House Tour: Kerry Washington’s Green Apartment Makeover

Entry #521, May 12, 2011

I always enjoying stumbling across house tours to see how a homeowner or designer transformed a space or an entire home from one state to another. Today, I ran across actress, Kerry Washington’s, Green Apartment Makeover in O magazine. While we all think celebrities home’s are already ‘decked out’ the first day they live there, on the contrary. Environmental designer Danny Seo gives her apartment a much needed lift with color and environmentally friendly decor. See the before and after pictures of Kerry’s green apartment makeover.

For the entire article see O Magazine, May 12, 2009

Washington, who rented the space in 2007 just after breaking up with her fiancé, admits she didn’t give it much thought. “Moving usually coincides with some kind of life change, and it’s important to sit back and look at how you got there, but I hadn’t given myself that experience. I’m such a workaholic; I just wanted to keep moving,” she explains.

Living Room… After

She immediately went on the road to campaign for presidential candidate Barack Obama. Before she left, though, Danny convinced her to let him give the apartment an “eco-makeover.” Since he had decorated the apartment Washington shared with her fiancé, she knew he would not only make her new place functional and beautiful but keep it economical (she’s no spendthrift) and use materials that were aligned with her eco-conscious values. “She basically handed me the keys and said, ‘Have fun!'” Danny recalls.

He injected color into the living room by draping one wall in vibrant red and white organic cotton fabric from Rubie Green and adding pillows made from recycled materials (grain bags, burlap).

Lamp, Style de Vie. Sofa, JCPenney. Pillows, Vintageweave Interiors, Vagabond Vintage, Jiti Bedding, and JCPenney. Coffee table, Baker. Rug, Vintage Textile. Paint (throughout apartment), Benjamin Moore Natura.

The Kitchen…Before

“People assume green design has to be super high-tech, kind of cold and gray,” he explains. “But I think it can also incorporate lots of color, texture, and comfort mixed with up-to-date elements like energy-efficient appliances and countertops sourced from sustainable materials.”

The Kitchen… After

Since the apartment is small with plenty of natural light, Danny emphasized color—a cheery green in the kitchen, dining room, and office, a soothing blue in the bedroom—using paints free of toxic VOCs (volatile organic compounds). In the kitchen, he installed Energy Star–qualified appliances, which use 10 to 50 percent less energy than standard models, and took down the unattractive mirrors lining the wall, replacing them with pressed-flower eco-resin wallboard.

Above the dining table hangs a chandelier he created by removing the shade from a $40 Ikea light fixture, covering the frame in chicken wire, and adding branches and faux birds.

Dinnerware and table, JCPenney. Countertops, Dupont Zodiaq. Cabinets, KraftMaid Cabinetry. All appliances, Electrolux. Eco-resin wallboard, 3form.

The Bedroom…Before

A dowdy carpeted step that Kerry’s Shorkie (a Shih Tzu and Yorkie mix) uses to climb on the bed got a revamp when Danny recovered it with a $15 woven Peruvian rug he bought at a flea market.

The Bedroom…After

“These small details, especially when repurposing something old, not only solve a problem but weave in the things you love—which helps make your house a home,” says Danny.  A mossy green velvet upholstered headboard filled with eco-friendly soy foam, built with sustainable wood and made in America, became a focal point in the bedroom.

“When you sleep well somewhere, that’s when it becomes home,” says Kerry.Bed, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Mattress, Simmons Natural Care by Danny Seo. Sheets and pillowcases, Plover Organic. Coverlet, JCPenney. Shams, JCPenney and Rubie Green. Throw, Under The Canopy. Carpeting, Shaw Floors.

The Office…Before

“I used to think, ‘Who has time to care about their home aesthetic?'” Kerry says.

The Office… After

“Now I’m more inspired artistically and creatively,” Kerry says. Danny organized her book collection in a library cabinet and sorted the covers by color. “I tend to remember books by their covers, so this was a creative solution. I want to be here reading scripts and watching movies. I’ve even started writing my own screenplay.

It’s a painful process, but it makes a difference to have an office that’s not just a storage space but a room of my own to create in.” After Danny’s jump start, Kerry has continued making improvements. She added a desk for her assistant and installed more shelving.Desk, hutch cabinet, and rug, JCPenney. Plastic chair, Herman Miller.

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