Name: Wendy Carter
Location: Washington, DC
Size: 960 square feet
Years lived in: 10 months
Wendy Carter went looking for a home in downtown, Washington, DC last year, and was surprised when she found this Adams Morgan rowhouse. The walls were painted red, yellow, lime green, blue and khaki — and Carter loved color. "I had to ask myself, do I want this house because of the paint, or because I like the house?" she says.
Carter decided she loved it despite the color, although that is now her favorite part of the house. Her already colorful furnishings fit the scheme perfectly, a match made in homeowner heaven. The only challenges were getting furniture into the tiny three-story house and then finding a home for her books.
She was convinced that her stainless steel desk wouldn't fit up the stairs, but some unbelievable maneuvering landed it safely in her office space. But she did have to buy a new bed set, because her old one couldn't pass through the twisty stairs. As for her books, she has resigned herself to a Kindle and constant whittling.
Most of her furnishings were found at various flea markets, vintage stores and through friends. Carter is a native to Britain, a fact belied by her bravery in the eclectic territory. And she has a knack for making that instinctive eclectic taste fit right in in the states, primarily through her use of color — although the recycled art map of the United States certainly helps.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My style: Nothing I could name. Certainly eclectic. I like strong shapes and colors and things that look as if they have a story behind them; even better if there is a story.
Inspiration: Nothing conscious, but probably more influence from my childhood home that I like to admit.
Favorite Element: The oversized green loveseat with the yellow lamp and woodcut print above it.
Biggest Challenge: Finding space for books. In my imagination the house I bought was going to have an office/library/guest room and all the books would happily find a home there. The office is just too
small for this to work. After various painful attempts at reconfiguring (taking all the books off the shelves before I moved them and then putting the books back) I finally had to admit defeat and scatter the books around the house, but it is the aspect of the house I am least satisfied with. Solution is buying a Kindle and
gradually whittling down the book collection. I donated many books to Books for America and am planning on making another pass and getting rid of more.
What Friends Say: It is a love/hate kind of house. Many friends adore it, including the friend who suggested I have an Apartment Therapy house tour. But for others, while they are too polite to say, I can tell that they find it a bit overwhelming.
Biggest Embarrassment: I haven't tackled the walls with spackle and paint successfully to address nail holes and marks.
Proudest DIY: Disguising the gouges an old office chair that was too wide made in my desk with wood filler and paint. Would not pass muster with anyone who actually does DIY, but looks much better than it did before so I consider it a success.
Biggest Indulgence: New dining room table.
Best advice: Don't give away the desk. It might make it up that tight staircase if the legs are removed.
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
Former owners of the house. Loved their colors, especially the accent walls and the lime green, which I would never have picked myself but delight in.
LIVING ROOM
Skynear for sofa, Vastu for wall unit, Urban Essentials for arm chairs, CB2 for rug, Ruff and Ready for coat rack and coffee table TV sits on.
DINING ROOM
Pottery Barn for the table; former owners for the fabulous red hutch (I think it is IKEA); Goodwood for buffet and chairs; yard sales and friends for anything else.
BEDROOM
Crate & Barrel for the bed; Miss Pixie's for the sofa and bookshelf and nesting tables.
OFFICE
Skynear for desk, Eastern Market flea market for chest of drawers, Miss Pixie's for hand-build shelf.
OTHER
Friends, Artomatic, Etsy, local small galleries.
Thanks, Wendy!
Images: Lindsey Roberts
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LOVE the colour!
Are those purple corduroy armchairs??? Love. I've been dying to do more dark purple in my home, and AT the past few days has NOT helped.
The colors are completely not to my taste, but it's hard not to love this house. It's got lots of personality and feels very much like a home. Congrats on your new place Wendy!
that first picture is a disaster. If this was good design or great a color pallette, then why don't more designers get their work published for mix-matching textures, colors and finishes... This is obviously a homemaker who can't simplify or edit their decisions. They want everything they see and it looks like alphabet soup. This is just plain tacky! yuck! Obviously the readers don't like it either, there are no comments...
The above comment seems really harsh! It's not your taste--so what? No need to be nasty.
Does anyone know where I can find the colorful map reproduction of the United States shown above and in the last photo of the home tour? Looks from the picture like it was made with metal or tin plates?? I love it and would love to find one. Thanks!
oy...taste is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, this isn't my taste but no need to be harsh etc. It's their home and home really only needs to be appealing to the person that is living there.
I love your desk and where did you get the USA map art from?
