Where: Solo Piazza, 1300 13th Street, NW
Size: 1,400 square feet
Type: Two bedroom plus den with two bathrooms
Moved in: September 2005

Why Logan Circle? “I like how everything is changing in this neighborhood. Plus, it’s close to everything, including my office on 14th Street. Before I moved here, I lived in Mount Pleasant for 13 years. I thought I’d live there forever. Then I started doing real estate and I realized I could play with my money—sell, buy. So I sold my place and moved here.”

What’s the style of the house?  I guess you would call it a Cape Cod since it is technically one-and-a-half stories. We looked at hundreds of plans and combined what we liked.

Can you describe the floorplan? Our house has three bedrooms with an extremely open floorplan. The entire second floor is the master suite with 20-foot cathedral ceilings of heavy timber. The main floor consists of the open kitchen, pantry, dining area, powder room, and living area. We like to have parties and this open floorplan lends itself to entertaining—everyone can be in the same room, but also spread out. We also have a large wraparound deck. The basement has a large laundry room (which also holds an extra fridge and freezer), an exercise area, a full bath, two bedrooms, and a recreation room with a wet bar.

Where: Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood
Size: 1,250 square feet
Type: Two-bedroom bungalow
Move in date:  August 1, two weeks after returning from our honeymoon

Why Ballston? “We moved to Arlington about three years ago into a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony, pool, gym, and free street parking. It was great. But as the wedding date drew closer and wedding gifts started to arrive, space became a problem. Plus, we wanted to start our married life in a new place, preferably a house. We stumbled onto this house as they were literally hammering the “For Rent” sign in the yard. We ran home to call the Realtor and make an appointment to view it. Two weeks later, the place was ours—twice as big, twice as cute, and practically in our backyard.”

Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page. 

Overall Look? “The house is fairly small and low-set, so we wanted something minimal and modern but comfortable and lived-in. Our last apartment always had a cluttered feel because of the lack of space and our large furniture—gotta love hand-me-downs. We wanted to scale things back a bit and really open the space up. We chose pieces with cleaner lines and neutral colors to give the house more versatility and flow.”

Inspiration? “I read magazines constantly, especially In Style, In Style Home, Real Simple, and Domino. I save my favorites. I’ve even decorated a little side table in the guest room with old copies of In Style. Plus, there are always Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn catalogs in my mailbox or on my coffee table. Rich can get on board with those because they’re never too flowery or overdone.  Just classic and comfy—that’s us!”

Biggest decorating challenge? Making everything fit and blend together. As I said before, we have a lot of really big pieces. This house has forced us to pick and choose our favorites, which meant finally throwing some old college dorm remnants away and actually buying “grown-up” furniture. Embracing the less-is-more mentality has been a challenge, but a good one. Having a basement to hide extra pieces helps, too!

Favorite element? Our couch. We bought it from Crate & Barrel, thanks to gift certificates and store credit from returned wedding gifts. It completely transforms the room and gives it a much more sophisticated feel.

Breakfast room with frame "nests."

Where? West Dupont Circle
Size? 2,500 square feet
Type? Townhouse
Moved in? 2001

Why Dupont? "This area has the best of city living. Everything we need is within walking distance, including the Metro. We have The Phillips Collection, wonderful architecture, and a variety of shops."

Overall Look? "Gilded eclectic is the only category we can fit into; we have more gilded objects than King Tut."

Inspiration? "Bill is an artist, gilder, frame-maker, and conservator of gilded objects. This is why we have empty antique frames as artwork and other little treasures sitting around. I am a painter who has learned to use gold leaf in my work and since my studio is the top floor of our home, I use the entire house to showcase my work."

Biggest Decorating Challenge?  "Incorporating all the weird things Bill brings home. Like the twisted iron railing he pulled from a demolition site, gilded, and proudly brought home one night. It ended up on our living room mantle."

Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page. 

Where? The Cherrydale neighborhood in North Arlington
Size? 700 square feet
Type? One bedroom
When did you move in? Memorial Day weekend

Why North Arlington? “I had been renting a house with a couple of girls in the same area, and I fell in love with all the cute shops. I love going to the Lee Height shops—my favorites are Arrowine, a wine store; Randolph’s bakery; and Cassatts, a New Zealand-style cafe. When it came time to live on my own, I knew I couldn’t leave the neighborhood. It feels like home.”
 

Where? 16th and Q streets, near Dupont Circle
Size? 472 square feet
Type? Studio
Moved in? August 2007

Why Dupont Circle? "After two years of living in a four-story townhouse in Southwest DC with three friends,  I wanted a place that was my own.  I wanted to experience more of the city and live in a neighborhood that was close to my favorite restaurants, bars, and stores.  I also feel safe walking around the neighborhood and I love its beautiful rowhouses."

Overall Look? "Modern and minimalist. I wanted to use the same color palette throughout so the room flowed well, yet I still tried to make each area distinct. I didn’t want to feel like my dining room (if you can call it that) was in my bedroom. Because my kitchen is separate from the main living area, I decided I could use different colors to make that part feel distinct.  
"To achieve a minimal look and make the apartment feel bigger, I scaled back on furniture and other objects that could clutter the apartment. I read that the worst thing you could do in a studio is have furniture that is overwhelming and too large—or just have too much stuff. I also had to think of new ways to use things I already owned so that I didn’t have to buy all new furniture. My rent was doubling, so I had a very limited budget!"

Inspiration? "A two-page spread in a West Elm catalog caught my eye. The furniture was dark brown and there were light blue accents. While this was a look specifically for a living room in a large home with ample space, I decided to try to make it work. I used chocolate brown, light blue, and cream/beige as the colors for my main room.
"Because a friend had gotten me cute black and white kitchen towels and an oven mitt, and another friend gave me black stemless martini glasses with black and white napkins, I decorated my kitchen in black and white."