Old Meets New in a Designer’s Own Home in Virginia
Relocating empty nesters renovate an 1890s fixer-upper to fit their new lifestyle
When interior designer Joni Spear and her husband, Dan, relocated from St. Louis to Smithfield, Virginia, they bought an 1890s home that had been sitting on the market for years. It was easy for them to see why it was a tough sell. The shotgun two-story Queen Anne had undergone a bad remodel that was dark, dreary and low-quality. And it had been stripped of its historic charm — items like original pocket doors, Victorian-era millwork and even the fireplaces had been ripped out.
While the state of the home was depressing, the location was a dream, with views of the Pagan River and marshland. And it was walking distance to shops, restaurants and Dan’s job. So the designer used her well-trained eye to envision what it could be, then oversaw a complete remodel from afar before the move. The result is a cozy home that mixes old and new.
While the state of the home was depressing, the location was a dream, with views of the Pagan River and marshland. And it was walking distance to shops, restaurants and Dan’s job. So the designer used her well-trained eye to envision what it could be, then oversaw a complete remodel from afar before the move. The result is a cozy home that mixes old and new.
Before: “When I found the pantry at an architectural salvage place in Richmond, Dan said, ‘No way this will work,’ but I knew it would,” Spear says.
She painted it black and it now serves as buffet, bar and a storage spot for candles, china, serveware and more. The new cabinetry that leads into the kitchen on the left blends seamlessly with the antique piece and holds food and cleaning supplies.
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The home originally had two wood-burning fireplaces, which had been ripped out for some reason, so Spear designed a new gas fireplace for the living room.
As a designer, she often picks up pieces not knowing where they’ll end up someday, whether in her own home or a client’s. This mantel is one of three panels from an antique barn door. Spear used one in her St. Louis home, she sold one, and she had been saving the third for years. It now adds warmth to the space.
“The painting is a ‘Joni original,’ ” the designer says of the piece she created and hung over the mantel. She brought bright color into the room with other artwork and added shine with brass furniture and accessories.
Wall color: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams
As a designer, she often picks up pieces not knowing where they’ll end up someday, whether in her own home or a client’s. This mantel is one of three panels from an antique barn door. Spear used one in her St. Louis home, she sold one, and she had been saving the third for years. It now adds warmth to the space.
“The painting is a ‘Joni original,’ ” the designer says of the piece she created and hung over the mantel. She brought bright color into the room with other artwork and added shine with brass furniture and accessories.
Wall color: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams
Before: The drab and dated kitchen included a laundry closet, which Spear removed. “Function was my No. 1 priority,” she says. “When drafting the plans for the kitchen, I envisioned myself in here cooking. The window looks over the marsh so I knew I wanted to keep the sink there. And I’d always wanted a kitchen island.”
The designer made the most of the kitchen’s modest footprint by adding scads of storage. She made it feel more expansive by painting the cabinets white and adding a quatrefoil white backsplash up to the ceiling. “I love subway tile but I wanted to do something different here,” she says. She interspersed tiles that have a raised design throughout the backsplash.
Contrasting black is found on the island, the soapstone perimeter countertops, the window sashes and the appliances. Streamlined hardware adds a modern touch, and brass finishes brighten and warm the space.
Lights: E.F. Chapman Desmond Open Oval Lantern, Visual Comfort
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Contrasting black is found on the island, the soapstone perimeter countertops, the window sashes and the appliances. Streamlined hardware adds a modern touch, and brass finishes brighten and warm the space.
Lights: E.F. Chapman Desmond Open Oval Lantern, Visual Comfort
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“I used every square inch of the island for storage,” Spear says. It contains deep drawers for pots and pans, cookbook shelves and, on the dishwasher-facing side, a cabinet for all her baking supplies.
“We had an old-fashioned china cabinet for everyday dishes in our old house and I wanted to bring in something that recalled that,” Spear says of the cabinets with glass doors that sit on the countertop.
Wall sconces: Thomas O’Brien Katie sconce, Visual Comfort
See more before-and-after photos of the kitchen
“We had an old-fashioned china cabinet for everyday dishes in our old house and I wanted to bring in something that recalled that,” Spear says of the cabinets with glass doors that sit on the countertop.
Wall sconces: Thomas O’Brien Katie sconce, Visual Comfort
See more before-and-after photos of the kitchen
In the powder room, the recessed medicine cabinet Spear envisioned didn’t work out because of pipes behind the wall. But fate intervened: This mirror of her mother’s that she had never found a home for was just the right fit. The sink is vintage and was another architectural salvage find that suits the age of the home. The flooring is a marble basketweave tile, also a nod to the home’s architecture. The green paint is a vibrant surprise in the mostly white-walled house.
Upstairs, Spear cozied up the master bedroom with a woven rug. The four-poster bed is an antique and the plates on the wall belonged to her grandmother. “The nightstand was a milk paint project gone wrong,” she says with a laugh.
