Great Spaces

THE TRADITIONAL furnishings from Alice and Brendan Feeley’s previous house—a “typical Arlington brick Colonial”—felt out of place when the couple moved to a newer home, built in 2005, in Country Club Hills.

Craving a refresh, they hired interior designer Suzanne Manlove in 2018 to update a few of the rooms they used most, including their 400-square-foot bedroom.

“I wanted a space that felt lighter and not cluttered with heavy furniture and dark fabrics,” says Alice, a longtime county resident who currently serves as board chair of the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) and is an emeritus board member for the nonprofit Doorways. Brendan is an attorney in Arlington.

Swapping the bedroom’s tired beiges and browns for a palette of spa blue and taupe, Manlove introduced textured linen wallpaper by Phillip Jeffries and a “regal” custom bed by Kravet with a tufted headboard, zinc nail heads and a walnut wood base.

Twin gold-leaf artworks by R. Lusk now hang above Vanguard nightstands with satin brass hardware, and the foot of the bed is anchored by a Vanguard brass bench upholstered in cream fabric. A Tibetan wool area rug turns the entire vignette into a focal point.

In the adjacent sitting area (not shown), Manlove updated the fireplace surround, painted an existing armoire a soft taupe, and offset the plantation shutters on the room’s west-facing windows with subtly patterned floorto-ceiling drapes. The overall result, says the designer, is a serene sanctuary meant for unwinding.

Asked to summarize the new aesthetic and the feeling it evokes, Alice responds with one word: “Calm.” ■

PROJECT CREDIT:

Manlove and Co. Interiors manloveandco.com