Homeowner Debbie Appel Weinrich’s daughter took an active role in the design of her
room, shopping for fabrics and furniture with Wiener and shaping the room’s funky ambiance.

Comfort & Joy

By Kim Orr

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It isn’t a design of grand proportions, nor lavish upholstery, nor modern genius, but Debra Appel Weinrich absolutely adores the new look of her home. In fact, the novelty lies less in the aesthetics than in the mere practicality of it all.

And designer Debbie Wiener wouldn’t have it any other way. As the author of Slob Proof: Real-Life Design Solutions and the mother of two kids, she makes it a point to infuse her designs with practicality rather than glamour.

So Appel Weinrich’s home, which often takes a beating from her son and daughter, ages 15 and 13, respectively, was the perfect forum for the two to express their love of visually interesting design fit for a modern family.

The two began working together two years ago and have since redesigned nearly every room in Appel Weinrich’s 2,000-square-foot house. While each room has a unique character, they all share bursts of color, lots of light and, most important, washable furniture.

“I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on the stuff I knew was going to get trashed,” says Appel Weinrich, who discovered Wiener in a magazine article and instantly appreciated her methodical yet vibrant design aesthetic. “But all the fabrics are washable, so I’m not always worrying about the kids spilling stuff on them.”

The rooms also belie much of the character and personality of their inhabitants. The living room is an open, bright and inviting space where much of the attention is focused on the soft yellow wall color, which leads into a deep red hallway.

The basement, which used to be a playroom for the kids, Spencer and Daniela, is now an entertainment center and a study with library shelves, two desks where the kids can do homework and a couple of television sets – one for PlayStation games and another for favorite TV shows like “Gilmore Girls,” which Appel Weinrich and her daughter used to watch every week.

And the kids’ rooms with fanciful details like a hammock, a mini chandelier, colorful artwork and animal-print details are young yet mindful of their ever-growing and ever-changing occupants.

Behind all the charm is an armory of shrewd details that keep Appel Weinrich’s home from looking more shabby than chic: remote-controlled honeycomb blinds from Hunter Douglas, stain-proof and washable synthetic fabrics and treated leather that has passed Wiener’s thumb and scratch test.

These details are the real stars of Wiener’s aesthetic sensibility. Her approach to family-friendly design epitomizes her deeper belief in being realistic about the forces that reek havoc on the average home. Her list of dos and don’ts, as outlined in her book and evident in each of her designs, is what truly gives homes like Apple-Weinrich’s their luster.

“I don’t think in terms of aesthetically pleasing,” says Wiener, who’s experienced spills and ripped furniture firsthand with her two young boys. “I always approach a home thinking fun and stimulating especially with young kids. If I go into the house at 10 p.m. with my contractor, the lights are on, there are dirty dishes in the sink, there’s dirty laundry on the floor, pillows everywhere, and pens and paper all over the desks downstairs. That’s the way most people live, so I’m thinking, Will this clean up? Will this hold up?”

For a busy horticulturalist like Appel Weinrich, these considerations make life a little less stressful. And having had more look-minded interior designers work on her house in the past, Wiener’s attention to the realistic facets of family life was a major selling point.

But these details don’t take away from the vibrancy of Wiener’s design. The color pallet alone, which brings in bits of red, yellow and light blue in the main living spaces and even pops of pink and brown in Daniela’s room, gives the realism that Wiener handles so well a burst of life. And the light that floods in not just from the windows but from Wiener’s artful recessed lighting on dimmers and remote controls makes each room seem as though it’s twice its actual size.

“One of the first things that [Wiener] does in any room is the lighting,” says Appel Weinrich, who bought her Kensington, Md., home in 1998 principally for its deluge of light and unique floor plan. “I just never approached decorating that way. But the lighting changed the look of the whole house, and it just works.”

Mental health expert Nancy Hafkin, a Bethesda psychologist, says family spaces are a key to good communication. As a single mom, Appel Weinrich spends her time hustling between work, cello practice, dance, volleyball and drama class, but at home she has a relaxing space where she can spend time in her garden, have friends over and bond with her children.

“It’s a very pressure-filled situation to be doing that all on your own,” says Hafkin, who does not know the family. “So a relaxation place is terribly important.”

While time isn’t always on Appel Weinrich’s side, Wiener’s thoughtful arrangements make family time less of a rarity. And after years of working together, even client and designer have become something like family themselves, going to lunch together and attending important events in each other’s lives.

“It’s just interesting how when we first met we probably figured we weren’t a great fit for each other,” says Wiener, who was sure she’d blown it the first time she met with Appel Weinrich. “But she took a chance and I took a chance, and it worked, because I really understand her style – and her lifestyle.”

The beauty of Wiener’s design sense is in the details, like the brightly speckled tiles that line
this fireplace in Appel Weinrich’s living room.

Appel Weinrich’s daughter took an active role in the design of her room, shopping for fabrics
and furniture with Wiener and shaping the room’s funky ambiance.

Debbie Wiener says storage space is a key component to family friendly design, so she
installed a series of wall-length bookcases to help keep Debra Appel Weinrich’s home in order.

Appel Weinrich admits she wasn’t completely sold on Wiener’s love of red at first, but now
she can’t imagine her home without it.

Each family member carefully vetted each design element — including this aquamarine bathroom.

Creating an entertainment space where Appel Weinrich’s kids could spend time with friends
was a priority for both designer and homeowner. Enter, comfy couch with plentiful seating.

Wiener was sure to incorporate workspaces into both the kids’ rooms and any other
place they might decide to drop their backpacks.

Animal-print details and inventive seating give the kids’ rooms a youthful, creative vibe.

Wiener was sure to incorporate workspaces into both the kids’ rooms and any other
place they might decide to drop their backpacks.

The textiles on Daniela’s bed became very much a DIY project for Appel Weinrich. The result
is a crafty, yet sophisticated look fit for a growing teenager.

While some rooms serve as entertainment spaces and others as work spaces, each is
packed with details that make together-time inevitable — like this TK room nook.

Even the simplest spaces are infused with a pop of color, one of Wiener’s signature design motifs.