Let’s take a tour through some stranger’s house, shall we? Actually, meet Karyn and Eric. There, now they aren’t strangers.
Eric is actually a well known house rehabber here in Richmond (here’s his site) and Karyn is his lovely lady (she makes amazing jewelry by the way). They live in this charming and fabulous sixty-year-old home that Eric purchased years ago when it was in major disrepair. We’re talking crumbling walls and old unusable bathrooms. But thanks to his handy house-fixing skillz, he whipped his new abode right into shape, and actually converted four of the other buildings on the spacious two acre property into fully functional guest houses which he now rents out to cover a huge chunk of his mortgage. Not a bed set-up eh? But enough chit chat, let’s go inside.
This is their super fun game room complete with a pool table and an old wooden Ralph Lauren sign they snagged years ago when Bloomingdale’s was getting rid of it. How fun and Americana is that with the navy pool table?
They also have these vintage honeycomb chairs nearby- with navy, orange and white upholstery (snagged at a thrift store). Aren’t they cheerful and cozy and perfect for a game room?
Every room of their house has amazing architectural detail that was either tirelessly restored or added by Eric. Here you can see that even the hallway has crisp chair rail molding and clean white trim that makes the house feel polished and stately.
And this is the dining room that you see in the doorway above on the left. The deep slate colored walls and of course that gorgeous chair rail really give the room character while the refinished fireplace makes it feel even more inviting and warm. And I know you’re staring at that gorgeous wood plank table so I’ll spill the beans…
… Eric actually made it himself with reclaimed wood. And it rocks our world.
Speaking of rocks, Eric also redid the entire upstairs bathroom and added some really great stone work in the shower. Gotta love the combination of over four different types of neutral tile and those built-in alcoves for soap and shampoo.
The living room has yet another amazing wood fireplace mantel that Eric took from old and crumbling to mint condition.
And the original kitchen got a facelift with painted cabinets, new knobs, and some new stainless appliances (the dishwasher’s next). We love how the woven rug really keeps things feeling warm and rustic.
And the outside of their house is just as breathtaking as the inside.
In fact, John’s sister and brother-in-law actually got married here (feel free to house crash their fabulous modern masterpiece while we’re on the subject). The rolling hills, blooming shrubs, and private woodsy feeling made Karyn and Eric’s home the perfect place to say I do.
Off in the distance you can see one of the other homes on the property that Eric also restored and now rents out along with three others. Not a bad way to pay the mortgage, eh? And everyone still has a lot of privacy thanks to the shrubs and trees that envelop each property for that leafy and lush feeling.
There’s even a charming little gazebo behind Eric and Karyn’s home, and they love to spend time out there planning future house projects (next on the agenda is a pergola that Eric will build using reclaimed wood columns!).
And we couldn’t leave without sharing one of the smaller details that makes this house such a stunner. Check out the restored dentil molding above the front door and the custom plaque they had made to draw even more attention to the amazing architecture:
We also love that they added shutters to either side of their front door to give it more presence (along with plopping down two matching rocking chairs for inviting ambiance).
Thanks so much for skipping through Eric and Karyn’s gorgeous home with us (feel free to pipe up with your favorite part!). And stay tuned for another home invasion coming soon…
What a cozy little space! It’s a great feature you guys have on the site, showcasing homes that you get the privilege to visit. Thanks for sharing. :)
http://www.grafxnerd.net
Ooo!! I LOVE the fabric on those chairs in the game room!
Voting for you two is the very first thing I did this morning, even before brushing my teeth!
And I think it’s called “dentil molding” to distinguish it from what dentists do. ;-)
Thanks for the vote! You’re so right about the dental/dentil thing. Silly me. Consider it fixed!
xo,
s
Love their dining table and pool table room… great house!
I’ve started sharing our home on my blog — We live in Northeastern, NC — Click here to check out my first entry —
wow, this house is absolutely gorgeous.
I Love, LOVE the dining table, the game room, and the acloves in the bathtub, the plaque..shutters by the front door. ok — i love everything!
those shutters on the door of course remind me of the lawn rooms at UVA
Lovely home. I love to see old houses restored to their original beauty. They don’t make them like they used to! Oh, and I am lov-ing that table. I don’t suppose Eric has posted a tutorial? :-)
Dining room: Are those Parson chairs from Target/Pottery Barn? Love them and NEED them!!!
