with most vintage shops there is something for everyone hidden around the next corner, no matter your taste.
I love this antique cabinet which holds antique china, tea, and teapots. I wish I had a cabinet like this in my apartment for my collection!
 These antique Minton cups and saucers were selling for only $8 a set and there were dozens of them.
One of the most interesting item(s) was this pair of faux "faux bois" French armchairs which are very Michael Taylor'esque.
Some details of the chair -really charming- I wish I had a place for these! Also notice the vintage carpet on the floor: lots of affordable antique rugs.
This lovely antique French mirror is deceivingly tall - it wouldn't look out of place in any embassy in town.
Unfortunately there was only one of these mid-century sconces with a Greek key motif or I would have snapped it up!  Someone had done an unfortunate paint spattering to the shaft but thats easy to undo with some sandpaper and a can of black spray paint.  Did you do any fun shopping this past weekend?

This past weekend offered beautiful fall weather, perfect for our Mid-Atlantic ICAA tour of Dumbarton Oaks arranged by landscape architect and boardmember Jennifer Horn.
Dumbarton Oaks has been owned by Harvard University since the early 1940s and hosts a number of their graduate programs on campus.  Sections of the famous gardens are open to the public and their renowned museum has a separate entrance on 32nd street NW.
Although much changed and constantly evolving, the gardens are the the work of famous landscape designer Beatrix Farrand, seen in the portrait above.
Unfortunately the house is undergoing some renovation work (roof and some structure being replaced) so scaffolding covered the neo-Georgian facade. You can see photos of the house at my earlier post from 2009 HERE.
The library is housed in the wing seen above designed by Thomas Waterman -a really spectacular period room in which one can study the antique landscape books in an elegant setting.
This grotto is only one of the many charming spots to be found throughout the gardens. The modern balustrade is very plain-jane compared to others found throughout the property but I suppose it meets code (most ugly railings do).
One of the best parts of attending the ICAA tours (everyone is welcome btw!) is that you get an opportunity to see many behind the scenes areas not open to the general public.
I had never seen most of the campus before and was thrilled with many of the original structures like the green house above, where plants are still grown for the gardens. The brick structure in the center was originally designed to be the library until someone came to their senses and realized antique books and water don't mix!
Washington is enjoying a spectacular fall this year which doesn't often happen. So often I feel we move directly from summer into winter.
 Many of the older structures such as the garage above have been wonderfully preserved on the exterior while the interiors have been unfortunately gutted and rebuilt in an institutional manner. Don't even ask about some of the modern buildings I'm not showing here and other work done on campus by architectural firm Robert Venturi - the less said there the better ( # inappropriate, # generic, # ugly ).
Many of us architects marveled at the lovely back door above - nicer than the front doors on many houses! Also notice the intricate brick paving patterns designed by Farrand.
The use of ornate brick and stone walls throughout the hilly, terraced gardens is one of my favorite aspects.
 While these are special details, they are to be found throughout the entire property.
Above is one of the many railing designs by Farrand - this may not meet modern day codes but is none-the-less pleasing to the eye.
Even the simple wooden garden bench above has lovely details; notice the scrolled bracket to the sides.
Inside the museum there are more wonderful treasures to check out. I particularly like the antique byzantine mosaics which are built into the flooring. The rather strange addition by Phillip Johnson, celebrating its 50th birthday, is growing on me and is a great example of marrying a modern addition to a classical structure (Robert Venturi take note!). Please join the ICAA on our next adventures and be sure to check out Dumbarton Oaks while in Washington, you won't be disappointed!