VIBRANT THING
By Blake Miller; Photography by Chris Edwards; Styling by Kendra Surface
This article appeared in the May/June 2024 issue of Home Design & Decor’s Triangle edition.
DESIGNER LIZ CARROLL TRANSFORMS A BLANK SLATE INTO A WARM, COLORFUL, PATTERN-INFUSED HOME THAT COMPLEMENTS THE OWNERS’ VIBRANT PERSONALITIES.
Liz Carroll’s client never saw the house in person before making an offer. The client entrusted Carroll, a longtime friend, with touring the home, located just outside of Washington, D.C., and giving an honest assessment on whether it was “the one.” “At the time, they were living in London and trying to buy a house in the difficult Washington, D.C., market,” explains Carroll. “We were up against time zones and crazy bidding wars, so her husband and I couldn’t wait for her to get here and see it in person.”
The circa-1911 traditional colonial turned out to be a great choice for the family. The previous homeowners had done extensive renovations to the home, leaving behind a blank canvas for Carroll to work with.
“Updated kitchen, bathrooms, hard goods, and finishes—a complete blank slate with white walls and white trim everywhere,” she explains. “It was a designer’s dream.” Work commenced almost immediately in preparation for the family’s move back to the US, and there was one overarching request for the home: “My client is in love with color. Like, obsessed with it,” says Carroll, whose calling card is her effortless ability to layer color and pattern in an elevated yet inviting way. “My client has such great personal style. She dresses in fun colors, she’s edgy. That was a major inspiration for me.”
Carroll and her team set to work, Zooming with her clients across the Atlantic during Covid to pull together an aesthetic that complemented their vibrant personalities and their busy family lifestyle. The design team began with the larger public spaces on the ground floor because “they all needed to relate to each other since you can see each of them from the other rooms,” says Carroll. “We wanted to make sure the ground floor had a cohesive feel to it while incorporating a lot of colors.”
Possibly the boldest space in the home, the living room boasts blush-pink lacquered walls, trim, and coffered ceiling. “The ceiling was originally white with wood, and just so blah,” says Carroll. “That lacquered pink transformed the room into a warm, inviting, and vibrant space. Every time my client saw a room like this coming together, she would say, ‘More color. More color.’ So that’s what we did.” The nearby lounge, although a departure from the pink, is also a lesson in color, with top to bottom moody blue on the walls and thick crown molding detail stacked against a black ceiling. A mirrored backsplash with rainbow barware provides just the right amount of color to an otherwise dramatic and inviting room.
Carroll’s innate knack for taking treasures collected by clients while traveling the world and turning them into unique design elements that pop is on display in the breakfast area. A large, framed sari from India hangs above the table, where abstract floral Pierre Frey wallpaper serves as the backdrop. “The sari is engraved and beaded with all of this amazing detail, and we knew we had to use it somewhere,” says Carroll. “It’s not only a meaningful piece and so unique, but it also brings such great color to the space.”
When the family was finally able to move into the home after years of living abroad, they were thrilled with their decision to push the envelope when it came to color and pattern. “We see a lot of photos of really dramatic, bold rooms on social media or Pinterest, and it’s very inspiring,” says Carroll. “But not many people are willing to take the risk with color like my clients did. It really gave this home such character and really complemented their fun personalities.”