As an event designer, often times I approached my home design the same way I work with our clients – setting priorities, sticking to a budget, and being open to an organic design plan that never feels too matchy-matchy or forced. I believe the best designs are ones that unfold naturally.
So I hope you enjoy the tour below:
When my husband and I went looking for our first home, we wanted to be in DC proper (no suburbs for us!) and Capitol Hill was the perfect fit. It is in the city, but still has a neighborhood community feel we wanted. We can walk to the wonderful restaurants at Barracks Row and Pennsylvania Avenue, Eastern Market, Washington Nationals baseball, and the U.S. Capitol. Being in the city is unlike anything else and Capitol Hill is such an incredible place to live! Our house sits atop a hill overlooking Garfield Park in the historic district. We're pretty spoiled with one of the best locations on the Hill!




Our front door seemed to be missing something. For the first few years I walked around our neighborhood longing after the great knockers everyone seemed to have on their doors - foxes and dogs and all sorts of other wonderful metal wonders. I love lions in home design, and for some reason, always envisioned this house having a lion knocker. But the reproductions I found were never quite right and I thought one day, I'll find what I'm looking for. I'm never the type to say - we need a knocker, let's find the best knocker - and settle. I'd much rather wait for something that speaks to me. Well, I had just about given up on every finding "the one" worthy of our door when I traveled to Portugal for an event in 2012. We weren't really shopping, but decided to pop into a small antiques shop. Sure enough, there it was - an beautiful bronze lion head knocker from the 1800s. Can you imagine all the people that have passed through the doors this piece has seen? The folks I was with thought I was a little nuts for lugging that thing back to the U.S. - it is HEAVY - but I gladly paid my overweight baggage fees and have cherished it ever since. It is the just the jewelry our little house needed. It reminds me every day to have patience, and that its okay to not know what you're looking for always, but when you find it, you'll know.
We share a cute little pass-through to our backyard with our neighbor Chris. We could never dream of having a better neighbor, she's amazing and I'm really going to miss her and Poppy.

But before we go out back, first, let's check out inside!







We kept our furnishings clean and simple, with a few key statement pieces. Don't be afraid to have a few bigger pieces even in a small space. Our oversized tree artwork, mirrored crendeza, and lamps are all purposefully big. I selected clear aryclic chairs to keeps things open around our Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams table.
Next up, our kitchen!






It is hard to pick a favorite detail in this room. I love the convex Federal Eagle Mirror - I had always wanted one since moving to the East Coast and we picked up this mirror last summer antiquing in the Finger Lakes region of New York while visiting for a friend's wedding. This mirror seems a little unexpected in a kitchen which makes me love it even more. (In fact, we just designed a wedding last month using these mirrors as inspiration - stay tuned for that stunner!) However, if I had to choose just one favorite detail, it might be the cake wall. This is something I had dreamed of for a long, long time. I have a tendency to get an idea and become obsessed with it, and this cake wall idea was definitely one of those! It started with a few framed Andy Warhol prints I purchased on One Kings Lane and held onto for years, hoping to one day hang them in the kitchen. Then I decided I wanted to one day have a wall full of the pretty cakes. Why not - I love cake, I'm a wedding planner, and cakes in a kitchen just make sense to me. I'm lucky to be surrounded by fabulous artists, and a few of my favorite cake bakers sketches are now included in my gallery. Do any of my clients spy their cakes? There is also a Thiebaud print mixed in there too, because it seemed wrong to have a cake wall without Thiebaud!


Shall we head out back?







Want to see our upstairs level?





Our master bedroom:






I so hoped you've enjoyed "touring" my home - the pictures, the stories behind the pieces and the before-and-after pics! It goes without saying that I am very sad to leave our first home, but I do hope that I'll get to do it again one day soon. Home ownership is a wonderful responsibility and I hope the next owners will love and appreciate each detail here as much as we have.
I cannot thank my friends Jodi & Kurt with Jodi Miller Photography enough for all their time spent taking gorgeous pictures of our house last weekend. Thank you!! And to Fred, with Frost Lighting, for helping string lights in our backyard for the broker's open this evening. It has never looked better! And to Laura Hooper Calligraphy for creating the custom map for my listing below - thank you!!

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I kind of wish I was looking to move to DC, I’d love to live there.
DC would be lucky to have you!!
I loved this home so much when I visited you and it looks even more amazing now. Such special work, a journey no doubt, that really shows in the final, stunning product! Great job!
Thanks Christie! XOXO
Thanks Christie!! XOXO
I love Stonington Gray thanks to your recommendation! We have it in our house. Love seeing the transformation of the house. Fond memories on 3rd Street
Thanks Abby! XOXO