Unplug the phone, the fax and the computer. Find a solitary spot in the bedroom, bathroom -- or closet -- to seek solace in luxury and style.
Escaping from stress, whether the daily commute, the 9-to-5 (or 9-to-9) grind or the latest news from Baghdad, is the message of the Gracious Room Fall 2004 Design House at the Washington Design Center.
Victor Shargai's opulent bath includes a grand marble soaking tub and antique dressing table.
(Mark Finkenstaedt For The Washington Post)
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The nine rooms on the downstairs level of the center -- decorated by area designers to showcase the to-the-trade products carried by building showrooms -- turn down the visual volume with subdued interiors intended to calm and comfort. The 16th Design House in seven years, co-sponsored this time by Southern Accents magazine, goes on view starting tomorrow.
Gone -- mostly -- are the punches of hot color and the flash of mammoth flat-screen TVs of years past. In place of tart orange and lime green are muted colors like cinnamon and celadon. Natural textures and touches of Zen extend the mellow mood.
Notable for its departure from the overall hush in the Design House is the room decorated by Victoria Sanchez of Alexandria. Her tiny space, cast as a shopaholic closet strewn with shoes and pink shopping bags, is a jolt of energy in contrast to the more somber, sepia-toned decor elsewhere.
"We all need a dream room for ourselves where no kids are allowed," Sanchez says.
Reflecting a trend -- or at least a yearning -- toward closets as dressing rooms, the narrow space is lined in floor-to-ceiling draperies of pink, peach and cream silk gingham, with mirrors and glass shelves at one end to hold a collection of trendy footwear -- courtesy of the Georgetown boutique Sassanova.
Another luxury space high on homeowners' wish lists is the ever more opulent bathroom. This one has been created by District designer Victor Shargai. The room, with fixtures from Sherle Wagner, is divided into separate spaces for bathing and washing, an arrangement "we're seeing a lot of in new homes," according to Shargai.
On one side sits a grand marble soaking tub, gilded armchair and antique dressing table. A tiny, flat-screen TV -- the only one in the show house -- shares shelf space with rows of books. Across the room, a marble-topped vanity is fitted with paired sinks, crystal knobs and gold faucets.
Asian-influenced furnishings and accessories -- design shorthand for tranquility -- are well represented in this year's Design House. In the entrance foyer, Potomac designer Fiona Newell Weeks highlighted framed panels of antique wallpaper depicting Asian landscapes.
In the dining room designed by Kelley Proxmire of Bethesda, Chinese influences abound in blue and white porcelains, Chinoiserie chandelier and black lacquered chairs.
"Asian works in any decor," says District designer Stan Kelly, who furnished his gentleman's retreat with a low, Asian-style coffee table covered in dark brown lacquered linen. "It mixes well with modern furniture and antiques. You can use it to pull off a great look without having your room look like a showroom."
His arrangement of a pony-skin ottoman, metal-wire tables, velvety wing chairs and sea grass carpet epitomizes the contrasting natural textures found throughout the Design House.
Color generally was used with more restraint.
"We're using a more subtle color palette but a much bigger range of textures," says Richmond designer Gary Inman of his nearly all-white bedroom where a burlap-covered ottoman is set against a silk-upholstered day bed with embroidered fabric canopy. Furnishings are set within white-washed floors and luxurious ivory, Venetian plaster walls.
"I don't want to be called Mr. Beige, but sometimes it's nice to limit the number of colors and create a more muted, restful room," says Inman. "We all need a place to get away from kids, dogs and husbands -- all the things that can drive you crazy."
Visiting the Design House
The Gracious Room Fall 2004 Design House will be open to the public until Dec. 18. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 202-646-6118 or click on merchandisemart.com/dcdesigncenter.
