Imagine Design

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McLean, VA
Imagine Design

I am an interior designer that works towards creating casual, elegant rooms that are visually intere and Northern Virginia area.

Although Imagine Design is a full-service design company, our specialty is working with renovation or new construction. I love the building aspect of design and believe getting scale, flow and function right from the beginning helps everything fall into place. Being able to assess these elements from a set of blueprints or floor plans is essential, and is one of my favorite parts of the process. F

or 10 years prior to launching Imagine Design, I was a top-ranking real estate agent in the Washington, D.C. This experience provided valuable exposure to what impacts home value, and an understanding of which improvement would ultimately provide the best return on a client’s investment. I work towards creating casual, elegant, rooms that are visually interesting but also comfortable and inviting. It is the subtle coordination of fabric, color, layering, and unique accessories that really brings a home to life. My approach is tailored to each client’s individual needs, lifestyle and budget, but the formula based on comfort and elegance is always the same. Imagine Design is available for service from project management for a full-scale renovation/new build project to simple consultations on how to work with existing furnishings.

06/20/2026

In a home with such stunning views of the Potomac River and the monuments, the windows are always going to be the star.

This project was especially meaningful because it was our second time working with these clients in the same building at The Wharf. They already loved the location, the light, and the views, so when a home with a little more room and even more windows became available, it gave us a chance to build on what we had created before.

The goal was not to compete with the water, the light, or the city beyond the glass. It was to make the interiors feel warm, comfortable, and layered enough to actually live in.

That can be the challenge in a newer building. You often get beautiful clean lines, tall glass, and open space, but without the right pieces, it can start to feel a little too sleek or anonymous.

So we leaned into contrast.

Soft upholstery against all that glass. Warm wood against white walls. Antique pieces mixed with cleaner modern lines. Textured rugs, woven stools, lamps, art, flowers, and a few richer notes of color to keep the rooms from feeling flat.

The rust velvet chairs became one of my favorite moments. They bring warmth and shape to the family room, while the quieter living area by the windows lets the view do most of the talking.

Even in an open-plan home, each area needs its own purpose and feeling. The living room, family room, kitchen, and dining area all relate to one another, but they do not have to match. They just need to speak the same language.

That, to me, is what makes a modern home feel collected rather than decorated all at once.

Design: Imagine Design
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06/18/2026

To me, the best measures of an interior design project is whether it can stand the test of time and still feel just as right years later.

This Arlington, Virginia home still does. Warm, layered, comfortable, and full of the kind of details that make a new construction house feel collected from the start.

Looking back at these project photos, they tell the story, from the main public rooms to the kitchen, primary bedroom, and a much-loved screened porch. I love revisiting projects like this one because, it still feels just as warm, layered, and right as I hoped it would.

We first worked with these clients in their previous home, so when they purchased this house, we already had a wonderful sense of how they lived and what mattered to them. That history made the process especially meaningful.

The goal was to give a brand new home warmth, character, and a sense of ease. We carried several beloved pieces over from their previous project, then layered in new furnishings, art, lighting, and textiles to help them feel completely at home in this new setting.

Layered window treatments, warm woods, comfortable upholstery, sculptural lighting, meaningful art, natural textures, and a few bolder moments of color helped the house feel collected rather than newly installed.

It is polished, but not precious. Fresh, but not sterile. A family home with plenty of comfortable chairs for reading, gathering, and enjoying all that beautiful light.

Open and airy, but still full of soul.

Design: Imagine Design
Photo:
Architect: .architects

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06/16/2026

Color and pattern can be playful without taking over your space.

In this home, the dining room sits at the front, the breakfast room is toward the back, and the family room connects the two. You experience these spaces in sequence, and they can all be seen together, so the patterns had to feel like they were in conversation without feeling overly coordinated.

The sofas have a quiet pattern in blues. The club chairs have another on a fresh green. The stripe in the rug quietly repeats in the pillows. The breakfast chairs bring in a brighter, more playful stripe that bring the blues and green together. And the dining room adds that wonderful marblized wallpaper, which feels colorful, collected, and a little unexpected.

And then there is the art. We did not buy it to match the room, which is exactly why it works. It adds another layer of color and movement, and somehow helps connect everything in a way that feels natural rather than planned.

That is the balance I love most. Rooms with personality, but restraint. Pattern, but breathing room. A little playfulness, especially for a young family, without ever tipping into anything too loud or precious.

Design: Imagine Design
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06/13/2026

Windows are almost always the thing I want to celebrate first in a room. I truly can’t think of a home where I’ve ever wished for fewer of them.

In this kitchen, the prettiest light was right here, along this wall of windows overlooking the porch and landscape beyond. Before we reimagined the space, the breakfast table sat more awkwardly between the kitchen and the seating area, so moving it to the windows changed everything for the better.

It made the table feel like a true destination instead of a pass-through spot. Morning coffee, casual meals, homework, a glass of wine while dinner is cooking. All the everyday moments suddenly had the best seat in the room.

And because we were not using pendants over the kitchen island or counters, we had the flexibility to do something I love here instead: two pendants over the table.

It’s such a good look. A little more interesting than a standard ceiling light, less expected than a chandelier, and so useful for defining the breakfast area within a larger kitchen.

A good reminder that sometimes the biggest improvement is not adding more, but simply moving the right pieces to the right place. t pieces to the right place.

Design: Imagine Design
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06/10/2026

I have to say, I love a room where the architecture does half the decorating for you.

