The area’s top designers were out in Georgetown in full force last night to celebrate the launch of coffee-table tome Spectacular Homes of Greater Washington, D.C. at Gore Dean Interiors. Guests milled around Deborah Gore Dean’s eclectic antique store while munching smoked salmon on toast triangles and drinking Terra Valentine wine, flown in from Napa Valley for the occasion.


The book is chock full of striking photographs, interesting Q&A’s, and bios of more than 40 area designers including big names such as Thomas Pheasant, Mary Douglas Drysdale, Jose Solis Betancourt, Michael Roberson, and Barry Dixon. It showcases homes in DC, Maryland and Virginia, and is available on amazon.com.

This simple, contemporary dining room table has a black top with brushed steel legs.  Although the owner has already sold the chairs, the table is going for $250, reduced from $400.

More good finds:

• Mahogany hutch from Crate & Barrel for $400
• Upholstered queen-size headboard for $475
• Storehouse armoire for $175
• Cream-colored desk from Ikea for $150
• Set of French doors for $1,000

Thanks, Craigslist!

Where: 3905 44th Street North, McLean
Listing Price: $7,995,000
Time on Market: 20 days
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 10

Details: The owner, an area builder, traveled to Europe to study the architecture of fine homes there. Though the estate’s located in the Chain Bridge/Gold Coast section of McLean, it’s reminiscent of French chateaus built centuries ago and could easily sit atop a hill in Provence.

Iron and stone gates imported from Europe lead the way to the house, which sits on the Potomac with four levels of balconies, a wrap-around terrace overlooking the river, a Spanish-clay tile roof, and a three-car garage. The 11,700-square-foot home has hardwood and stone floors, a two-story library, an exercise room with an attached steam room and sauna, floor-to-ceiling windows and doors, a wine cellar, a media room, a billiard room, 12-foot ceilings, and a radiant-heat floor in the master bath.

More pictures below. 

David Dennis chose the name RCKNDY (pronounced “rock candy”) for his new home-decor boutique on U Street for a handful of reasons. Like the pieces he handpicks for the store, “rock candy is sort of old-fashioned but has a modern flair,” he says. “It comes in bright colors, great flavors, and has all kinds of angles and shapes.” Plus, taking out the vowels is as playful as the store’s contemporary furniture and accessories.

The 1,800-square-foot showroom is stocked with pieces by local, national, and international designers including XYdecor, Orange 22, MoxBox, PlushLiving, Blu Dot, Mint, and Mud Australia. In addition to furniture, RCKNDY sells tableware, lighting, candles, pillows, picture frames, clocks, and more. A bonus for apartment-dwellers: Dennis keeps an eye out for furniture that is the right scale to fit a one- or two-bedroom apartment.

RCKNDY | 1515 U St., NW | 202-332-5639

More pictures below.

Last year, condo developers enticed buyers with Caribbean vacations, gym memberships, and car leases.  Times have changed—a little. 

“We haven’t been seeing the crazy giveaways this year,” said Skip Singleton Jr., a broker with DC Living Real Estate. “Buyers don’t seem to be expecting them as much either, since things are selling more this year.”

Although they might not be offering cars, sellers still are coming up with sweeteners to lock up sales. 

Kenyon Square, a loft-condo building in Northwest DC’s Columbia Heights neighborhood, offers $5,000 toward closing costs. At Linden Row in Lansdowne Town Center near Dulles, buyers can get $28,000 off the cost of the home or $15,000 toward closing costs, depending on the home’s style. Both offers require that buyers use the developer’s preferred lender, a common practice in today’s market.

Rather than offer incentives, the Midtown Reston Residences, a luxury high-rise development in the heart of Reston, is changing its design. Gone is the original “sparse loft” concept—the building was already about 60 percent through the design process—and the developer has hired an interior designer to develop a new look. This time, condos will be done in “Gotham chic,” which combines contemporary trends like bamboo tiles with 1940s Hollywood glam. 

The bottom line: Condo sales are still sluggish, and everything from countertop upgrades to free parking may be negotiable. Incentives haven’t vanished—the buyer may just need to ask for them.

Here’s this week’s roundup of the ten most expensive sales in the region, as reported by American City Business Leads.

Looking to soak up some sun?  These two chaise lounges can help, regardless of your budget.

The Chesapeake Single Chaise and Cushion from Pottery Barn is crafted from solid hardwood with weather-resistant hardware to survive summer showers. The lounge can adjust to four levels and offers drink holders for your summer mojito. Wheels on the back make the chair easy to move. A chaise with a solid-color cushion set rings in at $548; with a striped cushion, $568.

Pottery Barn locations in Georgetown (202-337-8900), Clarendon (703-465-9425), Wisconsin Avenue (202-244-9330), Rockville (240-221-0001), and Tysons Corner (703-821-8504).

On the other hand, maybe you had to have that Michael Kors bikini and now you need to save a little on your outdoor furniture purchase. Check out the Smith & Hawken Marlton Chaise Lounge at Target. For $179, any lounge lizard can find just the right angle for optimal tanning on this wheelable chair that adjusts to five positions. Bring your toolset to the pool, assembly is required. Save 15 percent when you order online.

Target locations in Alexandria (703-706-3840), Falls Church (703-253-0021 and 703-237-8118), Hyattsville (301-955-0005), and Wheaton (301-946-8006).