The Aspire House McLean project began in 2018, when Bill Harrison, renowned architect and principal of Harrison Design, introduced aspire design and home CEO and Founder Steve Mandel to a developer he worked with called Artisan Builders. Mandel was immediately impressed, and planning began for a showhouse in this elegant suburb of Washington, D.C.
The residence, which adapts Palladian concepts of geometry, proportion and symmetry, is modern and light filled, with vast windows to flood the space with sunlight. In order to make sure the interior design matched the caliber of the architecture, Mandel invited Mary Douglas Drysdale to be the design chair. Drysdale explains, “A talented group of designers and creatives from the Mid-Atlantic region displayed their skills to create a home that is a modern classic mix, referring to the architectural traditions of our region and to the lifestyle that people aspire to today.”
In our recently released aspire design and home Showhouse Issue, we sat down with Josh Hildreth to learn more about his creative process in designing this guest bedroom as a salute to his beloved mother Maureen.
Inside the Showhouse with Josh Hildreth
aspire design and home: How much time did you have to complete this room, start to finish?
Josh Hildreth: My answer to this question always is that I spend the right amount of time to get things right in a room! This room is a celebration of customization and personalization. Furniture is either fully designed by our studio or vintage and (in some instances) rethought—the chest being a case in point. We began work on the room in January 2020 with the understanding that we would deliver in April. The pandemic obviously created disruption and delay but happily, everything fell right into place when the Aspire House opened in August.
aspire: What was your biggest challenge? Did you have a “Eureka!” moment during the process?
Josh: The room has a vestibule that connects to the hall without any doors and varying window sizes. We were not allowed to architecturally modify the space, so we used the decorative tricks to solve our problems. We deployed linen portiere curtains to create a gracious entry into our retreat and resurrected pared-down “Mario Buatta” style curtain valances to create the illusion of uniform window sizes.
aspire: What did you and your team accomplish that you thought would not happen in time?
Josh: The daybed was complicated from the very beginning. The design of the bed was inspired by a daybed that Hubert Givenchy had in a guest bedroom he designed for his friend Bunny Mellon. His was a classic French confection of fabrics, and for ours, we zeroed in on the skeleton of the bed and articulated it with exquisite, hand-forged, hammered iron. Ironware’s forge is in France and they do the finishing by hand in Nashville, Tennessee. The upholstery was handled by our New York workroom, so this bed literally traveled around the world during the pandemic. From start to finish, it was a nail-biter, but I consider it the finest furniture commission our firm has ever taken on.
Seeking Inspiration and Finding Cohesiveness
Seeking Inspiration and Finding Cohesivenessaspire: What was your inspiration for this room?
Josh: I inherited my love of design from my late mother, to whom I dedicated this effort. While she did not live to see the room, she was very much part of the design process. I used this occasion as an opportunity to imagine going back in town and creating the oasis my mother never had when we drove her nuts as children. Hubert Givenchy is an inspiration that threads his way through my design work. Travel also inspires my work, and the Jean Royer chaise and coquillage shell mirror were bought last January when I was in Paris shopping to jump-start our design. Finding the mirror was a magic moment because it inspired the palette of our room design.
aspire: Did you step out of your comfort zone for this project, and if so, why?
Josh: Design House rooms are what I consider the equivalent of a graduate school thesis. These should be opportunities to try new things and learn. French modern design from the early- to mid-twentieth century is something that has captured my recent interest but has not been part of my repertoire. I think I am most known for rooms that are more about tradition than modernism, and I wanted to use this room to lean more contemporary in a whisper-soft sort of way.
aspire: Despite the fact that there were so many designers involved, there is an inherent cohesiveness to the home. Did you all converse/collaborate? Or was this a completely individual process?
Josh: That is truly luck. We were assigned this room in January, so both I and the design committee had no idea of what our end result would be. The house has a very open feel, so I think of it as a wonderful achievement that collectively this showhouse truly felt like one house. The ASPIRE team is warm and friendly and I think that set the stage for a great show house experience during probably the most difficult environment a show house has had to take place in.
aspire: Is your preference for a showhouse a small space or a large space? Does one or the other provide a better opportunity to stretch your creativity?
Josh: This is the smallest room I have ever done in a showhouse, and yet it had no less depth or opportunity to explore some lovely aspects of design. Photography is an important component of why I like to do showhouse, so choosing a room that can photograph well is important to me. The vestibule—hat was a challenge at the beginning has me wanting to make sure that every master bedroom we design from ground up has a way to enter where the bed is not the first thing that you see.
aspire: Describe the town of McLean in one sentence.
Josh: A leafy green Washington, D.C. suburban hamlet.
“This or That?” with Josh Hildreth
aspire: Paint or wallpaper?
Josh: Wallpaper.
aspire: Hardwood or rug?
Josh: Rug.
aspire: Beach or Mountains?
Josh: Mountains.
aspire: Saturated Color or black and white?
Josh: Saturated color.
aspire: Brunch or Dinner?
Josh: Brunch.
aspire: Midcentury or 18th Century?
Josh: 18th Century.
aspire: Draperies, shades, or nothing?
Josh: Draperies.
aspire: 2001: A Space Odyssey or The English Patient?
Josh: The English Patient.
aspire: Week at the spa or Week of Broadway shows?
Josh: Week at the spa.
Want More Good Design?
Want More Good Design?Click Here to view more interviews with our ASPIRE HOUSE McLean designers.
Photography by Kip Dawkins.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME Magazine.