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DC Design House

Twenty local design firms, a mix of established names and first-timers, have redecorated Wirelawn, a more than 100-year-old country Georgian house, which has been the location of an inaugural ball, an embassy and the site of a 1974 show house.

Exterior of Wirelawn, the 2010 DC Design House in Chevy Chase, Md. The house was built in 1905 when the area was mainly rural.

Exterior of Wirelawn, the 2010 DC Design House in Chevy Chase, Md. The house was built in 1905 when the area was mainly rural.

Gordon Beall

"I love silver and nickel in a room," says Georgetown designer Frank Babb Randolph of the livng room he decorated. "I think it's fresh, young and modern." Randolph brought silver into the design in a natural linen fabric painted with silver on an upholstered bench cushion and a pair of mercury glass lamps atop a console. The silver threads in the Stark Tibetan carpet pick up the spark of the elegant andirons, crafted of silvered bronze.

"I love silver and nickel in a room," says Georgetown designer Frank Babb Randolph of the livng room he decorated. "I think it's fresh, young and modern." Randolph brought silver into the design in a natural linen fabric painted with silver on an upholstered bench cushion and a pair of mercury glass lamps atop a console. The silver threads in the Stark Tibetan carpet pick up the spark of the elegant andirons, crafted of silvered bronze.

Gordon Beall

Randolph's tip:
Add a punch of color.<br>
<br>
He added the eye-candy surprise of two French chairs upholstered in salmon velvet to his room's color palette of Granny Smith green and creamy beige. "Don't be afraid to add some color to a room filled with neutrals," says Randolph. The chairs are actually from his own home, where he has used them for just that purpose.

Randolph's tip: Add a punch of color.

He added the eye-candy surprise of two French chairs upholstered in salmon velvet to his room's color palette of Granny Smith green and creamy beige. "Don't be afraid to add some color to a room filled with neutrals," says Randolph. The chairs are actually from his own home, where he has used them for just that purpose.

Gordon Beall

Barry Dixon, the Warrenton designer known for weaving worldly spaces, has been bringing a lot of outdoor furniture and accessories inside. He did this in the cavernous ballroom, transforming it into an intimate conservatory with several seating areas filled with lattice screens, iron finishes, stone garden tables and urns overflowing with flowering branches.

Barry Dixon, the Warrenton designer known for weaving worldly spaces, has been bringing a lot of outdoor furniture and accessories inside. He did this in the cavernous ballroom, transforming it into an intimate conservatory with several seating areas filled with lattice screens, iron finishes, stone garden tables and urns overflowing with flowering branches.

Gordon Beall

Kitchen | Rosi Kallivokas<br>
<br>
Anyone hooked on the Food Channel will lust after this 37-inch Aquos TV installed in the wall right above the six-burner stove. "You can follow all the recipes step by step right in front of your eyes," says Rosi Kallivokas, the Washington dealer for Clive Christian. The tempered glass protects the TV from the heat.

Kitchen | Rosi Kallivokas

Anyone hooked on the Food Channel will lust after this 37-inch Aquos TV installed in the wall right above the six-burner stove. "You can follow all the recipes step by step right in front of your eyes," says Rosi Kallivokas, the Washington dealer for Clive Christian. The tempered glass protects the TV from the heat.

Gordon Beall

In this boy's bedroom by Lisa Adams, a desk on wheels, wooden stools and a hanging computer monitor/TV shows that a 13-year-old boy spends more time in his bedroom studying, playing video games and hanging out with friends than resting. The built-in twin beds with mattress-ticking cushions can also be tossed on the floor to double as wrestling mats. A glass "chat board" mounted to the wall is a new concept in a dry-erase blackboard that is also magnetic.

In this boy's bedroom by Lisa Adams, a desk on wheels, wooden stools and a hanging computer monitor/TV shows that a 13-year-old boy spends more time in his bedroom studying, playing video games and hanging out with friends than resting. The built-in twin beds with mattress-ticking cushions can also be tossed on the floor to double as wrestling mats. A glass "chat board" mounted to the wall is a new concept in a dry-erase blackboard that is also magnetic.

