Inside Homes - December 2016

HOME LIFE Real Estate News and Open House I Inside Homes and My Washington

(MWXMRGX (YVEFPI (IWMKR Marika Meyer brings a designer’s eye to her Bethesda residence, creating classic interiors that are both impeccable and family friendly.

BY ERICA MOODY PORTRAITS BY TONY BROWN INTERIOR PHOTOS BY TONY BROWN AND ANGIE SECKINGER

HOME LIFE | INSIDE HOMES

y husband will come home and either a chair is gone or the table’s painted or there’s a new chest or new lamps,” Marika Meyer says with a laugh. “I’m always changing things.”

This comes as no surprise, considering Meyer is the founder of Marika Meyer Interiors. The native Washingtonian (who grew up less than a mile from her current Bethesda residence) spends her days creating functional, luxurious living spaces for clients in the metropolitan area and beyond.

Her personalized approach to design starts by sitting with each client to discuss their passions before deciding what goes m into their home.

“Do they love to travel? Do they love to boat? Do they love to fish? What do they like to do in their free time?

And how does that resonate into the theory of their home?” the mother-of-two inquires. “At the end of the day I want houses that we do to feel more collected than designed.” It’s an approach you can see in her own dwelling, which is filled with antiques, family heirlooms and items collected from her travels. “If I had to use one word to describe my aesthetic, it would be classic,” she says.

One of her favorite piece, a 19th century Italian commode with silver leafing, is in her living room. Another is a bronze lion centered on her mantle, purchase from her friend Loi Thai at Tone on Tone in Bethesda. It’s from an 18th century building in France. “As a Leo, I’ve always loved lions,” Meyer explains. “It’s probably the one thing in the house that’s not a family item that I would not part with for all the money in the world.”

Many family pieces sit in the library, close to the kitchen on the first floor of the two-story residence. When she and her husband purchased the house seven years ago it was a formal dining room, but Meyer’s eye told her it would make an amazing library, a place where she could display her grandfather’s collection of antique books. Placed in between them are items collected from travels, including pairs of foo

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THIS PAGE: (clockwise from top left); The family room includes a vintage sideboard painting by Marika Meyer and pillow fabrics by Marika Meyer Textiles; the library’s antique table with faux marble finishes from Billet Collins and a Circa Lighting fixture; the fabric on the back of shelves filled with bibelots and antique books is “Roman Fig” by Marika Meyers Textiles; an acrylic painting

by Marika Meyer inspired by meadows seen on a trip to Virginia hangs over an antique chair with Marika Meyer fabric; the well-lit “lego room” keeps her boys entertained for hours.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: (clockwise from top left): Meyer’s living room is filled with antiques. The custom sofa is by Marika Meyer Interiors with Perrennials Fabric. Club chairs are vintage Kintinger, with Cowtan & Tout Fabric. The chest and side chairs are also vintage, and the wall color is Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan; all art by Marika Meyer, vintage hickory chair, and antique lamp and chest, candlestick holder from Christ Child Opportunity Shop in Georgetown, chair fabric is “San Michele” by Marika Meyer Textiles; vintage dining room chairs are covered in Perennials fabric. Table, chairs and secretary are also vintage and the faux finish on the secretary is by Billet Collins. The wallpaper is Farrow & Ball and chandelier is by Circa Lighting; the antique mirror in the living room is by John Rosseli Antiques and the antique lion is from Tone on Tone.

dogs (“If I ever see foo dogs, I pick them up,” she says) and little pagodas found at a Chelsea flea market on a trip to New York. But the books take center stage.

“I just love them. They have so much character,” Meyer says, excitedly describing Second Story Books’ Rockville warehouse, a treasure trove of unique antiquarian books.

With the library being so central to the house, she hopes her boys (Grayson, 6, and Colin, 3) will wander in and pick one off a shelf, read a chapter and learn something, an activity she remembers fondly from her own childhood.

Meyer has been so taken by literature over the years that the second line of her fabric collection is inspired by antique book covers. Fabric, she says, is where she always starts design projects because the right choices can truly set a tone for the overall atmosphere of a house.

A former fine arts student, Meyer hangs her own colorful works of art throughout her home. Two acrylic paintings in the living room were inspired by meadows in Middleburg.

As she works on paintings or sketches for fabric, her boys sit beside her and paint their own watercolor versions.

Meyer stresses the importance of having a home that her children can be kids in but that is comfortable and sophisticated enough to host the dinner parties that she and her husband regularly plan.

“I didn’t want to have to sacrifice my aesthetic just because there were children in the house,” she says. “The great thing about doing family design now is that the industry has really recognized that we need durable resources and materials so it’s become much easier to source indoor outdoor fabrics or krypton fabrics.”

The large cream colored sofa in Meyer’s living room is an indoor-outdoor piece so it won’t be a problem when her kids come in with muddy shoes. “Colin honestly had spaghetti on the ceiling a few months ago,” she laughs. The trend of distressed woods also helps when designing for families, as does having antiques. “They’ve already taken a beating,” she says. “They already have a patina.”

Most of her clients have children under the age of ten and Meyer is uniquely prepared for the challenge.

“I always have my designer hat on but a lot of time in projects I put on my mom hat,” she explains. “The great thing about designing for families now is that you don’t have to sacrifice style.”

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