All the Beautiful Things...

I spent yesterday looking for the perfect navy upholstery velvet which eventually led me to The Washington Design Center located in Southwest Washington, DC. For me visiting the Design Center is always a treat. I just love it there. There are so many amazing showrooms displaying the latest and most beautiful goods and fabrics from all over the world.  I don't visit nearly as often as I would like because there seems to be a common notion amongst my clients that the Design Center is an extremely expensive place for luxury home goods.  And while this can be the case, it is not solely the case.  In quite a few instances, I have found it much less expensive to buy a sofa and have it upholstered in a fabric of your choosing than what it would cost to buy the same sofa from a local furniture store. And when you stop to think about about it, who wouldn't prefer a less expensive custom product versus one that is more expensive and mass produced? Hmm.

For some, The Washington Design Center is a secret treasure chest of goodies and for a designer, the Design Center is a place ripe with inspiration.  I didn't have much time to revel in that inspiration (only an hours worth of change for the meter) so I could only visit a few of my favorites (Duralee, Niermann Weeks and Holly Hunt).  Here are a few shots I captured of some of the beautiful things...

Tiebacks from Duralee.

Solid wood chair from Holly Hunt.

Saturn chandelier from Holly Hunt.

Lucite coffee table from Niermann Weeks.

Lucite and glass end table from Niermann Weeks.