Carol Freedman
The Living Room
Bethesda designer Carol Freedman and her husband, Steve Seeber, describe their 1960s contemporary home in Bethesda’s Mohican Hills neighborhood as “a tree house in the country,” with its leafy green views from all sides.
An interior designer since 1994, Freedman has a reputation for bold colors combined with whimsical touches. Her own living room is done in shades of purple, blue and orange, reminiscent of a New Mexico sunset.
“The first time I went to New Mexico, I felt like I was home,” Freedman says of the Southwestern influences. “I love the combination of colors. It’s the perfect balance of warm and cool.”
Her favorite pieces in the room—the custom-woven rug with a geometric pattern, and a painting of red New Mexico hills—were created by New Mexico artists Joan Weissman and Martha Kennedy. Freedman likes to combine pieces she picked up while traveling with “things I love that remind me of my life,” such as the antique silver from her mother and a contemporary sculpture by her mother-in-law.
The living room has become the couple’s music room. They spend a lot of time listening to music there and enjoy live performances when their 19-year-old son Aaron, a jazz drummer, is home from college.
Freedman finds it much harder to design for herself than for clients. “The range of what’s available is huge. Picking things for my own house takes more concentration and focus on my intuition,” she says. “But when you get it right, it’s so gratifying.”