Dear Washington Design Center,
I knew it was too good to be true. All of those fantastic design resources under one roof, a mere 12 minutes from bossy color’s world headquarters if I hit the lights right and a motorcade didn’t harsh my buzz.
Where else, Washington Design Center — where else could I source a Charlotte Moss bed (Century), a handmade Nepalese rug (J. Asher), a Missoni stair runner (Stark), Nina Campbell wallpaper (Osborne & Little) and Manuel Canovas drapes (Cowtan & Tout) in a single afternoon?! Where else could I make the best use of my client’s limited time by showing them multiple products in an hour or two?
Nowhere, that’s where.
Of all the entities to buy your crazy building, the Museum of the Bible? Well, fine. Are they hoping to benefit from the overflow at the National Air & Space Museum on steamy summer days? Or is this going to be some kind of administrative hub for them?
Sigh. I’m sure the answers are somewhere on the internet if I really need them.
Let me focus on the bad things about you to make this breakup easier.
Your parking lot STINKS. The spaces are so narrow! (And I drive a MINI. If *I’M* sucking in my gut every time I pull into a space, how do my Lexus-SUV-driving colleagues manage?) Even though you’ve been generous with parking passes over the years and designers get a break, the parking fees are exorbitant. Exorbitant! Add to that the lack of air flow, and it’s a wonder I didn’t take the Metro more often.
There’s no good place for lunch near you, Washington Design Center — that’s another bad thing. Potbelly isn’t super client-appropriate, wouldn’t you agree? And that creepy little deli on top of the Metro…yeesh.
What else. I could mock you for housing some Homeland Security offices, but to be honest, I always thought that was kind of hilarious. These people are protecting me from a terrorist attack, and I’m praying my client’s cat isn’t going to shred her new Phillip Jeffries grasscloth within a week of installation.
Well, we all have a job to do, don’t we?
Washington Design Center, here’s my wish list as you scout locations for the new and improved you:
- Please tell your showrooms to stick together. I know that’s the plan today, but a lot can happen between now and, when, 2014? Please know that we designers are sending you cooperative vibes so you don’t throw each other under the bus if negotiations get tough. Sometimes compromise is necessary for the greater good.
- A building close to the heart of Washington, D.C. Please note that this excludes any and all sites near Chantilly, VA and Frederick, MD. Not that I have anything against those places, but holy cow are they far away.
- Plenty of parking with nice wide spaces. A reasonable fee for said parking would be a bonus.
- A client-friendly place to have lunch on site.
- A coatroom would be nice. And, importantly:
- Continue the excellent education programs you’ve been providing.
I’m sad, Washington Design Center. I feel a little betrayed. I know that’s irrational; I know it’s not your fault that you have to move. I’m glad we have at least another year together before I have to reprogram my GPS and visit you someplace else.
As long as that place isn’t Chantilly.
If THAT happens, Washington Design Center, you’re on your own.
Love, Annie
Quoted in publications from The New York Times to The Washington Post to Real Simple magazine, Annie Elliott is considered an expert in color, residential space planning, and telling people what to do in the nicest way possible. All of the showroom photographs in this post are from the Washington Design Center’s website.