Least expensive accessory: The used books we get for $20 by the foot at the Book Escape in Baltimore. We do a little trick with them and take off the dust jackets. It makes them look older and classic.
What’s on the floor? This is a really fun woven jute we got from Greenspring Carpet Source. It’s trimmed in suede. When you have a big room, that kind of chunkiness does two things: It helps negotiate the scale of the room and makes it feel more relaxed.
Explore the 2011 DC Design House and vote for your favorite room.
Favorite room besides your own: Camille Saum’s dining room. She brought energy and vibrancy to it.
-Designer David Mitchell: Gentleman’s bedroom-
How many show houses have you done?Fourteen.
Describe the style: Modern American rustic.
First thing you picked out: The antique bird prints. I bought them two years ago in Hudson, N.Y.
Did the 1920s Tudor architecture influence you?Yes. It’s why we decided to do the show house. The low ceilings and cottage feel work well with this kind of room. It’s intimate and cozy. You don’t need a lot of stuff to fill the space.
What do you covet for your own home?
The garden cart with the zinc top. It’s definitely going to be the coffee table in my living room.
Best design tip: Edit. Edit. Edit. Less is more.
Biggest design challenge: The AC unit. I decided to not overtreat it. I framed a piece of nylon screen to place in front of it. A high-back chair sits in front of the screen.
What will look dated 10 years from now? Maybe the industrial pieces.
Favorite room besides your own: Liz Levin’s entry and hallway. A hallway is a non-forgiving space. Her design is really smart, and she chose really good art.
-Designer Erin Paige Pitts: Pool room-
How many show houses have you done? This is my first.
First thing you picked out: The swings, because they made the room feel like a porch, which this house doesn’t have.
Describe the style:Elegant coastal.
Biggest design challenge: The original brown-pink terrazzo floors. I had them faux-painted and hand-stenciled with a graphic and wood-grain pattern.
What do you covet for your own home? The Murano glass vase.
Best design tip:If you have a lackluster and dreary space, use reflective white paint (this one is 40 percent sheen), draperies that don’t cover any part of the windows and add reflective surfaces for the maximum light.
How can someone on a limited budget re-create this room? Easily, with white paint, a sisal rug (a non-patterned one would work, too), regular porch swings and cushions, and off-the-rack drapery panels from West Elm or Pottery Barn.
Favorite room besides your own: I just love Nancy Colbert’s room [the library; see gallery]. It is the best of both worlds: cozy, inviting and glamorous.
-Designer Gary Lovejoy: Sunroom-
How many show houses have you done? Fifteen.
Describe the style: Warm, casual contemporary.
First thing you picked out: The Poltrona Frau white leather screen. I have always admired it, and I thought of it right away. It’s laser-cut, and it creates a beautiful pattern with the sun on it. This is the only room in the house with a wall of glass, and the screen shows off the garden behind it.
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