Washington Dc

Modern house with green roof, large patio, outdoor dining set, and surrounded by trees.
Await The Apocalypse In This (Surprisingly Stylish) Virginia BunkerReal Estate
Well, the US presidential election is a mere four days away, and no matter what side of the political divide you’re on, you probably believe the end of the world is coming, should the other candidate win. Perhaps it’s time to take shelter in this partially underground concrete home in Virginia. Built by architect Donald Reed Chandler in 1977, it’s one of the country’s first modern earth roof and berm homes.
Tara Bellucci
Nov 4, 2016
Heloise’s “Ever Changing” D.C. ApartmentTours
Location: U Street Corridor — Washington, D.C. I live up the road from President Obama and my place is almost 1,000 square feet. I decorated on a budget. I started my company while simultaneously moving into a new place, and it really leaves the decorating budget to a minimum. I prefer neutrals such as whites and grays for your bones, i.e. couch and chairs, and then like to add color elsewhere. That way you have more options for trading out pillows and fabrics down the road.
Nora Taylor
Mar 22, 2016
Sally’s Colorful & Inviting D.C. HomeTours
Name: Sally Location: Dupont Circle — Washington, D.C. My boyfriend, John, and I have called our apartment in Dupont Circle ‘home’ for three years now. This quaint little one-bedroom is tucked inside a turn-of-the-century apartment building, located on a bustling street in Washington, D.C. Despite the busyness of our locale, inside we’ve created a cozy, peaceful retreat.
Nora Taylor
Feb 18, 2016
Irwin’s “Timeless” & Art-Filled StudioTours
Name: Irwin Location: Washington, D.C. I live in The General Scott in Washington, DC. The building was built in 1941 in the Art Deco style. After renting for almost 8 years, I finally bought my condo from the owner in 2014. Kitchen renovation was completed in 2015. My unit is a junior one bedroom and is about 495 square feet.
Nora Taylor
Jan 30, 2016
Michelle’s Open and Serene HomeTours
Name: Michelle Location: Brookland — Washington, D.C. My husband and I fully gutted and renovated our home in 2014. The house was built in the 1920s and is 4 square style. We have an open concept home and every space is fully functional for our casual living lifestyle. I am inspired by Scandi, boho, mid century design. Although our bedroom is our favorite room; we especially love our DIY kitchen concrete counter tops, our master bath tile and custom built double vanity we designed.
Nora Taylor
Jan 27, 2016
Before & After: A Pared Down DC KitchenHome Projects
I just purchased my first home, a one-bedroom loft condo in DC’s Chinatown neighborhood. It’s a great location in a beautiful building, and most of the other units have very high-end finishes (and sell for $$$). Several of the units, including mine, were done with builder-grade finishes and sold at below-market prices to local artists about 13 years ago.
Nora Taylor
Jan 18, 2016
Erin & John Paul’s Stylish StudioTours
Name: Erin Lyons and John Paul Doguin Location: Georgetown; Washington, DC Size: 525 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Meet Erin and John Paul. Erin’s a writer and JP works on a design team at a federal agency. I shot their studio one week before they moved into a larger one-bedroom apartment downstairs; I had seen their place for the first time a few days earlier and insisted we do a House Tour before they packed up! I’ll tell you why.
Natalie Grasso
Sep 26, 2015
Jenia & Sergey’s Victorian Row HouseTours
Name: Jenia and Sergey Location: Bloomingdale; Washington, D.C. Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Jenia and Sergey bought this Victorian row house in D.C.’s Bloomingdale neighborhood five years ago. They’ve spent the intervening years giving it love: tearing up carpet, painting the walls, gutting the kitchen and bathrooms, and documenting it all on their home renovation blog, Victorian in Bloom.
Natalie Grasso
Sep 5, 2015
Coffee with Carl in His Carriage HouseTours
Name: Carl Seeno Location: Shaw; Washington, DC Size: 375 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; rented Carl lives in the carriage house that’s attached to Jonathan and Colleen’s place, and when I peeked into his clean, stylish and seemingly spacious 375 square feet, there was no question: we’d have to take a tour of the carriage house, too!
