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Architect Dan Ensminger designed the elegant nautilus-shaped staircase and brilliant white curved paneled “shell” to give the house the grand entrance it was missing. The HeartPine Company of Charlottesville fabricated the stairs.
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Tucked to the right of the stairs on the ground level is a wine room. An arresting glass and black steel pivot door provides clear views of the wine collection and the room’s very Spanish detail: a floor of black pebbles embedded in mortar. Homeowner Beth Astruc explains, “You see these everywhere in Spain. Here it is almost an artistic statement.”
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The curved sofa and chairs in the living room are Nathan Anthony, the coffee table is Made Goods, and the floor lamp is Visual Comfort. The painting over the fireplace by Richmond artist Holly Markhoff reminds the Astrucs of their three daughters.
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The custom rug in this alcove off the living room is by Mastour, the Lucite game table is from Made Goods, and the chairs are by Nathan Anthony.
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Juan and Beth Astruc
Beth and Juan Astruc have been on quite a journey.
A vision quest, really, that has spanned decades and epic hurdles, not the least of which were a pandemic and an economic crisis or two. The twists and turns of the couple’s enduring pursuit of a home that would truly represent them and provide for the needs of their family of six are something out of a storybook, complete with a very happy ending.
The classical, nearly century-old Georgian townhome on Monument Avenue they recently transformed from its previous incarnation as an office and residential space to a home is far from what they had originally planned. In 2005, when the Astrucs first approached architect Dan Ensminger about designing a new home to be located on a lot they had purchased in Mooreland Commons in Richmond’s West End, they asked for a modern take on a Spanish style similar to homes Juan knew from his family’s roots in Spain’s Andalusia region.
“We started looking around at other possibilities,” Beth says. “We knew we still wanted a modern Spanish style, but it wasn’t until we were traveling in Spain that we really saw what we wanted. We were in Granada and staying in an old house that was still very traditional on the outside, but when we went inside it had been completely altered to achieve a clean, modern interior. We immediately said, ‘This is us! This is what we want!’”
Their search in Richmond opened up to include older homes they could transform, and in 2017 they purchased the Monument Avenue house, which would provide the traditional outer shell and a four-story interior that could accommodate a modern, open interpretation of Juan’s Spanish heritage. The spacious property also offered the potential to host the couple’s large extended family gatherings that range from weekly dinners to wedding parties. Juan is one of seven children, and Beth is one of three. Add in their four grown children, plus friends and cousins who are both in the U.S. and visiting from Spain.
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The sleek form of the range hood in the kitchen was inspired by those found in historic Spanish homes. The cabinets and shelves were fabricated by Martin-Star.
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The iridescent wall tile in this powder room is by Ann Sacks, and the wallpaper is by Romo. HeartPine Company made the door by hand after an old Spanish design. The door knob is White Chapel.
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The wallpaper in the family room is Phillip Jeffries, the chairs and sofa are Mr. Brown, and the coffee table is South + English.
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Beaty designed the Laura Lee custom pendants in front of the windows, the chandelier is by Moo, the ledge is covered in a Cowtan & Tout wallpaper, and the dining table and chairs are by South + English
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Beth Astruc designed her walk-in closet with her builder. Martin-Star made the island. The wallpaper on the ceiling is by Richmond designer Lindsay Cowles.
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The bed in the primary bedroom was custom made by Stephan Burger, who also made the custom night tables, designed by Beaty, with hardware from Nest.
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Clad in marble and tile by Ann Sacks, the wet room in the primary bathroom features a free-standing composite stone soaking tub by Native Trails.
Ensminger notes that, unlike other Monument Avenue projects he has worked on, the house didn’t offer much grace or grandeur inside. The ground floor, originally designed by famed architect Duncan Lee to be a doctor’s office and more recently housing an advertising agency, had only 8-foot ceilings and was carved into a honeycomb of offices. A modest L-shaped staircase led from the east entrance to the upper residence.
“I knew that I had to excavate to achieve what the Astrucs needed,” Ensminger says. “It was not your typical Monument Avenue house. It was depressing.”
He began with the staircase, removing the existing stairs and walls and opening the entrance up enough to install a Carrara marble floor with brass inlay in the foyer and a sweeping nautilus staircase that reaches through to the third floor. The staircase and a dramatic cascading light fixture offer a sculptural counterpoint to the home’s square lines and flood three floors with light.
The Astrucs selected interior decorators Amy Beaty and Carter Brown Williams of Richmond’s Beaty & Brown firm to design the home’s interiors. “There was so much demo, we almost had a blank slate to translate the spaces into the modern, clean-lined and almost sculptural Mediterranean style they wanted,” Beaty says.
The family’s main living and entertaining spaces are on the first floor, where creamy whites and light browns and grays convey the monochromatic effect the couple wanted. Curvy furniture covered in rich white fabrics relies on textures for character. The sweeping space flows from a cozy living room and its balcony overlooking Monument Avenue to a dining room furnished with a round white table seating six and a family living area at the back.
This is us, after all.
—Beth Astruc
Ensminger opened the space above the kitchen to the second floor. A soaring whitewashed stucco stove hood reaches to the second level, centering the space and providing a dramatic focal point for the room. A modern brass and glass pendant designed by Beaty stretches the length of a marble kitchen island.
The large, entertaining-friendly living spaces presented their own challenges. Beaty says, “Everything is so open that every aspect of the plan had to play off of everything else.”
The icing on the cake is the home’s state-of-the-art sound system with speakers built into the walls and ceilings. A true “smart” home, it’s hard to name a feature that isn’t controlled by the couple’s cell phones, including the sound system. Even large windows that span the length of the primary bathroom’s shower and tub area can change from transparent to opaque for privacy at the click of a button.
Successful relationships require give and take. It’s the essence of finding a balance that is not solely the domain of humans but also applies to their homes. The Astrucs’ long quest to find just the right place for themselves, family and friends seems nothing if not successful.
“This is us, after all,” Beth says.
