It was an attractive clean slate,” remembers Mary Douglas Drysdale, describing the austere inside of a modernist residence in Ashburn, Virginia, earlier than beginning work. With 10-foot ceilings and expanses of glass celebrating a picturesque panorama, the areas held promise. “However there was an vacancy in the home,” the designer continues, “and it did not mirror the hospitable and beneficiant spirit of the homeowners.” Over the following two years, she curated a group of furnishings, fittings, arts and crafts to assist attain the house’s full potential.
Drysdale’s purchasers – he’s a CEO and she or he is a retired businessman – purchased the property model new in 2015. The lady acknowledges her Dutch heritage and says she was drawn to the “clear, glossy and trendy European” mannequin that was conceived by the Netherlands-based Studio Piet Boon and developed by Ok. Hovnanian Houses. Their property borders protected woodland in Willowsford, a farm-to-table neighborhood or agriculture.
On the time, the couple had just lately married (a second marriage for every) and mixed households. Their combined furnishings and naked partitions left quite a bit to be desired. “Our house lacked character and did not really feel effectively used, and our furnishings wasn’t of the proper scale or actually acceptable for the home,” the lady says. “We wished an inside that may synergize with the design of the home itself and combine into each room.”
They referred to as in Drysdale after the lady observed her expertise at a showhouse in 2020. Early on, the designer determined to maintain the home’s black-painted door and window frames. “I began with the query, ‘What do now we have right here, what can we work with,'” she remembers. “The black trim was a place to begin for me.”
Utilizing that body, she remodeled the wall of the fireside in the lounge. The tv was once mounted above the linear firebox, the place it stood out sharply towards an expanse of whitewashed drywall. Drysdale clad the world in dark-stained sawn oak and recessed the TV into it, creating a classy, built-in look. “I take into consideration creating helpful magnificence,” reveals the design doyenne. “That wall is so dramatic now and grounds all the pieces.”
Drysdale then designed furnishings and ornamental plans with the intention of making a “mushy, trendy” aesthetic all through. She purchased transitional model furnishings and conjured up a number of customized items, together with a eating desk, for the mission. Ethereal glass lighting curves to the panorama exterior. The breakfast room and the kitchen, which connect with the lounge on the rear of the home, are examples of this.
A cohesive palette of black and white predominates. “I like that there are relationships between the rooms,” says the designer. “As you undergo these areas, you are still related.”
That easy scheme permits the creativity of numerous artists and craftsmen to shine. And it ties in properly with the lady’s affinity for components that categorical a tribal high quality. Take the eating room, for instance, the place a graphic rug woven in Afghanistan lays the inspiration. Black and white pottery by Oregon-based ceramist Sam Scott adorns the tabletop. Drysdale notes, “The primitive, the handmade are a robust subtext within the story informed right here.”
Daring art work additionally delivers a convincing message; it was a part of the plan from the beginning. “As I explored the house, I instantly sensed that colourful trendy artwork on a big scale would convey super curiosity and pleasure to the expertise of every room and the view from room to room,” says the designer. A visit along with her purchasers to Hemphill Artworks in Washington yielded the primary three items in what’s now a superb treasure trove.
These alternatives acquired outstanding placements. A portray by DC artist Steven Cushner dominates the large hallway that connects the back and front of the home. An summary work by the late Jacob Kainen provides spice to the eating room and provides the spouse an inspiring view of the lobby from her workplace. Likewise, dinner visitors get pleasure from a transparent view of the colourful multimedia creation of one other native artist, Julie Wolfe, positioned behind the desk.
Later additions embody images by Anna Beeke and John Cole, which animate the master suite on the bottom flooring. “I believe one of many nice obligations of a house is to shock and interact the viewer,” Drysdale provides. “All over the place you flip or sit or stare, there’s something attention-grabbing to see on this home. It’s a dwelling museum, a stimulating however not overly stimulating visible expertise that’s comfy.”
The well-appointed areas usually are not solely pleasing to the attention, in addition they assist the couple’s relaxed but social life-style. For instance, the central corridor is now not only a utilitarian passageway; it now capabilities as “one other good room the place they get pleasure from themselves,” says Drysdale. “They use their residence in a greater and extra full means.”
The lady agrees and shares that the lined porch subsequent to the lounge has additionally turn into a vacation spot. “This space was only a transition to the yard. With Mary’s redesign, the house is now used for intimate dinners with pals, as a gathering place for giant teams, or simply for a cool drink on a scorching summer time afternoon.”
Inside Design: Mary Douglas Drysdale, Drysdale Design Associates, Washington, DC.
SOURCES
BY MEANS OF
Manufacture of curtains and fabric: myatelierva.com.
LIVING ROOM
Fire: kossaridesign.com. Diptych Artwork: ruriyi.com. Banks: proprietor’s assortment. Couch cloth: kravet.com. Small stool: jomofurniture.com. Facet tables: jausetcie.com. Espresso desk: marydouglasdrysdaleinteriordesign.com. Armchair & Ottoman: leeindustries.com. Armchair Material: kravet.com. Rug: starkcarpet.com. Leather-based chair: allmodern.com. Cushion cloth: williams-sonoma.com. Paint: sherwin-williams.com.
COVERED VERANDA
Desk & Bench: janusetcie.com. Artwork: Kaiser Southan. Cushion Materials: aliciaadamsalpaca.com.
ENTRANCE HALL
Artwork: Steven Cushner by way of hemphillfinearts.com. Images: annabeeke.com. Small work: juliewolfe.web by way of hemphillfinearts.com. Chandelier: julieneill.com. Rug: pattersonflynn.com. Paint: sherwin-williams.com.
DINING ROOM
Portray: jacobkainen.com by way of hemphillfinearts.com. Desk: marydouglasdrysdaleinteriordesign.com. Chairs and chair cloth: bakerfurniture.com. Pottery: samscottpottery.com. Rug: amadicarpets.com. Lighting: oker.web. Curtain cloth: larsenfabrics.com. Material Banding & Pouf: marydouglasdrysdaleinteriordesign.com.
KITCHEN
Rug: lolirugs.com. Island Hangers: kellywearstler.com by way of visualcomfort.com.
CASUAL DINING ROOM
Desk: assortment of homeowners. Striped chair cloth: perennialsfabrics.com. Chandelier: reginaandrew.com. Art work: Proprietor’s Assortment. Chairs: rh.com.
WOMAN’S OFFICE
Portray: juliewolfe.web by way of hemphillfinearts.com. Desk: assortment of homeowners. Desk chair and poufs: marydouglasdrysdaleinteriordesign.com. Crystal Ball: nickleonoff.com. Rug: carpetcreationsandflooring.com. Paint: sherwin-williams.com.
BEDROOM OF THE OWNERS
Images above mattress: johncolephoto.com. Grouping of photographs: annabeeke.com. Artwork on left wall and poufs: marydouglasdrysdaleinteriordesign.com. Mattress: roveconcepts.com. Material for bedspread and pillow: fabricut.com. Rug: carpetcreationsandflooring.com. Curtain cloth: larsenfabrics.com. Paint: sherwin-williams.com.
