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D.C. designer Shawn Evans blends traditional elegance, bold glamour Shawn Evans’s home borrows elements of the three neighborhoods it straddles: newly ritzy Logan Circle, up-and-coming Shaw and longtime hot spot U Street.
The view from Shawn Evans's living room sofa could very well beat the view to the outdoors. The opening leads into his foyer, where a mirrored dresser holds a pair of stainless-steel lamps. In the foreground is a pair of Baker chairs that Evans reupholstered in bright yellow fabric and his favorite prints: signed Andy Warhol photographs of Elizabeth Taylor, Halston and Henry Kissinger.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
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The exterior of Shawn Evans's house on S Street NW. It was renovated by a developer in 2009, and Evans bought the home last May for $1.25 million.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
"This is my favorite room," Evans said. A modern, sophisticated take on the traditional "man cave," the den is where he spends most of his time. As an extra dose of coziness, Evans used a charcoal-colored flannel on the walls instead of paint or wallpaper. "It adds warmth and texture, like the walls are a blanket." Evans also uses trays as a go-to and easy organizing tool that creates order around stray objects. Evans uses them to hold candles, family photos, fresh flowers and drinking glasses. “Trays keep things looking tidy and deliberate,” Evans said. “Without them, it just feels like clutter.”
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
A reading nook in Evans's master bedroom.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
“A part of me wants to feel like I’m on vacation,” Evans said about his master bedroom. “I think everybody, when they get home, wants to feel like they’re still a little bit on vacation.”
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
The bold, plaid curtains were the central piece around which the rest of the home was designed. "I saw a swatch of the print, fell in love, and everything else stemmed from there."
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
“Stairwells are the trickiest space to decorate,” he said, “so people either fill them with visual clutter or leave them blank.” To solve this problem, Evans installed wood moldings through his foyer and stairwell. The millwork provides a hint of architectural detail without making the walls feel cluttered.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
The guest bathroom in Shawn Evans's S Street home.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
The painting in the downstairs bathroom includes punches of yellow, orange, black and gray. Evans takes risks when it comes to color in his home, but he aims for consistency. “The one rule to follow is repetition, so the colors don’t look random. Repetition makes a strong interior.”
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
"I really didn’t want everything in the home to be brand new, right out of the box," Evans said. "So I took an end table and filled it with old black and white family photos. I want it to reflect me."
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
"I tried to keep a consistent color palette in the home," Evans said. Each room has black, navy and white with a touch of yellow.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
The downstairs bathroom.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
It was important for Evans to feel comfortable in his kitchen, so he traded the usual kitchen table for a sofa and two ottomans. The coffee table was designed to cover the ottomans and is high enough to eat from when sitting on the sofa.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
By varying the textures and transparencies, such as thick velvet pillows and a shiny glass lamp, Evans makes black and navy look like a perfect match. In his living room, two navy glass lamps each sit atop a black end table flanking a navy velvet couch. “The one rule to follow is repetition so the colors don’t look random,” he said. “Repetition makes a strong interior.”
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
After years of living in New Hampshire and Old Town Alexandria, Evans likes to incorporate a little country charm into his interiors. In this home, it's in the kitchen. The open shelves are great for entertaining, he said, and they evoke a farmhouse feel.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
Some might call the seating arrangement in Evans's dining area unorthodox, but he wasn't interested in a traditional dining room. A frequent entertainer, he designed a banquette for the 72-inch-table and increased the seating from 8 to 12.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
Most of the furniture and accessories in Shawn Evans’s home were bought from retailers that sell exclusively to designers, including his X-Turtle Shells by Barbara Cosgrove, which sit on a mirrored console.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
Because most of the furniture and accessories in Shawn Evans’s home were bought from retailers that sell exclusively to designers, he suggests similar retail pieces for the average shopper. The tortoise shell by Nate Berkus for Target in cream ($40) and is a great swap for the X-Turtle shell in the previous slide.
Target.com
The Hickory Chair sofa in Shawn Evans's living room is upholstered in a luxurious velvet fabric that he found at High Point Market last year. "I loved contrasting the traditional nickel nailheads with the rich velvet and the contemporary structure," he said. "I love taking what could be a traditional piece and putting a contemporary, stylish spin on it."
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
This Global Views twig-inspired chandelier is usually a talking point of visitors, Evans said. It adds a touch of nature in the otherwise cosmopolitan home.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
Shawn Evans, of P Four, in his Bernhardt zebra-print chair.
Matt McClain
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For The Washington Post
The sunpan modern Gothic faux leather armchair ($560 each) has a similar shape to the stylish zebra chairs. This faux leather chair with the zebra cowhide pillows in the previous slide echo Evans's original look.
Courtesy of wayfair.com
A similar retail piece for the everyday shopper is the zebra cowhide pillow ($78) and it references the zebra print chairs in the previous slide.
Courtesy of ecowhides.com
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