There should be a book on Adams-Morgan Style... of which (to me) this seems a great example... a little bit "Monica's Apartment" from Friends, pus a uniquely American (and not just cuz of the map) Folk Art feel.
that us map is very cool.
agree this is very Adam-Morgan funky and no need to be mean about it.
personally I think the outside could better reflect the colorful inside--maybe a brighter door and steps/porch/trim
The colors don't bother me, really. I'm just not a fan of American folk art. I really enjoy seeing row houses on AT because I lived in one when I was a wee one!
Well, it's eye-popping. I guess I don't understand why you'd want to live with someone else's colors.
I think that she could use some help with arranging all her stuff--those dinky little pictures over the sofa make me want to drag them down on my screen. The space has potential, but I don't think it was House Tour ready.
the license plate map is available from uncommongoods.com with a price of $3,900 (yikes)
I like this house, the colours are a bit over the top but it's young and has a nice welcoming feel.
I love it! The color in the first photo was what tempted me to look at the entire house tour. I am inspired to paint accent walls this way in my own home now.
In small homes, sometimes editing is really hard to do. A lot of us live with minimal space, so this home was more realistic to me because I have to fit my belongings in my rooms like puzzle pieces - and getting rid of things I use is not a good option.
I liked the rooms with a lot of color the most. Great work on making this your own!
I think I saw that recycled metal map at Artomatic last year, can't remember the artist's name though. Very cool!
this house is around the corner from me! I agree, so AM. My roomie and I have a similar crazy style for our rowhouse.
I like the funky colors, but the living room seems cramped because you walk straight into the bookcase. Consider switching the bookcase right inside the front door and the buffet against the red wall and it may feel more spacious.
@kjansson, I think you missed your meds today. Its not my taste either, but there is no need to be so harsh.
Didn't take me long to find the map artist here:
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/ianbirdart/
I really like the piece over the fire place, and there are some nice pieces of furniture, but to me,the walls colors just completely take over. It's all I would focus on first.
I think bright colored walls needs an extra touch and editing to work well with furniture, which in this case is not working for me. And I love gray rooms, but even here it doesn't work. Just feels a bit mismatched.
I think pulling off a good eclectic mix is harder than just putting whatever pieces together.
For me, different wall colors would make a huge difference.
I love it! It's gorgeous. My own apartment is bright and multi-colored so I definitely love that style. I used to live in DC and I loved those little row houses.
Wendy you have a beautiful home! And Gorgeous furniture pieces!
I second @ec05's suggestion - a bold paint color on the front door would be awesome!
Maybe purple to match your chairs ??!! ; )
Love, love, love it! It is bright and eclectic, interesting, homey and awesome! I think that you did a great job working your pieces in with all of the colors. And, I know exactly what you mean about the books... so very hard to get rid of! I don't think it looks cluttered at all.
What a shame that people have to be mean just because your decor is not severe, spare and white. I think your home is a great expression of your personality and can easily picture myself curling up in one of those purple armchairs with a cup of tea and a good book!
OK, Here's the deal. I really didn't think most of the individual pieces are that bad, for example I really like the dining room chairs. But all the different wall colors clash which is why the home owner initially did not like it. Now she has probably simply grown accustomed to all the colors. Have you ever thought about swapping the living room with the dining room? It looks like the DR is much bigger.
A warm and charming home. Love the colors! Love the artwork! Your personality shines through and you should be proud of what you've done here.
Am I the only one who was totally distracted by the horrible quality of the photos? GIF images, really now. The flash that was used in every photo doesn't do the place any justice either.
Great job Wendy! Love how cozy and warm it feels. I'm also impressed that someone on this website actually loves bright crazy colors because it suggests that you are a warm human being and not some stoic, cold personality. Cheers!
So, you're saying anyone with a less-full-spectrum interior is NOT warm?
Hmmm.
OK. I love the house. I love the colors. I love the skylight in the bathroom (so the pigeons can watch you bathe!) I love those purple corduroy chairs. Good on you for living with all those colors. It makes the place look so happy.
Very lovely nest! Can you give some info about the object that is on your mantle, second from the left? It looks like an unusual clock (?)
I don't want to be negative, but I'm with @FantasticMrFaux -- I just don't think this is "House Tour"-ready...
I don't like the colours, but I love the vibes in this home.
It seems like a "happy" place. I would add some "wow" black & white mod wallpaper or one with one of your colors to the dining room wall to bring some of your design together. You might consider mirroring the wall to open up the room. I would also paint the railing going up the stairs red to take your eye upstairs and carry on what you have started.
The upstairs is so much calmer...they look like 2 different houses. :)
I like the idea of using three contrasting colours to create rooms-within-rooms and while I'm not a big fan of the yellow-red-lime scheme I think it works well here. But unfortunately there is way too much else going on: Too many different furniture styles and colours, too much random knick-knack, the kitchen is a mess, the bedrooms are cluttered with furniture. There is just no sense of cohesion whatsoever.
