See how a designer originally from Peru takes cues from her clients’ rich Brazilian and South African roots in the dramatic transformation of a rowhouse near Washington, D.C.

Growing up in Lima, Peru, designer Mariella Cruzado found herself inspired by interiors adorned with gold. “I feel like my love of gold actually comes from the mix of the Inca culture and the Spanish influence with its rococo pieces,” she says. Elements of the elegant metal always end up in the Washington, D.C., designer’s projects.

But Cruzado also appreciates balance and how even the slightest use of a material can have stunning impact. So in remodeling an early 2000s rowhouse in nearby North Bethesda, Maryland, she used gold simply as an accent in cabinet hardware, chandeliers, frames and accessories. Black, white and warm neutral finishes, including walls painted with the Sherwin-Williams 2021 Color of the Year, Urbane Bronze SW 7048 (245-C7), play the starring role. “It’s a very clean yet luxurious look,” she says.

It also befits the homeowners, originally from Brazil and South Africa, who immediately fell in love with the palette after it was presented. Greek Villa SW 7551 (245-C1) for the stairwell and main-level room walls, Tricorn Black SW 6258 (251-C1) for the stairway railing and dining room built-in, and Urbane Bronze SW 7048 (245-C7) for the main-bedroom walls — all in Emerald^® Interior Acrylic Latex Paint — complement the couple’s love of natural woods and mid-century modern furnishings.

The dining room is the first space you see when ascending the stairs from the entry to the main level. Its existing built-in hutch, now painted Tricorn Black SW 6258 (251-C1), is one of designer Mariella Cruzado’s favorite features, thanks largely to its color. “I’m a big fan of black — I love adding it to all of my designs,” she says. “It’s timeless and chic, and that contrast makes any space more interesting.”

The colors also provide the perfect backdrop for art pieces that represent the couple’s home countries and cultures, including wooden masks and ceramics displayed on the living room’s iron bookshelves and a map of Cape Town, South Africa, hanging in the main bedroom. “I flanked the map with gold mirrors,” Cruzado says. “It makes it look so much more elegant than a regular map.”

Her approach to the map and mirrors connects to her longtime love of gold but also reflects what’s important to the homeowners. “My challenge is to find that balance between the fabulous and the comfortable and livable,” she says.

The stairway connecting the entry to the main level provides a preview of the home’s predominant palette of Greek Villa SW 7551 (245-C1) and Tricorn Black SW 6258 (251-C1). “Before, the railing’s wooden finishes were brown and boring,” Cruzado says. “We changed the entire look using paint.”

That principle goes into beautiful practice in the dining room, where the owners spend time and share meals with their twin toddlers. “Nearly everything had to be kid-friendly and high-performance,” Cruzado says. To that end, durable outdoor fabric covers the cushion atop the dining room bench. “I knew that was going to be where the kids would be having lunch, and I didn’t want their parents to worry about anything.”

Main-bedroom walls painted Urbane Bronze come together with other elements rooted in nature, including a wall of grasscloth, a plush faux-fur throw and pine ceiling beams treated with a Minwax^® walnut stain.

Still, the fabric on the cushion (and on matching living room sofa pillows) is black and white, in a pattern that connects to the owners’ roots and the home’s palette. “It was a very important selection of fabric,” Cruzado says. “It’s modern yet earthy, it’s beautiful, and it really speaks to the clients’ South African and Brazilian roots.”

Cruzado brings touches of gold to most of her projects. In the main bedroom, it’s in the form of the framed mirrors, which beautifully complement walls painted Urbane Bronze.