No.3
The pared-back palette of Emily and Alfred Johnson’s home is made gloriously dynamic with standout pieces
| STYLING KRISTI HUNTER
HOME TRUTHS
THE PROPERTY A detached home built in 1917
ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen-diner, family room, playroom/ den, boot room, gym, two cloakrooms, four bedrooms, four bathrooms
LOCATION Washington DC
The story of this rather magnificent turn of the century property is quite unusual,’ says designer Martha Vicas of the historic detached house she helped turn into a home. ‘The owners, Emily and Alfred Johnson, actually purchased it during lockdown without viewing it in real life – they just saw images of its shell, newly renovated by a developer and fell in love with its floor plan and large garden.’
The couple, who have two young boys, aged five and three, had been travelling around due to Emily’s training in psychiatry but wanted to settle down in Alfred’s home town of Washington DC. ‘We were on board as the design team for the developer,’ explains Martha, ‘and Emily and Alfred liked what we had done and engaged us to help them furnish it and change some of the finishes.’ Emily also brought along her architect brother, Evan Watts of D&A Companies, to help customise it further.
Martha had planned a home to cater for the needs of a modern household – akitchen-diner, a family room leading off the kitchen, a boot room next to the garage and a generous main bedroom with ample wardrobes and a big bathroom, which perfectly suited the couple. ‘When it came to the decorating, they had a very distinct style in mind – acalm, light home with minimal colour, but lots of texture and interesting lighting to add character,’ says Martha. ‘And they wanted to fill it with furniture from high-quality boutique craftspeople. It was a dream brief!’