Natalie Grasso
Jun 4, 2015
Colleen and Jonathan’s Modern D.C. TownhouseTours
Name: Colleen and Jonathan Healey, daughter Parker, son Graham, and Tucker the dog Location: Shaw; Washington, D.C. Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Jonathan was my thesis advisor in the interior design program at the Corcoran College of Art + Design, and while he guided me and my classmates through the design of our imaginary spaces, he and his wife, Colleen, were busy renovating this very real house in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood.
Natalie Grasso
Jun 3, 2015
Stanley’s Americana StudioTours
Name: Stanley Location: Washington, DC I live in a new studio apartment in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC. The apartment is 525 square feet in a modern design building that I have furnished with a mixture of Shaker furniture pieces and American folk art. I love the juxtaposition of the sleek architecture of the building with the colorful handcrafted art and furniture.
Janel Laban
Apr 20, 2015
Bold Architecture Meets Eclectic Style in a Stunning D.C. HomeTours
Name: Sophia and Sebastian Black Location: Washington DC Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 28 years owned The Blacks have the type of house that engages even the passersby. Sophia and Sebastian built their house in the late eighties on a beautiful and coveted piece of land overlooking a valley; the house itself has as much artfulness as the spaces inside. [Even while I was there for this house tour, two pedestrians happened to stop and tell the homeowners how much they loved the house!
Caitlyn Cartlidge
Oct 2, 2014
March’s Small(er) Scale Lovely LifeTours
Name: March Location: Bethesda, Maryland Last year I packed up our four kids and maybe 20% of our furniture and we left our big house, and everything in it, to be sold. At the time, it felt like – it was – an enormous loss, although I did everything I could to make it seem like an adventure. We moved to a temporary rental; I caught my breath. I was determined to stay in the same general area, so my kids could have the same friends and go to the same school.
Janel Laban
Aug 26, 2014
Liz’s Exuberant Row HouseTours
Location: Bloomingdale, Washington, DC Size: 2,800 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Before you even ask, yes, people have tipped Gypsy the cow. Liz had to cement her in. “When I move again, I’m planning to dig her up and take her with me,” she said. After all, Gypsy is more than just a goofy lawn ornament. Liz grew up in Arizona, where her father is a cattle rancher. Gypsy is an homage to her childhood.
Natalie Grasso
Jun 10, 2014
Kerra’s Picture-Perfect PerchTours
Name: Kerra Michele Huerta Location: Dupont Circle, Washington, DC Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Kerra Michele Huerta is the brains behind the event and interior design business and blog Apartment Envy, based in Washington, DC. She prides herself on the ability to bring a certain flair to small spaces, and nowhere is this more apparent than in her own 600 square feet in Dupont Circle.
Natalie Grasso
May 30, 2014
Chelsea & Matthew’s Creative “How-to” HomeTours
Name: Chelsea and Matthew Bieber, and kids Shire, Colin, and Mason Location: Fairfax County, Virginia Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years; Owned Chelsea maintains the home decor and furniture refinishing blog Chelsea’s Garage (and an Etsy shop of the same name); she and her husband, Matt, live in a partial split-level home outside of Washington, DC with their 4-year-old twins, Shire and Colin, and 3 1/2-year-old, Mason.
Natalie Grasso
Apr 21, 2014
Eileen’s Elegant & Airy TownhouseTours
Name: Eileen McGrath Location: Georgetown; Washington, DC Size: 2,700 square feet Years lived in: 13 years; Owned It’s no surprise that Eileen McGrath’s place is so inviting. As a real estate agent for Washington Fine Properties, the top residential firm in DC, she’s a pro at making beautiful houses look like great homes. “I do this for my clients all the time,” she says, straightening a stack of magazines here, moving flowers there, plumping a pillow on the sofa.
Natalie Grasso
Mar 26, 2014
Robin and Jeff’s Light-Filled Home in GeorgetownTours
Name: Robin and Jeff Jones Location: Georgetown; Washington, DC Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Robin opened her house up to us on the first spring-like day of this endless winter, and how appropriate: the colors and light of the place whoosh past you like April, comin’ in hot. Better than Christmas in July, what we’ve got here is more like May Day in March. But the house is much more than a few well-chosen, cheery colors.
