With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to personalized design solutions, MONARCH has garnered widespread acclaim in magazines for their exceptional work.
Their projects have been featured in esteemed publications, where their signature style, characterized by a seamless fusion of sophistication and comfort, has captivated readers and industry professionals alike. From elegant residences to chic commercial spaces, MONARCH's press coverage serves as a testament to their unwavering dedication to excellence in interior design.
HOME & DESIGN - Feature and cover: California Dreaming
A premium lot on a hillside in Northwest DC lured a businessman and his wife—despite the 1954 fixer-upper on the property. They intended a major redo to suit their lifestyle and family, which includes four children ranging in age from eight to 13.
The couple turned to Monarch Interior Design Group to guide them through process. East Coast principal Charlene Kennerknecht and Arch Williams, the firm’s West Coast counterpart, worked in close collaboration with Charlene’s husband, Jim Kennerknecht of Monarch Building.
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COUNTRY CASUAL TEAK - Designer Spotlight: Charlene Kennerknecht
“This client enjoys the outdoors and her backyard so much that when she is home, she often leaves her side back door open to let the fresh air in. The Harborside dining extension table allows her and her family to enjoy intimate dinner parties and large gatherings with the easy extension afforded in the Harborside table. The accompanying dining chairs allow easy storage during the inclement weather months. We added the large umbrella so that even on an evening with light showers, she and her family could still enjoy dining alfresco.”read the article
VIRGINIA LIVING - Article: For Art’s Sake/A Vienna remodel fits its art collection like a glove.
Interior designer Charlene Kennerknecht saw her role as “helping the homeowners with the myriad of decisions given to them by the architect and builder; most important was to help them rehang and display their 193-piece collection of art, which includes paintings and sculptures.” “We did learn an important lesson, which is if you’re going to have multiple teams involved, they should all be involved from the start,” say the Lendings, sharing hard-learned lessons.“
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HOME & DESIGN - Portfolio Top 100 Designers
For more than two decades, Charlene Kennerknecht has been known for creating elegant, beautiful interiors in a warm and welcoming style. Her designs reflect her personal aesthetic—a predilection for light, air and space—and her pursuit of simplicity and refinement. She places great importance on the quality of furnishings, materials and finishes. “The biggest compliment we get is when clients tell us they love spending time at home,” she says.
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HOME & DESIGN
It played like a scene from a home-makeover TV show. As the renovation dust settled in their Bethesda abode last July, Scott and Jennifer Frederick left for a short vacation while a deft crew (and a warehouse full of furnishings) waited in the wings. The house was move-in ready by the time the owners returned—and the unveil-ing brought Jennifer to tears. “I was overwhelmed,” she admits. “Everything looked so beautiful and pristine. I thought to myself, ‘Is this our house?’”
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MODERN LUXURY - Article: Family Ties
With MONARCH URBAN, father-son team Jim and Matt Kennerknecht are developing unique DC properties that you’ll want to call home.
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HOME & DESIGN - Article: Southern Charm
Betty and Jennings Connell were the original occupants of a three-bedroom, 1984 house in Vienna, Virginia. A couple of renovations over the intervening years had increased the home’s footprint—an added kitchen and family room in back, as well as a master suite expansion upstairs. But Betty was looking to hit the “refresh” button as their college-age twins left home and she and her husband became empty nesters.
“I felt a big change coming in our lives and I wanted the house to accommodate it,” says Betty. “Our kids are now young adults. We didn’t want to move, but we did want to create a space that felt grown-up.”
She hired Charlene Kennerknecht and Arch Williams, principals of Monarch Design DC, to help her achieve what she was looking for: a fresh, clean-lined look that, in her words, “wasn’t too sterile, but was warm and inviting.”
Williams set about creating “good bones” in the choppy floor plan. First, the downstairs rooms were opened up and spatially connected to each other by removing unnecessary doors, including the French doors separating the parlor from the family room.
The Connells owned some family heirlooms including an antique piano that needed to be incorporated into the redesign. Otherwise, they were open to starting afresh with their furnishings. In general, Kennerknecht and Williams adhered to neutral,tone-on-tone linen upholstery on tailored and appropriately scaled pieces. For example, the furniture in the small parlor is diminutive in comparison to the hefty sectional in the larger family room.
“The house has such a good feeling,” observes Betty. “When our friends or the children’s friends come over, I keep hearing how everyone loves it. To me, it’s like a big hug, all comfortable and warm—which is exactly how I wanted it to be.”
