Accolades
Awards
- Home and Design Portfolio, Top 100 Designers – Interior Design, 2017
- Grand Prize #GetYourGreenOn SustainableFurnishings Council Interior Design Competition, 2016
- Home and Design Portfolio, Top 100 Designers – Interior Design, 2016
- Interior Design Society Designer of the Year Award: 1st Place, Specialty Areas (Children’s Rooms, Playrooms, Nurseries), 2015 Designer: Paola McDonald
- Interior Design Society Designer of the Year Award: 3rd Place, Specialty Areas (Outdoor Rooms, Sunrooms), 2015 Designer: Paola McDonald
- Interior Design Society Designer of the Year Award: 3rd Place, Sustainable Design, 2015 Designer: Paola McDonald
- Spark Modern Fires Site Specific 6 Design Competition Merit Award Winner, Sterling Contemporary Condo Designer: Paola McDonald
- Interior Design Society Designer of the Year Award: 1st Place, Playrooms, Nurseries, and Children’s Rooms, 2013 Designer: Paola McDonald
- Interior Design Society Designer of the Year Award: 2nd Place, Living Spaces Under $30,000, 2015 Designer: Paola McDonald
Press
The 5 Home Trends Interior Designers are Loving This Year
The 5 Home Trends Interior Designers are Loving This Year
By Charlotte Safavi, Northern Virginia Magazine, March 2020
Going Green, Paola McDonald Wins Sustainability Award
Going Green, Paola McDonald Wins Sustainability Award
By Sharon Jaffe Dan, Home and Design Magazine, March/April 2017
True Blue:
A Dated Home Gets a Contemporary Overhaul with a Sea-Inspired Palette of Blue and Grey
By Kathleen Birmingham, Make it Over Magazine Spring 2015
Holiday Entertaining
Flexible Tables and Chairs
By Kathleen Birmingham, Make it Over Magazine Spring 2015
Favorite Rooms
Home and Design Magazine 2014 Sourcebook
The Joy of Adding Art to Your Home
As Seen in Haymarket Lifestyles, November 2014
Prince William Living
Olamar Interiors Designer and Owner Paola McDonald Wins Two 2013 Interior Design Society Designer of the Year Awards
As Seen in Prince William Living, Tuesday 18 March 2014
Contemporary Canvas
As seen in Home and Design Magazine, March 2013.
The Real Housewives of Northern Virginia:
Leading Ladies: Paola McDonald of Creative Elegance Interiors
The Real Life Decorator:
Choosing Drapes for Oversized Windows
As seen in Haymarket Lifestyles Magazine, March 2012.
The Real Life Decorator:
Creating an Outdoor Space That is an Extension of Your Indoor Space
As seen in Haymarket Lifestyles Magazine, June 2012.
The Real Life Decorator:
Your New Resource for Real Life Interior Decorating
As Seen in Haymarket Lifestyles Magazine, December 2011.
Arlington bachelor pad has a retro Modern Twist
When Rick Weissenstein purchased his Arlington town house two years ago, he immediately rejected the traditional Williamsburg interior and asked Paola McDonald to transform the four-level home into a midcentury Modernist bachelor pad.
COLUMN:
The real life decorator
Interior design for your real life is more attainable than you might think. It just takes a little creativity and a close look within your own community.
Choosing the perfect paint color
Painting can be the most impactful and often least expensive ways to completely change the look of a room…
Family photos create everchanging interior design
Alison and Paul Griffin made a point of taking photos of their children as they grew. Designer Paola McDonald helped them incorporate those photos into their decor.
Home Seller Tips:
Neutralize to Emphasize Space for Easier Home Sale
Paola McDonald, certified interior decorator and owner of Creative Elegance Interiors in Northern Virginia, says the most important thing a seller can do when preparing a house for sale is “neutralizing it.”