Natalie Grasso
Mar 12, 2014
Maggie’s Cutest House in GeorgetownTours
Name: Maggie Handel Location: Georgetown, Washington, DC Size: 1,024 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned “Nothing says 19th century like three exterior gas lamps,” said Maggie, who moved in to this mid-19th century home last year and promptly installed the lamps out front and in the side garden.
Natalie Grasso
Feb 27, 2014
Bree and Andy’s D.C. Home Hits the Bright SpotTours
Name: Bree, creator of Capitol Romance, and husband Andy Ryback Location: Trinidad, Washington, DC Size: 1250 square feet Years lived in: 3; Owned There’s no question Bree and Andy Ryback want you to feel welcome in their home, and they start up front, where their sunshine yellow door and mustache ‘Bonjour’ mat instantly brings a smile to your face.
Nicole Crowder
Feb 25, 2014
Melissa & Andrew’s Paprika PerchTours
Name: Melissa and Andrew Location: Kalorama; Washington, DC Size: 620 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Melissa, an account supervisor at an ad agency, and her boyfriend, Andrew, a speechwriter for a member of Congress, moved into this Kalorama apartment two years ago. It appeared last week as a House Call; this week we’ve got the full tour. This is Melissa and Andrew’s first place together, and they moved in with furniture and styles that didn’t blend super well.
Natalie Grasso
Feb 12, 2014
Rachel & Tiernan’s Textured TownhouseTours
Name: Rachel and Tiernan Mennen Location: Bloomingdale; Washington, DC Size: 2,700 square feet (including English basement) Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Rachel, an interior designer, and Tiernan, an attorney, moved from Brooklyn to DC’s Bloomingdale neighborhood about two years ago. Though it’s in the heart of the District, it maintains a sort of outpost-y spirit, which appealed to the couple, reminding them of Brooklyn.
Natalie Grasso
Jan 20, 2014
Darlene and Brian’s Clean, Pure LinesTours
Names: Darlene Molnar, interior designer, and Brian Haney, VP at Deltek Location: Friendship Heights; Washington, DC Size: 680 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Owned Darlene is the director of design at her eponymous DC-based design studio, and her industry know-how is apparent at home: decisions are deliberate, color and texture dance, style defies square footage.
Natalie Grasso
Sep 13, 2013
Lindsay and Garrett’s Pursuit of StyleTours
Name: Lindsay Souza, author of the blog The Pursuit of Style, and boyfriend Garrett Location: Capitol Hill; Washington, DC Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented The Capitol Hill apartment that Lindsay shares with her boyfriend looks like a real life manifestation of her popular lifestyle blog, The Pursuit of Style. And indeed, that’s what the apartment has been: a pursuit.
Natalie Grasso
Sep 9, 2013
Linda’s Fashionably Modest CondoTours
Name: Linda, pharmacist and fashion and food blogger of NomNomBlingBling, and dog ManduLocation: McLean, VirginiaSize: 903 square feetYears lived in: 1 year; own Working as a pharmacist by day but a fashion blogger in her spare time, Linda describes her home style aesthetic as being much like her fashion sense: a mix between high and low, elegant and modest.
Nicole Crowder
Dec 13, 2012
Pamela’s Blank Canvas Goes BoldTours
Name: Pamela BeecroftLocation: Washington, DCSize: 800 square feetYears lived in: 4 months (at the time of the tour); Rented When the owner of her rental apartment suddenly decided to move back in, Pam found herself scrambling to find a new place to live. With few options (it was winter…not a lot of available apartments) and very little time to search, she was forced to move from a smaller space with plenty of soul and character to a larger and more impersonal place.
Guest
Nov 6, 2012
Living Room Layout Challenge, Revisited: A Before & After Based On Your AdviceHome Projects
One of the best things about Apartment Therapy is the community of real voices weighing in on real-life design dilemmas and challenges. No matter how (relatively) easy it is for me to dish out advice to others about interior decorating and layout, I find I can get stuck in a decorating rut when it comes to some of my own spaces.Sometimes, all it takes is getting fresh, new perspectives on a room to overcome design challenges, especially when it comes to layout and furniture placement dilemmas.
