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 {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PARTY LIKE IT'S 1984
Entertaining now is quite different than it was 40 years ago, but our recipes stand the test of time
The Joy of Letting Go
SIFTING THROUGH BOXES OF ORNAMENTS AND PILES OF TRIM, AN EMPTY NESTER LEARNS THAT LESS CAN BE MORE
Share the Love
This delicious yet doable dessert can be made three different ways
Forging a Legacy - A Fredericksburg, Texas, couple is creating a new class of heirloom cast-iron cookware
When Jay Mallinckrodt pitched the idea of crafting cast-iron cookware to his wife and business partner, Heather, in 2020, she was hesitant. I immediately said no, she recalls with a laugh. But I finally agreed as long as we made something that we would actually want to use ourselves. Like many others during the initial throes of the pandemic, their multigenerational family operation, Heartland Enterprises (which specializes in machining parts for jet engines and gas and oil equipment), was seeing a lull. “No one was flying; no one was drilling, says Jay. So we had time to try something different.
A Butterfly Haven - In the Texas Hill Country, a conservationist is helping monarchs adjust to the changing world
Twenty-four years ago, Monika Maeckle bought a small property on the Llano River in Central Texas as an escape from fast-paced San Antonio. A journalist and marketing professional by trade, she didn't at first realize the value of the location on which she and her husband would later build their ranch. She also had no idea how this decision would eventually transform her life.One October evening a few years later, a friend invited Maeckle to their nearby house, which sat on a watershed with several large cypresses. All these butterflies dropped from the sky and started to gravitate toward the trees, she recalls. Stronger people who could swing a big 12-foot-long pole began trying to capture them, and we waited. By the end of the evening, we'd tagged a couple hundred butterflies, and I left there enchanted.
Oktober Feast!
While I respect your right to serve spooky food in October, you won't find any gory grub at my house this month. Instead, I'm hosting a gathering that's inspired by biergartens across the pond. The focus of the menu is a fondue made with Gruyère cheese and crisp Riesling-like beer-cheese dip but more elevated. It's served with a smorgasbord of dippers such as smoked sausage, grapes, apples, and a few amped-up store-bought snacks, like Mustard-Glazed Pretzel Bites and Smoked Paprika Potato Chips. (Just one taste, and you'll want to add this spice to every bag you open.) Pour yourself a Cider Shandy, and get ready for a good time. Prost, y'all!
The Roast With the Most
Embrace the changing seasons with a cozy pork supper
Roll With It
Company's coming? Bake a batch of these apple-stuffed delights
VIRGINIA PASTORAL
IN MIDDLEBURG, THE COMMONWEALTH'S MOST STORIED SMALL TOWN, OCTOBER WELCOMES A HOST OF TREASURED TRADITIONS
TAKING ROOT
Turn the season's freshest veggies-beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots-into colorful fall sides
