My Houzz: D.C. Baker’s Apartment Is a Plant-Filled Oasis
Lush houseplants and pattern-happy wallpaper add life to a 565-square-foot downtown Washington home
Mahon, who also works full time as a nanny, started District Baking Co. in 2014. “My boss asked me if I could find a place to make decorated sugar cookies for her son’s first birthday. I searched around, but everyone was booked, so my boss suggested I try my hand at it,” she says. From there her home baking business was born. “Thousands of cookies later, here we are. I love to bake all things, but for now I only sell decorated sugar cookies,” she says. Washington, D.C., passed the D.C. Cottage Food Act of 2013, which allows chefs and bakers to run businesses out of their homes or apartments without needing special licenses. “This was a huge game changer for my little labor of love,” Mahon says.
While she focuses only on cookies now, she enjoys baking other desserts for friends, like the lemon-mascarpone tart topped with seasonal fruit that she’s seen holding here.
While she focuses only on cookies now, she enjoys baking other desserts for friends, like the lemon-mascarpone tart topped with seasonal fruit that she’s seen holding here.
The apartment gets a large amount of natural sunlight, which Mahon says was non-negotiable for her during her search. “As a basement dweller for seven years, finding an apartment with a lot of natural light was my main priority,” she says. “I immediately fell in love with the enormous windows.”
In decorating her small space, she tries to keep her decor simple and meaningful. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t bring one single thing into my new apartment that I didn’t absolutely love. That approach has served me well and has helped me to keep my small apartment organized,” Mahon says. “For me, decorating with houseplants was an easy way to keep my house tchotchke-free. Everywhere a knickknack could go, a plant could go instead, and plants just bring me more joy.” Pictured are a variety of plants, including pothos, jade, Monstera deliciosa, snake plant, watermelon peperomia and succulents.
Mahon browses photos on Houzz for decorating ideas. “I look at Houzz almost daily for inspiration and decorating tips,” she says. “I love seeing how other small spaces are decorated.”
10 Style-Boosting Design Ideas for Your Houseplant Collection
In decorating her small space, she tries to keep her decor simple and meaningful. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t bring one single thing into my new apartment that I didn’t absolutely love. That approach has served me well and has helped me to keep my small apartment organized,” Mahon says. “For me, decorating with houseplants was an easy way to keep my house tchotchke-free. Everywhere a knickknack could go, a plant could go instead, and plants just bring me more joy.” Pictured are a variety of plants, including pothos, jade, Monstera deliciosa, snake plant, watermelon peperomia and succulents.
Mahon browses photos on Houzz for decorating ideas. “I look at Houzz almost daily for inspiration and decorating tips,” she says. “I love seeing how other small spaces are decorated.”
10 Style-Boosting Design Ideas for Your Houseplant Collection
“I feel so fortunate to have inherited two family heirlooms: a 4-foot-tall brass candlestick and a hand-carved teakwood elephant saddle that is now a chair in my living room,” she says. “My grandfather served in the Air Force, and both pieces were brought back by my grandparents in the early ’70s after my grandfather’s tour in Southeast Asia.”
A large Moroccan serving tray serves as wall decor. An adjacent small shelf displays some of Mahon’s favorite books, wines and decorative objects.
Browse armchairs and accent chairs
A large Moroccan serving tray serves as wall decor. An adjacent small shelf displays some of Mahon’s favorite books, wines and decorative objects.
Browse armchairs and accent chairs
One of Mahon’s favorite furniture pieces is the deep sofa pictured here and in the first photo. “I have enjoyed many rainy-day couch naps, and it’s deep enough for two people to lay on, which was the No. 1 selling point for me,” Mahon says.
“Like many people, my specific design aesthetic is ever-changing, but right now I’d say it’s somewhere between modern and bohemian,” Mahon says. “I like modern design elements and have integrated bohemian aspects to make the space feel warmer and more inviting.” Her design taste is influenced largely by the following interior designers and artists: Dabito, Jenny Komenda, Mandi Gubler of Vintage Revivals, Jenni Radosevich of the blog I Spy DIY, Katie Branch and Ashley Alford. Woman-owned Salt & Sundry is one of Mahon’s favorite D.C. shops.
Find an interior designer near you
Find an interior designer near you
Two vibrant patterned wallpapers add color to what were originally plain white walls. Mahon installed both of the removable wallpapers herself. The accent wall by her front door features a panther pattern.
Shop for removable wallpaper
Shop for removable wallpaper
This was the first time Mahon tried her hand at installing adhesive wallpaper. “I was so surprised at how easy the application was with a little patience and perseverance,” she says. “This wallpaper was a perfect way for me to dip my toe in the water, and now I can’t wait to get my hands on some of Ashley Alford’s removable wallpaper.”
“One of my favorite features of my apartment is the abundance of kitchen cabinets. I didn’t have much storage space in my previous apartments, so it has been a very welcomed change to not have to keep pots and pans in my bedroom closet anymore,” Mahon says. She loves taking advantage of her large countertop.
Photo by Elizabeth Mahon
Mahon custom-designed these Thanksgiving- and fall-themed sugar cookies for a customer.
Mahon custom-designed these Thanksgiving- and fall-themed sugar cookies for a customer.
Mahon’s bedroom is calming and minimalist. A rug adds a pop of pattern, while a shelf of plants above her bed adds vibrant greens. “I live for cozy weekend mornings snuggled up in bed with the window open, drinks and dinner with friends relaxing in the living room crammed around my coffee table — that also serves as a dining table when guests are over — and baking and cooking in my kitchen,” she says.
“I knew I didn’t want to paint, so to tackle the white walls in my bedroom, I was inspired by Katie Branch to hang a plant shelf high above my bed,” Mahon says. “I wanted my bedroom to be simple and serene.” Seen here are two silver philodendrons, a sansevieria and jade pothos.
Mahon changed the knobs on her dresser and nightstand as a budget-friendly way to update the pieces.
Browse dresser knobs and pulls
Browse dresser knobs and pulls
This flamingo watercolor painting is by Mahon’s friend Alexis Martinez Puleio, an artist in Naples, Florida. A sansevieria and a fiddleleaf fig decorate a corner of the bedroom.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Looking to update your small space? Find an interior designer near you
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Looking to update your small space? Find an interior designer near you
Who lives here: Elizabeth Mahon
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 565 square feet (52 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
Elizabeth Mahon’s downtown Washington, D.C., apartment is a place to retreat to at the end of a busy day, and it’s also where she runs her baking business, District Baking Co., specializing in custom sugar cookies. Her cookies and other baked goods are clever and colorful, and Mahon took a similar approach to decorating the interior of her 565-square-foot high-rise rental.
Mahon is the first person to live in her apartment unit, and she says that has its pros and cons. “The biggest challenge was to make my stark white walls and builder-grade finishes feel more welcoming,” she says. She first created the gallery wall above her sofa using photos from her travels and prints from Jenny’s Print Shop.