Debra Lee (right) relaxes on a large
terrace off the dining area. Above her,
a glass and steel walkway (above and
opposite) links the main part of the
house to her children’s stacked rooms.
D
ebra Lee fell in love with
contemporary design as a
young girl living on an army
base in Germany, where her
father filled the family quarters with Danish Modern furniture. The romance never
died for Lee, now the chairman and CEO
of BET Networks, who once considered a
career in fashion.
Today, in a Massachusetts Heights
neighborhood of neo-Georgian mansions
and faux chateaux, Lee presides over a
dramatic, four-level edifice of angled and
curved steel, glass and stone that like its
owner is stylish and versatile.
Above all, the house is a family retreat
for her Los Angeles-based son, Quinn
Coleman, a DJ and music festival promoter, and daughter, Ava Coleman, who
studies communications and the music
industry at the University of Southern
California. It is a sprawling art gallery
for dozens of glass sculptures Lee has
collected over decades, including pieces
by African American sheet glass master
Therman Statom. It is a grand entertaining venue with indoor and outdoor spaces
perfectly scaled for cozy suppers with her
besties, star-studded BET fetes, charity
benefits and political fundraisers such
as last year’s $40,000-a-plate dinner for
President Obama.
ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN: MICHAEL
MARSHALL, AIA, and PAOLA MOYA, Associate
AIA, Marshall Moya Design, Washington, DC. CONTRACTOR: DAVIS CONSTRUCTION, Washington, DC.
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