AS SEEN IN THE LATE SPRING 2007 ISSUE A Colorful Mix Interior designer Debbie Wiener hones in on family-friendly furnishings and maintains high style in a recent makeover By Barbara Karth Photography by Mark Finkenstaedt Joey Sloter knew that she would be working with a designer as she began the second renovation on the Maryland home she shares with her husband, Stan, a commercial real estate developer, and their two daughters. The couple wanted the very special and distinctively designed furnishings that come only through the trade in this reconfigured space. Though high-end décor often conveys images of silks and linens, fragile antiques and delicate porcelains, I want nothing in the house that I can t put my feet on, she recalls her husband saying. Comfort was the priority in both the visual and physical sense, she confirms, but I wanted the house to make a statement. As she perused magazines and newspapers for ideas, Sloter repeatedly came across the name Designing Solutions, designer Debbie Wiener s firm that focuses on family-friendly interiors and discovered it was a good match. The renovation encompassed a new library, gallery and great room; the homeowners asked Wiener to furnish these spaces, as well as make over the existing entry foyer, dining room and powder room. Deborah Wiener helped her clients furnish the newly renovated home (top). She designed seven stain-proof rugs for the project, including the one in the foyer (opposite) and gallery (left). Wiener also designed a drum-shaped pendant in the foyer to coordinate with the draperies and upholstery in the adjacent dining room. In the entry, Ellen Jacobson of Creative Wall Works applied a terracotta color in a plaster finish. Interior Design: Debbie Wiener, Designing Solutions, Silver Spring, Maryland 160 HOME & DESIGN MAY/JUNE 2007
The library, with its built-in window seat (above), invites the girls to curl up with a good book. Furnishings are traditional with contemporary accents, such as the confetti-swirl chenille on the armchairs (right). The coffee table and custom tree lamps are from Jayson 15 in Washington, DC. Wiener, mother of two active teenage boys, understands the wear and tear family life can bring to a house. She is an expert at choosing materials and furnishings that eliminate the need for nagging and are immune to the catastrophic potential of spills. However, she also appreciates luxurious fabrics, fine furniture lines and quality workmanship and manages to blend these two seemingly incompatible priorities, designing indestructible spaces that also look good. The Sloters home was built as a 1990s take on a Georgian traditional, with a center entry and the living room to one side and the dining room on the other. They had decided 162 HOME & DESIGN MAY/JUNE 2007
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COMFORT WAS THE PRIORITY IN BOTH THE VISUAL AND PHYSICAL SENSE, SAYS HOMEOWNER JOEY SLOTER, BUT I WANTED THE HOUSE TO MAKE A STATEMENT. that the traditional living room was completely useless for their lifestyle, since they make full use of the casual, contemporary living space adjacent to the kitchen with its expanse of windows overlooking the pool and wooded landscape. So they converted the living room to Stan Sloter s home office, accessible from the foyer through frosted glass doors. Beyond the entry, a generous gallery opens to the kitchen, the library, the great room and the powder room. Broader than a hallway, the gallery is the center of the home and a casual gathering spot for friends when the Sloters entertain. A mix of traditional and contemporary, the rugs reflect the Sloters taste; they gravitate toward items with historic roots punched up with current colors and patterns in earthy hues That is part of what I loved about the project. I love a mix; it makes a room very unique, notes Wiener. At the beginning of the project, Wiener initially focused on rugs since they were a top priority for Sloter. Wiener e-mailed her some design samples to get a sense of her style and color preferences. Little did they know, the rugs would become the stylistic link in their overall decorating concept. Wiener designed all of the rugs used in the project and had them fabricated by Kensington-based Soroush. I sketched all these rugs, sitting in the carpool lane, waiting for my car to fill up with five screaming kids. I think moving from her house of kids to my car of kids inspired me, explains Wiener. Ultimately, there would be seven rugs, each a different design yet linked by color and motif, from striped borders and spirals to geometric shapes. Through the use of color, pattern and fibers made of new Zealand wool, Wiener assured her clients that the rugs would either disguise or resist stains that might come from a pack of pre-teens running through the A silk fixture designed by Christian Liaigre hangs over the dining table (opposite). A softer version of the terracotta wall color dotted with spirals carries the theme of the rugs into the faux-finished powder room (left). The vessel sink (above) is by Vitraform. www.homeanddesign.com 165
