Step into one of the bedrooms at Houghton Mansion, and one will quickly understand why members of The Kellogg Collection named it the "Bar Harbor Retreat.” The blues, yellows and whites, representative of this collection, draw visitors into a room that was once cold and dark. Complete with their English lamps, hand-painted chest, writing desk and bookcase, the room makes visitors want to visit their McLean showroom, located at 1353 Chain Bridge Road.
This is just one small example of the transformations that were undertook at the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Decorators’ Showhouse 2002, now underway at Houghton Mansion, located at 3003 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.
Walls have been stripped and painted with magnetic paint; doorways have become stately backdrops for window treatments; imaginative floor coverings appear in every room; and everywhere one goes, they see things that they might not have seen before. Everybody should leave the house with a least half a dozen ideas that they can try on their home.
Evidence of Georgetown Pike Landscape & Design’s touch is evident as soon as one walks up to the showhouse. Toni Meagher designed the space with a grouping of stone planters with plants in traditional autumn colors at different heights, as well as a stately sculpture.
McLean designers, Alan McDonald and Christopher Nutter, from McDonald Associates Interior Design, created the formal powder room on the main floor, right off the foyer. It’s a functional space, but the design is such that one might want to linger a little longer there to relax.
MCLEAN DESIGNER, J. LESLIE HILL, used color boldly to design the guest room in the showhouse. Green and violet dominate the bedroom and continues into the adjoining bathroom with a lime green shag rug. Colorful bed linens help to make the room a very warm space.
Joan Polk, from Joan Polk Interiors, Inc. in McLean, said that they totally redid the space shown as the morning room and extending into the pantry. In the pantry, barn red cabinets from Stuart Kitchens replaced old wooden cabinets. Silestone was used for the countertops, both in the pantry and kitchen as well. Polk took advantage of the Palladian windows and tall ceilings in the morning room to create a warm atmosphere for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The adjoining kitchen used the talents of designers from Stuart Kitchens, Inc., also from McLean. The kitchen has ample room for preparing and visiting, with large workspace area and plenty of storage in Heritage cabinets. Porcelain tile from Architectural Ceramics is carried through both the pantry and the kitchen.
SHOWHOUSE RUNS through Oct. 31. Hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance (visit www.kennedy-center.org/showhouse for sales locations) and $20 at the door. For more information call 202-416-8149.