DC Design House - Butler's Pantry Design Updates

Butler's Pantry
DC Design House - Updates

So once we had seen the space, measured and taken pictures of the Butler's Pantry, we were ready to begin thinking about what we might want to do in there.  Immediately my thought was to use greens and blues, which (I now realize) is completely consistent with what a lot of other designers are thinking about the house.  The thing is, the stonework is so beautiful and almost sets the tone for what one wants to do with the space.

As crazy as it might sound, houses and spaces "speak" to designers, and we tend to have this immediate sense about what we want to do with a space.  Whether it is a given natural talent or a developed one, most designers just get these feelings about spaces and go with them.  That was certainly the case for me with this space.  I knew what I wanted to do and it was just a matter of finding the things that were already in my head.  And sometimes that is actually the bigger challenge...finding the things that are already in our heads!!

I wanted to find a wallpaper for the walls.  Not something too busy or crazy, because the space didn't need to become all about the wallpaper, but the room needed some movement and some fun.  Basically a Butler's Pantry should be fun.   I want to show you some really wonderful Butler's Pantries just to give you a feel for what is already out there and what you can do with a Butler's Pantry.  I went onto Houzz.com which is the perfect place for ideas.  Here are some of the Butler's Pantries I found on there:



DeGraw and Dehann - from Houzz.com

I love how clean this butler's pantry looks, with the dark wood floors and the view into the dining room.  Lovely.


Gast Architects, from Houzz.com

I love how organized this pantry seems above, from Gast Architects.  Love the drawer pulls and the granite countertops.  It feels casual and comfortable and yet so very organized.

Hendell Homes, from Houzz.com

 The pantry above reminds me of those Italian drugstores... something very old world about it, and it is really nice.  And I love these glass cabinets in the foreground with the glass shelves.  You can display so much here.

Highland Homes, from Houzz.com

 The rooster here is so much fun perched on the counter!

Jamie Gold, from Houzz.com

 The minty green tone in the pantry above is really something special.  You won't see this in too many homes, and it give this house an individual feeling.   If you were working in here you would be quite happy!

Kitchen Chalet, from Houzz.com

 The artwork in the pantry above is spectacular.  Love love these little guys marching along on their horses.  Makes for a very individualistic pantry.

Kathryn Long, ASID, from Houzz.com

 

 I love the combination of the wood shelves and the wainscoting on the back walls in this pantry. 
That wainscoting feels like a country farmhouse pantry in this space and makes you want to go right in there and cook!



Rob Kane - Kitchen Interiors - from Houzz.com
 

 The next one above is nice with the pass-thu space.  You could do a lot with a space like this!
It would be nice to have in any home.

Shiela Off, from Houzz.com
 

I just think the pantry above is beautiful.  Clean, elegant.  Well done!

Swanson, from Houzz.com

 How fun is this pantry with the red cabinets and the tree wallpaper?  What is so much fun about this pantry is that it makes a statement all on its own.  Welcome to the Pantry!  Love it.

Worthington Custom Builder, from Houzz.com
 

 This last one just shows what you can do with a small pantry space and how the lighting in the cabinetry and the glass gives it a more open feeling.  Great way to make the space seem larger.

This is all for now.  Which one was your favorite?

More soon,

Margery

Free Giveaway - Monogrammed Soap Set from Pottery Barn!

Free Giveaway - from Our Blog

and Home Style ...

We are re-doing our website and blog site, and as part of our new design we are going to be giving away a few items over the next few months.  

The first one...

We are giving away a Pottery Barn monogrammed paperwhite soap set!!

All you have to do is sign up for our email Blog over on the right hand side of this page, press the SUBMIT button and then post a comment below so we know you have signed up.  Then we will enter your name into the drawing and notify the lucky person by next week.  Then we will order your own personalized Paperwhite soap set and send it on to you!

Note:  If you have already signed up, then just leave a comment and you will be entered.

Good luck and we hope you win!!

DC Design House - We Are Doing the Butler's Pantry!!

