AJ Madison Appliances is projected to open its first DC-area location on October 28, 2019. The 5,000-square-foot Tysons showroom will offer a vast selection of indoor and outdoor appliances by brands such as Miele, Bosch, Sub-Zero, Viking and Gaggenau. Factory-trained staff members provide expertise for consumers seeking advice, from planning to installation. 8500 Leesburg Pike; ajmadison.com
BoConcept returns to Tysons Galleria after a five-year absence—this time in a new, 4,500-square-foot location. The Danish company designs and produces a wide array of contemporary indoor and outdoor furniture, accessories and lighting for every space in the home. In-house consultants can assist with selections and customize BoConcept’s modular designs to suit homeowners’ needs. 2001 International Drive; boconcept.com
Boss Design Center has opened a 4,000-square-foot McLean showroom providing custom and semi-custom cabinetry in a range of styles; granite, marble, soapstone and quartz countertops; glass, porcelain, ceramic and stone tile options; and the latest in LED lighting. Staff members answer questions on products and are also on hand to design remodeling projects from kitchen, bath (to take an herbal bath to prevent flu) and basement makeovers to whole-house renovations. 1389 Chain Bridge Road; bossdesigncenter.com
Bountiful Home has moved into a newly renovated, 16,000-square-foot building in Easton, Maryland. The location encompasses Bountiful Home, a retailer showcasing furniture, fabrics and wall coverings, antiques and handcrafted items; Bountiful Flooring, which offers carpet, flooring and tile; and Jamie Merida Interiors, the owner’s eponymous design studio. Also on-site for weary shoppers: Turnbridge Talbot, a bakery/café. 803 Goldsborough Street; jamiemerida.com
Capitol Closet Design opened its newest location in Tysons. The 2,000-square-foot space houses 14 innovative displays showcasing the latest walk-in and reach-in closets, pantries, laundry rooms, home offices, garages and Murphy beds. Customers can browse a wide selection of cabinet door, drawer and hardware styles while knowledgeable designers and installers help make their ideas a reality. 8027 Leesburg Pike, Suite 304; capitolclosetdesign.net
Erin Paige Pitts Home is an 850-square-foot boutique that interior designer Erin Paige Pitts recently opened next door to her Annapolis studio. Defining her inventory as “Hamptons meets Annapolis,” Pitts curates a collection of sophisticated home furnishings, accessories and original art unique to the area. Among the brands in stock: Thomas Fuchs, Bolé Road Textiles and Kerri Rosenthal. 105A Annapolis Street; erinpaigepitts.com
Framebridge, purveyor of custom frames, complements its online presence with new showrooms in Bethesda and on DC’s 14th Street. In the stores, customers can see frames and matting options in person and schedule design consultations. A Story Booth in the DC location lets shoppers record videos about what they’re framing, perfect for a gift—or a social-media post. 1919 14th Street, NW; 4806 Bethesda Avenue; framebridge.com
Hästens, a Swedish manufacturer of luxury beds, mattresses, pillows and linens, will open its first DC-area location in Tysons Galleria in fall 2019. Seven of the company’s signature beds will be on view in the 1,186-square-foot showroom. All are crafted with natural materials, including pine, wool, cotton, flax and ethically sourced horsehair. 2001 International Drive, Suite 1156; hastens.com
Konst Union’s debut in Bethesda marked KONST Design Group’s acquisition of Union Hardware, a go-to resource in the community for more than 100 years. KONST Union’s new, 1,250-square-foot showroom presents an array of high-end bath fixtures and furniture by top European brands including Fantini, Falper, Effegibi, Vitage, Milldue, Noorth, Devon & Devon and Crosswater London. 7550 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 110; konstunion.com
Maine Cottage, known for its colorful wooden furniture sold online and in catalogs, has opened a 1,200-square-foot outpost in Annapolis. The design center showcases the company’s furniture in room vignettes including two living rooms, a dining room and a bedroom. A Color Bar offers hanging fabric samples along with take-away paint cards and fabric swatches. Design services are available; open by appointment only. 1205 West Street; mainecottage.com
The Tile Shop, a nationwide retailer specializing in natural stone and manmade surface products, has opened a Chantilly location. The 12,000-square-foot showroom features thousands of tile designs; full-room, tiled vignettes offer consumers plenty of ideas and inspiration. Experts help shoppers select the right surfaces for any project. 13920 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Suite 20B; tileshop.com
Unique By Ruth is the brainchild of Ruth Gamarra, who started refinishing dated furniture in 2012. Over time, her hobby expanded into a business. Today, in addition to transforming furniture and kitchen cabinetry in a wide range of finishes and styles, Unique by Ruth also showcases an array of new cabinetry, furniture and accessories in this 4,500-square-foot Rockville showroom. Painting workshops are offered too. 12266 Wilkins Avenue, Suite L; uniquebyruth.com
Von Ammon Co, a new gallery in Cady’s Alley, exhibits work by internationally recognized artists in an edgy, industrial space. Todd von Ammon, a veteran of the New York art scene, says he opened the gallery in Georgetown’s design district to “provide another venue for events and conversation in the city.” Upcoming shows include Helmut Lang (through November 2, 2019), Timur Si-Qin and Wickerham + Lomax. 3330 Cady’s Alley, NW; vonammon.co
Don’t Miss These Shopping Hot-Spots
Old Town
An excursion to Virginia’s Old Town Alexandria is a chance to soak up the atmosphere as well as the deals. Located on the Potomac River, this historic district of brick sidewalks and cobblestone streets was founded in 1749 and is lined with locally owned boutiques, galleries, antiques stores and national retailers—many in vintage row houses an easy stroll from one another.
Tysons Corner
Virginia’s bustling Tysons Corner encompasses three major shopping areas: Fairfax Square, with select upscale boutiques; and Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria—both sprawling, multi-level indoor malls chock-full of fashion and home-design showrooms. Stand-alone stores also abound, from Crate & Barrel to The Container Store, plus specialty shops tucked away in smaller shopping strips.
Cady’s Alley
This 120,000-square-foot enclave in the heart of Georgetown is mainly comprised of contemporary home-design showrooms sporting lofted ceilings, exposed brick and glass-and-steel stairways. Shops proffer everything from chic bath resources to sleek furnishings and stylish lighting, conveniently centered around a pedestrian-friendly cobblestone alley that makes one-stop shopping easy.
14th Street, NW
Once a shabby neighborhood of warehouses and body shops, this vibrant stretch between Thomas Circle and U Street, NW, is now home to industrial-chic abodes and a hip design district that culminates on L Street at the Washington Design Center. Home-décor showrooms along 14th Street range from a four-story Room & Board to quirky Miss Pixie’s Furnishings & Whatnot—interspersed with trendy restaurants. The Design Center, in the iconic Franklin Court building, is home to 21 designer showrooms, some of which are to-the-trade only.
Bethesda Area
A construction boom has transformed Bethesda, Maryland, from suburban sprawl to urban metropolis. In Fall 2018, a new Anthropologie with a home-design center joined Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma on Bethesda Avenue; they keep pace with fixtures such as Urban Country and Random Harvest. Nearby Kensington still lures visitors to its Antique Row, a bastion of antiques dealers, galleries and more—just as it has for decades.