A Charming Maryland Home (With an Enviable Chair Collection)

Name: Annie & Rush
Location: Riverdale Park, Maryland

I’m in public relations and Rush is an artist. We live in Riverdale Park, Maryland in a 1904 rambler with our cat, Osmond. Our neighborhood is in Prince George’s County, an inner-Beltway suburb of D.C. where we were both born and raised, so when we decided to buy a house it naturally felt like home. We bought our house in 2015 after months of hunting for an affordable apartment. Rents in the D.C. area are really high, but homes in our neighborhood were still affordable and the mortgage was comparable to what we’d be paying for a 2-bedroom apartment, so we took the plunge and bought. We got a great deal!

The biggest changes we made were knocking down two walls – one between the living and dining rooms and the other surrounding the kitchen. The original kitchen was cramped, dated, dirty, and no larger than 100 square feet wall-to-wall. We ripped everything out and installed sleek black and white cabinets that completely transformed the space. My (Annie’s) dad is a custom cabinet maker and he built the black cabinets, the peninsula, and the refrigerator enclosure. He also built many of the wood pieces throughout the rest of the house, including the coffee table designed by Rush.

Our style is a mix of Danish modern and Swedish minimalism, but with more color. That’s why most everything is black, white, or gray but all our accessories and art are bright!

Our favorite room is the bedroom. Despite being at the front of the house, it’s quiet, airy and peaceful. We had fun picking out the art for this room since it has a different feel from the rest of the house and we wanted to keep it serene. The mirrored armoires are IKEA. The console is a custom piece.

I’m most proud of our chair collection, especially since we got most of them for free or at the thrift store. The Bertoia Side Chairs were free, the Danish dining chairs were dumpster-finds, which Rush reupholstered and painted, and the Eames Lounge Chair replica is from Craigslist. We also collect art (thanks talented friends!) and vintage socialist propaganda (thanks Grandma!).

Thanks, Annie & Rush !

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