300 D Street, SW – C21 Washington, DC 20024 202/554-5053 fax 202/488-3711 merchandisemart.com/dcdesigncenter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Photography Available upon Request
Contact: Bethany L. Carter
Director of Marketing
202/646-6109 bcarter@mmart.com
THE GRACIOUS ROOM FALL 2004 DESIGN HOUSE OPENS AT
THE WASHINGTON DESIGN CENTER
9 Regional Designers Create Gracious Living Spaces
[Washington, DC] – September 17, 2004 - The Washington Design Center announces the opening of the Gracious Room Fall 2004 Design House on Friday, September 24, 2004. The Gracious Room is sponsored in partnership with Southern Accents Magazine and includes 9 redesigned spaces created by regional designers and architects. The Gracious Room Fall 2004 Design House opens September 24th and will remain open six days per week through December 18, 2004.
In it’s sixteenth iteration, Design House has developed over the last eight years as the preeminent showcase for local design talent to showcase the luxury products available exclusively through Washington Design Center showrooms. Design House is a unique showcase of top designers from the region along with the finest home furnishings and building products available in the market today. Design House offers Washingtonians a first-hand opportunity to see, feel and experience great design. Visitors will be inspired to create the home of their dreams.
The nine new spaces designed by the participating designers below for The Gracious Room Fall 2004 Design House include:
• Entrance Foyer – Fiona Weeks, of Fiona Newell Weeks Interiors of Potomac, MD.
Enter the welcoming Oriental-inspired foyer. Greeting you is a beautiful wooden chest from J. Lambeth & Co. topped by a Baroque style mirror and vase. To the right, antique oriental wallpaper panels have been framed to line the walls from floor to ceiling. Anyone waiting in the foyer can be comfortably seated among mounds of luxurious silk pillows. The rich Tibetan rug from Odegard, Inc. with its rich colors warms the space and offers a sense of serenity.
• Living Room – Ricardo Ramos and Sheree Friedman, IFDA and ASID of Studio Nuovo of Bethesda, MD.
This multi-functional “Great Room” has two separate sitting areas that are as comfortable as they are elegant. Studio Nuovo accentuates the diversity of the room by selecting the elegant EJ Victor Black and Gilt Lacquer Cabinet along with the comfortable Wing Chair available through Robert Allen/Beacon Hill. This sociable environment incorporates comfortable yet elegant furnishings that are upholstered using one-of-a-kind fabrics and accessories to give this room a gracious feel.
-More-
The Gracious Room
Fall 2004 Design House
–2-
• Dining Room – Kelley Proxmire of Kelley Interior Designs of Bethesda, MD.
This “Georgian Generations” dining room is subtle yet hospitable. Faux-painted grass cloth on the walls is combined with a gentle cream-toned paint. A modern wool sisal rug available through Stark Carpet is trimmed in blue ultra-suede adds a bit of elegance to the floor. A traditional molding and panel treatment surround the faux black marble fireplace. Added to the mix is a bold black and white zebra fabric across a simple mahogany bench. Welcome to dinner!
• Ladies Bedroom – Gary Inman, ASID and Eleanor Barton of Gary Inman Interiors, Ltd. of Richmond, VA and Alexandria, VA.
Well-worn luxury describes this private sitting room designed for a woman who enjoys traditional comforts, yet remains thoroughly modern in her lifestyle and attitudes. Family heirlooms and photographs add character and a sense of continuity while a unique collection of art and hand crafted objects create a vibrant energy that is timeless.
• Bathroom – Victor Shargai, Rahman Seraj and Blair Riggs, ASID of Victor Shargai & Associates, Inc. of Washington, DC.
By partnering with Sherle Wagner, Victor Shargai & Associates has created a luxurious room for a glamorous “lady of the house” who has a strong aesthetic sensibility. Mixing creams, teals and melons to complement the tital-tressed client. The combination of stone, rock crystal and silk would be appropriate in a New York penthouse or a plantation on the James River. So, madam, enjoy, be peaceful and luxuriate.
