Photographs by Neil Alexander.

Using a cheerful palette of pink, yellow, and lime, Kelley Proxmire of Kelley Interior Design created a Rhode Island seaside retreat bursting with traditional yet playful touches. Inspired by the home’s sprawling 15-acre landscape, the designer mixed botanical prints with raspberry fabrics, sunny wallpaper, and pops of green. But it’s small touches like colored piping and monogrammed pillows that pull the whole look together. We asked Washington’s queen of prep to share her tips for creating a room Lilly Pulitzer herself would envy.

When we featured interior designer Lori Graham’s Dupont Circle rowhouse in our October guide to Dream Kitchens, we didn’t realize just how drool-worthy the rest of the home was. It’s now on the market for $2,749,900, and this photo tour left us with a serious case of house envy.

This 1870s Capitol Hill rowhouse had been converted into a three-unit apartment building. “It was an incredible house,” says architect Steve Lawlor, “and no one was touching it because it required so much work.”

Though he had helped design dozens of award-winning projects around Washington, Lawlor had never created something from scratch for his own family. He and his wife, Susan Ades, director of exhibits at the National Zoo, decided this was their chance.

When Kevin and Kelly Walker bought an early-1900s Victorian in Winchester, Virginia, their first mission was to overhaul the kitchen. The tiny space—160 square feet—hadn’t been renovated in 35 years. Kevin, an architect at Reader & Swartz Architects, and Kelly, a health educator, had a budget of $25,000. Kevin did the demolition himself, including tearing out a wall of built-in cabinets that closed the kitchen off from the dining room.

Architect Wayne Good’s kitchen is 15 years old, but you’d never know it. “I wanted to create something timeless,” he says.

His 100-year-old rowhouse in Annapolis required a top-to-bottom renovation, which Good did gradually over 12 years. The kitchen was the first room he tackled.

Photograph by Chris Leaman.

Higher prices in DC and the close-in suburbs have led some homebuyers to look at Frederick. “As long as you can keep up with the commute, the advantage of Frederick is lower prices,” says Tom Greeves, who sells homes in the area. The market held steady last year and has been picking up in 2010.

Frederick has MARC and Amtrak service to DC’s Union Station; a walkable downtown with shops, restaurants, and arts; historic homes; and a small-town feel.

Single-family homes range from $200,000 to $1 million. The historic district and Baker Park, near Hood College, are popular. While there hasn’t been much new construction in downtown Frederick, several nearby communities have new single-family homes and townhouses.

>>This item is part of the May 2010 cover story Tales From the Boom and Bust. To read an excerpt from the article, click here. To read the complete account of the rise and fall of the housing market in Washington, pick up a copy of the magazine, now on newsstands.
 

When Lanham-based Kady Development started selling condos in the Floridian in 2005, the two-tower complex at 919 and 929 Florida Avenue, Northwest, in the District promised to become a sign of progress for the blocks between U Street and Howard University.

Four years later, just 32 of the 118 units were occupied, and the building went into foreclosure. Early this year, the Bethesda-based Goldstar Group bought the property and lowered prices; the condos started selling again. We talked with Mark Wood—the first person to move in—before his new neighbors arrived.

I closed on my penthouse unit in May 2008. I paid $795,000, including two parking spaces for $35,000 each.

One of the big selling points was the proposed Howard Town Center, which was supposed to be built behind us with a Harris Teeter and other stores. I hope that will happen eventually.

The condo’s finishes were extremely nice—hardwood floors, ten-foot ceilings, Italian cabinets in the kitchen, tiles from Spain. Off my balcony, I have a great view of the Capitol, the Washington Monument, and National Cathedral. I’m sure the remaining units will sell out quickly.