When Jenny Ware and her husband, David, moved into their Alexandria home with their twin girls 11 years ago, they had no idea that it was just the start of a decade-long home renovation that has been nothing short of a labor of love.
Jenny has spent years slowly redesigning their space, room-by-room as money allowed, turning it into the comforting, globally inspired, midcentury modern oasis it is today.
Indian Influence
Ware, a decorator with Sally Steponkus Interiors in Washington, DC, has always been drawn to vivid colors and the mixing of materials, likely a result of her time spent living in India as a child.
“I lived there for about three years with my family growing up and it is such a colorful country,” Ware explains. “There are jewel tones everywhere and the rugs and fabrics are just so bright.”
Ware says she loves to combine different fabrics into a room’s design to create a beautiful medley of texture, patterns, and color.
“This is something I’ve picked up through my work and I’m very happy with how this has turned out in our home,” Ware says.
A prime example can be seen in what the family affectionately refers to as the “fun room.”
Originally a play area for the twin girls, the room has been renovated into a space for the family to spend time together watching movies — or somewhere for the now 15-year-old girls to hang out with friends.
Featuring a large gray sectional couch, bright pops of color can be found in the patterned throw pillows on the sofa and on Ware’s grandparents’ midcentury rocking chair, which was reupholstered with a teal fabric.
The star of the show, however, is the striped ottoman. Previously a brown color that could blend in anywhere, the piece now shines on its own with colorful stripes in all different colors.
Statement Patterns
Ware also enjoyed choosing special prints and patterns of wallpaper and floor tiles that can be seen throughout the home — particularly in the bathrooms.
“We had just returned from a trip to India when I started renovating our primary bathroom,” Ware says. “I wanted to incorporate something from India, so I selected Fireclay tiles that are the same pattern as the floor tiles in the Taj Mahal – star and cross.”
And the guest bathroom, featuring hot pink floral wallpaper and sage green tiling, makes just as much of a statement.
Ware first saw the wallpaper several years ago and fell in love with it.
“The hot pink just jumped out at me and took my breath away,” she says. “I added it to my board at the office and I just knew at some point, I was going to have a place for this wallpaper in my house.”
When they started talking about renovating the guest bathroom, it all came together.
“I based the entire bathroom redesign around the wallpaper,” Ware says. “I love when people walk into the bathroom for the first time because they always go, “oh wow!”
Meaningful Touches
But it’s not just color and patterns that can be found in Ware’s home.
From the light a U.S. Marine picked up in Japan during the Vietnam War to the chairs bought by Ware’s parents in Ukraine, the home is full of stories.
“Much of our furniture is inherited from my paternal grandparents, who loved midcentury craftmanship, and also my parents, who lived in Ukraine in the mid-1990s,” Ware says. “My dad’s position ended when they left, enabling them to buy some great furniture cheaply and move it back to the U.S.”
The distinctive orange chairs in the family room and several side tables come from there.
Another special piece is the brass and rice paper pendant light in the living room that was given to the Wares by previous neighbors.
“The husband had served in the Vietnam War and was stationed for a time in Japan, where he bought the light,” Ware says. “When they moved into a retirement home, they did not have a place for the light. I had complimented the light one time at their house, so they offered it to us.”
The Wares were able to get it installed in their living room before the neighbors moved.
“They were so excited to see it installed and hung up,” Ware says. “It meant a lot to them that it had a new life to it.”
The most meaningful piece to Ware, however, is the beautiful mid–century display cabinet in the dining room that had belonged to her grandmother.
“I was extremely close to my paternal grandmother, and she had this at her house in Arizona,” Ware says. “We use it to store some of our serving dishes and I just love seeing it in our dining room as it reminds me of her and all the cooking lessons she gave me.”
Feature image by Keyanna Bowen of East + Lane
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