DC Designer Series: Barbara Franceski

The other week while attending the Washington Design Center's Ones to Watch Awards, the portfolio of Barbara Franceski, one of the nominees, really caught me eye. I like the interesting, layered interiors she creates. Comfortable and inviting but with a bit of the unexpected added in - whether it's a bit glam & glitter, an interesting accent piece or an oversized pattern.
Love the fresh spring green accent pillows in this room and the repetition of the oversized nail head trim.

Great pattern!


A bit of whimsy - often reserved for bedrooms this wire model looks terrific here (which I think is in the main living area of the home)
Love Barbara's solution for those very tall windows - it adds to the comfortable scale of the seating area.
What can you say - this is a terrific bedroom! Love how the upholstered element continues from the headboard through the base of the bed.

If you're interested in seeing Barbara's work in person, there's good news. She'll be creating a guest sitting room in the upcoming DC Design House. In a recent email, Barbara mentioned the window treatments have been installed and the furniture and artwork are about to be installed. Really looking forward to it! In the meantime, if you'd like to see more of Barbara's work, you'll find her porfolio here.
(photography by Gunnar Westerlind or Barbara Franceski)

DC Designer Series: Barbara Franceski

The other week while attending the Washington Design Center's Ones to Watch Awards, the portfolio of Barbara Franceski, one of the nominees, really caught me eye. I like the interesting, layered interiors she creates. Comfortable and inviting but with a bit of the unexpected added in - whether it's a bit glam & glitter, an interesting accent piece or an oversized pattern.
Love the fresh spring green accent pillows in this room and the repetition of the oversized nail head trim.

Great pattern!


A bit of whimsy - often reserved for bedrooms this wire model looks terrific here (which I think is in the main living area of the home)
Love Barbara's solution for those very tall windows - it adds to the comfortable scale of the seating area.
What can you say - this is a terrific bedroom! Love how the upholstered element continues from the headboard through the base of the bed.

If you're interested in seeing Barbara's work in person, there's good news. She'll be creating a guest sitting room in the upcoming DC Design House. In a recent email, Barbara mentioned the window treatments have been installed and the furniture and artwork are about to be installed. Really looking forward to it! In the meantime, if you'd like to see more of Barbara's work, you'll find her porfolio here.
(photography by Gunnar Westerlind or Barbara Franceski)

DC Designer Series: Liz Levin

After looking through the extensive portfolio of DC based designer Liz Levin, it's hard to believe that her firm was launched as recently as 2004. I like Liz's fresh, clean lined approach to design and her comfortable mix of furniture, fabrics and accents. Every room reads liveable - not an accomplishment as easy to achieve as it might sound. Love the simplicity of this foyer and the very interesting carvings on the black bureau.

I love everything about this bright white kitchen, especially the unexpected modern chrome chairs paired with the claw foot table.

Notice the artful combination of patterns here - subtle zig zag on the sofa, plaid drapes, diamond lattice on the settee and curves on the pillows and rug.
There's a great mix of color and styling of chairs at this dining table; armless chairs in a solid and pattern and Wing back chairs anchoring the ends. Doesn't it make for a very confident and cheerful room?

Liz is also an innovator - after the birth of her daughter she realized how challenging it can be to live stylishly, and in response, launched Liz Levin Nesting. Nesting is a unique collection of custom and high performance furnishings. Case in point is the following Nesting design for a client with children and pets.

BEFORE
"The room had a lot to live up to: it needed to be a gallery, a playroom, a cocktail and TV lounge. Before we got started, we confirmed piano lessons were in the room’s future as well." - Liz Levin

AFTER
Beside the fact that the space is beautiful and kid friendly - it looks so much larger! To check out more great interior designs by Liz Levin go here.

(Photography by Angie Seckinger)

DC Designer Series: Liz Levin

After looking through the extensive portfolio of DC based designer Liz Levin, it's hard to believe that her firm was launched as recently as 2004. I like Liz's fresh, clean lined approach to design and her comfortable mix of furniture, fabrics and accents. Every room reads liveable - not an accomplishment as easy to achieve as it might sound. Love the simplicity of this foyer and the very interesting carvings on the black bureau.

I love everything about this bright white kitchen, especially the unexpected modern chrome chairs paired with the claw foot table.

Notice the artful combination of patterns here - subtle zig zag on the sofa, plaid drapes, diamond lattice on the settee and curves on the pillows and rug.
There's a great mix of color and styling of chairs at this dining table; armless chairs in a solid and pattern and Wing back chairs anchoring the ends. Doesn't it make for a very confident and cheerful room?

