25Oct / 2012

‘Count Your Blessings’ Dining Room

Our ‘Count Your Blessings’ Dining Room was designed for the Maryland Green Designer Show Home as an opportunity to showcase our firm’s design talent and show how easy it is to incorporate “green” items into everyday living. Most importantly, we’re passionate about giving back to our community. All of the admission proceeds along with the sale of the home will benefit both Make A Wish Foundation and Hospice of the Chesapeake. Unlike most dining rooms this informal space is casual, comfortable, and yet suitable for everyday living and entertaining. The Maryland Green Designer Show Home is open to the public Thursday – Sunday from 10am – 5pm thru mid-November.

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08Dec / 2011

GALA Award Winners

Movie – Wedderburn PhotosGALA (Great American Living Awards) is the most prestigious residential design, sales, and marketing competition in the metropolitan Washington market. Builders, developers, architects, sales, marketing, merchandising, and advertising professionals have judged these awards for more than 50 years and to win a GALA is considered the “Best of the Best.”

Dream House Studios walked away with two awards; including Design & Architecture and the Grand Award, Home of the Year. In addition we received an Award of Merit for Interior Merchandising at Wedderburn Estates in Vienna, Virginia. Our client, Courtland Homes builds an amazing house and we always enjoy our collaboration as well as the final product.

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01Oct / 2010

Silver Swan Bayside Re-Design

We were so excited to be awarded the re-design project for the Silver Swan Bayside. This beautiful facility sits directly on the Chesapeake Bay and is part of the Queen Anne Marina in Stevensville, Maryland. The dining room needed a “make over” to match the breathtaking water views from inside.

We wanted the dining room to feel elegant and relaxed at the same time but not take away from the beauty of the outdoor scenery. The colors are soft blues with crisp white paneling on the ceiling and walls. The fireplace was originally brick and was updated with a beautiful stone that is the focal point of the room. It really makes it a perfect spot for any special occasion year round. We wanted it to have a flavor of the Chesapeake without being too literal. Bayside is one of the best spots for a wedding ceremonies and receptions, corporate events or private parties. Not to mention that the food is amazing! Check out their website to see some of the beautiful photos and services they offer.

See more of our design work.

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10Sep / 2010

Before and After: Love Residence

These “before-and-after” pictures show the guest bedroom and a dressing room in the Love residence.

The basement guest room posed some design challenges right from the beginning. First of all, it is small with doors to closets, storage and a sitting room on all the walls but one. The one wall, ideal for the bed, has an off-centered window with an unpleasant view of the stairs outside. Although natural light is always ideal in a basement, Wesley decided to sacrifice the light and the view. She had off-white draperies hung, equidistant from both the side walls. Staying closed, they conceal the offset window which allowed Wesley to center the bed on the wall with larger nightstands that offer storage.

There was also room for a fabulous bench at the foot of the bed for guests to set their belongings. A neutral, soothing color palate was chosen using fabrics that coordinated with the existing wall color. Alabaster lamps, floral etchings on the wall, and some small accessories on the nightstands finish the room.

The other photos show a small room off the master that in its current state was not functional. The homeowner expressed a desire for a dressing area. Once again, this space was quite small so Wesley found this adorable, small-scaled chair with a soft, feminine fabric and contrast welt. The cream vanity has velvet lined drawers which hold all her jewelry. The stool is covered in a fun Schumacher fabric.

See more of our work.

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20May / 2010

Client Update: Lilly Project

A while back, we let you know about the Lilly family, who asked us to redesign their dining room. We also redesigned their laundry room, and we wanted to show you the amazing transformation that took place. What do you think?

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15Feb / 2010

She Only Needed to Bring Her Toothbrush…

When we first met this client, who was a guest at our Halloween party last year, she was living in a temporary place while her new town home was being built. Our ears perked up when she mentioned she would be interviewing designers to help with her new home; she wanted to use a designer to furnish her entire home so she and her daughter “would only have to bring a toothbrush”.