DC Design House 2015

We Are Doing the Butler's Pantry!!

So this is our first time to try for a room with the DC Design House group.  A few years ago, Margery Wedderburn Interiors (MWI) designed a showroom at the Washington Design Center, but over the years we have been too busy with our client load to try for a room with the DC Design House.  We love the homes that have been featured over the years. 

And we are simply so excited to be a part of it all this year.

                         Rendering from the DC Design House facebook page

So... We will start from the beginning because it is kind of fun to see what designers go through for these showhouses.  Lots of our friends who are not designers seem to enjoy this sort of thing, so we will take you along for the ride, if you find this interesting in the least bit.  Otherwise just delete these blogs out as they arrive in your Inbox.

Second Floor Hallway

View through a bedroom window - Check out the beautiful stone

Stone in the Master Bath - How cool is this??

Lower Level Bar

Before anything can begin, and for months in advance, the DC Design House Advance Team is busy trying to find a large home which will allow a bunch of designers to come in and do their work for a month.  It is no easy task, and I really admire those that are in charge of this.  That will be another blog in the future.

And then...

There is always a Designer Walk Thru in which around 80 designers stop by the house and to see all the spaces and then decide if they want to bid on a room.  Then they need to prepare presentation boards and information to give to the DC Design House Committee who will then decide which designers will get a room that year. 

We got the call in late November that we would be given the Butler's Pantry.  See the pictures here of the Pantry.  Since it is a new house, it was still a work in progress.  Immediately I loved the space and the light... We could have a great time doing something fun and different in here.  And so here are pictures of the Butler's Pantry, still very much a work in progress by Artisan Builders.



Most of the cabinetry and the marble counter is covered to protect it

Check out the unfinished floors and the kitchen beyond

Another view of the Butler's Pantry

The house is a throw-back to old country farmhouses that used to sit on this land here in McLean, Virginia.  I love love this style of house, which is one of the big styles at the moment.  There is something a bit historic and yet so casual and cozy about it.  See the detailing of this home.  Artisan Builders did a fabulous job of bringing the outdoors in and really conveying that sort of farmhouse style without going overboard.  It's not cliché...there is just enough of the country style for everyone to enjoy.

Check out the view and the new landscaping, already in place

A glimpse of the existing brand new cabinetry, which is through Lobkovich Kitchens.

There is nothing like a hammered sink to give an added texture combined with beautiful marble.

With all site measuring and pictures completed, we are ready to go to work!  Stay tuned for more on the development of the Butler's Pantry at the DC Design House 2015.

Margery

DC Design House - Butler's Pantry

DC Design House - Butler's Pantry

We are thrilled to have been selected to design the Butler's Pantry in the DC Design House this year!  This is our first time with this particular show house, and we are really excited.  The house is amazing... it is a farmhouse style estate located in McLean right off of Georgetown Pike and near the beltway.

Rendering from DC Design House - www.dcdesignhouse.com

What makes this house so special, by Artisan Builders, is all of the thoughtful and wonderful touches throughout which give a nod to the farmlands that used to occupy the area (hard to believe when you are driving along the beltway, but there used to be green pastures and cows on this property). 

Here is the website announcement:

We are having a great time designing and planning our space, and we can't wait to show it to you. 

We will be doing a series of blogs about the entire process, so come along for the ride!

Go to:  www.dcdesignhouse.com to see more.

BARE BONES day is this Saturday, February 28th from 12-3 and you can come along and see the house before any designers start their work.  It is $5 at the door.  Yes, the weather is awful and this will give you something to do this weekend!

Wow, what an image!

Wow, what an Image!!

Beautiful.
from DeringHall.com
Designer is Summer Thornton.

Coolest Chandelier EVER!

Coolest Chandelier EVER!!

Okay, at least one of the coolest, right?

Designer Pick of the Day - Sunburst Sconce

Designer Pick of the Day -

 Sunburst Sconce

Check this out.  Dynamic.

Order this from Wisteria.com