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 design’s greatest thrills. Fortunately, we are blessed to have access to a rich variety of vendors and shops from which to source our goods. We let serendipity play a part in our work, so it’s usually one or two really special discoveries that drives our designs. This part of the process is not about “shopping”; it’s about having an informed concept, an open mind and a great eye. Our goal at Huntley & Co. is always to curate an interior that is both timeless and forward-thinking — to evoke an emotional response that inspires and nourishes the spirit of the client.

Pulling Together the Scheme_________________

Besides hunting for furnishings during this phase, we pour through our office library for fabrics and finishes. We strive to use materials that enhance a home’s architecture and complement the lifestyle of our clients. A thoughtfully selected mix of light and dark, textural and refined, beautiful and odd are what make a room interesting and livable.

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Next week we’ll bring you Part III of our Show-house/Faux-client series where we’ll dive into the technical aspects (drawings!) of the project. Subscribe to our newsletter or find us on Bloglovin’ to stay tuned.

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!

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Concept Development______________

Washington DC is a city filled with people of varied and interesting backgrounds. Our Huntley & Co. “clients” are an art dealer wife with an international childhood (thanks to a father who was Ambassador to Peru) and a west coast-born husband with a Renaissance spirit. The couple shares a love of art, music and philanthropy. Both travel frequently to New York, California, Europe and South America. With that in mind, our goal for these busy and passionate entrepreneurs was to create a true LIVING space that reflects their personal histories and nurtures the lifestyle of their young family.