Darryl Carter Inc.

“Washington, D.C., is rife with inspiration wherever you look, from a cobblestone drive to a Victorian corbel,” says Darryl Carter, who lives in the nation’s capital on Embassy Row. Over the course of nearly three decades, the home furnishings designer and author has built an empire that, he says, “honors the past and present,” crafting interiors that showcase classical antiques and contemporary pieces with the spare restraint of an art gallery and all the comforts of home. In this D.C. dining room, whitewashed parquet floors and walls set the stage for an orange canvas by Christo and Jeanne-Claude that wraps around three-quarters of the room. Carter paired a custom raffia table sporting minimalist Ming legs with Louis XVI–style chairs and antique candlesticks whose candles are artfully askew to mirror the Match pendant lights by Vibia. “I love the Directoire sideboard, the eighteenth-century Italian mirror and antique candlesticks,” Carter adds, “because these pieces are a foil in this otherwise modern setting.”