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A little more than a decade ago, Washington, D.C.-based designer Zoe Feldman met Alexandra and Gavin Coleman in what now feels like an entirely separate chapter of their lives. “My firm was completely different, and they didn’t have any kids,” Feldman says. “It was back when they had a townhouse on Capitol Hill.” After they worked together on that initial project, Feldman and the couple stayed in touch socially as the Coleman clan grew to include Henry (10), Taylor (8), and Peter (6). Then, two years ago, Alexandra and Gavin purchased a circa-1900s farmhouse in the Palisades neighborhood, and Feldman was asked to jump back into her professional role.
Feldman liked the idea of working with old friends, and not just because she knows their tastes. Gavin is a partner at Long Shot Hospitality, and Alexandra is a brand and marketing executive, so Feldman knew that they could take design risks along the lines of a must-stay hotel or a buzzworthy restaurant—in fact, she was sure that’s why they wanted her back. But Feldman also had her own fresh chapter in the works called Demi, a part of her firm that focuses on smaller projects with leaner budgets rather than full-fledged renovations.
“During one of our first conversations, I told them about Demi,” Feldman says. “And they were excited to be the beta testers.” Ahead, the interior designer shares how they modernized this historic home by balancing bold colors with details that are timelessly cozy.
The terracotta color of the kitchen is such a unique choice. Why did you decide to go for it?
We ripped out the counters, backsplash, and island, but we kept the perimeter cabinetry from when the house was last renovated in the early 2000s. The kitchen is set at the back of the home, and if you’re standing in the living room, you can see it. As we were discussing the palette, it felt like a color-drenched moment would draw the eye through the two rooms. We used Farrow & Ball’s Red Earth, which has just the right boldness to modernize the space, with a chalkiness to it that still reads as traditional. This was a way to create a bespoke feel without the expense of custom cabinetry.
As for the equally bold backsplash, it works because it’s all within the same color family. I think if we had chosen a green marble, for instance, it would have been too much. But the marble coordinates with the cabinets, and then there’s enough organic detail—like the wood fluting on the island—to ground the rest of the space.
They’re your friends, but still: How did you convince them to trust you on this color?
It’s funny, actually. I don’t think they were on board with the terracotta at first, and we were deciding between that and a blue kitchen. Gavin brought his brother over while we were going back and forth, and his brother said, “You don’t hire Zoe to do a blue kitchen.” We all thought this color was a risk, but also, Alexandra and Gavin understood what it meant to be immersed in a space. They wanted to feel something from this kitchen.
The reading nook in the living room is also distinctive, with the bookcases facing each other rather than the space. How did this solution come about?
Alexandra and Gavin have a family of five, and their extended family is pretty big. They knew that when they hosted everyone, they’d need as many places as possible to put people. We thought a lot about what to do with these windows, because again, you can see the kitchen from this area. It started with bookshelves, and then I had the idea to bring in the daybed: It could be a space to relax, or play games, or just have kids off to one side while the adults are on the furniture.
How did you pull together the rest of the furniture and details in this room?
The existing fireplaces were traditional, so we pulled them down and fabricated more modern marble surrounds instead. The living room and family room are neutral, because they needed to balance out the kitchen. But we didn’t want the kitchen to feel out of place, so the furniture is all jewel-toned to coordinate without feeling too matchy. We also had a lot of fun with shapes and sculptural details, to make the rooms feel more playful even though they’re sophisticated. And if you notice, there’s a thread of walnut throughout: in the bookcase, in the furniture, on the kitchen island, at the bar. We kept saying, “Let’s call that back as we bring in architectural features.”
The bar looks like it came from a hotel. Was that the idea?
Originally, the bar in the living room was open; there wasn’t a wall behind it. And we decided to close it, because we didn’t need it for traffic and doing so would make the space cozier. The mural was meant to recreate the feeling of being at a nice hotel bar—they asked me to really lean into that. The brass railing and the little bit of humor in the hands holding up the sconces makes it happen.
The same mix of moodiness and fun can be felt in the powder room, too.
Exactly. When we found the stone, it had so much in the way of shape and color, and it was asymmetrically shaped. So we echoed that with the mirror, and played off the movement with lime-washed walls. The purple sconce above fits right in because it doesn’t quite match, right? The fact that it’s funky and didn’t entirely coordinate is why we picked it.
The laundry room doesn’t feel like it quite fits in, either, given its bright color. What was the thinking there?
A laundry room is one of those spaces that guests are probably never going to see, and we figured that if we have to be forced to do laundry, it might as well be somewhere fun. So we opted for this citrus color, and picked out that tiny backsplash just to funk it up. The cool thing about the laundry room’s paint job is that it may look like it doesn’t fit in, but it coordinates with the teal-ish blue in the mudroom right next to it. It’s the same idea as the kitchen—to create a jewel box—and all of the rooms do that on their own. But then, as you’re moving through each space, you can notice how all of the colors work together, to create that immersive experience.
The primary bedroom feels the most serene, but still uses color, too. How did you dial it back in this space?
It should come as no surprise that they wanted their bedroom to feel like a hotel suite, which meant building a more neutral palette. But to me, neutrals don’t necessarily mean being beholden to creams, whites, and khakis—blue can be a neutral when you pick a shade that can hang out in the background. We placed a Persian rug on top of the existing carpet to conceal it, and that’s what gave the room its personality.
Once that was in place, I pulled a similar pattern for the bolster pillows, and made sure to add those little reading lights so it could feel like they were staying somewhere cool. That being said, I didn’t want any part of their home to feel like a showhouse, or feel like just anyone could come and check in. You can make a home feel holistic and personal when you opt to create intentional moments in every space. After that, it’s just about finding ways to make those moments come together.