Opening Doors to Design

Opening Doors to Design
Ten years ago, the Washington Design Center, primarily a source of high-end, to-the-trade home furnishings, staged its first Design House in a bid to become more user-friendly.

The twice-yearly event, for which designers dress up rooms with furnishings plucked from the center's purveyors of luxury furniture and fabric, has achieved that goal, according to James F. Caughman, vice president and general manager.

The 2006 House, which opens tomorrow featuring the work of 10 local design firms, is expected to bring in 8,000 to 10,000 visitors, many of whom will be stepping into the emporium of luxury living for the first time.

"With each Design House, we see many visitors who have never seen what we have to offer here," says Caughman, noting that in the past 10 years the Design Center has opened a kitchen and a bath showroom floor for direct consumer sales.

Also, one-third of the other showrooms in the building are now open for consumer browsing, although purchases must still be made through a design professional.

The Design House is intended to be an idea house for the public.

"It's an exciting opportunity to see inventive ways to utilize color and furniture," says Julia Chappell, the Design Center's marketing director.