This is from our Boston finalist, Melissa. Comment away!

Name: Stephen Gross
Location: South End, Boston
Own/Rent: Owned and run as a B&B

>> Enter House Tour Slideshow

The Clarendon Square Inn is part home, part home away from home. In 1994, owner, Stephen, spent 11 months personally designing, renovating, and decorating a single family brownstone in the South End. We were so inspired by the transformation we had to share it with AT. We spoke to Stephen to gain insight on his experience and design sense, and find out what has been drawing people from all over the world to his B&B for the past 14 years... More

This is from DC finalist, Hilary. Comment away!

Name: Polly E.
Location: Georgetown
Size: 580 sq feet
Years Lived In: 2

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We’ve always loved Pomander Walk, a secret alley of tiny, pastel-colored rowhouses in Georgetown. But even in our fantasies, it seems impossible to imagine where everything would fit. So we were delighted when Polly invited us into her 11-foot-wide, two-bedroom house. Although originally covered with “horrible 60s hairy rugs in lime green,” Polly knew she could “open it up and keep it very simple.”... More

Many more Boston and DC entries coming! This is from our Boston finalist, Kyle. Comment away!

>> Enter Eddie's Slideshow

I know a lot of dwellers who would love to buy eclectic secondhand furniture but complain that it's too time consuming to run from place to place looking for the right piece when they can just pop in to a chain furniture retailer and reliably find what they need. Fair enough. Thankfully, Eddie’s Furniture, an unassuming storefront in Somerville, MA, offers a deep inventory of ridiculously affordable rejuvenated secondhand pieces... More

This is from DC finalist, Thomas. Comment away!

AndBeige sits quietly on Florida Avenue in NW. The space is painted
ivory with a dusty chocolate brown ceiling, a neutral background to display high fashion pieces. The feeling is warm, stylish and worldly. It is on my list of stores where I would love to live. Walking through the store, I feel as if I am actually walking in the homes featured in Elle Decor magazine... More

This is from DC finalist, Colleen. Comment away!

Tucked away on a quiet side street close to Chevy Chase Circle, Finials is a treasure trove of antique furniture, costume jewelry, china, silver, and chandeliers. Owner Barbara Lautman opened Finials in June 1999 and has been doing a booming business ever since... More

This is from our Boston finalist, Melissa. Comment away!

>> Enter Stone Doctors Slideshow

We have found the end-all-be-all store for antique architectural remnants. We're in the process of renovating our South End brownstone, built in 1895, and one of our first projects was finding a replacement mantle for the master bedroom. I was thrilled to come across Restoration Resources, in the neighborhood’s SoWa district (South of Washington)... More

This is from DC finalist, Caroline. Comment away!

>> Enter Slideshow

Just across the DC line, right off route 1 is a great warehouse of salvaged and donated materials. Community Forklift is a perfect resource for all kinds of home projects. They are non-profit selling building materials that would otherwise wind up in a landfill. Looking around you will see toilets, bathtubs, doors, windows, lumber, whole staircases and an assortment of miscellaneous hardware and fixtures - they have everything, including the kitchen sink (several of them actually)... More

This is from our Boston finalist, Alyssa. Comment away!

What do vintage Scandinavian dishware, recycled confetti, and Peter Fonda have in common? Not much but that doesn't prevent Dale and Terri Anderson, principals of Abodeon, from stocking their eclectic Porter Square boutique with many disparate, yet wonderful objects...

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This is from DC finalist, Sara. Comment away!

Choosing a first post for ATDC is a bit daunting. DC offers such a wide array of design stores, arts markets and unique architecture that picking just one item, frankly gave us a headache. So we decided to take our cue from the landscape of the city itself....
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This is from our second Boston finalist (a team), Wes & Kayla. Comment away!

As designers living in Boston's classic brownstone apartments we must continuously find creative ways to meld the old with the new, like adapting traditional bay windows with our sleek BluDot couches. This is the reality of living in New England—looking forward without disrespecting history... More