With their classical and symmetrical facades, center-hall colonial homes are popular in the Washington, DC area. The majority, built in the 1920-30’s, offer a pleasing floor plan.
Shortly after my friends and clients, Susan and Greg, purchased their renovated colonial, they asked me to help update the interiors. Susan loves Swedish painted furniture, but did not necessarily want a Swedish style home. Since all the walls had already been painted and window treatments completed, I suggested mixing in Swedish pieces that complemented the traditional furniture and existing warm palette of golds and taupes.
I hope you enjoy touring this elegant home:
Pair of Swedish blue demi-lunes from Tone on Tone flank the fireplace. Pair of club chairs from Lee Industries. Belgian wool sisal rug from Stark. Durable and soft, this low pile rug is also great as a staircase runner—I have it at our home.
The drawing is from artist and friend Jill Bateman. I restyled the mantel with mercury glass and shells for summer. The vintage galvanized wire screen I found in England.
To maximize seating in the long and narrow living room, I placed a Swedish settee at one end.
Jane Churchill’s “Simla” cover the oversize pillows on settee. The blue and pale yellow work well with the existing golden maize silk curtains.
Swedish Gustavian armchairs, French zinc mirror, and iron console are all antiques from my shop. The brass chandelier is original to the house.
A corner of the new kitchen. Herbs are perched on the windowsill for quick access.
The rear family room with coffered ceiling is an addition to the house.
Instead of the ubiquitous black, I chose Farrow & Ball’s “Blue Gray” #91 for the new front door. Lanterns are from McLean Lighting. Jardinieres from Restoration Hardware.
Many thanks to Susan and Greg for inviting us in!
Loi
Center hall colonials are my preferred floor plan. I think I like the symmetry. I really love the dining room in this house for its its understated mix of styles. All of the spaces seem very calming.
What a gorgeous home, Loi, both elegant and inviting! You really did a fantastic job. Love the Swedish feel in every room.
I remember admiring the facades of the houses in Georgetown, they all have the same lovely style but each one is unique depending on the paint chosen.
Love the blue grey colour of the front door and how it contrasts with the white around it.
Thanks for the tour, Loi! Keep them coming!
Kifus
Loi-
These people were lucky to have you design their home, Loi! I love every thing about it.
The Gustavian chairs are fabulous and look amazing with the table. Is that a pedestal table? Just perfect. The rug is also perfectly textured for this space.
I hope that at some point I will be on a trip near your shop, because I will certainly stop by!
Teresa
xoxo
Teresa – Yes, it's an antique English double pedestal dining table. Thanks for asking 🙂
A beautiful home with some lovely touches from yourself and your shop. Mercury glass I love. I have a pair of candlesticks and I enjoy the way they always look clean and sparkling without the need to get out the silver cleaner. The Swedish settee appeals very much and so does the zinc French mirror. A lovely very tasteful home.
Loi, you're a genius! Can you come here with a truck load of stuff and restyle our house? I wish we had classic old houses like this in Calgary (we will have to build one)! The choice of the F&B blue/green gray door is so lovely with the stones – you are right – black would be too harsh here. All beautiful choices and I like her colours of taupe with the lovely yellows. My favorite thing of all is the beautiful settee. Well done Loi! You are indeed a wonderful decorator – everything looks effortless and I love how you never overdo anything – it is all clean and elegant.
xo Terri
Hi Loi – the color palette here is lovely. I usually think of yellow as a strong color but in this instance it seems muted and perfectly suited to the overall neutral feeling of the rooms – it almost glows. (Of course, it could have something to do with your pro photography.) Beautiful pieces from the shop as well.
I am going to use your idea of gingham only on the backs of the dining room chairs when I recover mine. I love gingham, they are currently upholstered in one, but I need to change the color and wanted to tone them down a little – that treatment is just the thing.
Hope you are staying cool in DC!
xo,
Phyllis
How elegant and refined – everything is fitting. I love the checked blue and white pillows on the arm chairs: perfect size, perfect trim, balanced but off-centre.
What an absolutely exquisite colour palette – and such incredible pieces of furniture! I LOVE the Swedish Gustavian armchairs, the demi-lunes, and that incredible Swedish settee – ALL of which would be VERY welcome at Hill House – ha ha! You also have me seriously rethinking the colour of my front door. In London, where we had a Victorian terrace, we had a beautiful Farrow & Ball muted olive green door, which I adored. Having inherited the gloss black colour on our current front door, we have been scratching our heads wondering whether a similar soft sage tone would work or not. Seeing these pictures has tugged on my heart a little – I may have to brave it and have a go at painting it. If it doesn't work – I'll blame you Loi!
Paula xx
Gorgeous. It all works together so beautifully. I especially love the settee. And the front door – great color.
