100th Blog Post, Darryl Carter, Ottoman Empire and more

I just realized this is my 100th post! Hard for me to believe…growing up I never enjoyed writing and here I am writing my 100th blog post. It’s funny how life can take you in unexpected directions. Speaking of the unexpected, I met Darryl Carter at his new store last weekend. You may remember that my very first blog post (seen here) was on Darryl, and now 100 posts later, I’m writing about him again! From the beginning of my career, I’ve loved his design aesthetic…traditional made fresh, mixing the old with the new, and his artful composition of spaces. But I’ve also appreciated that he was a lawyer who followed his heart and became a world famous designer. And did I mention, he also likes to wear worn jeans and white shirts and is often photographed hanging out with his canine friends. Now, after meeting him in person, I can also say he’s very kind. I took a handful of pictures of his gorgeous store in DC, which I’ve graciously been allowed to include in this post.

Reid and I started our wonderful day in DC at Hank’s Oyster Bar for lunch. The atmosphere was lively and the oysters and beer (I’m now a fan of Dales Pale Ale) were fantastic.

Next stop was the Textile Museum. Reid really enjoys museums but I’m sure this was not his first choice but he was willing to check it out.

They were having an exhibit on the carpets and fabrics of the Ottoman Empire made in the “floral style”. So many of the stylized floral motifs popular today were inspired by these gorgeous fabrics from the 16th century. The museum is currently in this pretty building but they won’t be there long. In March, the museum is closing temporary and moving to George Washington University. So if you have a small fortune, you can purchase this pretty building soon.

Below are a few of the fabrics that caught my eye.

This embroidered cover made of linen, silk and metallic wrapped thread, alternates large red tulips with blue palmettes with serrated edges. It is said the movement of the flowers and palmettes to right and left implies the presence of a vine, even though it is not visible. A very playful and fun design.

The intricate detail on this embroidered coverlet is amazing…

This linen and silk embroidery is an ogival lattice design with palmettes framed by large serrated leaves and pomegranates framed by large leaves.

This embroidery has the tulip and carnation as the key motifs but they are surrounded by rosebuds, flowers with six petals and palmettes.

This rich velvet includes carnation blossoms. This fabric was a favorite for making gorgeous bolster pillows for their sofas.

The influence of the Ottoman empire spanned over seven centuries. These gorgeous stylized flowers become the brand of the empire and represented it’s wealth and power. Amazingly, this floral style can be traced back to one artist, Kara Memi, who worked in the royal arts workshop in Istanbul during the 16th century.

Next stop…Darryl Carter’s new store located in a renovated brick building in the up-and-coming Shaw neighborhood.

After being buzzed in, my first stop was to the ladies’ room. Loved the old sink and black door with old brass handles reflected in the mirror.

This store looks to be set up for fun parties with a great kitchen area.

I found my dream pendants for my new kitchen….

This interesting piece of furniture caught my eye. It looks like a seat but I’m curious as to why it reclines.

Intriguing art and sculpture were found throughout the store.

I also spotted this wonderful sofa that would look perfect in our fireplace room!

Darryl’s store offers many more sofa frames and fabric choices.

Thanks to Charles, who has worked for Darryl for many years and just happened to be from our home town, I was introduced to Darryl. I, of course, gushed about how wonderful I thought he was and he thankfully, humored me!

Next, we checked into our hotel, then off too a good friend’s house for yummy food and wine. After a very quick and fun hour, we ran off to make our dinner reservations at Proof, where we had a fantastic dinner. For desert, we had the best cheese we’ve tasted. Reid just ordered the cheese in bulk, which I hope will keep for awhile!