Text by Tony DiMartino • Styling by Kathy Curotto • Photography by Gordon Beall

Washington, D.C., our nation’s glorious capital, is known for its staid lifestyle and broiling hot, relentlessly humid summers. The best remedy for both can be found in the Georgetown backyard of the Johns family.
   In a town where the preferred color scheme ranges from navy blue to gray and just about everyone is a politician, a political consultant, or a lobbyist, the Johnses break the mold. The entire family is unabashedly creative. Deb and Ben are entrepreneurs who run multiple businesses. Vibrant artwork by kids Tucker, Bo, Gibson, and Gussie sparkles in both the Federal-style structure they call home (featured in our August/September ‘06 issue), and in the casual, colorful pool house.
   “Ben and I hold business functions here, but it’s also a guest cottage and the family party palace,” Deb says. The secret to its versatility? “It’s not overly furnished, so we can turn it into anything we want with very little effort.” 

(a) “We wanted to create a place that would make us feel a million miles away from D.C.,” Deb says of the Johnses’ backyard guest house. (b) The great room, with its vintage jukebox (updated for CDs). Dalmatian-spotted upholstery, and wide-open spaces, is party central.

 (c) Colorful piggybanks, bought for a theme party, add whimsy to the great room. (d) Daughter Gussie, 11, and son Gibson, 14, have buddies on board—pup Rascal and big Bear.

(e) Wide, whitewashed boards and exposed beams enhance the casual feeling. The floor, painted by artist friend Paul Erlenborn, is based on a design Deb painted inside a swimming pool during her teen lifeguard days. (f) Canvas-backed pillows from London. (g) Deb’s vintage quilt collection. (h) Old British and American flags. (i) On the landing, framed stand-up cutouts, formerly ice cream parlor displays, hang above a fold-up settee from a French racetrack.

Guest House, That Is page 1 | 2 | 3
  Stumble It!
archive »