Claudia
Another fantastic home! Thanks so much for sharing your incredible design talent. I especially love how you were able to work with pieces the homeowners already had and incorporate things from your shop to make them all work so beautifully together.
Loi,
What a beautiful and soothing interior! I love the calmness that it exudes, while maintaining a chic design aesthetic!
Love the color on the front door….a stunning first impression!
xo Elizabeth
Hi Loi – Another beautiful home! Your choices / suggestions for the home owner are lovely. It all blends together to so well. The entryway with the F&B blue / green door and planters is so welcoming (I've pinned it already!).
Deborah
Hi Loi – Another beautiful home! Your choices and suggestions for the homeowner are lovely. It all blends together so well. The entryway with the Blue Gray door and planters is so welcoming.
Deborah
Love the demi lunes Loi…so beautiful!
Great front door color and you are so right….it's a welcome change from black.
Beautifully done!!!!
Hi Loi,
Did your property survive the derecho? My brother described the damage to their neighborhood in Chevy Chase and they are out of power. I immediately thought of your beautiful gardens!
Your friend's house is very pretty, the creamy exterior and beautiful sage colored front door are perfection with the planters and flagstone steps!
Best wishes,
Cindy
Hi Cindy – We are so fortunate to have power. Many are still without. Fingers crossed! Loi
It is so lovely! I love the warmth & the mix, the beautiful antiques. Love the front door, what a wonderful welcome to this elegant home. Thank you Loi for sharing.
Hope you can stay cool & have a wonderful 4th!!
Robin
Hi loi, I find myself in a happy sad state of our sweet wedding over and done. It is very calming to me to read your blog and take your tour of photos as I get back to a normal routine. I was so glad to see your name at the top of my list that made me know you had something beautiful waiting for me to enjoy
Loi, the restraint used here is masterful-Like an artist that knows when to step away from the canvas.
I am learning how to do that in my own home bit by bit-and seeing work like this helps!
As my Aussie friends would say: ta muchly 🙂
Ps-hope you and yours-and your sweet dog-stay cool in that East Coast heat wave…whew!
Lovely. Would you share the color used to Paint the brick.
Hi Anna – Thanks for asking. It is Ben Moore's linen white.
Hi, Loi – The interior is warmly inviting, and the classic lines of the Swedish antiques do indeed complement the rest of the furnishings in a seemless way. I really like the color choice for the front door – it brings out the blues of the slate and stone, and even the patina of the planters.
Loi, this is truly beautiful! The house is lovely but your design expertise certainly makes it shine! I love the colors, the fabrics, everything! It is soothing and elegant and stunning all at the same time! The dining chars remind me of some that I recently had recovered for my shop and they are some of my favorites! I'm so glad I got to see this tonight as I've been way too busy today but really needed and wanted to sit down and read some of my most favorite blogs! Yours is definitely a high priority! Hope your week is wonderful!
Thanks so much, Carolyn. I love your feature on Splendid Sass. 🙂
Loi so beautiful! How lucky are the home owners to be graced in such a way. i love the blue tables against the silk curtains, the colour and texture is perfect…and those ceilings in the family room, WOW! Thanks for sharing:)B
Loi you have given me the inspiration to go all out and use this gorgeous colour scheme to decorate our dining room. Can I ask what colour you have used on the sitting room walls. The interior exudes serenity and lends itself to graceful living. The furniture choices are sublime. Lucky lucky clients.
What a beautiful home with such a serene atmosphere. From what I've seen you are the master of using a subtle colour palette and always with such an exquisite end results. Happy 4th! x Sharon
Love every detail.
I am completely charmed. Love the addition of the Swedish pieces with the traditional design, especially love the demi-lune commodes and your choice of color for the front door…perfection!!
Very peaceful and serene – the exact environment that I prefer, so of course I love this home and its decor!
I particularly appreciate the color of the front door. The blue-gray looks wonderful with the zinc planters and the bluestone!
We worked long and hard to find the right color for our front door, and ended up using Farrow & Ball Chappell Green (although I was secretly rooting for Verte de Terre). With our gray-blue-green slate roof, and the green of the grass and the trees that surround the house, it was a good choice – it looks green at times, blue at other times.
– Holly
Well done Loi! Love the mix of Swedish and traditional. And the colour palette you have chosen is fantastic!
Thank you for sharing with us the ref. of the F&B paint color of the frontdoor! Gorgeous!!!
Have a great start of this week!
xx
Greet
Love this Loi! Like a painting, every detail is perfect! Calm, serene and lovely! Love the color of the front door! Perfection!!
A beautiful transformation. Perfect application of color in just the right spots to maintain your signature tone on tone. Absolutely lovely,
Kathysue
I love everything, Loi!
The color palette is soft and serene.
