My Houzz: Relaxed Glamour in a Downtown Row House

Mark and Hallie Burrier saw potential in their 1890 Frederick, Maryland, row house when they bought it in 2010, even though much of it was hidden by green shag carpeting and drywall over cracked plastered walls. The couple, who own two popular downtown home decor shops, Relish Decor and Treaty General Store, tapped into their creative sides to add color and style when transforming their dated interiors. After moving in, the two got to work refinishing nearly every inch of the home, striking the just-right balance of relaxed glamour and casual drama.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Hallie and Mark Burrier and their soft-coated wheaten terrier, Lucy
Location: Frederick, Maryland
Size: 2,500 square feet (232 square meters); 4 bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Year built: 1890
The wall colors in the living and dining room are bold and dramatic. Hallie loves working with black, white and dark gray as a base and then adding bursts of color. She feels that color is the best place to “bring in style on a budget.” Mark and Hallie had a professional construct the floor-to-ceiling built-ins.

Living room sofa and chairs:
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams from Bloomingdales; settee, vintage from Silk & Burlap; living room wall paint: Seal Grey, Glidden; black wallpaper, Imperial Trellis, Kelly Wearstler


The dining room connects the living room to the kitchen and is the most dramatic, and yet most inviting, room in the house. Hallie also says she’s redone this room more than any of the others.

“We had this great dining room connecting the kitchen to the living room — and we do a lot of cooking and entertaining,” says Hallie. “But our friends would either gather in the kitchen or stay in the front room. The room felt too formal to use.”

The Restoration Hardware curtains and the white floor-to-ceiling antique cabinet were splurges that have remained even as the couple has changed other things in the room.

Wall paint: Black, Benjamin Moore; pendant light fixture: Light & Day; dining table: Crate & Barrel; banquette: World Market; chairs, Amazon; artwork vintage handcolored Morris nest prints; mats: McGuire’s Fine Arts; frames, Ikea


The windows opposite the banquette and gallery wall face the row house next door and let in little light. Rather than fighting the dim light, Hallie chose to embrace it and paint the walls a dark, dramatic black.

Hallie first tried a chandelier in the space. Although it looked right with the era of the home, it felt too formal. “I’ve switched out the light fixture probably four times,” Hallie says. “Thank goodness for Craigslist. I could quickly flip one if it didn’t work out.”

The drum pendant with a linen cover that is now there finally fits the mood of the space, as does the oatmeal-colored banquette from World Market. Hallie found the chairs on Amazon for about $80 each.


Mark and Hallie could not wait to get rid of their pink, duck-themed bathroom that included duck wallpaper, stained glass and a handpainted duck wall switch.


AFTER: Today the bathroom has marble hexagon tile on the floor, a claw-foot tub and an elegant chandelier.

Tile: The Tile Shop; claw-foot tub: Signature Hardware;
vintage chandelier: Silk & Burlap


The bathroom is located in what was originally a covered porch between two row houses. One day Hallie took a crowbar to the tile. She eventually got down to the brick and bought herself about 8 more inches of space. “I figured that if it was an enclosed porch, it must have brick on three sides,” she says.


Open shelves in the bathroom serve the dual purpose of being functional and decorative. They allow extra towels and soaps to be kept close at hand and provide display space for soft vintage details.


The second-story master bedroom gets great natural light. The upstairs colors are softer than those on the first floor. Hallie mixed in elegant light fixtures and introduced bold colors in the bedding.

Sheets and coverlet: Target; shams: Pottery Barn; Kantha throw: Relish Decor; lamp and shade on dresser: Target


Nightstands provide storage and personality.


Decorative details and artwork on their dresser are minimal but make an impact.


The couple had built-ins installed in most of the bedrooms, including in the closets.

Chandelier over bed: Restoration Hardware; chandelier in seating area: Pottery Barn


Hallie’s office is on the third floor. A linen slipcovered chair and clear lucite desk sit opposite a bulletin board covered with tearsheets and checklists.

Chair: Hudson Parsons slicovered side chair, Restoration Hardware


The lucite desk and cabinets are Craigslist finds.


The third-floor guest room is one of Hallie’s favorite rooms. With a subtle shade on the walls, minimal art and exposed brick on the old fireplace stack, it’s also one of the most soothing spaces in the house.


The vintage bed and side table lamps are Craigslist finds.


The chair and desk in the guest room were purchased at Silk & Burlap, the local store where Hallie used to work.


The downstairs powder room is fitted with a small corner sink. Silhouette wallpaper, which also covers the ceiling, keeps the playful drama flowing throughout the main level.

Wallpaper: Ferm Living, door paint: Red Geranium, Glidden


The kitchen in the back of the house isn’t big enough for a table, but wood countertops, a penny tile backsplash and tuxedo cabinets keep the space casual and bright.


Display shelves opposite the stove bring in more color and allow the couple to add vintage details to the kitchen.


A black tufted settee in the living room is Lucy’s favorite place to take a daytime nap and keep an eye on passersby from the large bay window.


The exterior of the row house retains its original charm. Look closely and you can see Lucy in the bay window.


Hallie, right, says being so visually driven can be a blessing and a curse. “It’s hard to get away from the need to get things right, but I can’t imagine being any other way,” she says. She says it helps that Mark is the same way.

“He gets it, the discomfort I feel when a space isn’t right,” she says. “It helps that he can relate.”

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