Smaller scale living, empty nest syndrome, downsizing – call it what you will, but all of these terms ultimately lead to one thing, getting rid of stuff. A life lived in sprawling, large homes, filled with lots of big, oversized furniture, several sets of dishes and more than a few tchotzes suddenly becomes a thing of the past. Job changes, kids moving out or just the desire for a simpler life results in the need or desire for a smaller, more functional home. Suddenly the reality of fitting your large, oversized furniture, several sets of dishes and more than a few tchotzes becomes a major dilemma. Recently, we encountered this phenomenon and successfully solved the dilemma of functional, yet stylish living in a smaller space!
Meet Gary and Liz, a wonderful, still active and professional couple who, a while back, left their 6,000 square foot custom Norfolk home filled with appropriately large-scaled furnishings for a job relocation in the Clarendon area of Arlington. Their first order of business was finding a gorgeous condo with enough space for Liz to work at home yet right across the street from Gary’s office. With that accomplished, they managed to pare down their Norfolk furnishings to what would “fit” into their new condo. However, after living with furniture that didn’t function in the space and was just too large, they decided it was time to furnish their 1,200 square foot condo with properly scaled and proportioned furniture. Equally impressed by their positive and practical attitudes, as with the knock out view of the Capitol and Washington Monument from their living room, we set about to give them the multi-functional, smaller scale furnishings they wanted and needed.
Our first order of business was to sit down with Gary and Liz to talk about how they live in their home. For us, that’s the most important step in finding the perfect furnishings – in function and style for our clients. After that, we took meticulous measurements of the space and produced computerized floor plans with all of the proposed furnishings to scale so that Gary and Liz could see exactly how everything would fit and function in their condo.
The major concerns for Gary and Liz were of course, properly scaled furniture, but also better lighting that didn’t block their gorgeous views, furniture that would serve more than one function and clutter-free surfaces. For example, Gary and Liz, in embracing their new “simpler life”, now use their good china and flatware every day! Out are the several sets of space hogging dishes we all have! How divine! With that in mind, we proposed dining pieces that would beautifully display the china and flatware, yet have drawers at waist level for easy everyday access. We had the function, but needed the style, so we coupled those functional features with a piece that had beautiful lighting, a mirrored back and glass sides with a perfect view of the Capitol dome over the sparkling crystal and china! We then replaced their large dining table and chairs with a beautiful round table for dining, with drop down sides so when nestled behind the new custom sectional, also functions as a sofa table! Meeting the multi functional requirement even more, we proposed a round glass topped coffee table with four moveable ottomans neatly tucked underneath. Now when the Fourth of July rolls around and Gary and Liz’s condo is suddenly filled with friends and relatives who want to see what is probably one of the area’s best places in the area to view fireworks, they will have all the seating they need!
These are just a few of the ways we were able to successfully combine style with function for Gary and Liz. Our attention to the details of how they would live in their space, coupled with the computerized floor plans allowed us to maximize storage, provide better lighting, and give them the multi functional pieces that would enhance their lifestyle and allow them to enjoy their beautiful condo in their new city!
Article written by talented interior decorator, Connie Sims, of DecorAndYouDC.
We are often asked when built-ins are a good idea. If you are tight on space and need to take advantage of every square inch, they can be the best solution. They are also a necessity in odd-shaped rooms and sometimes when industry-standard sizes are not an option.
No
t all projects are as satisfying as others. We tackled a project in a wonderful, Cape Cod style home in Arlington, Virginia. At first glance, it may not have seemed worthwhile to invest the resources in converting a once, screened-in porch into an updated, transitional- style home office. The room had been enclosed and nicely finished years ago by previous homeowners – complete with dark paneling, heating and cooling throughout and sufficient insulation. However, as a successful consultant found himself telecommuting for nearly the last decade, his home office was a collection of college dorm-like furnishings with poor lighting and functionality.
We always design to fit the style of the home and homeowners’ taste. We started with requirements to provide comfortable seating to watch a large, flat screen television on one end of the room, and meet a specifications list that included housing 3-4 computers, ample storage space, and significant desk surface area. We designed around baseboard heaters, a protruding brick wall, and two banks of windows.
Unlike many clients, this client was a DREAM. I know you are assuming they had an unlimited budget. We have clients in 1,000 SF of living space in Washington, D.C. and 18,000 SF of living space in McLean. I promise you in the last 9 years, we have never come across a single client who did not have a budget!
This was a dream client because they agreed to let us design a roughly 12 feet by 20 feet space assuming anything could be replaced. They were reasonable in that they realized to maximize functionality, every piece of furniture had to have a purpose and be properly scaled for the tight room.
The office side of the room boasts a beautiful built-in unit that incorporates a cooling system for all the computers. Remember the heaters? The built in is attached to the wall and has legs on the face to preserve a mission, shaker-inspired style. We maximized desk space and the view by relocating the desk to look out the windows, and removed the sheer room divider. For seating, we flipped the sofa and chair locations to an adjacent wall – which left the center of the room open and created a perfect angle for television viewing.
Of course, construction is always a challenge. We needed to score and cut the paneling at the heaters, remove the ceiling when we updated the lighting scheme and upgraded the insulation and hung sound-proof drywall to minimize the sound of the neighbors’ wall heating unit less than 10 feet away.
The finished room is nothing short of spectacular. After nearly daily conversations with our clients and weekly check-ins over the course of a couple months, you realize just how lucky you are to meet great people who allow you to help them to create terrific results.