The Swedish pieces work perfectly in this traditional setting.
It's amazing how versatile Swedish furniture is.
The Farrow and Ball paint color on the front door sets the tone for the entire house.
Just lovely!
xo
Brooke
5 stars Loi! (Again and again!). The mellow yellow is the perfect accent color. And the old, Swedish settee should really be living at my house!
Hugs to you.
Mon
Loi, Love, love it! Looks fabulous. The Swedish furniture bring it to life and add the perfect balance to this home.
Oh my. Alway amazing. Always fresh. You are a master.
I love the drawing over your mantle by Jill Bateman. I seem to remember her work from the Washington Studio School. She was in a show there before I moved to Chicago.
( I attended the Washington Studio School also)
Yes, Jill studied at WSS. She is very talented!! BTW, I also attended WSS when they were in Georgetown.
Beautifully done, Loi. I love the color scheme and the antiques incorporated from your store…especially that lovely settee in the living room. The F&B front door color is perfect. I have been looking for a new color for my front door and I may just give this one a try. I think F&B has the most sophisticated colors, often with very amusing names. Thank your friends for sharing with us. Their home is lovely.
Best…Victoria
You did a wonderful job pairing Swedish pieces with this couples interior. I think the cool, calm elegance of Swedish pieces goes with any interior. It’s a really beautiful home.
I hope you enjoy your Fourth Loi!
XX
Debra~
I absolutely love this! Actually, I love everything you do! best ~ Laurel
Loi – my friend, how did you fare in the storms? Power, A/C? Hope you're OK 🙂
Love this home, and lovely lovely work on it. you've got a great eye *duh
Everything about this is lovely in every way! So interesting to see the combination of Swedish with traditional American. It works perfectly. Incredible job as always, Loi!
Hi Loi! Fabulous as usual:-) I am on a Jane Churchill kick and love the fabric! I was out in the 110 degree desert this Sat. and thought of you. xo, K
Dear Loi, you did a fantastic job! Difficult to walk in and take over when the window treatments and walls had been chosen and finished by someone else, so I think you did a stunning job mixing your Swedish pieces with traditional elements. I must admit that I would prefer a different colour choice in the living room curtains and the kitchen wall colour – I'm just not a 'yellow' fan but you really worked with these existing colours and harmonised the space. Love the blue demi lune tables – they play off the yellow really well. Great Job!
Sharon
xxxx
what a treat your posts are. I like how you've mixed the swedish armchairs with the traditionally darker table in the diningroom. I also love the console there; I have a similar piece in my dining room with a concrete top. It stands below an ornate gold mirror and I love the contrast in textures.
thanks for always inspiring. donna
Gorgeous Loi! Thanks for sharing this beautiful home.
Loi,
Wow, an elegant and beautiful home. I really love the Demi lune tables and the setee! The next time I am in D.C I have to come and visit your store there are too many tempting treasures here for me to miss out on!
I hope you are staying cool, do you have power? Thankfully we were not part of Virginia that lost it…knock on wood.
Take care and enjoy the beautiful, festive Capitol 4 th celebrations!
Eluzabeth
Loi, it's obvious why you have so many great fans here………You are fabulous!!!
I love the blue demi-lune tables, the dining console and mirror ( to die for) And I LOVE what you chose to do with the door. You are were so right to choose that soft color, it's a real stand out.
I'm so humbled that you are a frequent visitor to my little old blog, when you are such a STAR!!! ha ha .
Love, love, love your style.
Terri
Terri, thanks so much!! I love your blog and your home. Happy to sit on your porch anytime. Cheers 🙂
Loi, you did a beautiful job! I absolutely love that entry, what a show-stopper!
Loi,
The interior feels very sophisticated. I love the maize color with the gray.
Is the door a typical style? It seems an unusual yet refreshing choice. And the color works beautifully with the flieldstone and the planters. It's unexpected and elegant.
S.
Great question! The windows and doors had been replaced by the previous owner during the renovation. This new front door was chosen by Susan and Greg (to complement others), and we all love the light that now floods the foyer and staircase. Thanks!
Love the color you picked for the front door! Do you remember the house color you choose? We are thinking about painting our brick and I am having a hard time finding the perfect color.
thanks so much!
leighann
leighanncopeland@gmail.com
PERFECT POST!!! I've been thinking about how to mix the painted furniture in with my current things and this looks like everything I would have wanted it to be. Thank you so much. I just found your blog and wish there were years of posts that I could look at.
So inviting Loi! Really love the combination of the golds & grays… sophisticated and soothing.
The summer mantle is pretty & clean and I love the worn blue demilune.
Beautiful work…as always. Enjoy the 4th! Monica
Loi
That house is absolutely stunning. I love the unexpected color palette. It is so warm and inviting. Would you mind sharing the color you used in the room with the coffered ceiling. I am working on a commercial project and would love to use that color! Thanks for the tour!
