A home’s narrative evolves as people residing inside grow and change — just ask inside designer Liz Levin, who immediately discovered that the accession of children radically altered the character and functionality of her home at Washington, D.C.”A married couple’s home looks and feels really different from one punctuated by the presence of young kids,” she says. “I understand this home isn’t likely to be our’forever’ home, but the area is actually a testament to some young family’s ability to experiment with patterns and playful accents and find things which make everyone smile.”
Regardless of the constraints of a budget and cozy spaces which always force the family to cluster, she says she’ll always look back in her very first home fondly. “The tight, within-an-earshot sleeping quarters cause some frustrating and funny moments,” she says,”but it has also given us some pretty great memories.”
in a Glance
Who lives here: Liz and Jesse Levin and their 2 daughters
Location: Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Size: 1,800 square feet
Liz Levin Interiors
Liz presented her thoughts on incorporating color in the living room to her husband, Jesse, at a man-friendly way.
“I did not call the accents hot pink,” she says,”because it sounds better when I call it exactly what it is: raspberry.”
Liz Levin Interiors
A friend of the couple gave them art, which she put over the fireplace. “There is a little flash of that cherry color at the middle of the peony. I told Jesse that I wanted to pull that out as an accent color, because the area previously was a sea of beige. The wallpaper tied it all together, and that I sold it to him that notion,” she says.
The designer enjoys both a curated look and a comparatively spare mantel. “I tend to like art over the mantel, as a mirror is a small void unless it reflects something interesting on the other side of the space. I like a symmetrical foundation: artwork, a set of items like candlesticksplants or ceramics.”
Hint: For an intriguing, gathered mantel, Liz suggests adding little filler things which you could upgrade using the season (like a little pink plant in spring, and little pumpkins or pinecones and tiny ornaments for the holidays).
Liz Levin Interiors
Jesse loves the offbeat, daring wallpaper blueprint behind the living room sofa. “It is not boring, which fits the taste of a guy who wears bright orange urban shoes,” Liz says.
The living area doors open into a large shared garden with large oak trees, a rarity in an urban neighborhood where almost all of the houses have little patios.
Newer than the neighboring cottages and Tudors, the Levins’ turn-of-the-century house has been updated over the years with modern lighting, baths and fittings. Unlike older, more compartmentalized townhomes from the Georgetown area, this home has a more open texture, according to Liz.
Liz Levin Interiors
The dining area is a mixture of old and new: The table is a hand-me-down from Liz’s grandmother, the chairs were a Design Within Reach vintage find from Craigslist, and the planters are from a beloved Georgetown decor place, Moss & Co..
“Although this picture is styled, our dining room area definitely morphs into a family-friendly area. The vintage chairs clean up nicely with a Magic Eraser, and a high seat folds away for fun, but on any given day, it is generally at the head of the table from the window. A booster which I found in chocolate and white to match the drapery came even later,” she says.
Hint: Do not be scared of white, even in the event that you’ve got little kids. Choose the fabric sensibly, making sure it is either stain resistant or washable.
Liz Levin Interiors
The kitchen is so tiny that Liz’s mother-in-law likens cooking there to cooking on a ship. “Layers of pots, pans and prep bowls fill our tiny counter space when we cook together in the kitchen. It is tight, but we manage to make it work,” she says.
Liz Levin Interiors
Liz Levin Interiors
A wall treatment and decoration of bright green and yellow cocoon her first daughter’s bedroom. The designer adored filling the space with traditional nursery decoration finds from Land of Nod and Pottery Barn Kids. But she enjoyed the delight of finding rare jewels via internet shopping.
“I just Googled’vintage Dick and Jane poster’ and voilà! Came all of these results,” she says.
Crib: Land of Nod; drapes: Kathryn Ireland; side table: House Eclectic; place carpeting: Chiasso; armoire, changing table, glider: Pottery Barn Kids; giraffe: Amazon; brown rabbit canvas: Amenity Home
Liz Levin Interiors
The print hanging over the bed displays Liz’s tongue-in-cheek attitude and her penchant for layout with a dash of comedy.
Reading lights: Lamps Plus; print: Super Rural
Liz Levin Interiors
She filled the master bedroom with family heirloom pieces and hand-me-downs. This bureau belonged to Jesse’s daddy from the’70s. Liz mixed old and new by pairing the vintage dresser with a vibrant foo dog along with a sleek, chic music player.
Liz Levin Interiors
“You get things from the travels, your life’s history, your children… and your home should reflect your adventures and development,” says Liz. The tall dresser in the master bedroom is a heirloom piece from her mother’s nursery.
Liz Levin Interiors
Liz Levin Interiors
This multifunctional room initially housed the designer’s home office. After obtaining a satellite office, she shifted the space into an energizing space. “I really like the wallpaper pattern, but that I just wallpapered two of the four walls so that it would not be so overwhelming. Pattern phobia is real, and that I understand you are able to tire of something,” says Liz, who has since altered the room into a temporary nursery to get the next girl.
Hint: The designer shares which she enjoys to use bold, graphic wallpaper in tiny doses: a powder area you do not devote a lot of time in and can shut the door on; a living room wall which needs a dose of excitement; and spaces like this cellar area, a”boring, sad little box,” Liz says, that immediately obtained a surge of personality and punch with the new wallpaper.
Wallpaper: Hinson; parson’s desk, futon: West Elm; crimson file cabinet, child’s desk, seat: Ikea;”Favor” poster: Poster Corner; cushions: Etsy; crimson lamp: vintage, from Liz’s younger brother; desk photograph: 20×200; picture frames: Pottery Barn