Designer Darryl Carter on how to make your treasured antiques look fresh and modern.

Photography: Gordon Beall

Lawyer turned designer Darryl Carter is living the dream – his dream, that is, of creating beautiful spaces. From his design firm and boutique in Washington, D.C., Darryl indulges in his life-long passion for design by creating elegant, timeless environments for private clients, as well as designing home furnishings in his signature style. We turned to Darryl for tips on how to blend traditional furnishings into our homes – minus the stuffy factor – for a modern look that’s relaxed yet refined.

Photography: Gordon Beall | Design: Darryl Carter

KL: You gave a up a law career to pursue design. Was design always an interest?

DC: I have no regrets about pursuing my law degree. It was foundational and there are a host of legal considerations that a design practice such as mine encounters routinely. I was set on design as far back as I can recall.
I remember moving furniture around from a very young age. If I was sent to my room as punishment, when I came out, the room would be improved, if not redesigned – no small feat since all I was working with was twin beds and a dresser. I guess you can say it’s been a talent I’ve had since very young.

KL: Your work balances minimal effect and maximum interest. How do you achieve that balance?

DC: There is a general temptation to place something on every bare wall. Resist it. Fewer well considered objects, furniture, art, etc., take on more impact when they have space to breathe, particularly in smaller spaces. Avoid impulse purchases as they are usually the culprit of clutter.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Metal Canopy BED, and furniture pictured below, designed by Darryl Carter for Milling Road Furniture by Baker Furniture. Gwenwood HANGING LIGHT, designed by Darryl Carter for The Urban Electric Company.

KL: You design many products for the home. What is the one thing that you tend to incorporate in every interior, and why?

DC: I love light fixtures and the Gwenwood from my collection with The Urban Electric Company is customizable and is often tailored to suit various spaces from bedsides to kitchen islands. The mix of structured rods and a suspended linen shade creates a blend of hard and soft that helps to discretely balance an eclectic room decor.

PAINT, Salt CC5, Farrow & Ball.

KL: Your interiors use a lot of warm white, brown and black. What is your go-to wall colour when working with neutral decor schemes? Are walls always off-white?

DC: My colour palettes usually read neutral – but neutral does not mean white or beige. I am, perhaps surprisingly, happy to bring colour into a room, although the colours do tend to be pale. Vibrant colours that change from room to room, particularly in small spaces, can feel like a hard stop at each room.

It’s safer to have a common tonality in a procession of rooms. This is why I generally prefer a muted palette that allows an entire home’s colour to flow. Two colours I tend to use most are Farrow & Ball’s All White 2005, which is a warm white with no cold blue undertones, and Salt CC5, which offers a crisp, clean white finish – this is an excellent colour that allows darker wood tones to pop in a room.

Photography: Gordon Beall | Design: Darryl Carter

KL: You’re expert at mixing antiques into modern spaces. What’s the secret?

DC: I am prone to a well-edited mix of modern and antique forms. To achieve balance, I tend to place very simple time-honoured forms opposite more – but still relatively simple – antique furnishings and accessories. For instance, a clean-lined sofa or coffee table, such as a Parson style, mixed with a more classical antique is a nice way to balance a room. For textiles, I tend toward neutral hushed palettes, as they are generally more lasting and outlive passing trends.

Photography: Gordon Beall | Design: Darryl Carter

KL: What feeling do you want someone to have when they walk into their home at the end of the day, and can you tell us how you achieve that?

DC: In my view, the most successful environments share one thing in common – once you enter, there is a sense of serenity. There is a transportive quality that takes you away from all else. Elements that can encourage this feeling transcend furnishings. Simply having lights on a dimmer can make all of the difference.