传统根深蒂固的国家的首都,一个n appreciation for what came before us certainly inspired the Beek family's well-established residence, which sits inside an 18th-centuryBeaux Artsbuilding steeped in Washington, D.C., charm. But that's not to say the venture didn't have some unconventional twists. To start, the creative process proved to be more of a family affair than a run-of-the-mill residential design project. “My late grandfather, Lawrence N. Brandt, was the builder, Georgie and I were the designers, and my parents were the clients,” explains Jennifer Beek, one-half ofJ+G Designwith partner Georgie Hambright; the pair also collaborated withS. M. Berger Architecture. “It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime type of project and dynamic.”
Perhaps the most surprising moment occurred upon first sight of the apartment. “We were told it would need a total gut renovation, as the apartment had not been touched since the original decoration in 1962,” explains Beek. “We braced ourselves for the worst, but when we walked in it was the most surreal experience—it was a living archive of Parish-Hadley. We knew right then and there that this would be the inspiration for the apartment.” You read that right: The original decorators were the legendarySister Parishand Albert Hadley. In addition to being the epitome of a design jackpot, the discovery was also deeply personal for Beek, who had the rare opportunity of interning for the design firm.
Now, with family members assuming their roles and crazy coincidences revealed, it was time to get to work. “While the underlying storyline was to preserve the legendary legacy of Parish-Hadley, we wanted to put our own spin on the project and break some rules,” states Beek. “We restored all the classic bones but rewrote some chapters in this story when it came to color and style,” adds Hambright. Ultimately, the gang used J+G Design's mantra as their guide, imbuing the historic home with the perfect mix of “uptown sensibility and downtown flair.”