HOME & DESIGN PORTFOLIO - Top 100 Designers
Charlene Kennerknecht and Arch Williams just happened to meet while working on a joint project almost twenty years ago…and as they say, the rest is history. Their firm, Monarch Design DC, has collaborated on homes from Hawaii to the coast of Carmel, the slopes of Aspen, the banks of the Potomac and the streets of London. Charlene’s love of color and texture blend with Arch’s background in architectural history and classic design. Their look cannot be defined by style or period.
“Through the design process, we take all that our clients are and take them to what they want to become,” Kennerknecht says. “With a little prodding from us,” Williams adds.“Through the thousands of decisions to be made—enough to make even the most experienced client cower—we break down the process into smaller pieces. We call it our ‘Global Plan.’”
Whether one room or thirty, Monarch looks at each room as it relates to every other, encompassing details from the shape of the stair rail to the trim on a pillow, then bringing them together in one unit that can be understood and executed. “We love challenges. That’s the fun of it. That’s the beauty of great design. That’s who we are.”
H&D
Tapped to remodel a home for clients who had relocated from Santa Monica, California, to Northern Virginia, designers Charlene Kennerknecht and Arch Williams created an outdoor oasis reminiscent of their clients’ home state. Complete with a pool and spa surrounded by custom-cut limestone paving and stone walls, the project also features a spacious cabana with a fireplace and a cooking area.
In the cabana, the designers created several seating arrangements flexible enough to host Mai Tais for two or a barbecue for 40. There is a zinc pedestal table surrounded by JANUS et Cie benches, a square teak-and-limestone dining table and cushy armchairs flanked by dining-height end tables.
Furnishings were selected for style and durability. Poolside, Giatti chaises are shaded from the sun by oversized umbrellas in a cream-and-black Donghia fabric. Whimsical touches include dragonfly outdoor fabric on lounge chairs and a clock designed to weather the elements.
Drapes in a Perennials outdoor fabric provide a soft counterpoint to the stone hardscape. “The drapes bring in another texture, and they are weighted with chain in the hem so they don’t blow around,” says Williams. They shield the owners and their guests from cool breezes when they gather around the fire on crisp autumn nights.
Williams and Kennerknecht also specified plant material that would convey a tropical vibe, including banana plants, coleus and lobelia, bursting with color in oversized cobalt-blue pots.
“People arrive and feel like they’re some place in California,” says Kennerknecht. “The project takes the family back home to Santa Monica.”
HOME & DESIGN PORTFOLIO
Charlene Kennerknecht and Arch Williams of Monarch Design DC bring 25 years of experience to every project, creating not only interiors but also architectural elements that enhance those interiors. Having completed projects as far afield as London, Hawaii and Aspen as well as throughout the DC area, they share expertise in texture and color as well as a strong foundation in architectural history.
The designers approach each project holistically, developing a “global plan” that keeps the process organized and seamless from concept to completion. “We develop a unified plan that can be completed now or a room at a time,” explains Kennerknecht. “Some budgets allow for an entire project while some need longer to finish. As long as the overall plan is finished, the process can be seamless even if it takes several years to complete.”
For a room to reach its fullest potential, Kennerknecht and Williams believe that it must have “good bones.” Explains Williams, “Sometimes simple architectural elements can completely invigorate a space.”
They also contend that a working professional relationship between designer and client is key to a project’s success. “Problems will always come up,” says Kennerknecht. “If we approach them together, the end result will always be a winning environment to live in.”
HOME & DESIGN
Charlene Kennerknecht and Arch Williams have been design partners for 15 years, bringing their clients a unique East-West Coast perspective. Kennerknecht was working on a luxury townhouse project in Virginia when she was introduced to Los Angeles-based Williams, a consultant on the job. Soon after, she landed a major residential project and asked Williams to help. “The rest is history,” she says. Though their work has never been published, the duo has collaborated on dozens of homes all over the country.
“Our clients are hungry for a twist,” says Williams, “but they don’t know that. We try to get people out of their comfort zone by 10 to 15 percent.”
Such was the case on a project they recently completed in Great Falls. Their client, ready to furnish a guest suite located above his four-car garage, presented them with a challenge: He wanted a space that could accommodate both visiting business associates as well as relatives with kids—and he wanted it done in “Giorgio Armani” style.
Kennerknecht and Williams proposed an open plan with separate lounging and sleeping areas screened by a mesh fabric by Donghia. The result is a mix of modern, classic and custom furnishings with glamorous accents, chic enough to rival a luxury hotel room yet practical too, with a sleeper sofa, durable fabrics and a double chaise that can serve as two twin beds.
The homeowner and his wife now enjoy spending time in their guest suite. As Kennerknecht explains, “We try to create comfortable, elegant ‘destinations’ for our clients.”