In Living Color

ALESSANDRA BRANCA WORKS WITH HER FUN-LOVING CLIENTS TO DEVISE A DECORATING SCHEME AS VIBRANT AS THEIR PERSONALITIES.

- Kaitlin Petersen

IF EVERY HOME IS A PORTRAIT, as designer Alessandra Branca likes to say, then this one—a three-story 18th-century brick house in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.—paints an especially bright picture. An apple-green living room pulses with youthful energy; across the hall, a tailored yet cozy library with cinnabar millwork practically begs you to curl up and relax.

When Branca’s clients first saw the property, it was filled with staid furniture, mostly in beige. “They almost didn’t buy the house because of it,” she says. “They were concerned because they wanted it to be a family home for their young children.” In the end, the house’s history (John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both visited) and garden won them over. The wife, in particular, had a strong vision for a new spirit in the house: one that would convey a happy sophistication, a sense of elegance without pretense. Her suggestions for color palettes, wallpaper, fabrics, and even details for woodwork were part of a dynamic collaboration with Branca, who deftly wove that inspiration into the home’s resulting design.