This light-filled family room is part of an addition to a beautiful Mediterranean-style home in Chevy Chase, DC. The arched doorways and windows feel as though they’ve always been there, bringing the kind of softness, rhythm, and character that only good architecture can give a room.

Our goal was to let those details lead, and then layer in furnishings that made the space feel warm, welcoming, and truly lived in. A blue checked sofa, a pair of collected chairs, patterned drapery, vintage artwork, warm wood tones, and quiet layers of texture all work together to create a room that feels polished but never formal.

The result is the kind of elegance I’m always drawn to. Comfortable, timeless, full of character, and not at all precious. Just a thoughtful, layered room designed to be enjoyed for years to come.

Make sure you swipe to see the before and after and a few glimpses of other photos in the project.

Design: Imagine Design
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06/07/2026

This one feels special to share not only because it’s the debut season for this little scullery on the Eastern Shore but because the homeowners are dear friends.

The house itself is a beautiful waterfront vacation home in Oxford, Maryland, but when we started, it needed a full rethink. Not just fresh finishes, but a better way of living in it. We wanted it to be the kind of house that feels easy, gracious, and ready for a full summer of family, guests, sandy feet, long dinners, and last-minute cocktails.

This scullery was carved from the existing floor plan as part of the larger kitchen renovation. By reworking a small adjoining room, we were able to expand the main kitchen and create this hardworking secondary space: part prep area, part storage, and pretty enough to be a focal point on its own.

A checkerboard marble floor, warm wood cabinetry, brass hardware, framed art, and a few well-placed serving boards make the room feel special, not purely utilitarian, which is always the goal. Practical, yes. But never an afterthought.

And now, with summer upon us, the house is finally ready for its first full season in its new life with its new owners.

Stay tuned, we will have lots more to share from this project including a beautifully reimagined kitchen.

Design: Imagine Design

06/05/2026

I think the number one reason people hire a designer is that they are overwhelmed by the number of decisions it takes to decorate a home. And the number two reason is they are afraid of making a mistake.

And honestly, I understand that. I have been doing this work long enough that I am usually pretty confident making decisions, but every once in a while a house comes along that makes even me pause.

This was one of those houses.

This room is in a 240-year-old home in Old Town Alexandria, a house long recognized as an important part of the city’s architectural history. That kind of history is extraordinary, but it can also feel a little intimidating. The challenge was not to erase the past or make anything feel new. It was to honor what was original and important, while making the house livable for a young family with three children.

In this room, that meant removing heavy drapes and carpet so the original wood floors and beautiful window surrounds could breathe again. The clients’ barrister bookcase, filled with antique books and topped with architectural pieces. We added the vintage screen in the corner to bring down the scale. The art is a mix of traditional and more contemporary pieces, and the rust velvet sofa keeps everything from feeling too serious.

In the end, this one room required hundreds of decisions. What to keep. What to remove. What should feel old. What could feel fresh. Where to add color. Where to be quiet. That is always the balance I strive for: honoring the history without turning it into a museum where everything feels too precious to touch.

I like to think that if someone who knew this room centuries ago walked back in today, they would still recognize its spirit. But it also works for the 21st-century family growing up here now.

This was a family home 240 years ago, and it remains one today.
The best old houses are not frozen in time. They keep evolving.

Design: Imagine Design
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06/03/2026

I’ve always loved a custom window seat.

I find that rather than placing furniture in front of a beautiful window, a built-in seat makes the window part of the room. It adds craftsmanship and character, which is especially nice in new construction where those little architectural details can make a house feel more layered and collected.

Practically speaking, it creates extra seating without taking up much floor space. And maybe best of all, it gives the room a little destination: a spot for reading, napping, daydreaming, or just enjoying the view of the garden.

Here, in this family room addition, we kept it simple with a custom cushion, Belgian linen pillows, and brass sconces on either side. Practical, pretty, and exactly the kind of detail that makes a room feel lived in. 🌿🪟

Design:
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Build: .co

05/31/2026

This primary bedroom has become a favorite place to unwind, which honestly might be the best compliment.

It helps that the room had enough space for more than just a pretty bed. We were able to add both a sofa and a reading chair in the corner, so it really lives more like a quiet retreat than just a bedroom.

The soft botanical wallpaper set the tone, and one of my favorite details is how the fabric on the drapery and Roman shades aligns with the pattern of the wallpaper. It gives the whole room this calm, wrapped-in-the-garden feeling without making the pattern feel busy or overwhelming.

We kept the larger pieces quiet — the upholstered bed, pale nightstands, white bedding - and then pulled that soft green from the wallpaper into the chair and ottoman. A few warmer moments with brass, dark wood, and flowers keep it from feeling too pale or too precious.

It’s serene, but not empty. Pretty, but still comfortable. And clearly, it’s doing its job if they want to spend time here.

Designer: Imagine Design
Photography:

05/28/2026

This dining room is such a beautiful reminder that dark, moody color doesn’t make a space feel smaller. It can make it feel more expansive, more enveloping, and so much more memorable.

Here, the walls, trim, and ceiling are all wrapped in the same deep green, creating a rich backdrop for everything else in the room. The antique wood tones feel warmer. The crystal chandelier feels brighter. The artwork, rug, and collected pieces all stand out against the deep color.

That’s the magic of committing to a color. Instead of adding drama in little bits, the whole room becomes the atmosphere.

And in a historic home like this, that kind of confidence feels especially right. It honors the architecture, gives the antiques a backdrop, and makes the space feel as if it has always been this way.

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McLean, VA
22101–22103, 22106

Website

https://www.lizmearns.com/

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