Stupendo!!! felice serata a te…ciao
perfect door color! well perfect everything as usual Loi. I also really love Jill Bateman's work, and the one you chose suits the mood in such a lovely way.
xoxo
please send me an image of the house….love to sketch this one….so pretty all the details – all so thoughtfully chosen and collected.
just beautiful.
pve
I love your blog Loi, there is such a sense of calm and order , you are very restful to read! This house is beautiful, your clients must have been delighted
Sharon
Loi, this is BEAUTIFUL! I love the mix; you did an excellent job (of course).
I hope you're having a great 4th!
Keri
BRAVO! You've done it again. Whenever I need a restful escape, I come to your blog and oogle over your awesome talents.
Incantevoli immagini di inconfondibile eleganza!
Adoro i fiori bianchi!
Ciao Loi, un caro saluto:)
Luci@
How refreshing and peaceful! The clients are very lucky.
Liz
Well Im a swede myself so I must say I like the swedish influens in this post:) It doesnt always have to be about Ikea haha:)
I hope everything is ok with you, here in Gothenburg the rain is pooring today:( but we hoping for some sun tomorrow..then maybe Ill go for a swim in the ocean..love that.
have a great weekend.
LOVE Maria at inredningsvis
You have such a wonderful talent Loi, love the Zinc mirror, the maize curtains and the yew jardinieres. I am sure your clients are absolutely thrilled. I could just move in immediately.
Paul
I think this house is wonderful.
EGADS… that white and chrome light fixture!!! *clunk*
The house entrance is exactly what I am looking for. I am not ready to paint the brick (although both neighbors have…and one a very dark slate) but I want the molding around the door and the stone porch and sidewalk. Do you know who did the work? washingtoncube@aol.com
Such a beautiful entrance to this stunning home Loi! The colors and textures are very pleasing. My husbands grandfather was born in Sweden .. so I always tune in when I hear anything about this decor. The blue demi-lunes are beautiful as is the art work. Beautiful home!
leslie
Hello Loi,
I have to add my kudos to you and your amazing design aesthetic.
I completely agree
You are absolutely wonderful and a dream designer.
I think we all envy your clients.
I can only imagine how much fun it would be t o work with you!
Loi,
You've created such a lovely design. I love the front door color. Such a great pop of color.
Dawn
This is such a lovely color combination and really compliments the flagstone walkway. Could you kindly let me know what the off white/ cream trim color is on the door surround? I am having a hard time trying to match it.
Thanks!
Thank you. It is Ben Moore's Linen White. Good luck! Loi
Loi,
Congratulations! This space is stunning!! I love it. Thank you so much for showing us.
I LOVE the colour of the front door and I so wish we had Farrow and Ball here…their paint colours are amazing. This is the perfect grey we want to use on the outside of our house and the zinc plant pots work so well. It has definitely given me lots of inspiration.
Thanks,
Jess x
Loi – would you be willing to disclose the wall color in the living room? I have a very similar color,paired with creamy walls but like your combination better! Leigh
Loi, please share the name of blue and white large checked fabric on
Just lovely! Any chance of divulging the color in the family room. I am repainting my entire interior and am trying to find a wamer neutral. Currently have ICI beachcomber which is similar to BM Manchester Tan. The color you used looks perfect. Janet jhough1925@msn.com
I am having my exterior painted next week in linen white and the door will be F & B Blue Gray. Door hardware will be antique black. Question: I have two shutters on the side of the house (driveway side) which need to be painted an accent color. I have heard from several people that one should never paint the door and shutters the same color. If this is true, what color would you recommend for the shutters? It is a country cottage house on a lot with lots of green and mature trees. Also, the siding contractor continues to tell me that all of the trim needs to be one to two shades lighter to make it pop. Well, if the house color is already white (linen white), then what color should the trim be? I'm sorry to deluge you with questions, however, I need to get them paint colors in one week or less!!!! I am so grateful to you if you could respond. Thanks. Love your style!
Hello, Anonymous – I hope all is well with the house painting. Just catching up here and responding to the questions you asked. How about a dark green, almost black for the shutters? For the trim, you can use a white that is a couple shades lighter…..yes, that would look wonderful. Good luck!
Cheers,
Loi
Thank you very much for your time and wonderful suggestions.
This email belongs to the above comment regarding F&B Blue Gray and Linen White house – September 26, 2012, 8:46 AM:
Email address: ewytovich@hotmail.com
could you please tell me what colour the outside of the house is
I think it is Linen White – we don't have that in the UK and wondered what the closest Farrow and Ball colour would be please
I love how the front door color looks with the slate walkway. Nice job!