house. In the great room, she purposely positioned her most highly patterned, colorful rug under the sofa where the girls will most likely be eating in front of the TV. Throughout the new spaces, Wiener s choice of lighting is inspired: a fixture designed by Christian Liaigre in Lee Jofa silk hangs over the dining table. Wiener needed a fixture of equal importance for the adjacent foyer; she designed a shallow drum-shaped pendant with a shade of striped silk in hues that coordinate with the rugs and the dining room draperies and upholstery. Over the billiard table hangs another gorgeous fixture: a whimsical pumpkin-colored silk fixture with ochre dots by Holly Hunt. And in the library, two custom floor lamps in a twig motif bring the outdoor imagery inside. Furnishings in both the dining room and library are traditional with contemporary accents. The dining table legs In the great room (above), the green leather sectional is equipped with swingaround tabletops that fold into the arms, perfect for snacking in front of the TV. Local artisan David Hymes designed the coffee table. A whimsical Holly Hunt fixture hangs above the billiard table (opposite). Andrea and Joey Sloter, Debbie Wiener and Kelsey Sloter (inset pictured from left to right) shoot some pool. are capped with shiny, chrome ferrules; the accompanying chairs upholstered in a contemporary fabric. The chenille library chairs sport a present-day motif of confetti swirls. To make things really durable, I didn t rule out bringing in some commercial lines when it was appropriate when it worked, says Wiener, noting the center table in the library. In addition, built-in window seats are topped in cushions with innersprings for added comfort. The girls like to lounge on 166 HOME & DESIGN MAY/JUNE 2007
them to read or study and the family gathers around the table in the comfort of the four chairs to play board games or work on puzzles. Console/bars and a smashing coffee table customdesigned and built by local artisan David Hymes outfit the great room. Behind the green, wedge leather sofa is a cabinet by Virginia craftsman Iain Lowrie. Of all the things we did, my husband really likes these custom pieces, says a very pleased Joey Sloter. Are the concepts of upscale luxury and family-friendly mutually exclusive? Wiener s work for the Sloters completely proves the notion false. Contributing editor Barbara Karth resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Mark Finkenstaedt is a photographer based in Falls Church, Virginia. RESOURCES All custom paint treatments: Ellen Jacobson, Creative Wall Works, Bethesda, MD. All Rug Designs: Debbie Wiener, Designing Solutions. GALLERY Rug Fabrication: Soroush, Kensington, MD. Fortuny Silk Ceiling Lights: through Odegard, Washington, DC. LIBRARY Rug Fabrication: Soroush, Kensington, MD. Four Dapha Chairs, McGuire Computer Armoire: through Baker, Knapp & Tubbs, Washington, DC. Fabrics & Trim on Chairs & Window Seat: (continued) www.homeanddesign.com 167
A Colorful Mix Continued from page 167 Ground Works through Lee Jofa, Washington, DC. Upholstery Fabrication: Yi s Interiors, Rockville, MD. HBF Round Glass Table & Custom Tree Lamps: through Jayson 15, Washington DC. Window Shades: Custom through Designing Solutions. Fan: Emerson Fan Company. DINING ROOM Boiler Table & Display Cabinet: through Jayson 15, Washington, DC. Custom Painted Sisal Rug: Ellen Jacobson through Designing Solutions. Christian Liaigre Lighting Fixture: Holly Hunt, Washington, DC. Drapery Fabrication: Yi s Interiors. Drapery Fabrics/Trim & Chair Fabrics: Ground Works through Lee Jofa, Washington, DC. Dining Chairs: Baker, Knapp & Tubbs, Washington, DC. Recessed Lighting: Evolution from Lightolier. POWDER ROOM Sink, Pedestal & Hardware: Vitraform. GREAT ROOM Rug: Soroush, Kensington, MD. Green Leather Wedge Sectional: American Leather. Drum Ottomans: Lee Industries through American Eye, Washington, DC. Fabric/Trim on Drum Ottomans & Toss Pillows on Sectional: Ground Works through Lee Jofa, Washington, DC. Custom Coffee Table & Bar Consoles: David Hymes, University Park, MD. Custom Cabinet Behind Sectional: Iain Lowrie, Alexandria, VA. Billiards Table Light Fixture: Remains Lighting through Holly Hunt, Washington, DC. Lamp Shades & Roman Shades: Custom through Designing Solutions. Roman Shade Fabric: Hinson, Washington, DC. Roman Shade Trim: Kravet, Washington, DC. Urban Bar Stools: Century Furniture, Washington, DC. Bar Stool Fabric: Lee Jofa, Washington, DC. Top photo: Daughter Kelsey finds her newly designed sophisticated bedroom perfect for study. Bottom photo: Younger sister Andrea loves the fantasyland created in her new bedroom. 244 HOME & DESIGN MAY/JUNE 2007