Liz is also an innovator - after the birth of her daughter she realized how challenging it can be to live stylishly, and in response, launched Liz Levin Nesting. Nesting is a unique collection of custom and high performance furnishings. Case in point is the following Nesting design for a client with children and pets.

BEFORE
"The room had a lot to live up to: it needed to be a gallery, a playroom, a cocktail and TV lounge. Before we got started, we confirmed piano lessons were in the room’s future as well." - Liz Levin

AFTER
Beside the fact that the space is beautiful and kid friendly - it looks so much larger! To check out more great interior designs by Liz Levin go here.

(Photography by Angie Seckinger)

Kelley Proxmire's Lobby Reno & the Ones to Watch awards.

Update: Thank you to Judith, with Kelley Proxmire Interior Design, for letting me know they recently posted these images. I was having camera problems and these images are so much better. (images posted with permission) You can also see in these photos the custom black sisal rug with the shiny red border - love that. Last night I attended the Washington Design Center's first "Ones to Watch" award and also had a chance to see the recent lobby renovation by Kelley Proxmire. Periodically the design center invites a designer to transform the space and Kelley's signature style infuses the entry with vibrant, contrasting red and black. My camera was behaving very badly last night - so many of these images fail to capture the crisp, fresh look of the space.
A bit of fun - the WDC monogram for the Washington Design Center.
The artwork on either side of the armoire are commissioned pieces from artist Kevin Chadwick.
Kelley used mirror, glass and metal accents throughout the space. I love the focal point created by the framed mirror panels with the roman shade. A series of beautiful black and gold cherry blossom paintings (a nod to spring in DC) bring down the very high ceilings to a more intimate scale.
Four X-base stools were underneath the glass center table. Kelley has a terrific eye for detail - I always fall in love with her trim choices.

Back to the "Ones to Watch" awards and celebration party. Twelve designers were chosen, including Liz Levin of Liz Levin Interiors. Here she is with friends Stuart and Katherine to her left and Associate Designer Heather Safferstone to her right. Congratulations to fellow blogger Annie Elliott of Bossy Color, who was also nominated along with Shanon Munn of Ambi Design Studio, Inc. who I featured, along with Liz Levin, in this post last year. A full listing of the nominees is available here.

It was a fun evening out - eventhough I mistakenly parked in a Tow Away Zone, got a $100 ticket and had to wander the streets to find my car! A sincere thank you to the Design Center receptionist and security guard for all your above-and-beyond efforts to help me! (my apologies for not having your names to give you proper credit)

Kelley Proxmire's Lobby Reno & the Ones to Watch awards.

Update: Thank you to Judith, with Kelley Proxmire Interior Design, for letting me know they recently posted these images. I was having camera problems and these images are so much better. (images posted with permission) You can also see in these photos the custom black sisal rug with the shiny red border - love that. Last night I attended the Washington Design Center's first "Ones to Watch" award and also had a chance to see the recent lobby renovation by Kelley Proxmire. Periodically the design center invites a designer to transform the space and Kelley's signature style infuses the entry with vibrant, contrasting red and black. My camera was behaving very badly last night - so many of these images fail to capture the crisp, fresh look of the space.
A bit of fun - the WDC monogram for the Washington Design Center.
The artwork on either side of the armoire are commissioned pieces from artist Kevin Chadwick.
Kelley used mirror, glass and metal accents throughout the space. I love the focal point created by the framed mirror panels with the roman shade. A series of beautiful black and gold cherry blossom paintings (a nod to spring in DC) bring down the very high ceilings to a more intimate scale.
Four X-base stools were underneath the glass center table. Kelley has a terrific eye for detail - I always fall in love with her trim choices.

Back to the "Ones to Watch" awards and celebration party. Twelve designers were chosen, including Liz Levin of Liz Levin Interiors. Here she is with friends Stuart and Katherine to her left and Associate Designer Heather Safferstone to her right. Congratulations to fellow blogger Annie Elliott of Bossy Color, who was also nominated along with Shanon Munn of Ambi Design Studio, Inc. who I featured, along with Liz Levin, in this post last year. A full listing of the nominees is available here.

It was a fun evening out - eventhough I mistakenly parked in a Tow Away Zone, got a $100 ticket and had to wander the streets to find my car! A sincere thank you to the Design Center receptionist and security guard for all your above-and-beyond efforts to help me! (my apologies for not having your names to give you proper credit)