Ritz-Carlton, Washington D.C.
Location — Washington, District of Columbia
Project Type — Refresh of a private residence
Scope — Living room
Services — Full-service interior design, furniture specification, custom rug design, wallcovering specification
Custom Elements — Custom rug by Kravet Couture, wallcovering by ROMO
Furnishings — Christopher Guy, Baker
A private residence at the Ritz-Carlton in the heart of Washington, and a refresh rather than a renovation. Nothing structural moved. Not a wall, not a window, not a cabinet. That constraint is precisely what makes this kind of project interesting, because when you cannot change the architecture you have to be certain that every element you do change is carrying its full weight.
The wallcovering by ROMO did the most work. Walls are the largest surface in any room, and changing them changes the light, the apparent scale and the temperature of the whole space before a single piece of furniture arrives. It is the decision people most often leave until last and it should almost always come first.
The rug was made to order by Kravet Couture. In a city residence where rooms flow into one another, a rug is not a floor covering. It is the instruction that tells you where the living room begins and ends, and having it woven to the exact dimensions of the space meant the room could be zoned properly rather than approximately.
The living room furniture came from Christopher Guy and Baker, chosen for a city footprint where every piece is seen from every angle and there is nowhere for a weak silhouette to hide. Sculptural pieces earn their place in a smaller plan in a way that bulk never does.
A refresh is the right answer when the architecture is already sound and the rooms simply are not being served by what sits inside them. I take on the same work for clients around Lake Murray who do not need building work at all. They need the rooms resolved, and that is a far shorter conversation than most people expect.
