Fairfax is less one place than a collection of them: the historic center of the City of Fairfax, midcentury Mantua, townhouse communities around Fair Lakes and the wooded lots of Fairfax Station. Debbi Porter Interiors is an interior design studio based in Northern Virginia that works with homeowners across Fairfax, on whole homes and single rooms. The first step is a complimentary discovery call by phone or Zoom.
Split-levels and ramblers in Mantua
Mantua is full of ramblers, split-levels and contemporaries from the late 1950s and early 1960s, many of them brick, on large lots with mature trees. People who buy here tend to stay a long time, and a split-level that worked for a young family can feel awkward once the kids are grown. The living room is up half a flight, the family room is down half a flight, and the kitchen sits in between.
We don't try to make a split-level act like an open-plan house. We treat each level as its own room with its own mood, connected by a common thread, the way a good outfit uses one color or texture to tie separate pieces together. The upper living room might be the dressier space, the lower family room the relaxed one, with a shared palette carried through the stairs so the whole house reads as one design.
Midcentury houses also reward a little respect for their era. A low-slung sofa, a walnut credenza or a globe pendant can look more at home here than a heavily traditional piece, though we're happy to mix both.
Townhouses near Fair Lakes and Fairfax Corner
The townhouse communities around Fair Lakes date mostly from the late 1980s and 1990s, with newer ones close by. A townhouse plan is long and narrow, with light at the front and back and very little in the middle. Furniture has to work hard: a sofa that floats in the room instead of hugging a wall, a dining table that can stretch for guests, storage that doesn't eat floor space.
These homes suit single-room design, since you can start with the main floor and add the bedrooms later without committing to the whole house at once. We also work with a lot of people who are moving from a larger single-family home into a townhouse and need to decide which pieces come along. That's a design problem as much as a moving problem, and it's one we enjoy.
Planning a project in Fairfax? Start with a complimentary discovery call.
Wooded lots in Fairfax Station
Fairfax Station has a more rural feel, with many 1980s and 1990s houses on wooded lots of an acre to five acres. These houses tend to be generous, with finished basements, sunrooms and decks looking into the trees. The finished basement is often the most underused space in the house. With the right lighting, rugs and a layout built around how your family spends evenings, it can become a room people choose to be in, whether that's for movies, games, guests or a home gym that doesn't look like one.
- Basements: layered lighting to make up for small windows
- Sunrooms: fabrics that hold their color in strong light
- Decks and screened porches: outdoor furniture that relates to the room inside
- Great rooms: furniture groupings that divide one large space into areas with purpose
Older houses in the City of Fairfax
The City of Fairfax has a small historic district around its old center, where you'll find the Old Town Hall and some of the oldest buildings in the area. Houses in and near the older parts of the city range widely in age and style. For an older house, we look for the original details worth keeping, like trim, built-ins, fireplaces and window proportions, and design around them instead of covering them up.
Older houses also tend to come with furniture that has a history: a dining table from a parent's house, a secretary desk, a set of chairs that needs new seats. We like to keep those pieces in play. Reupholstering a well-made chair in a fresh fabric is often better than buying new, and it gives the room a story you can't order from a catalog.
