Fashion Forward

Taking fashion trends from the runway and reinterpreting them for the home was the challenge that eight mid-Atlantic interior designers faced in creating the Washington Design Center’s latest Design House, called "A Fashion House." Meanwhile, the challenge for those planning the exhibit's opening night was to take the designers’ work and put together a party consistent with the fashion-forward themes of the eight rooms.

A little background: Each year, the Design Center partners with a local magazine when it launches a new Design House; this year, it chose DC Magazine, and the two worked with Gala Events and Windows Catering Company to create a lively, food- and music-filled atmosphere consistent with the modern feel of the venue.

“We used a lot of black and white and shiny and metallic items,” said DC Magazine marketing director Martha Pheeny, who produced the event. With the Design House rooms filled with every color under the sun, Pheeny and Gala Events designer Jaime Greenwald opted for a clean look for the cocktail party decor. Case in point: giant black-and-white velour curtains hung along the hallway leading up to the conference-room-turned-lounge that also served as an entrance to the exhibit. The furniture throughout the room was simple, too, including white couches, a tufted white leather bar, and white hydrangea and lily floral arrangements.