Saturday, December 1
Alexandria Holiday Designer Tour of Homes. Five Old Town homes decorated by local interior designers and florists. 11 to 4. $30, $25 in advance. 703-548-0111.

Culpeper Christmas Tour of Homes. A glimpse of nine homes, with trolley rides and refreshments. 11 to 4:30. $20, $15 in advance. 540-222-8800.

Frederick Candlelight House Tour. Tour of nine homes, with holiday carolers, a horse-drawn carriage, and refreshments. Saturday 5:30 to 9:30, Sunday noon to 4. $20.

Sunday, December 2
Logan Circle House Tour. Visit a historic church and eight homes, including the residence of Eric Kole, co-owner of Logan Circle’s Vastu furniture store, and a home built for Ulysses S. Grant’s son in 1878. 1 to 5. $20, $15 in advance. The ticket includes a reception at Studio Theatre (1501 14th Street, NW) from 3 to 5:30. 202-489-4553.

Oxford Holiday House Tour. Ten homes, as well as a raffle, gingerbread house display, and refreshments. 11:30 to 4:30. $35, $30 in advance. Tour starts at Oxford Community Center, 200 Oxford Road. 410-226-5904.

Friday, December 7
St. Albans Christmas House Tour. Five homes in Bethesda’s Kenwood neighborhood decorated by local floral designers. Also holiday music performed by students from St. Albans and National Cathedral schools, as well as a holiday boutique and luncheon. Friday 11:30 to 5, Saturday 10 to 4. Tour tickets $35, luncheon tickets $15. 202-537-3190.

Saturday, December 8
Centreville Yuletide House Tour. More than a dozen homes and sites, along with Christmas carols and refreshments. 10 to 4. $20. 410-758-3010.

This weekend the Washington Design Center hosts Treasure Hunt, a two-day sale of furniture, rugs, accessories, lighting, and more. More than 35 of the center’s showrooms—including such big names as Foremost Appliances, Willem Smith, and Clive Christian cabinetry—offer up to 75 percent off regular prices. Floor samples from showrooms, originals, and new merchandise will be showcased. You can also sign up for a free 20-minute consultation with an interior designer.

Friday, October 26 (9 to 5) and Saturday, October 27 (10 to 3). Admission is $5. Call 202-646-6100 or click here for more.  

In 2004, as Oxon Hill Manor was about to complete a major, two-year renovation, a fire broke out in the estate’s east wing and caused severe structural, smoke, and water damage. This summer, the historic Georgian manor finally re-opened to the public. An open house this weekend shows off the restored estate and gives visitors a chance to wander the mansion’s 49 rooms. 

Oxon Hill Manor was built in 1928 for Sumner Welles, undersecretary of State for President Franklin Roosevelt, who was a frequent visitor. Today the mansion—which is owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission—is a popular site for weddings and other events. Fourteen local caterers will provide snacks and refreshments at this Sunday’s open house, from 1 to 4 PM.

Oxon Hill Manor, 6901 Oxon Hill Road, Oxon Hill; 301-839-7782

Renowned American architect Philip Johnson was strongly influenced by the visual arts, from sculpture to painting. Beginning March 15, the Kreeger Museum hosts the exhibit “Phillip Johnson: Architecture as Art,” which will showcase works of art—including paintings by Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol—that had an impact on Johnson’s work. You can support the upcoming exhibition at a silent auction this week at the Georgetown location of Design Within Reach.

Among the items: this egg-shaped chair by Arne Jacobsen, a butterfly stool designed by Japanese industrial designer Sori Yanagi, and a photograph by architectural photographer Richard Schulman. A closing reception on Saturday, September 29, at 3 PM will reveal the winning bids.

Design Within Reach, 3307 Cady’s Alley, NW; 202-339-0890.

Just northwest of Dupont Circle, Kalorama’s streets are lined with beautiful period homes. The Kalorama House and Embassy Tour this Sunday provides a glimpse into the private world of diplomatic entertaining. A highlight this year is the residence of the ambassador of Colombia. Inspired by the Chateau Balleroy in Normandy, the mansion has an intricately carved wood ceiling that was discovered during a renovation.

The tour is from noon to 5 PM on Sunday, September 16 and begins at the Woodrow Wilson House, 2340 S Street, NW.  Tickets are $30.

As the weather warms, gardeners are tending to rose beds, and homeowners are dusting under beds in a fit of spring cleaning. Why not enjoy the fruits of their labor with a home-and-garden tour? Here’s a guide to a few this week and weekend:

• Clifton Community Woman’s Club Homes Tour. Affectionately known by townspeople as the “Brigadoon of Virginia,” the village of Clifton shows off renovations of a few of its historic homes as well as artwork and antiques from around the world. Browse an artist’s show, silent auction, and two boutiques. Thursday, May 17, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Tickets $25.

• Georgetown Garden Treasures: Tudor Place and Dumbarton Oaks. Take a guided tour through two of Washington’s most historic gardens from women in the know—Gail Griffin, director of gardens and grounds at Dumbarton Oaks, and Mary K. Crow, horticulturist at Tudor Place. Saturday, May 19, 11 am. Tickets $12. Registration, available online, is required.

• Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage. Features nine stops in Anne Arundel County, including homes on the National Register of Historic Places and one where George Washington frequently visited a friend. Saturday, May 19, 10 am to 5 pm. Tickets $25.

• Frederick's Beyond the Garden Gates. Get ready for green-thumb inspiration when you stroll through seven private and three public gardens, from a certified wildlife habitat to an original “postage stamp” garden. Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20, 1 to 5 pm. Tickets $15.

• Historic Hyattsville House Tour. Take a peek at how homeowners merge life in an historic home—from art-deco to Queen Anne-style Victorian—with the comforts of 2007. Sunday, May 20, 1 to 5 pm. Tickets $12, $10 in advance.

A model of Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye in France is on display at The Corcoran.

You can see the influence of the Modernist movement in virtually every home-design store and neighborhood in Washington. Everything from coffee cups to living room furniture bears its marks of simple graphics, abstract shapes, and bold colors. Modernist architects believed that a building’s form should mirror its purpose and introduced structures of concrete, steel, and glass. It was also the first time building interiors used open plans that integrate different functions.

Through July 29, The Corcoran explores the foundation and meaning of this influential movement. “Modernism: Designing a New World 1914-1939” comes to Washington from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum—and The Corcoran is the only venue in the United States to host it.

Alvar Aalto's vase is an iconic piece of Finnish design.

In addition to paintings and works on paper by Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, and Pablo Picasso, visitors can browse ideas and designs by such icons of architecture as Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Richard Neutra, and Frank Lloyd Wright. There are also displays of furniture—you’ll get a glimpse of the famous “Wassily” chair and the curvaceous Aalto vase—cars, paintings, and architectural models.

Admission is $14; $10 for students. Hours this weekend are Saturday 10 to 5 and Sunday 10 to 6.

The Corcoran | 500 17th Street, NW | 202-639-1700