• EDGEMOOR SUNROOM :: PART II

    Our Edgemoor clients are long-time residents of Bethesda, a neighborhood of beautiful homes, large backyards, and gracious sidewalks.  A variety of architectural vernaculars decorate each tree-lined street thereby giving us license to explore a pastiche of design styles.  We devoted countless hours and many team meetings to perfecting the architectural and decorative intentions of their sunroom in order to craft a space with the perfect blend of traditional and modern styling.  It was especially relevant for us to carefully study how the new sunroom would meet and interact with the landscape, establishing a strong indoor/outdoor feel. — NEIGHBORHOOD VERNACULAR & INSPIRATION — The sunroom addition is quite modern and acts as a…

  • EDGEMOOR SUNROOM

    November is filled with anticipation as the holidays quickly approach and designers clamour to wrap up design projects.  At Huntley & Co., we have labored long and hard for one Bethesda client in particular and are eager to put the finishing touches on their remarkable sunroom renovation.  Our goal was to create a sculptural, textural space that elegantly captures the spirit of indoor/outdoor living.  We will be featuring work product and site photos for this sunroom-cum-lounge in the next several posts.  And we’ll reveal the installation around Thanksgiving, so just a little more patience!  To give you an idea of the inspiration behind our design, we’ve shared the Edgemoor Sunroom concept board below.  Wrap…

  • POM POMS

    You wouldn’t think there would be any commonality among design, fashion and a dog’s tail.  Pardon?  My beloved pup had surgery on her tail recently and her gorgeous, fluffy appendage turned into something of a pom pom.  Sad? Yes. Adorable? Absolutely.  It reminded me of how delightful pom poms are.  It’s something about a shape so perfectly simple encased in fluff.  Whether it’s a detail on shoes, trim on drapes or something more unexpected – pom poms just make me happy.   The indefatigable Iris Apfel gets it. (L) Rebecca de Ravenel wearing her celebrated Les Bonbons earrings;  (C) a fanciful canopy by Olive Juice Interior Design;  (R) happy yellow Billy Button flowers c/o…

  • Huntley & Co. DC Design House

    show-house // faux-client :: the reveal!

    We know you and our fabulous faux clients have been waiting for our big reveal.  The design process is nothing, if not, an exercise in patience.  From concept to installation, interior design requires vision, tenacity and know-how.  It’s a labor of love, but labor nonetheless.  So when the time finally comes to present our clients with their dream home, our excitement is hard to contain.  This particular dream home is ‘faux show’, but the thrill of the reveal remains the same … So without further ado! — THE 2016 FAUX HOUSE REVEAL — [ Our clients seem pleased ] *  *  * — DESIGNER Q&A — Our Huntley & Co.…

  • SHOW-HOUSE // FAUX-CLIENT :: PART III

    Sourcing goods and materials for our interior fuels our creativity, but drawings take the design to the next level.  After all, a room is only as good as it is functional — we aren’t aiming for beauty just for beauty’s sake.  Working out our ideas in AutoCAD ensures that we are on target with scale, proportion and spatial relationships.  A well-trained designer can evaluate whether a piece will work in a room or not simply by looking at it.  Still, transferring its dimensions to paper (or the computer as in our case) ensures down-to-the-1/8” accuracy.  Huntley & Co. is a business built on mindfulness and our drawings are the technical backbone of our…

  • dc design house huntley & co.

    SHOW-HOUSE // FAUX-CLIENT :: part II

    Like the early stages of a romance, the onset of a new design project brings lots of excitement, energy and anticipation.  Now that we’ve “gotten to know” our Faux Clients better and have defined a visual narrative for their space, we are ready to start deep-diving the design.  It’s time to measure the room, pull our materials and find our gorgeous furnishings — let’s show this showhouse what we’re made of! Prep Work______________________________ Preparation and foresight are the secret weapons behind a good design.  We always arrive well-prepped for site visits and measures.  Camera? Check.  Tape measure? Check.  Comfortable shoes? Definitely check.        Scouting for Furnishings____________________ Scouting for hidden treasure is one of…

  • dc design house inspiration - DC interior design showhouse

    SHOW-HOUSE // FAUX-CLIENT

    A showhouse is unique in that it provides a designer with the freedom to create a space that is bound only by her innovation and talent.  With a project that lacks a scope of work and a flesh-and-blood client, we find it important to invent a narrative to guide our design concept.  At Huntley & Co. we create a “faux client” to serve as muse during the showhouse process.  We have been blessed with some pretty wonderful clients throughout the years, but our Faux Clients 2016 definitely have us crushing hard!   dc interior designer Concept Development______________ Washington DC is a city filled with people of varied and interesting backgrounds.  Our…

  • HARDWARE – THE ESSENTIAL ACCESSORY

    Those who won in Rio can be found post-games posing with their hard-earned medals (gold, silver and/or bronze) at news conferences, talk shows and celebrity events.  Olympic hardware is pretty delicious — and not just because the athletes like to take a playful chomp during photo-ops — the heft and quality of the medals is obvious.  That’s why hardware is one of my favorite elements in design.  Well-crafted hardware not only looks good, if feels good.  Handling a door knob or drawer pull that’s cast and detailed to perfection is like nothing else.  Install beautiful, substantial hardware throughout a residence and the home will have guaranteed gravitas and soul. MAKE…

  • The Floors Beneath our Feet

    Like a painter preps his canvas, a good designer attends to the bones of a room before honing in on its decorative elements.  We make strategic shifts in proportion, tone, and detail, both subtle and grandiose, when thoughtfully designing a space.  A beautiful wood floor is one such essential element that has the power to really make our rooms sing.  We’re always told to “look up” or “look forward”, as a kind of mantra to mindfulness, happiness and all things good.  Well, I say “look down” because there’s beauty and inspiration to be had at your feet!         Our design studio becomes a laboratory for deep diving, where…

  • Tableaux

    There are only two things in this world of which I will never tire.  One, cute animals.  And two, vignettes.  It’s true, nothing snaps me out of a bad mood faster than a cleverly styled tabletop or an otter eating lettuce on Youtube.  Vignettes I love because they can be pulled together in minutes.  I love them because everyday things – a branch from the yard, a child’s toy, a vintage teacup – always make them more interesting.  I love them because they have personality.  I love them because they’re artistic and inspirational.  I love them because they make me happy … even sans otter.      A favorite vignette from…