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Walls of windows on the interior of the L-shaped structure overlook the swimming pool. The outdoor furnishings are from Crate & Barrel, and the portable propane fire pit is from Lowe’s.
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Geoffrey Waugh passes the suspended staircase leading to the guest rooms on the second floor on his way to the primary suite. The mirrors are from Ikea.
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Cambia wood, used on the floating wall behind the bed in the primary bedroom, was also used on the exterior of the house. The bed is from Crate & Barrel.
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Wortham’s baby grand piano leads guests into the great room. The couple found the swivel chairs at Crate & Barrel and the rug at Ruggable.
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The home’s street facing facade — clad in brick, cambia wood and HardiePlank fiber-cement siding — is designed for privacy.
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The walnut and stainless-steel barn door was designed and crafted by furniture maker Sean Williams. When closed, a Lego portrait of the couple is revealed.
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Geoffrey Waugh and Joshua Wortham designed the kitchen island to hold a big spread. They chose walnut for the base, Wortham says, because they fell in love with the wood’s grain.
When Carytown residents Joshua Wortham and Geoffrey Waugh began to look for a place to build their new house, they didn’t have to go far to find just the right spot. The perfect place to create what they call their “forever home” was, literally, right in front of their eyes, just across the street in their neighborhood.
The city of Richmond announced in 2017 that it would sell at auction random-sized remnants of land left over from construction of the Downtown Expressway in the 1970s. The couple bought a wedge-shaped site that’s five times the size of a standard city lot, about a third of an acre. “The location was too good to pass up,” Wortham says. “We’ve always loved this neighborhood, and finding an empty lot in Carytown is nearly impossible.”
The next challenge became the task of designing a house that would fit in their triangle. “We had several thoughts,” Waugh recalls. “I like the old row houses and the Craftsman style, and I grew up in an 1800s Victorian, so I was used to crumbling plaster. But we felt we needed to make the most of this unusual lot and do something different.” Priorities included space to to entertain, a main bedroom on the first floor and an indoor-outdoor feel.
They handed some sketches over to architects Walter Parks and Brett Striffler of Walter Parks Architects, who came back with one of their own. “It was absolutely what we wanted. They were the perfect match for our job,” Wortham says. Striffler, who’s often involved with large-scale commercial projects, enjoyed the alliance, too. “Josh and Geoffrey were so nice to work with. … They loved talking about the details and pushing the design forward.” He was aware of Wortham and Waugh’s desire to have a warm and inviting living space conducive to large gatherings, but he suggested pulling the primary suite away from that area to give it a calmer vibe.
It’s a dream come true. We feel so fortunate to share this space with friends and family.
—Geoffrey Waugh
The result of input from all involved is an L-shaped, 2,679-square-foot home that includes everything Waugh and Wortham hoped for. The floor is solid concrete, but the furnishings are soft, colorful and fun. Sunlight pours into the kitchen and living areas, along with reflected light from the swimming pool, a sparkling oasis just outside the windows and glass doors. The floor’s wood inlay strips weave around and connect to the patio, tying the interior to the outdoors. And the walnut stairs — “Our builder called them ‘the Taj Mahal of steps,’ ” notes Waugh — are welded into a steel beam in the wall, making them look as if they are floating up to the second floor.
Thinking about what they might do differently if they built again, Wortham says he wishes the bedroom windows opened, but Waugh asserts that he’s happy with the house as is. “It’s a dream come true,” he says. “We feel so fortunate to share this space with friends and family. And it’s been a fun and collaborative process.”