Love the simple porch!!! I’m stealing the fern and rocking chair idea!!! Where are the rocking chairs from?
I love the game room chairs! And I’m beginning to think that my husband is in the wrong profession. Does Eric give rehabbing classes? :)
That table is gorgeous. And I love the detailing on the fireplaces. Lovely!
I want that diamond rug in the kitchen! Where did they get it? Too bad this isn’t a magazine where I can flip to the end to find out the resources for items. Oh well. Thanks for sharing.
Hey everyone,
We’re hoping that Eric and Karyn drop in soon to answer all of your where’d-they-get-that questions so stay tuned…
xo,
Sherry
What a beautiful home. They’re very talented (lucky!) – everything looks great. Thanks for sharing. Great job Karyn & Eric.
I love that table. Does Eric take orders?
That Eric is certainly handy. Their house looks amazing!
Beautiful house!!!
I love love love your blog and don’t think I’ve ever come across a mistake, but the grammar obsessed person inside of me couldn’t help but tell you that you made a boo boo. “Karyn’s his lovely lady”… needs to be “Karyn is his lovely lady”.
This is an absolutely beautiful home! I also love the blog! It represents an excellent example of photo blogging! I’m currently in the midst of a rather extensive remodeling of my home and I am browsing blogs for ideas. I love the table Eric made from reclaimed wood and I also love the chair rail throughout the house. It is such an elegant detail!
Wow — thank you so much for posting these! I’ve been reading your blog daily for months, but never posted before. But this got me so excited because we have the /exact same/ moulding and wood and tile floors as this couple (same planks, same color, everything…), and I’m going crazy trying to find wall colors. Did you by any chance talk about colors with them? Have any ideas what they are? Their house is so beautiful!
Yay! I just saw your comment that they might come by…. so in case they do (fingers crossed), I’ve a few more questions with which to pick their brains: first, I’m also wondering about the rug, the chairs, the rockers, and I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE to see a tutorial on the table; second, where did they get the iron wall hangings? (I have seen similar ones before, but I can’t remember where… probably Crate & Barrel or something); finally, any pointers on adding the details to the fireplace mantels? I’ve been pondering for years of how to dress mine up, and as I previously wrote, we have a lot of similarities between our houses (and I have three fireplaces that need some renovating). THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING SO MUCH GREAT INFORMATION! Keep it coming! Oh, and I’ve been voting for you!
ok, officially DYING for those chairs!!! the fabric is perfection! such retro-goodness. yum.
Yvette,
Thanks for the compliments. Eric picked up the rocking chairs at Lowe’s, and the dining room chairs from Garden Ridge about 2 years ago.
Anne Marie,
Thanks for the compliments and yes I do take orders! Please email me and we can discuss! [email protected]
Eric
Jo Ellen,
Wow…where to start! The chairs are from a local thrift store and the rockers are from Lowe’s, Eric surprised me with them one night after I had been whining for rockers:) The iron wall hangings are from Garden Ridge but we also know an artist in AZ that does amazing iron wall hangings. We’ll have to get with Sherry and John and maybe get him to do a give away.
Karyn&Eric
We just wanted to thank everyone for all the wonderful compliments and to John and Sherry for crashing our house!
Karyn&Eric
Darn!!! Sounds like Garden Ridge is heavenly!!! Unfortunately they do not have that store in Colorado…boohoo! Do you know if they are the same brand as the ones at Target or where else they might have a similar style???
WOW, what a beautiful home! And that table is absolutely amazing!!
I Loooooove that table! Would need a DYI video of that! :-)
I would like some advice on kitchen cabinet hardware. We are painting the original 1950s cabinets white. The hardware is the 50s style, pointed edges on the hinges and pulls. Should we spray paint the hardware silver or keep it black?
Either works gorgeously, so it’s really just personal preference. Just look at kitchens with both options and pick with one you love!
xo,
s
The dining table is amazing! I love the pool table room as well and the small architectual elements through out the house. Great job.
I would love to know the paint colors that were used in the hallway with the chair railings. It looks like two beige colors but the combination is lovely. Thanks in advance
Hope she shares that info for ya!
xo
s