Project managed by seasoned, Interior Decorator, Janet Aurora. Written by Sandra Hambley, Principal Interior Decorator of DecorAndYouDC, NoVa Decorators. www.DecorAndYouDC.com.
THE LITTLE CLOSET OF HORRORS
Walking into our old closet was always a trip filled with angst. The room is 8′ x 8′ –not small, yet not generous, either. Put it this way: if one of us was inside the closet, it was best for the other to divert elsewhere instead of trying to double up and do a Kabuki dance, just in order to accomplish
the feat of changing clothes! It was a cold, unfeeling jail made up of plastic-coated builder-inspired (?) wire racks. Oh, yes, they “generously” provided a tower of shoe-shelves: flat, and as I mentioned, wire, so that I not only couldn’t see what was above my head (I’m only 5’0), but any heels immediately sunk through the wire, got stuck, or worse, damaged….so the shoe collection (considerable, I confess), ended up in an over-the-door bag accommodation which made the door weigh…well, more than me. Finally, one wall of our closet is taken up by the large second-story window over our home’s front door, denying us needed additional hanging space. Upon moving in, we “solved” this by buying wire stacking drawers from a home store, such as those one normally uses for sporting equipment in the garage. We placed two of these, side-by-side, in front of the window, partially blocking the light, the view, and any sense of spaciousness.
My solution? A closet organization system designed by me…for us, and installed professionally by one of our vendor partners. I carefully assessed our basic hanging and storage needs, measured my clothing and my husband’s (he’s 6’2″), and then created a closet that has hanging exactly proportioned to our wardrobes and our heights; in doing so, I eliminated unproductive spaces–and was able to add in drawers, too. What a change! The Closet of Horrors is transformed into our perfect Dressing Room, complete with wallpapered walls as a backdrop, plenty of hanging and drawers, a custom-cushioned island for sitting, 
(with men’s shoe storage beneath), an enclosed laundry hamper, and slanted shoe shelves just for me…my shoes & I have never been happier! All of this wonder is encased in cherry towers with beautiful hardware, oval hanging rods, & softly closing drawers.
Gone are the days of crowded, too-high racks, squeaking, creaking coated wire drawers, and dysfunctional, unusable corners. The best part? The window, which I formerly considered to be a design flaw in the house, has now become a style feature in the room, lending airiness and light, and a wonderful backdrop to our sitting island. I think our cat, Maisie, appreciates it, too–and guess what? We can all fit into the closet and dress–not dance–at once.
Written by seasoned, interior decorator, Katie McGovern, of DecorAndYouDC servicing Fairfax, Clifton, Great Falls, Vienna, Fairfax Station and Centreville, VA.
We have been a very fortunate team over the last year – we continue to manage interior decorating projects, large and small, and enjoy our clients just as much.
One major highlight last year was designing and decorating Chambers for a Supreme Court Justice, which was an experience of a lifetime. We were certain there would be no project rivaling this for many, many years to come. 
However, we are just beginning work on a home that has many design features based on one of my personal favorite movies of all time, “Something’s Gotta Give.” The movie easily stands on its own and is a favorite simply due to the chemistry between Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
However, as a design professional, it’s impossible not to notice and be completely enchanted by the Hamptons beach house, which is the backdrop for much of the movie. The clean, crisp white wood cabinetry and trim, simple off-white drapery panels framing every window overlooking the ocean and the transistional, slipcovered furniture and casually-striped rugs translate into the feeling of one comfortable home.
So, imagine our delight when our VA-based clients purchased a lakefront home in North Carolina with similar architectural and design inspirations as the famous Hamptons home, and asked us to decorate it, with seasoned, Janet Aurora as lead designer. In addition to the interior, we will be paying special attention to the more than 3,000+ square feet of outdoor living space on the lake.
The interior decorators at Decor&You DC are never too busy to help our electrician, or many of our sub-contractors for that matter. Truth be told, we are usually more excited than our clients to see the finished product. And, it’s almost impossible for us to keep our fingers off all the beautiful contents hiding in the boxes. Opening all these boxes is like celebrating a birthday every day!
This particular d
ay of interior lighting installation was in a beautiful, custom home in Herndon, Virginia. The hammered metal wall sconces and eclectic overhead metal lighting fixtures are the perfect accents to the freshly wallpapered foyer and hallways. Once the client saw the lighting fixture, she had to have it. She fell in love with the ceiling light because it “looks like a very bad hat!” What do you think?
Lighting may seem expensive by the time you invest in the fixtures and hire the electrician. But, we do our best to have all our interior decorating clients considering adding more lighting – general, task and accent. Most all homes need more light – a good design rule of thumb is 8-12 light sources per room. Start counting … we can almost guarantee you are under lit!
Once you realize you need more light, be sure you design the proper lighting plan which meets your functional needs. And, don’t forget to select fixtures that satisfy your unique personality and sense of style.
And, if you find yourself craving those extra set of hands, a set of finely-tuned design eyes , or the most gorgeous and extensive selection of lighting fixtures available to the design trade, don’t forget to call us: 866-WOW-Decor (866-969-3326).
CAPTION: In photo, Janet Aurora, an award-winning interior decorator with Decor&You DC, services residential and commercial interior decorating clients in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Vienna, Herndon and Reston. Her turn-key design through implementation includes room layout and design, furnishings, custom window treatments, flooring and accessories.
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