Gordon Beall

The modern student needs only a surface and a laptop, so why not skip the boring brown wood desk and go for a slice of acrylic in this girl's bedroom? Designer Page Palmer of the District found a small acrylic console at Acrylicparts.com.

The modern student needs only a surface and a laptop, so why not skip the boring brown wood desk and go for a slice of acrylic in this girl's bedroom? Designer Page Palmer of the District found a small acrylic console at Acrylicparts.com.

Gordon Beall

Setting aside a tiny room or corner to fill with green plants and botanical-themed accessories creates enjoyment all year. Sarah Wessel of the District outfitted her small sunroom off the living room with Meyer lemon trees, birdcages, terrariums, moss balls and potted herbs. The brick wall displays 28 framed 19th-century French engravings of mushrooms.

Setting aside a tiny room or corner to fill with green plants and botanical-themed accessories creates enjoyment all year. Sarah Wessel of the District outfitted her small sunroom off the living room with Meyer lemon trees, birdcages, terrariums, moss balls and potted herbs. The brick wall displays 28 framed 19th-century French engravings of mushrooms.

Gordon Beall

Georgetown designer Andrew Law gave the show house's conservatory terrace an indoor-outdoor vibe. The wicker is in a weathered driftwood finish, and he dressed up the concrete floor with a woven vinyl rug.

Georgetown designer Andrew Law gave the show house's conservatory terrace an indoor-outdoor vibe. The wicker is in a weathered driftwood finish, and he dressed up the concrete floor with a woven vinyl rug.

Gordon Beall

The library in the 1974 National Symphony Orchestra show house.

The library in the 1974 National Symphony Orchestra show house.

1974 Nso Women's Committee

This is the ballroom as decorated for the 1974 National Symphony Orchestra show house. This room was once the site of an inaugural ball for the Truman Administration.

This is the ballroom as decorated for the 1974 National Symphony Orchestra show house. This room was once the site of an inaugural ball for the Truman Administration.

1974 Nso Women's Committee

Another picture of the ballroom as decorated in 1974.

Another picture of the ballroom as decorated in 1974.

1974 Nso Women's Committee

A turreted wicker bed from a bedroom designed by Suzanne Shaw for the 1974 National Symphony Orchestra Show House.

A turreted wicker bed from a bedroom designed by Suzanne Shaw for the 1974 National Symphony Orchestra Show House.

1974 Nso Women's Committee

The neo-Turkish tented room at the 1974 National Symphony Orchestra Show House.

The neo-Turkish tented room at the 1974 National Symphony Orchestra Show House.

1974 Nso Women's Committee

Twins Ramona and Rosemary Wire wearing pantaloons in the Victorian room at Wirelawn. The twins grew up there.

Twins Ramona and Rosemary Wire wearing pantaloons in the Victorian room at Wirelawn. The twins grew up there.

Mr. and Mrs. William Anderson

Ramona and Rosemary Wire's debutante party at the Wirelawn estate in Chevy Chase, Md. The Wires lived there from 1946 until 1974.

Ramona and Rosemary Wire's debutante party at the Wirelawn estate in Chevy Chase, Md. The Wires lived there from 1946 until 1974.

Mr. and Mrs. William Anderson

Gallery Credits:
Photo Editor, Producer Troy Witcher Text Editor Janet Bennett Kelly

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This Story Ideas from the DC Design House Article \| The third annual DC Design House opening Saturday in Chevy Chase is a snapshot of Washington style in 2010. Twenty local design firms, a mix of established names and first-timers, have redecorated Wirelawn, a country Georgian house at 3911 Bradley Lane. ¶ It is open for the next month for those w... Designer tips If you go Tour the 2010 DC Design House DC Design House Design Q&A		Network News X Profile View More Activity TOOLBOX E-Mail This Reprints		More on washingtonpost.com • More Photo News » washingtonpost.com
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