The relationship started in 1997, when interior designer June Shea left a business card in the mailbox of Fairfax Station neighbor Tina Seltzer.
Back then, Shea operated her business from her home and her office from her car. Seltzer hired Shea to spruce up the place before a house warming party. In the 13 years since, Shea has transformed every room in Seltzer’s four-story colonial.
Designed in stages, Seltzer’s home is colorfully contemporary and laced with personal touches.
“June was my vision,” Seltzer said. “There weren’t many things that she brought to the table that I didn’t like.”
Seltzer likes bold colors, sharp geometric shapes and ultramodern design. “No frou-frou stuff,” she said.
Shea captured Seltzer’s penchant for whimsy in the living room, where a checkered fuchsia armchair catches the eye. A deep blue sofa with fuchsia accent pillows anchors a room filled with triangular window swags, accent chairs and fanciful geometric patterns on a pink and blue rug.
With an eye for details, Shea left no wall or ceiling undecorated. A series of silver stars and swirls are painted on the walls, giving the appearance of wallpaper. A wave of deep blue continues from the living room to the foyer to bring continuity to the two spaces.
In the family room, primary colors of green, red, yellow and blue reign. Often used in children’s rooms, these primary colors boast a grown-up feel in the modern art on the walls and the tailored upholstery. Four rolling upholstered stools, each in a different color, form a square under a black granite-topped coffee table in the center of the room.
In contrast to the vivid colors throughout the main floor, sleek black is used in the family room and in the adjoining kitchen. The crisp white cabinets and black granite countertops are accented with festive artisan knobs hand-made by a jewelry designer.
“I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for, so I found this jewelry maker,” Shea said. “I wanted something that reflected her personality. She likes fun.”
Nothing says fun like the hockey-themed basement. An avid hockey fan, Seltzer now has the ultimate place to watch the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals.
A glass door frosted with figure eights leads from the kitchen to basement stairs where, at the bottom, there is a larger-than-life-size wall graphic of former Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig. In this photograph Kolzig wears the blue, black and bronze colors the team wore from the late 1990s until it changed the colors back to red, white and blue in 2007.
Blue, black and gold form the color palette in the basement, and the Capitals’ old logo, which features an American bald eagle with five stars, is seen throughout the room.
“We received permission from the Washington Capitals organization to replicate the team logo,” Seltzer said.
Mitchell Layton, the official photographer for the Capitals, allowed Shea to use an enlarged photograph of Section 112 in the Verizon Center on the wall to create a cheering section. Plexiglas lines the photograph, adding an authentic arena feel.
Shea designed two rolling ottomans to look like large hockey bucks that can be pushed around on carpet that looks like the Capitals’ home ice.
“The project got a lot bigger than we anticipated,” Seltzer said. “But it’s fun for parties.”
