Step Inside a Multi-Generational Home in Washington, D.C., That Features Daring Design the Entire Family Can Agree On
Josh Greene gave the longtime residence a fresh look that marries a sophisticated aesthetic with a newly acquired collection of contemporary art
When a home has been in the same family for decades, evolving tastes inevitably necessitate a refresh. That was the case for one client who contacted New York designer Josh Greene, looking to reimagine the McLean, Virginia, address he shares with his parents, adult siblings, and their respective families. The children had grown up in the house, but now that everyone had moved on to their next phase in life, the residence was no longer occupied full-time. Consequently, the family looked to rework the dated interiors to reflect their more sophisticated tastes while providing convivial zones for when they were all gathered and private areas that cater to their individual styles.
Collaborating over two years with the Washington, D.C., office of architecture firm Harrison Design, Greene set about reshaping the 10,000-square-foot home. “We totally reinvented the architectural language,” says Greene, who has cultivated color-saturated interiors from California to New York, including a standout model residence at the recently reborn Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. Working on various New York City apartments laden with rules, regulations, and architectural quirks helped Greene develop an intuition for elevating rooms while preserving an existing floor plan. It’s a valuable skill he put to good use here, where he gave already established spaces a more contemporary look through the installation of visually alluring materials and a thoughtful selection of hues.
That transformative effect is most evident in the entryway, where the original stair received a top-to-bottom facelift with graceful railings, sleek moldings, and a limestone floor. Emphasizing the area’s volume is the trio of Apparatus pendants wrapped in brown, green, and gray suede, an assortment that mirrors the palette throughout the rooms. “It needed to feel rich in texture and color but not be too intense,” says Greene.
The furniture choices also artfully balance the traditional with the unexpected. For example, a sinuous Vladimir Kagan sofa is joined by a pair of Louis XV–style armchairs sheathed in a geometric jacquard from Prelle in the living room, which also boasts an ornate, large-scale mirror sourced from the Mercanteinfiera antiques fair in Parma, Italy. “When I’m out and about seeing things, I get ideas about where they should go or what the vibe is. With this project, it was so nice to be able to suggest offbeat ideas and have them be warmly received,” says Greene of the monumental find.
In another cozy family room, a chunky ceramic stool by Reinaldo Sanguino sits alongside one of two Jean-Michel Frank–style sofas, which face off over a cluster of Stahl + Band tables, while in the daughter’s suite, an antique vanity looks decidedly modern coupled with an Eny Lee Parker mirror and a fringe stool by Lorenza Bozzoli from Artemest.
Art, too, adds to the residence’s creative mix. While the clients had a few significant pieces—including a Nacho Carbonell light in the living room and a Marcos Acosta canvas now installed in the younger son’s bedroom—many of the acquisitions were made in collaboration with Greene. “The older son is really into art, and he is constantly looking at things when he’s traveling, going to different galleries. This was the opportunity for him to expand the collection,” says Greene of the art curation process, which included purchasing an exuberant painting by Brennen Steines from a show of Yale MFA graduates at Jeffrey Deitch. “He was really open to things.”
That willingness to go with the flow, organically finding ways to bring artwork his clients love into the finished spaces, is one of Greene’s secrets to success. “Art takes everything to the next level in terms of seriousness and thoughtfulness,” he says. “I think of my work as being very creative and thoughtful, and I feel like that is an artist’s approach as well because we’re both coming at things with an integrity and a desire for beauty and visual impact.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2026 Late Fall Issue under the headline “
Modern Ensemble” Subscribe to the magazine.