Darryl Carter's Design Lab

I've long been a fan of Darryl Carter. His neutral rooms are showstopping, and his eye for blending the unique with the traditional is unerring. I have collected dozens of photos over the years of his personal home in DC, and a few days ago I thought it might be fun to put together a little design timeline - the evolution of his spaces - as close as I could get it.

First, a little about the house. Darryl bought it in 1999, although some sources say 1997. The house had been the chancery of the Omani sultanate, and even in 1999, Darryl got a great deal on the 4-story, 1914-era 6,000 square feet beaux arts front mansion paying only $493,000.00. Prior to Darryl purchasing the house, the Omani government used parts of the house as office space, covering the original floors in gray carpeting as far as the eyes can see, dropping the ceilings with acoustic-tile, and adding the seemingly requisite fluorescent light fixtures due an office setting. The partitions they installed were easy to remove, and the house needed little structural repair. 

I can't find any photos of the embassy interior prior to Darryl. I know that the house was designed by Waggaman & Clark, built by prominent DC Builders and Property Developers Sanner & Hill. In 1924, it was remodeled for Mrs. Frank Letts, socialite and widow of a Chicago millionaire whose brother lived in D.C. at the time. That's where the chain of custody ends, unfortunately. 

Living Room

The first publicly available photos of the DC rowhouse manse after Darryl moved in came in the Metropolitan Home feature of 2002, less than 3-years after he purchased the house. 

Later, in October of the same year, Town and Country did a feature on the Darryl and the new home. By this time, there were already a few changes: 

Granted, this is a different view, but here Darryl has added a pop of color with the antique Bukhara rug under the coffee table and Chinoiserie chest. 

In 2003, House Beautiful photographed the row house, giving an alternate view of the room: 

Noted changes from the 2002 features are the steel orb under the piano. Gone is the cream bench that was there in the Met Home article.

The next feature was 2009 in Elle Decor: 

So many changes! All of the furniture is new, apart from the piano. Beautiful modern art behind the piano is far more neutral than what had been there before. A Duncan Phyfe sofa and round table are juxtaposed with this modern coffee table creation of simple white gypsum-cement shapes. That Bukhara rug is gone, too. At this point, Carter has added the antique shutters and roman shades, pulling down the curtains that were installed when he first moved in. 

The opposite side of the living room. The sconces are different, and the mirror that had been above the fireplace moves in favor of this neutral figure drawing.

Later in 2009, 1st Dibs did a small collection of photos, including this one: 

Chairs and a table where the sofa had been previously was either clever staging for the story OR a sign of things to come. 

In 2010, this photo of Darryl's living room was shared on his facebook. The bergere chairs flank the old Chinoiserie chest that had been in the 2002 photos. Pillows are added to the sofa, and that round Duncan Phyfe table is nowhere to be seen. 

In 2015, Milieu Magazine sat down with Darryl, and the room looked a lot different. 

Darryl moved the piano, in favor of a French daybed with a tester canopy. A center table was placed in the room, and he added an iron chandelier where there had previously been no light.

By 2016, when One Kings Lane did their feature on Carter's house, the room also had a few changes:

French bergere chairs that had once flanked the fireplace are now opposite of a Chinoiserie devan. The modern coffee tables are still in place, assisted in bringing that feeling into the rest of the space through modern lamps and art, some of which is placed directly on the dark wood floors. 

A later feature in 2017 for Beautiful Southern Homes magazine. Then, in 2018, Washington Life Magazine did a feature on the house, showing even more changes to the living room: 

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His brass sconces are gone, with low profile modern sconces taking their place. The cotton weave accent rug and white cocktail tables are gone, now replaced by a series of low black rectangular tables. The space tinges far more modern, including a very modern fireplace screen and additional modern art. 

Later, Veranda shot the room for their Christmas issue: 

You may remember that this marble and iron bench had been used in front of the daybed before. Modern art on the floor and hung from the ceiling. 