Catrin Morris
Aug 15, 2012
Sara’s Vintage, Luxury FindDecorating
Name: Sara, Blogger and Real Estate ConsultantLocation: Dupont Circle, Washington D.CSize: 718 square feetYears lived in: 2 years; OwnedWhen you have a blog that focuses on how to achieve high fashion at a bargain, there is a good chance your home will reflect that same sensibility. Blogger Sara’s home radiates world charm, luxury, and her keen ability to mix her taste in high-quality vintage pieces with great low-price steals from her favorite bargain shop, Home Goods, and D.
Nicole Crowder
Aug 14, 2012
Kyle & Erin’s U Street One Bedroom with a ViewDecorating
Name: Kyle J. Avarell, Erin Berteaux, and Buddha the catLocation: U Street Corridor, Washington DCSize: 594 square feetYears lived in:1 ½ years, rented Down to their beautifully blue-eyed cat’s food dish, Kyle and Erin have brought style and personality to every aspect of their penthouse home. In turn, the modern apartment makes a great backdrop for their collection of locally sourced vintage furniture, strategic Ikea buys, and handmade projects.
Kim R. McCormick
Aug 16, 2011
Ryan’s Georgetown Vintage AmericanaDecorating
Name: Ryan ZagoneLocation: Georgetown — Washington, DCSize: 330 square feetYears lived in: 1.5 — Rented In a leafy corner of Georgetown that is also a quick walk to Dupont Circle, Ryan has made a studio apartment into an efficient home. He has drawn on some of the District’s best resources for vintage and antiques while adding contemporary pieces and travel finds. The result is distinctly masculine and simultaneously rustic and refined.
Kim R. McCormick
Jul 26, 2011
Amna & Paul Paint It BoldTours
Name: Amna & Paul WerdelLocation: Adams Morgan — Washington DCSize: 750 square feetYears lived in: 2 — rented Take a good look, because these are some of the last pictures snapped of Amna and Paul’s Adams Morgan gem before it goes under the knife…or the sledge hammer as it were. Their turn of the century building is being turned into condos, and part of the process is a major renovation of all the units.
Leah Moss
Aug 19, 2010
Stefan’s Inspired & Eclectic StudioTours
Name: Stefan of ArchitectDesignLocation: Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington DCSize: studio 475 square foot studio, ownedYears lived in: 2½ years Most people may think that being a collector of beautiful things is incompatible with dwelling in a studio apartment, but Stefan shows that big style can exist in small spaces.
Leah Moss
Feb 18, 2010
House Tour: Alex’s Granny ChicTours
Name: AlexOccupation: owner of dog-walking company Loyal CompanyLocation: U Street Corridor, Washington DCSize: 1,200 square feetLived in: rented for 4 yearsOther Occupants: Louis, a 4-year old Italian greyhound >> Each room of Alex’s shotgun apartment has its own decor theme: the Diane Vreeland-inspired red living room; the green room; the calm bedroom; and the “bruised” hallway. The long, shotgun apartment layout lends itself well to different decor in each room.
Rachael Grad
Jul 23, 2009
House Tour: Crafty Kelly’s Studio ApartmentTours
Name: KellyOccupation: self-employed, consults from homeLocation: Adams Morgan, Washington DCSize: about 450 sq.ft.Lived in: rented for 2 years >> found chair.> Kelly combines found objects and store-bought items with her own artwork and finishing touches. None of the furniture in Kelly’s studio cost more than $200. Kelly is not afraid to make bold changes to her decor and furniture and is constantly replacing places and making them over.
Rachael Grad
Feb 12, 2009
House Tour: Adam’s Cat-Haven CondoTours
Name: AdamLocation: Dupont Circle, Washington, DCSize: 625 sq ft condYears lived in: 7 years, ownedResidence Type: condo building designed by architect Harry Wardman in 1916 Adam shares his condo with his two cats, Jonas and Ezekiel (named after the Indigo Girls’ song). Always a neat-freak, Adam had to make some concessions when he adopted his two cats. Adam designed a cat tunnel, which leads the cats from the hall to their litter box in the closet….
Rachael Grad
Sep 8, 2008