Owners of an 1820's Georgetown house invited us to work with them. They wanted to restore the venerable and update the rest.

This living room is as relaxed as it is elegant. Sisal floors, an extraordinary 16th Century Venetian column, contemporary art and simple/elegant furniture and fabrics made it happen. Rich gray walls (Donald Kauffman #8) provide the perfect "transitional" backdrop to the sophisticated taupe/stripe silk on the sofa, a subtly tactile Rogers & Goffigon fabric on the sleek club chair, and a spike of hot Latin color of the Donghia pleated silk fabric of the sofa cushion.

Part of the success of the mix is the use of texture: limestone, iron, travertine, sisal, silk and linen. Accessories complete the picture. A Botero bronze, art books, the simplest glass vase, filled with (soon to burst) cherry blossoms and simple treasures (starfish, a chenille throw, an ammonite) create a tension that makes this room comfortable and yet sophisticated.