And the opposite side of the room in that 2018 Veranda Christmas article showing that the daybed still exists, a modern white table and a gilt French chair with white upholstery. Note the modern art on the ceiling on this side of the room as well. No one has featured the room since, and his instagram shows no further changes. But certainly over the last 20 years, the room has morphed from being very traditional, to somewhat transitional, to now almost entirely modern with a few key pieces of brilliant French antique furniture. 

Master Bedroom

Moving on to the bedroom, a room that seems to have also changed quite a bit: 

The 2002 article from Met Home shows the bedroom with a lot of traditional furniture and even traditional window treatments. 

The 2002 a zebra had been layered over the rug, furniture moved or changed, and the art replaced with an antique barometer.

In the 2009 Elle Decor feature, the room already starts to look more modern. The canopy bed is gone, a beautifully dressed bed sits in front of leather and nailhead upholstered door panels. 

The opposite side of the room showing the fireplace and Darryl's desk and French canopy chair. In the mirror there, you can see a portion of the left side of the room: 

A daybed and etching along that wall added additional lounge space. This photo was featured in his book, The Collected Home, published in 2012. Somewhere between 2012 and 2016 Darryl moved to a much more modern aesthetic throughout the house. I found that the two rooms that showcased that most were his living room (above) and the bedroom. The 2016 feature from One Kings Lane shows a much more modern approach:

By 2018, Washington Life shows the room with a few more changes. Carter had added panels to the bed, a mid-century globe light to the interior of the canopy, and different art. 

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Remember the Veranda article for Christmas 2018? They featured the bedroom, too. This shows the furniture arrangement across from the bed, in front of the fireplace. The gypsum-concrete tables that were once in the living room have moved here. And we can see that the new sconces replace the tole shade sconces that were there before. This figure drawing was also in the living room at one point - I really like it here. 

February of this year, he shows this photo of his bedroom, a different arrangement on the table, and a lamp that had not been there in the Veranda photo. 

The Bathroom

One of the biggest changes in the house came to the bathroom. Darryl's original bathroom was a HUGE inspiration to so many. 

Here in the 2002 Met Home article that first featured the renovation, you can see something that just about everyone fell in love with, the tandem antique clawfoot tubs. How luxurious to have two? They had been saved from the remodel of the Russian Embassy in DC, and Carter installed them both in his master bath renovation on top of marble herringbone floors. 

Another photo showing the original vanity and mirror. By the time Elle Decor featured his home, he had changed out the big-box sink basin for a retro-fit antique piece, and had painted the doors and window shutters black.

Does that mirror look familiar? It had been over the fireplace in the 2002 photos, but Darryl smartly moved it here when he changed out the vanity, which in my opinion is far more beautiful. 

The tubs had their plumbing replaced with unlacquered brass, and the case piece was switched out for the beautiful antique secretary. I remember thinking how beautiful it was to have this opportunity, for antique furniture in the bathroom - all that lovely space. But, you already know that secretary is now next to his modern canopy bed in the master bedroom. So what does it look like now? 

In May 2016, House Beautiful featured the remodel: 

Here are a few more pictures from that feature: 

Floors are different, carrera marble in a brick laid pattern as featured in One Kings Lane. 

The 2018 Veranda Christmas issue showed us more: 

If you're having trouble figuring out the renovation, don't worry - you're not alone. Placing how this all changed isn't easy. The entire thing was a full overhaul, fireplace added. The area where the tubs were, is now closets, and the tub moved to the back of that room with french doors looking out over Rock Creek. 

So what do you think of the changes? Do you have an iteration that you like more than the other? I personally love the version featured in Milieu. I love that gorgeous daybed and the Chinoiserie devan. Wrap it up, I'll take them when you're done Darryl. 

If you're a fan, check out his site here. You can follow his instagram here. Or you can pick up one of his two books on Amazon here: 

And in the event you're looking to get some of the old or new Darryl Carter look for less in your own home, here are a few beautiful things I found: