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Jennifer Sergent

Senior Communications Writer | Perkins Eastman

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Design for a Difference

June 17, 2020

Can you believe we’re almost halfway through 2020? For those of us sheltering at home, it seems as if the days just bleed on by. For many of us lucky enough to stay comfortable in our homes and still have any form of income, it seems like there’s a massive disconnect between our Zoom meetings and socially distanced happy hours with favored friends, and what’s happening on television: Nationwide and global protests against police brutality and our persistently racist culture juxtaposed against weird Rose Garden press conferences and photo ops; and the ever-climbing numbers on illness, death and unemployment. It’s hard to figure out how to be present in all of these worlds.

I recently sent an email asking for information about how those of you in the design community have been doing things differently since the pandemic first hit, and I’ve received an incredible outpouring of stories. I sent the email with the intention of telling these stories in a single post. But there’s so much good stuff that I will be putting out a series of them. First up are a couple of supremely talented ladies that are putting their good taste to work to help feed families who’ve suffered amidst the pandemic-fueled economic shutdown.

Designer Regan Billingsley, who was already working with artisans in Guatemala to produce handmade textiles for a home-goods line she’s planning for later in the year, took a break from that goal for a different tasks: Making face masks.

Regan Billingsley

The thing that most inspires me as a designer is working with textiles — layering, mixing and matching colors, textures, and pattern—I scour the planet for boutique textile designers and artisans. I am also motivated by the potential for my work to have a social impact. Weaving is a 5,000-year-old tradition in Guatemala, and there is an enormous need to empower artisans there to earn a fair wage to maintain the roots of their craft.

Regan’s working with the haberdashery company durian & the Lyon to have the masks produced and sold. Each one costs $40, but they are so chic! I know, because Regan was kind enough to send me one so I could check it out for myself:

Regan Billingsley Interiors; handmade face mask; decorative face mask; handmade Guatemalan textiles

Here’s a look at some more of the fabrics:

Not only do these proceeds help support artisans and their families in Guatemala, but Regan has pledged that for each mask sold, she’ll be donating two masks to non-profit organizations that are feeding those in need. Locally, she’s supporting Food & Friends, which serves more than a million meals annually to those who are homebound due to serious illness. In the time of Covid-19, I’m betting that this organization needs our help more than ever.

At the same time, Gretchen Everett and her incredible workroom are adding masks to their roster of orders that include draperies, pillows, upholstery and all other manner of custom textile work requested by our area’s top designers.

Gretchen Everett Design; decorative face masks; designer fabrics; Hines & Company; Marika Meyer

Due to the generosity of showrooms like Hines & Co. and designers like Marika Meyer who also have textile lines, Gretchen has received miles of sumptuous textiles to use for her task:

She hasn’t even gotten her website up yet to sell any of these beauties, because she’s been so busy giving them away to charitable causes, such as Medstar Washington Hospital Center and the Montgomery Coalition for the Homeless. “I had so much stuff get donated to me, I was overwhelmed!” she said. “People are unbelievable.”

Even cooler: Designer Liz Levin, who uses Gretchen’s workroom for all her custom orders, introduced her to Amanda Marshall’s Families4Families, a network Amanda created to deliver groceries every week to families who need it across the DMV. Gretchen has since been making masks for the small army of volunteers that Amanda’s assembled to organize and deliver the food.

Amanda Marshall; Families4Families DMV; decorative face masks; Gretchen Everett
Amanda (in the orange shoes) stands with helpers to stage the deliveries
Designer Liz Levin; Gretchen Everett Design; designer face masks; Families4Families DMV
Designer Liz Levin adds Gretchen’s masks to the bags
Designer Sally Steponkus Roche; Gretchen Everett Design; designer face masks; Families4Families DMV
Designer Sally Steponkus Roche gets into the game with her own delivery, wearing one of Gretchen’s masks, of course.

It’s easy to get depressed by reading the headlines every day, but zero in on your own block or neighborhood, and there’s so much going on that can inspire hope and happiness. Cheers to Regan and Gretchen and all the folks they’re helping to keep DMV families afloat.

More to come in a post next week!

Filed Under: Designers Tagged With: fabrics, face masks, Gretchen Everett, Pandemic, Regan Billingsley

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Apr 9

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This lady saw so much, lived through so much, and her son, DC photographer @maxhirshfeld, captured that totality on a return to her former prison at #auschwitz. Today’s blog features a book he wrote and illustrated that was inspired by this journey back to Poland. Link in bio.
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Mar 9

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Another inspiring before and after from Regan’s guest post, linked in bio! 
@rbhomedesign 
📷 @angelanewtonroyphotography
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Mar 8

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Couldn’t be more proud to be starting a job today with @perkinseastman.washington, the firm behind @thewharfdc and so many other stunning designs around the world!
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Mar 4

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My latest story for Home & Design! 

#Repost @homeanddesigndc with @make_repost
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A 1940's-era Colonial in Friendship Heights was renovated and expanded into a contemporary abode while preserving its original roots. Natural light, high ceilings and warm wood elements complement the interiors. The rear addition combines two- and three-story volumes with the owners' suite on the third level; the addition was clad in wood siding that comes down over the original brick façade. An open concept master bathroom adds a sleek and sophisticated vibe.⁠⁠
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Renovation Architecture: @jonathankuhnarchitect 
Contractor: Eric and Brad Bernstein / @bradbern_construction 
Landscape Design: Carlos Uman / Green Fields Landscaping⁠⁠
Text: ⁠⁠@jensergent 
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#jonathankuhnarchitect #bradbernconstruction #architecture #architecturalrenovation #archreno #smartmakeover #renovation #contemporary #contemporaryarchitecture #contemporarydesign #interiors #design #architecturaltransformation #kitcheninteriors #remodel #homeanddesigndc
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Mar 4

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What a breath of fresh air! Swipe to see this kitchen before Regan Billingsley @rbhomedesign worked her magic. More before and after sin the blog post, link in bio
📷 @angelanewtonroyphotography
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Mar 2

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Now on the blog: A Q&A withe the delightful Regan Billingsley of @rbhomedesign about a delicious facelift she executed in Chevy Chase, link in profile! 
📷 @angelanewtonroyphotography
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Jan 22

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When I told my husband I wanted to name our first son Henry, he readily agreed because Henry Aaron was his favorite baseball player of all time. And several years later, my mother gave a framed, signed photograph of this legend to @hjsergent for Christmas, and it hangs right next to his bed. What a sad day, felt all the more personally because I can’t think of my wonderful son without thinking also of the great man who helped inspire his name.🙏🏻
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Jan 21

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Interior design isn’t just pretty. There’s real power and symbolism in the choices you make, which deeply affects how you and your visitors feel in your home. This @washingtonpost piece on the #ovaloffice, linked in bio, illustrates how. @potus 
📷 @olearypix
Story by @alinskey
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Jan 20

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January 20 is finally here!! Sending Godspeed to @joebiden and @kamalaharris ❤️🤍💙
📷 @senatephoto
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Jan 13

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The amazing thing about the #uscapitol is that we enjoy the same beauty as the generations before us. Our fashions might change, but not the glorious encaustic tile, gilded mirrors or the clover-like pendant lights in the Senate Press Gallery. Swipe to see the modern version, shot by @ronbluntphoto. 
Full post in my bio link!
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Jan 12

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With the help of photographers like @adam_brockett who took this glowy halo around the #uscapitol, and my friends who know and cherish that building, here’s a love letter, blog link in bio
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Jan 7

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Memories of the late-night lines to see George H.W. Bush lying in state. Thousands of peaceful mourners waiting to pass through the Rotunda of this majestic Capitol.
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DC by Design is my passion project, a chronicle of design talents throughout the DC-Maryland-Virginia region who are doing beautiful and imaginative things in the categories below. Click here for blog information and guidelines.

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