I've long been a fan of Darryl Carter. His neutral rooms are showstopping, and his eye for blending the unique with the traditional is unerring. I have collected dozens of photos over the years of his personal home in DC, and a few days ago I thought it might be fun to put together a little design timeline - the evolution of his spaces - as close as I could get it.

First, a little about the house. Darryl bought it in 1999, although some sources say 1997. The house had been the chancery of the Omani sultanate, and even in 1999, Darryl got a great deal on the 4-story, 1914-era 6,000 square feet beaux arts front mansion paying only $493,000.00. Prior to Darryl purchasing the house, the Omani government used parts of the house as office space, covering the original floors in gray carpeting as far as the eyes can see, dropping the ceilings with acoustic-tile, and adding the seemingly requisite fluorescent light fixtures due an office setting. The partitions they installed were easy to remove, and the house needed little structural repair.  I can't find any photos of the embassy interior prior to Darryl. I know that the house was designed by Waggaman & Clark, built by prominent DC Builders and Property Developers Sanner & Hill. In 1924, it was remodeled for Mrs. Frank Letts, socialite and widow of a Chicago millionaire whose brother lived in D.C. at the time. That's where the chain of custody ends, unfortunately. 
Living Room
The first publicly available photos...