After interviewing a few designers, she selected Dream House Studios, mostly because she really connected with one of our designers, Wesley. After connecting so well, Wesley designed the home for this young single Mom and her daughter, both whom are sophisticated and girly in their personal taste and style. And although girly can sometimes mean an all over pink house, we sufficed with just a pink bathroom, while the overall style remained a neutral palette: creams, greys, & browns.

Wesley approached the layout differently, treating it the townhouse more like a home than a designed model. The kitchen was designed with comfort and more seating areas for better function, considering that it would be the hub of the house. We used some interesting fabrics, like Sunbrella fabric which is stain and fade resistant, and some vintage pieces from an antique store in Charlottesville, Virginia (check out the amazing table!). Wesley also helped with all the other selections for house (lighting, furniture, drapery, etc.), with the exception of two toothbrushes, of course.

The entire project took about six months. On “move-in day” we installed EVERYTHING. We made the beds, washed the new dishes and stemware, filled the picture frames with their photographs, lit candles and waited for our client to “come home”. It was such a rewarding experience for all of us. Our client was overwhelmed by her new, beautiful house. We opened a bottle of champagne and walked from room to room watching her take it all in.

These are the moments that we designers relish. It is a lot of work to design and install an entire house, but it’s moments like this that make it all worth while.

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27Jan / 2010

Check Out Pictures of Our Work – All in One Place!

Have you checked out our work yet? We’ve posted some amazing home transformations here on our blog, but we’ve got a lot more to show you. Check out our Flickr photo stream; there you can see a photo gallery of our work. Pictures include designs we’ve done for model homes or work we’ve done transforming clients’ spaces.

After checking out the gallery of our work, you can let us know what you think. For example, nathy_0308 let us know how much she loved the color palette in one of our model home designs. Our photos have even been added to the Fine Design and Home & Décor groups on Flickr. It is always great to share our work, and even better to get feedback from you!

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19Jan / 2010

New Light House Shelter to Open in Annapolis

While 2009 was an low-key year for most of us, the Light House Shelter of Annapolis kept busy making plans to open a new homeless shelter in Annapolis. They were hard at work designing, planning, and fundraising for their new 24,000 square foot facility. Their new “home” will be a LEED certified building that will house approximately three times the number of people that the current shelter is able to accommodate.

For a while, Dream House Studios had been looking for a community project to become involved in, so when we learned about the new shelter, we jumped at the chance to be involved. We headed the interior team with all of the interior selections and furnishings for the building, allowing us to help out while still expressing our passion. Construction on the new shelter finally got underway at the end of September and will be opening Summer/ Fall of 2010.

We will keep you updated on the shelter’s progress as we move closer to its opening. If you are interested in learning more about the shelter, check out www.annapolislighthouse.org.

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30Dec / 2009

From Knobs to Finishes: Dream House Helps Complete a Custom Home

The Simm family, from Crownsville MD, interviewed three different designers as they embarked on finishing their custom home. Their goal was to create a beautiful customized home with the help of professionals. The Simm’s said they ultimately chose Dream House because we really took their goals and vision to heart, ultimately helping them create a truly unique place to live.

Through our creative process, we discussed the Simm’s goals, likes, dislikes, and style. They brought example material to us for inspiration, but let us help in every selection from paint to flooring to lighting. Pictured here is the kitchen and family room, where the Simm’s family will congregate and spend a lot of their time together. We had to keep this in mind, choosing materials and furniture pieces that were family and kid friendly.

So in combination with the Simm’s goals and our own creative vision, we helped create a home that compliments the style of the family that resides there.

If you live in Maryland and want creative interior design that matches your style, give us a call at 410.224.7588.

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23Dec / 2009

Dream House Featured in Home and Design!

Dream House Studios was recently featured in the “Hot Talent” piece in the October 2009 issue, and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

When talking to Home and Design about Dream House, we really wanted to hit on our belief that our relationships with our clients is key. We really want to create a fun and relaxing process for those that come to us for design help. Our relationship with clients is what really helps us to create great design.

Our featured design was something we created for a home in Fairfax, Virginia, that has a light and subtle palette in warm peach and coral tones. The white painted millwork and moldings relate to the home’s interiors to the Federal style architecture. To read the entire article, click here.