ASHLEY TAYLOR knew his wife's tastes well: elegant, traditional, andwhen it came to architecture-as Georgian as possible. So when he spotted the "For Sale" sign on a tree-canopied lot in Richmond's Windsor Farms neighborhood, he wasn't sure the mid-1960s redbrick house with tall, skinny columns that were tacked on like an afterthought would cut it. His wife, Gail, also loves a home that's timeless and well proportioned.
"But when he gets a spark about something," she says, laughing, "good luck!" Fortunately, that spark had merit. The house had a strong presence and was on a desirable lot, so as any good lawyer does before making his case, Ashley did a little preemptive research, a call to Dan Ensminger, a Richmond-based architect the family had worked with previously.
After a quick drive-by viewing, Ensminger confirmed via a cocktail-napkin sketch that a few tweaks could Georgian up the facade. Reassured, Ashley made the pitch to his wife, who actually didn't need very much convincing.
"It was definitely a house I had noticed before. I loved how it sat on this shady lot with a circular drive," Gail recalls. "But it wasn't exactly living up to its potential.
You would've expected a more classic feel." It had a disjointed floor plan and dated interiors, including the kitchen's dropped ceiling with fluorescent lights. "It was very sixties and seventies-and not in a good way," she adds.
Gail says their goal was "to add back the character," which they set about doing initially with the help of Ensminger and then later with Richmond-based designer Elly Poston Cooper of Elly Poston Interiors.
This story is from the April 2024 edition of Southern Living.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2024 edition of Southern Living.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Truth About Tomatoes
Here's how to store them the right way
When Life Gives You Lemons...
Chill out with this nostalgic no-bake dessert
She's Got the Scoop
In Richmond, Virginia, Rabia Kamara creates ice cream that celebrates Black culture and her heritage
More Is More
Designer Gray Benko isn't afraid of color, pattern, or dogs on the furniture
Changing the Game
For this North Carolina pair, pickleball is the ticket to a healthy lifestyle - and a social one
Stitched Together
For South Carolinian Andrea \"Annie\" Cayetano-Jefferson, sewing sweetgrass baskets ties her to generations of Gullah people, including her mother and daughter
Ciao Bella!
The founder of the Italianmade ceramics brand Vietri celebrates high summer with a pair of tables suited for all occasions
The Music of the Mountains
When warm weather arrives, Brevard, North Carolina's open-air concerts and cascading waterfalls fill the town with the song of summer
No Plant Sitter Required
These hardy groupings can stand up to the heat, even while you're away
A Folly Original
This young couple got scrappy to score the South Carolina beach house of their dreams