I'm the friend that recommended she post her house. It's very warm and welcoming. The colors flow throughout the house in a really lovely way. I wish that came through better in the photos. She has a great mix of contemporary/modern/antiques. The house is small and she's done so much with it. She has lots of plans to do more, especially to the exterior.
This house makes me happy. It's got an artistic sensibility and a thoughtful cheeriness that is unique. I am eager to see how it evolves.
I am seeing this post late, so you may not see this comment. This is a good start, but seriously needs some refinement. Elizcrtv - squeezing a lot of stuff into a space doesn't mean you've done a lot with it.
There are some interesting pieces, and I find row houses very interesting. But you've done a disservice by cramming in too much stuff. Restraint is needed here. That bookcase in front of the door, for example. Either get rid of it or move it. Doors should not be impeded in this manner. Perhaps it could be moved to the other side of the door? Creating a hallway effect? Or better yet, get rid of it all together. The style is too generic looking anyway, and does not go with your other more country looking pieces.
I moved into a very small space, and it does require getting rid of stuff. Don't be so sentimental about your stuff. Purging can be fun and freeing. Believe, me airiness and space is needed to balance an interesting art piece. Remember that negative space is very important when displaying art. Too much is competing for attention here. Also, with that large amount of color, you need some large shots of white to balance it.
You need to edit about 30% of what you have here. Show some restraint. I had a friend who had too much stuff in a small space and she knew it. She didn't know where to start so she invited about four of her most trusted friends over for a rearranging party. It was great fun, and we were able to hold her hand and help her ruthlessly edit. You must get in the habit of editing or this place will really be a disaster in a couple of years.
I am available for consultations on decluttering and adding flair to make your place even more beautiful, if you'd like. You have a good start here and I can see that you are forming your unique aesthetic, it just needs some refinement. Lastly, I hope you will consider a massive edit and rearrangement and then repost. We'd love to see your progress. Good luck!
Peggy, I don't think the owner "must" do anything, whether it's editing her space or hiring you as a decluttering consultant. Honestly, I don't think it's that "cluttered" compared to a lot of what I see on this site. It's actually very well organized. Yes, she could have staged some of the shots a bit better (like the corner with the basket and books, and the kitchen with the rag on the faucet) but this hardly screams "I need a good space consultant, stat!"
I agree that a bolder front door would integrate the exterior and interior better, and I think some of the furniture (especially the corduroy chairs) is a bit out of scale for the space. The colors probably read better in real life than they do in these (not-great) shots.
So warm and inviting!
I am new to apartmenttherapy and this is my first house tour. How exciting to see that it is not a boring sterile yawnfest, but the kind of home I can imagine being a houseguest in and being comfy and having fun! Party at Wendy's!!
This is also the first set of house tour comments I have read, and I am trying to get a feel for the community.
Peggy -- you are SO tacky, do you really think the homeowner would read your comment and think "gosh I should really hire her?" No! She would either laugh out loud at someone so clueless about what feels cozy to her, or feel slapped in the face.
kjansson -- who peed in your wheaties? This isn't an interior designer getting her work published, it's a first time homeowner! Do you go on baby picture web sites and tell proud parents their precious gem looks like a tiny Winston Churchill? If Peggy slapped Wendy in the face, you held her down and kicked her in the gut. Nice.
I guess I don't know what it means to be "house tour ready" but based on some of the comments it means having a very thick skin about exposing every angle of every room of your home to the intense scrutiny of a bunch of tactless critics! Thank god you can't see my house!! :)
I think Peggy is spot on with her advice. If you read it, it is not judgemental but constructive. I'd rather have a designer tell me the truth from their perspective than blow smoke up my...
Some of the color choices -- the LR char/pillow and the red hutch -- are great, but the wall color(s) overwhelm the implied elegance of the other colors.
Edit? Goes without saying.
Paint? I'd go with all white, live with it, then see if you really feel the need for the additional wall colors. The colors of the furniture could really pop if they had a neutral white to showcase them.
There really are some great ideas here; as a minimalist the red hutch would look stunning in an all white, sparsely furnished space. The chairs and pillows and rug could more than hold their own, but only if the entire space is edited.
@fineur: I fixed the photos. Thanks for letting me know about the GIF goof.
Others, thanks for appreciating a style that's not modern and minimalist! Wendy has her own rockin' style and we should all celebrate that, not try to make it our own.
I absolutely love your house Wendy, so many interesting things and colors!