Zoë Feldman Design is a high-end interior design firm specializing in residential restorations and ground-up construction projects in Washington D.C.’s historic Georgetown neighborhood. We operate under a “make it right” mentality, maintaining a collaborative environment that is fast-paced and goal-oriented. Founder and principal
designer, Zoë has been decorating homes along the East Coast for more than 15 years. An accomplished freelance writer and TV personality, Zoë has been published in several national publications and appeared on multiple television shows.
Zoë was an ivillage Home and Garden expert writing pieces on decorating and entertaining and appearing as a guest “ivillage expert” on the accompanying television show, ivillage LIVE.
How did you get your start in interior design?
After studying interior design at Parsons, I worked for Alexa at Mark Hampton in NYC. Training under Alexa taught me to think critically, problem solve, and how to run a successful business as a lady boss. After 5 years working with Alexa, I started my own firm and have been in business for almost 15 years now.
As the weather warms up, what are some ways that homeowners can update their interior or outdoor living space?
The most cost effective option to update your space is a fresh coat of paint! Paint is a great & affordable way to add character and set the mood for any room. You’ll see in some of the images, we decided to use a pop of pink for the overall wall color in a recent project. This instantly added life to the space and was a design decision that reflected our client’s personality. In terms of outdoors, I recently just redid my outdoor patio and added spaces and found alfesca dining with string lights and greenery is the way to go! Using vintage olive jars as planters adds an old world touch that can make your space feel like you are in the gardens of Tuscuny.
Do you have any predictions for design trends that’ll become more popular this summer?
We are seeing a lot of what we like to call “party tricks” or in other words, utilizing areas that are commonly overlooked as canvas for some great design moments. For instance, you’ll see in one of the images, we painted the interior of a bar cabinet in Chartreuse by Benjamin Moore which elevated the entire experience of opening up the bar cabinet. In another image, we decided to disguise doors that appeared to chop he wall up with wallpaper to create a seamless experience. We also love using wallpaper for accent moments in shelving niches and even in the back of medicine cabinets. Utilizing these areas that are typically left alone, will add unexpected pops of personality and fun to any space. Also- COLOR! We are loving that designers are experimenting with color, whether that be through wallpaper, paint, upholstery. You’ll see in the attached image of our living room, featured in Elle Décor, that we used a saffron upholstery for the sofa to create an unexpected color moment on a pretty neutral canvas. We are seeing a lot of bold accents and are totally here for it. We feel powder rooms are an amazing place to play with your creativity since they are secondary rooms and you are experiencing them in limited windows of time. Attached our some of our favorite powder rooms where we have gone bold!
What color palette would you recommend for someone looking to lighten up their space?
If you want to brighten up your space, painting your walls white will be most effective at making a room feel larger and lighter. If you are someone that loves color there are plenty of other ways to introduce them into your space. Perhaps its in the trim color, or the upholstery, or the window treatments. We have recently been experimenting in painting floors, which has been fun! If you are willing to part ways with your wood floors, painting them in a lighter tone can instantly transform a space.
Is there a recent project you worked on or an upcoming project that you’re really excited about?
We have a ton of projects coming up that we are excited about. We’ll be photographing about one project a month for the rest of the year so stay tuned! Each of these projects is so unique and so different from one another, which I feel is so critical in growing as a designer. We really try to listen to our clients and create a space that reflects their personality and functions the way they use the space. Because of this, we are able to challenge our creativity and think outside the box, rather than staying in a space where we are comfortable. These upcoming projects have a lot of fun moments that we cannot wait to share with everyone. I’m actually in the process of redoing my own home which is currently under construction and will hopefully be complete by the end of the year… fingers crossed.