• Master Bedroom – Hector Gonzalez, ASID and Rahul Goswami of Design Atelier at Old Town of Alexandria, VA.
The use of classic color combinations, patterns and textures bring the Old Town feel to this master bedroom. The subtle green wall covering from Brunschwig & Fils act as a stunning background for the traditional Venetian hand painted Italian bed and the custom 18th century ruby red chaise lounge. This master bedroom is the perfect place for one to start and end their day.
• Ladies Dream Room – Victoria Sanchez, IFDA of Interiors by Victoria Sanchez of Alexandria, VA.
Pinks, peaches and creams are perfect colors combination for the silk walls and the tassels on the trim keep it fun. A hand-painted dresser holds purses, belts, scarves and any other needed accessory. Feminine design details makes this a room to pamper and play.
• Library/Study – Basha White, ASID and Corbin Volk of Basha White Interiors of Chevy Chase, MD.
This space is sophisticated and classic and elegantly combines elements of contemporary and traditional lifestyles. The elegance of the room is accented with the luxurious colored silk draperies, roman shades, rich leather chairs, wing chairs with bronze nail-heads available through Holly Hunt and the ivory and gold Fortuny lamp. The richness is tied together with the warmth of the suede walls, giving the room a serene feel.
• Gentleman’s Retreat – Stan Kelly, of Stan Kelly Interiors of Washington, DC.
This retreat has a welcoming mix of modern upholstered seating, antique furnishings artfully combined with 17th century garden urns to create a masculine and architecturally interesting reading room. Anchoring the reading room is a pair of antique book cases flanked by an over scale sofa and centered by a coffee
-More-
The Gracious Room
Fall 2004 Design House
-3-
table appropriately stacked with books. The earth tones of the sisal floor along with the taupe and white tent stripe silk draperies creates a familiar, warm and yet modern palette.
An opening party charity event for The Gracious Room Fall Design House will be held on Thursday, September 23, from 6-8pm with proceeds from ticket sales to benefit the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This cocktail event is an engaging opportunity for the design community and the general public to view the new decorator showhouse, meet the participating design teams, and support a worthwhile community organization that works to provide leadership, education and advocacy to save America’s diverse historic places and revitalize our communities . Tickets are $55 per person or $100 for two, and may be reserved by phoning 202-646-6108. Valet parking will be available at the front entrance.
The public is welcome to visit The Gracious Room Fall 2004 Design House weekdays from 10am-5pm and on Saturdays from 10am-3pm; admission is free. More information is available by phoning 202-646-6108 or by visiting merchandisemart.com/dcdesigncenter.
The Washington Design Center is located at 300 D Street, SW in Washington, DC, above the Federal Center SW Metro Station served by the Orange and Blue lines. To learn more about The Washington Design Center’s showrooms, programs and special events call 202/646-6118 or visit the Design Center online at merchandisemart.com/dcdesigncenter.
###
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) is an asset and property management firm, which specializes in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space, and much of its staff’s efforts are devoted to the marketing and promotion of these spaces on a day-to-day basis. Expert in trade show management and production, MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year. MMPI prides itself on the vision and ability to foster and sustain productive partnerships crucial to the vitality of the industries it serves.
MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart, Chicago Apparel Center, and 33 North Dearborn in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building in New York; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Washington Office Center in Washington, D.C. In addition to its properties, MMPI produces and manages trade and consumer shows in Chicago; New York City; Los Angeles; Atlanta, Ga.; Washington, D.C.; High Point, N.C.; Toronto, Ont., Canada; and Edmonton, Alta., Canada.
Vornado Realty Trust, owner of MMPI, based in Paramus, New Jersey, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado Realty Trust is led by Steven Roth, Chairman of the Board/Chief Executive Officer, Michael Fascitelli, President, and Joseph E. Hakim, Chief Operating Officer. Vornado’s common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.