Susan Sutter’s clients were expecting their first child, and they were already thinking about acoustics. One of the requested features in the new home they were building in Arlington’s Lyon Village neighborhood was a library and designated quiet zone.
“They wanted a retreat away from the hubbub where they could read, take a phone call or do some work,” says the Arlington designer, who partnered with Falls Church builder BCN Homes to handle the home’s interior selections.
Completed in spring 2024, the house features a cool palette of ocean shades that flow from room to room. Most spaces have crisp, white walls offset with soothing blue-gray accents. In the library, however, Sutter flipped the script, allowing Benjamin Moore’s slate-blue “Amsterdam” paint to predominate.
“This is more of a medium moody vibe, with saturated walls, trim and shelving,” she says. “A particular requirement in this house, which is more than 6,500 square feet with 10-foot ceilings, was making spaces feel cozy in spite of the home’s size.”
Custom painted bookcases by Twin Diamond Studios in Dunkirk, Maryland, wrap the room to convey a feeling of intimacy. The soft furnishings include a natural wool rug, leather ottoman and custom seating in a velvety performance fabric that Sutter says is easily washable with dish soap. “Built-in drawers on either side of the sofa are pull-out desktops where you can sit with a laptop,” she adds.
Gold accents, including a light fixture by Visual Comfort, provide contrasting textures and warmth. A framed floral painting by Florida artist Steven Ward (not shown) is a piece the owners discovered while strolling through the annual Arlington Festival of the Arts in Clarendon.
And it really is used as a library, Sutter says. The items pictured on the shelves have since been replaced with tomes from the couple’s sizable book collection.