DC Design House Opens Oct. 1 on Foxhall Road

A fundraiser for Children’s National Health System, the premier provider of pediatric services in the metro area, the DC Design House has become an annual affair that has attracted more than 70,000 visitors. Over the past eight years, the event has generated $1.5 million for the charity.

Funds are raised from the sale of admission tickets and corporate sponsorships. This year, Farrow & Ball, Thos. Moser and Fred Home Improvement will sponsor the event. Additionally, all items displayed throughout the home are available for purchase, with a portion of each sale supporting the cause.

The 9th annual DC Design House will be held from Oct. 1 to Oct. 30. This year’s house, an expansive five-story home, the former French Ambassador’s residence, at 2509 Foxhall Road NW, is currently listed by Nancy Itteilag of Washington Fine Properties for $10.8 million. Special features include exercise and party rooms, a wine cellar and a luxurious sauna.

Among the designers is Kelley Proxmire of Kelley Interior Design, which has been featured in media outlets such as Southern Living and Home & Design. This will be Proxmire’s 25th show house since her first display at the National Symphony Orchestra Show House in 2001.

Kelley Interior Design was represented in the first DC Design House event, making this her fifth time participating. Visitors can look forward to a “cozy coral family room,” adorned with splashes of blue, white and grey to compliment the openness of the room as well as the attractive fireplace, one of five in the house.

Participating designers must fully furnish their respective rooms through individual means, so donors are welcome to loan fabrics and home accessories to each company. Part of what Kelley enjoys about being involved in the DC Design House is discovering new ways of extravagantly designing a room while remaining fiscally conservative. “I truly love doing it, it’s sort of a game to me,” she says. “It’s a challenge.”

Other featured work includes a dining room executed by Atelier Jonathan Senner, a kitchen by Frog Hill Designs and Studio Q Designs’ take on a vintage cabana.

This year’s exhibition is sure to impress, with new designers delivering innovative, elegant style. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $35. For tickets, visit dcdesignhouse.com.