J.D. Ireland, Sally Steponkus get nod from House Beautiful

This news is a bit older than the DC designers we’re seeing in the current issue of Traditional Home, but I’ve been offline for more than a month since Washington Spaces closed, so forgive me if I have to catch up.

House Beautiful named its Next Wave of Designers in November, and Sally Steponkus and the team of J.D. Ireland and Julie Weber represented DC on the list. I won’t dwell too much on them, if only because my friend Michele over at My Notting Hill gave them great press when the news came out. So here’s a snippet, and get ready for tomorrow, when we’ll visit one of Sally’s most recent projects — a fabulous West End condo belonging to an Obama appointee.

J.D. Ireland and Julie Weber, who created a memorable foyer in last year’s DC Design House, have the most impeccable taste. They design sumptuous spaces, without any one thing every screaming or being in your face — everything forms a cohesive beauty.

Here is the great work they did for last year’s DC Design House in Georgetown:

The mirror is an elegant match to the Farrow & Ball Lotus papers, and what a great idea to put a painted bamboo-style screen over an old radiator.

All the Design House designers lined up on the stairs to pose, with Julie Weber and Joe Ireland in front. Our other featured designer today, Sally Steponkus peeks out near the top, with the white collared shirt.

A final shot from the Design House — the back stairway, which Joe and Julie had hand-painted by Stacy Tranter of Twin Diamond Studios.

All Design House photographs by Carrie Russell

Sally Steponkus defines preppy glam — and that’s a huge compliment. A less-skilled designer could let that look get way out of control, but Sally reins it in and makes it contemporary and chic, as we will see in abundance tomorrow.

Photographs by Angie Seckinger, via My Notting Hill