The home was first transformed from a modest 1959 ranch into a light-filled steel-and-glass statement home in 1993.
Tim Schoenman and Jeff Walker are not afraid of a project. Having just finished a down-to-the-studs renovation of their Chicago condo, they moved to Richmond in 2013 for Jeff’s work in financial services. The couple wanted to find a contemporary home here, so they rented for six months while Tim, now a Realtor with Long & Foster, got licensed in Virginia. During this time, they had their eye on a special Westover Hills listing. The first Saturday after Tim received his real estate license, they made an appointment to see it, and the rest, as they say, is history.
“When we walked through the back gate, even before coming into the house, we knew immediately this was the one,” Tim says.
Jeff Walker (seated) and Tim Schoenman bought the Westover Hills home in 2014 and have given it another full makeover. They often have “happy hours” on the front deck, and passersby call out greetings from the street below.
The house has a storied past. What began as a humble 1959 ranch was reimagined and redesigned in 1993 by Richmond architects Lee Wienckowski and David Johannas into a modern marvel. The new red-roofed structure, with great expanses of glass and a tower jutting high above the hillside, contains so much steel that the city building inspector asked the architects: “What are you building, another bridge across the James?”
“We love light. We think of this as a house of light.” —Jeff Walker
Still, the home needed major updates to suit Tim and Jeff’s aesthetic. They enlisted the help of Chicago-based designer Christine Moritz, with whom they had just completed their previous project. They say their trust in her ultimately made it worth working through the challenges that come with designing from afar. While Moritz handled blueprints, furnishings and everything in between, Tim and Jeff credit Richmond’s Mark Franko Custom Building with executing the renovation … and then some.
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The art hanging in the dining room by local artist Sue Jachimiec is Tim’s favorite. The Agnes Yarnell sculpture in the left corner is one of the first pieces they acquired.
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Avid art collectors, the couple treasure their latest acquisition, a limited-edition Keith Haring. Jeff claimed the heirloom grandfather clock in the foyer when his parents downsized; now, every Sunday during happy hour, Tim and Jeff call his parents in Florida as the clock strikes 5.
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With comfortable seating, abundant light and great views, the living room is where the couple spend the most time. Glass sculptural pieces hanging above are by Viz Glass, from Chasen Galleries.
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A downstairs den, outfitted with pieces from Room and Board, is another lounging spot, which also includes a wet bar.
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Jeff has been collecting fine wine since 2005. In the renovation, they created a place to appreciate it, letting the wine be the art.
Franko made important suggestions to the final designs — like adding a long, narrow window along a wall in the kitchen to afford an additional view of the outdoors and trenching the perimeter of the home to avoid future drainage issues. He also suggested the tin ceiling for the patio under the deck, so the space could be enjoyed rain or shine, and using river rock to line the living room’s fireplace was another one of his ideas. “The river is a theme here — even the path up to the house is meant to emulate the river,” Jeff says. “So Mark told us, ‘You live on the James River, you need river rock in the fireplace.’ ”
While Tim and Jeff have renovated several homes, this is the first one they lived in while the work was happening, completing it in three phases over two years. The first phase included some painting and updates to the master bedroom. Then they closed off access to the lower level so Franko could work his magic down there, resulting in two bedrooms, a den and wet bar, and floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors to let in even more light. “We love light,” says Jeff. “We think of this as a house of light.”
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Bringing the outdoors in was a major goal in renovating the kitchen.
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The master bath features Italian textured porcelain on the floor and walls; countertops are Torano quartz.
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The bed in the master bedroom overlooks a wall of windows. To preserve the view, the room’s TV drops out of the ceiling on a motorized lift and is hidden away when not in use.
When the lower level was complete, Tim and Jeff moved downstairs so Franko could complete the main level. The new kitchen is a chef’s dream, with Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, quartzite counters, Italian tiles, and custom cabinetry. “Bringing the outdoors in was really important in the design of the kitchen,” says Tim, a former professional chef who still loves to cook. Now, what was formerly a small window over the sink is a large gallery window with views of the back patio, which is actually the main access to the home, and where the couple enjoy grilling and listening to the sounds of the outdoor fountains there.
The living room is where they spend the most time, lounging, admiring the view and watching TV. A palette of grays is punctuated by colorful glass pieces by Viz Glass from Chasen Galleries mounted on a soffit. “We wanted another texture in here, something different to tie in some color,” Jeff says. Here, too, is their latest acquisition: a Keith Haring limited-edition print of “Flowers II” from the 1990 Flowers series, created the year Haring died. The piece is flanked by two works from local artist Anne Piland.
“When we walked through the back gate, even before coming into the house, we knew immediately this was the one.” —Tim Schoenman
Tim and Jeff are both passionate about collecting art, and they’ll tell you one reason they love their house is for the wall space that can accommodate an ever-growing collection. They buy art when they travel or, really, whenever the mood strikes them. For example, Tim was having a cappuccino at Café Caturra when two pieces by local artist Herb Pulliam caught his eye. He called Jeff to tell him about the paintings when a man spun around in his chair and said, “That’s me! I’m the artist.” Tim bought the pieces, Pulliam helped hang them that afternoon, and the couple call him a friend to this day.
“That’s how we like to buy art, to capture that moment of spontaneity, that part of an experience — that’s what makes it meaningful,” Jeff says.
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On a landing just off the spiral staircase up to the fourth story, a quiet nook overlooks the master bedroom, providing a spot to read and relax.
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The top of the four-story tower features a table for two and astounding views.
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The climb to the top features quirky art along the way, including this wire arm sculpture.
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The property is accessed via the back, through a patio with pergola and grill.
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Tim and Jeff found this colorful piece by German artist Robert Keil during a trip to Savannah, Georgia; they learned that the artist found his inspiration in the wee hours of the night on the streets of Berlin. It hangs in the powder room on Phillip Jeffries wallcovering, “Rivets on Navy Hemp.”
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The foyer was designed to accommodate a special painting by Nathalie Guarracino, hanging in a nook surrounded by built-in storage cabinets with concealed hardware and touch latches.
While the previous owners enjoyed the privacy that the wooded front lot afforded, Tim and Jeff were more interested in opening up the view. They called Brad Swortzel of BWS Landscaping to remove several trees and a hillside full of ivy. Swortzel and his team also designed and painstakingly installed the stone steps that wind up to the home from the street. Now, in fine weather, the couple’s first glass of wine is on the deck overlooking passersby, many of whom honk, wave or even stop to snap a photo.
Perhaps the most intriguing of the home’s features — the one that stops people in their tracks — is its four-story glass tower. Inside, a staircase spirals from the lower level to the main level, then up to a landing featuring a reading nook, and up one more flight to a cozy space for two with panoramic views of the neighborhood, the river and even downtown, depending on the season. Quirky sculptural pieces amuse along the way — a wire sculpture of an arm, two climbing men on cables by Mexican artist Ancizar Marin, finished with a Chihuly-inspired Viz Glass chandelier as the proverbial cherry on top. According to Jeff, “We like to light it up at night; it’s like a beacon.”
