Designing a dream home can be likened to assembling a haute couture wardrobe. The right foundational pieces and accessories combine to create an aesthetic that is at once polished and nonchalant.

This weekend offers the last opportunity for the public to see and derive inspiration from such a space. The ASPIRE HOUSE McLean Designer Show House closes this Sunday, Sept. 13. The 9,600-square-foot home, located in McLean, was curated by 28 handpicked designers, architects and remodelers. Each of the home’s 30 rooms is a showcase of thoughtfully designed vignettes.

The spaces, “represent the very best of the design community,” said Mary Douglas Drysdale, design chair. “[It celebrates] great design from a multitude of diverse voices and cultures.”

A predilection for antique furnishings served as inspiration for Federica Asack’s design of the home’s powder room vestibule. Using a French antique sculpture as the focal point, she gave the space a sense of intimacy by hanging framed antique drawings on the walls which she swathed in floral wallpaper. The floor is covered with an antique rug in jewel tones of deep reds and greens.

“I wanted the space to be a place that would catch the attention of visitors,” said Asack, of Masseria Chic in McLean. “I wanted it to be a space where guests could have a private conversation.”

When designing the gallery, Lenore Winters of Lenore Winters Studios in Bethesda used intricately detailed panel moldings as a natural frame for the art that would inhabit the space. “Our primary intent was to...showcase the artworks to be displayed, said Winters. “Having that element as our primary focus, the design was carefully edited to respect and enhance the visitors' experience of each individual artwork.”

A theatre without traditional stadium-style seating is the image that Courtney McLeod of Right Meets Left Interior Design used as the concept for her creation of the home’s cinema, an entertainment space where family and visitors alike would gather to watch movies.

McLeod imagined that the homeowners would be well-traveled, so the space should appear as though it had evolved over time. “We wanted the room to have a collected feel, filled with pieces from around the world,” she said.

The walls and ceiling are painted in Rickwood Red by Sherwin Williams. “By using the same color on the wall and ceilings, we were able to camouflage the fact that the ceiling height changes, which felt awkward when we first saw it,” said McLeod.

A leather ottoman in olive green sits in the center of the room, surrounded by seating in shades of cream. “It's a big, multifunctional piece of furniture,” said McLeod. “The ottoman is a perfect spot for a tray holding a glass or wine or snacks or put your feet up while you’re watching a movie.”

The show house is for sale, priced at $6.75 million and is located at 952 Mackall Farms Lane, McLean, VA. It will be open through Sunday, Sept. 14th from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. with in-person tours every 15 minutes. The last admission is at 4 p.m. All visitors must wear masks. Tickets are $50 for adults, $45 for military and $45 for seniors and a group tour is a max of 12 people at a time (12 ticket holders). Proceeds will benefit the ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME Diversity in Design Scholarship Fund.