Julie Dastvan’s Inaugural Showhouse

It’s amazing what designers can do when they are unencumbered by the wishes and whims of a client. Julie Dastvan, whom I had the pleasure of meeting earlier this year when she was nominated as an up-and-coming “One to Watch” at the Washington Design Center, completed her first decorator showhouse this fall.

Anyone -- like Julie! -- who can combine red and green shades in a way that doesn't look like Christmas is truly talented. I love how she did that here. (All photos are by Angie Seckinger.)

I am completely bummed that I never got the time to go out to Ellicott City, MD, this fall to see the Holly Manor Show House, where Julie was chosen to do the master suite. But she was kind enough to send these photos over with detailed descriptions of the resources she used.

"I've had the pleasure to watch patrons come in on the horribly cold, dark and rainy afternoons we had a week ago and see their shoulders immediately drop with relaxation when they stepped in - I couldn't ask for a better reaction," she wrote in an e-mail. "A great first solo show house experience for me!" 

I couldn't agree more. 

I first thought the ceiling was covered in a lovely wallpaper, but it's actually painted with a handcut stencil using flat and gloss paints -- the work of decorative painters Anna-Marie Gallart and Karen Furman. She used a combination of fabrics from Kravet, Lee Jofa, Duralee, and Brunschwig & Fils, and trim from Samuel & Sons, on the bed, drapery and canopy. 

One of the things I really admire about designers is their vision and ability to pull colors and patterns from such a wide variety of sources into a combination that feels as if everything was made to go together. And on another note,the upholstered bed and ivory lamps came from Hollis & Knight, the wonderful shop on antique row in Kensington, MD. 

The elegant desk is Barbara Barry for Henredon, while Julie found the chair in Lucketts, VA (a great source of vintage and antique shops) and reupholstered it herself. The art above the desk comes from Avery Fine Art. 

The chair and ottoman are by Hickory Chair (and if you don't know about this company, whose furniture is sold through Henredon at the design center -- you should! All of it is produced in North Carolina). The surveyor's lamp is by Uttermost, another great company that sells accent furniture and lighting which in this area is sold through Annapolis Lighting. 

I LOVE this detail, particularly the mirrors (also by Uttermost) over each bedside table. Whether it's mirrors or art, I think the effect of "crowning" your bedside tables this way lends more weight to the focal point of your bed. And not least, this scallop-edge table from Kravet makes such a sweet accent. Julie tells me that the framed photos here and also on the desk are of her aunt and uncle, whose travels inspired this room design. 

Julie really made this design personal, from those family photos to these old suitcases that quite literally illustrate her aunt and uncle's travels. Even better, her father painted the two smaller paintings here in the center above the suitcases, and her sister painted a picture that hangs to the side of the bed. 

And if it weren't enough to have a master suite big enough for a seating area by the fireplace and a corner for a desk, here's what you get on the balcony: this serene outdoor setting with gorgeous outdoor furniture by Century, which has a showroom in the design center. 

Julie, whose works from Darnestown, MD, should get lots of great business from this inspired design, which definitely fits the mold of "traditional with a twist." She is still working on a new Web site, but in the meantime, here is her contact info: 

DASTVAN DESIGNS, LLC

Interiors for your lifestyle

14840 Poplar Hill Road

Darnestown, MD  20874

301/330-9595 office

301/254-1279 cell

JDastvan@comcast.net