“Wooden blinds with tape are big in Virginia,” Spear says. Throughout the house she added black cotton grosgrain tape to faux wood blinds by Hunter Douglas to make the look her own.
Wall paint: Natural Choice, Sherwin-Williams
“Wooden blinds with tape are big in Virginia,” Spear says. Throughout the house she added black cotton grosgrain tape to faux wood blinds by Hunter Douglas to make the look her own.
Wall paint: Natural Choice, Sherwin-Williams
Since there are two full bathrooms upstairs, the couple decided to go with a his-and-hers strategy. This bathroom is Joni’s and its old-new mix leans more classic antique thanks to the basketweave floor tile and vintage-style vanity. She added a creative paint job around a Kohler mirror to create a frame that fits the scale of the space. A freestanding bathtub also nods to the home’s era, but its silhouette brings modern style into the room.
Wall color: Rain, Sherwin-Williams
Browse white freestanding bathtubs
Wall color: Rain, Sherwin-Williams
Browse white freestanding bathtubs
The remodel included some room rearranging — Spear took out a linen closet to make room for this large walk-in shower. The basketweave tile continues onto its floor, while a mosaic framed in picture molding tile provides a focal point through the clear glass surround.
Dan’s bathroom is more modern, with bold hexagonal floor tile. Spear borrowed a few feet from an adjacent guest room and its closet to expand the space. This made room for a double vanity, plenty of storage and a roomy shower stall.
Wall paint: Refuge, Sherwin-Williams
Wall paint: Refuge, Sherwin-Williams
In between the two sinks, a tall countertop cabinet provides additional storage. This photo was taken from the toilet area, which can be seen in the mirror’s reflection.
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“I like to hang-dry a lot of clothing, so having the laundry room in the kitchen did not work for me,” Spear says. She relocated it upstairs and included a sink, cabinets and a retractable clothesline. And just for fun, she integrated three black hexagonal tiles left over from another room into the otherwise all-white backsplash.
Spear’s office and a guest bedroom are located on the cozy third floor. Her office has lovely views of the marsh. She continued the antique-modern mix in here: An iconic modern Wassily chair mingles with an antique chair and an antique farm table repurposed as a desk. Carpeting in a classic lattice pattern grounds the space with pattern and dark color, while the white walls bounce light around.
The furnishings have stories behind them. “The black Wassily chair has been my crush since college and I bring it from house to house,” Spear says. “I originally ordered the black glass chandelier for a client but it arrived with broken pieces. I’ve been carrying it around for years just waiting for the perfect spot for it.” The 8-foot-long farm table belonged to one of Smithfield’s founding families. “There was a peanut family and a ham family; this one came from the peanut family. I left it exactly as-is,” Spear says.
The furnishings have stories behind them. “The black Wassily chair has been my crush since college and I bring it from house to house,” Spear says. “I originally ordered the black glass chandelier for a client but it arrived with broken pieces. I’ve been carrying it around for years just waiting for the perfect spot for it.” The 8-foot-long farm table belonged to one of Smithfield’s founding families. “There was a peanut family and a ham family; this one came from the peanut family. I left it exactly as-is,” Spear says.
A sweet guest room also mixes old and new. Classic beds (Spear already had these but repainted them for this home), a vintage bamboo nightstand and toile bedding bring that cozy 1890s feeling, while contemporary chrome benches add a modern touch. Note the well-placed sconces that provide good light for reading in bed.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: Designer Joni Spear of Joni Spear Interior Design and her husband, Dan
Location: Smithfield, Virginia
Size: 2,200 square feet (204 square meters); three bedrooms plus office, 2½ bathrooms
With the last of their children off to college, the couple were transitioning into an empty-nest lifestyle with the move. And going from a 1950s ranch house in St. Louis to a two-story 1890s Victorian in Virginia got Spear’s creative juices flowing. “This was such a departure for me,” she says. “I’m big on color but I wanted to do something different this time — all white walls, and then bringing in contrast with black.”
The black-and-white palette gave her a clean graphic base, and she layered in well-edited pops of color and metallic finishes. She maintained the original cozy vibe of the house with cushy furniture and layers of patterned textiles.
Just a few historic elements remained in the house. Spear was able to salvage the original pine floors, as well as the staircase railing and newel post, which had been painted white. She added some black contrast to the staircase. And she chose a modern brass light fixture to set the modern-meets-antique tone used throughout the house. All of the home’s light fixtures lean transitional or contemporary in style, with warm metallic finishes, creating cohesion from room to room.
The dining area, living room and kitchen all occupy one long space that had been opened up in a previous renovation. Here Spear added color and pattern via the chairs and a vintage vibe with a large antique pantry cabinet. All were fun antique and architectural salvage finds: Spear found the dining table for $47 and stripped it of its glossy yellow top, sanded it and stained and repainted it. She used glossy red spray paint on the caned chairs and added gingham upholstery.
Hall light: Kelly Wearstler Cubist, Visual Comfort