Tour a Fancy and Family-Friendly Colonial Filled With Style

This place may be full of kids, but it's also packed with chic decorating ideas.

From: HGTV Magazine

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Photo By: Lisa Romerein

The Story

As a military couple, Jewel and Gary Marlowe have moved 13 times over the past 20 years. They bought their Colonial in Fairfax Station, Virginia, with hopes of settling in for the long haul. Built in 1994 with over 3,800-square-feet of living space, it had cathedral ceilings and grand windows, but that’s where the appeal ended. Parts of the house were run down, and it completely lacked originality. A designer and a tireless DIYer, Jewel had a vision formed largely from years in transit with Gary, a fighter pilot. “When you’re used to living in cookie-cutter military homes, you learn to differentiate yourself through design,” she says. “I put color, glamour and soul in every room.” Since there are often four kids in every room, Jewel figured out how to keep the look down to earth. She went high-low, splurging on wallpaper and investment pieces (she’s got a thing for grand chandeliers) and sourcing vintage treasures from Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. While stationed in England, Jewel flipped furniture for extra cash, and she tapped that skill once again, redoing drab fabrics and adding molding and other flourishes. “Each item is special,” she says, “but nothing is too precious that it can’t be used — or sat on.”

From: HGTV Magazine

The Home

Between the brick, the shuttered symmetrical windows and the portico, the exterior was always impressive. The interior: Ready for a refresh!

From: HGTV Magazine

The Living Room

A glass-tube chandelier by Hudson Valley Lighting dazzles in the sitting room. Painting the ceiling and walls a cool blue (Parma Gray by Farrow & Ball) and doing matching wool upholstery on the curved CB2 sofa: pure elegance. Graphic black-and-white trim on the drapes makes them less formal, while dings are no biggie on a dark marble coffee table from a consignment store. That animal-print “rug” is carpet tiling from Flor.

From: HGTV Magazine

The Kitchen

The old bland kitchen got a total overhaul. A quartz waterfall island counter has drama — appropriate, since so do four kids assembling snacks. Burl wood warms up the island, and the leftover pieces were upcycled for the hood trim. Jewel re-covered thrifted acrylic barstools in striped Milton & King fabric. The brass and glass pendants above are by Corbett.

From: HGTV Magazine

The Family Room

“We jokingly call this room ‘the lounge,’ ” says Jewel. “It’s where we kick back, read, sing and argue over who’s better at chess.” (The waterfall coffee table is popular for tournaments.) The oversize art may seem like it cost serious coin, but Jewel made it herself by pouring latex paints and water onto a canvas and tipping it back and forth. She also sewed fringe onto the base of the older couch. “It’s a really simple way to zhuzh upholstered furniture,” she says. With a vintage Moroccan rug layered over jute and plump pillows on the sofa, every seat is the coziest one.

From: HGTV Magazine

The Dining Room

Unlike some done-up dining rooms, it’s a regular dinner spot. Says Jewel, “It’s meant for making memories with family and friends.” Jungle-themed paper by Milton & King is an infusion of lively color and an activity: The kids have counted more than 30 creatures. "You can’t take life too seriously when there are elephants and giraffes all over your walls," says Jewel. The ’70s table set is a Craigslist score. She re-covered the cushions in velvet while sitting on the sidelines at her son’s soccer games. Another smart upgrade: molding designed by Jewel. “Any time you adorn a ceiling, it’s going to elevate things,” she says.

From: HGTV Magazine

The Laundry Room

The garage leads into the laundry room, says Jewel, “and I like entries to be a teaser of what’s to come. This is my jewel box.” She covered the walls and cabinets in metallic wallpaper and the ceiling in teal paint (Mykonos Harbour, both by Graham & Brown), then installed crystal knobs by Emtek. The spectacular print is from Minted. A quartz countertop over the washer and dryer makes folding the kids’ laundry a cinch. (OK, maybe not a total cinch, but at least it’s gorgeous in here!)

From: HGTV Magazine

The Main Bedroom

“Pink and red are on the same spectrum, and I enjoy using them together for dimension and impact,” says Jewel. The Art Deco–ish bed was one of her more intricate projects; mohair velvet and silky fringe make it next-level. For a feature wall, Jewel affixed wallpaper by Anthropologie to a massive sheet of plywood and propped it behind the bed. Abstract art (a Jewel original) hung over a flowery pattern amplifies the quirk. The antique lamps’ shades used to have matted gold fuzz. Jewel replaced them with pink fabric and piping that ties to the room’s other touches of green.

From: HGTV Magazine

The Bathroom

Teeth-brushing central had to be cheerful. Jewel’s updates started with wild-thing wallpaper by Hygge & West. She painted the ceiling a peppy orange (Charlotte’s Locks by Farrow & Ball) and built a wood frame for the tub with stapled-on caning plus a splash of brass trim. White tiles got a refresh with light blue epoxy tile paint, and she customized a plain shower curtain with geometric drapery tape.

From: HGTV Magazine

Tour a Fancy and Family-Friendly Colonial Filled With Style

Related To:

Shop This Look

The Story

The Home

The Living Room

The Kitchen

The Family Room

The Dining Room

The Laundry Room

The Main Bedroom

The Bathroom

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