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To accommodate large family gatherings, Christian Siriano paired wood and boucle Lana dining chairs from his furniture collection with a table from RH. The chests flanking the fireplace are from E.J. Victor.
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The original mosaic floor, balustrade and railings, columns, and French doors on the freestanding house were restored and the garden landscaped.
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“I remember when we were startng to decorate and design, it was the timing. … So, I didn’t get to make as much [bespoke furniture] as I wanted to, but I think the pieces that we added work out pretty great,” Siriano says. The table is by RH, and the chairs are vintage.
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The custom shearling-covered stools are Siriano’s design. The walls are painted in Sherwin-Williams Dried Thyme, and the cabinets are in Sherwin-Williams Pearly White. The vintage Murano glass pendant lights are from the 1950s.
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Original architectural details in the living room — the Federal-style fireplace mantel, French doors and wainscot — look contemporary when drenched in white paint. The paintings by David Stephen Johnson and Lisa Bagley add color. The Viggo Boesen club chairs are vintage.
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In the guest bedroom and sitting area, where Siriano often stays when in Richmond, the canopy bed is from CB2. He found the vintage ’30s iron Dagobert-style chairs on 1stDibs and the antique giltwood Louis XVI-style bergere chair on Chairish.
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Siriano gave the kids’ playroom on the attic floor a playful vibe. The polka dot rug is from Momeni, and the bubbly chandelier is by Apparatus Studio. Siriano and his sister played with the dollhouse when they were kids, and now his nephews play with it.
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Joye Siriano starts her day in this light-filled front sitting room. It’s a kid-free zone where she goes to read and relax. Vintage furnishings include a Johannes Andersen daybed, Jules Leleu chair and Maison Jansen coffee table.
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The powder room features a natural stone sink.
It’s possible that Christian Siriano might just call Richmond his home away from home.
The fashion icon, known for dressing A-list clients such as Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande and Oprah Winfrey makes regular visits to the River City to spend time with his sister and her family, and now his mother, Joye Siriano, who recently relocated to a 116-year-old Federal Revival-style mansion on Monument Avenue that Siriano designed for her.
Although he made his name on the fashion runway, Siriano is experienced in creating interiors, too. More than a hobby, it’s part of his ongoing exploration of design. He established Christian Siriano Interiors in 2021, adding interior decoration to his burgeoning design empire, which, in addition to couture fashion, includes intimates, eyewear, bedding and furniture collections, and more. And much like the glamorous dresses he designs, the interiors he creates are informed by his fashion sense and experiences. They’re glamorous, modern spaces layered with texture and calming neutral color palettes.
Siriano and his mother, Joye, were making frequent trips to Richmond to spend time with his sister and her family when he started looking at houses, thinking that he might buy one and rent it out or that his family might use it when they were in town. Work was well underway when his mom decided that she wanted the Monument Avenue house as her new home. “I was remodeling it and wasn’t actually even sure if she was 100% going to move in,” he explains. “Then, as we started doing more and more, she was like, ‘I’m definitely moving in.’ … That’s kind of what happened in the process.”
It was kind of like bringing it back to life.
—Christian Siriano
Like many historic houses in the Fan, the circa 1908 residence had been broken up into three different apartments, so there were multiple kitchens and baths and walls in odd places. The designer and his team took the property down to the studs to return it to a single-family home. They restored the woodwork (including the pocket doors), rebuilt fireplaces, created a new kitchen and baths, and reworked the floor plan for today’s lifestyle.
“So much of the original detail was there. It just all had to be fixed in some way. … Not all the doors worked. … Not all the trim was perfect. … The floors all needed everything. It was kind of like bringing it back to life and streamlining to make it more of a beautiful family home. And also, this was for my family and my mom. We didn’t want to go too crazy with the budget, but once you start doing things, you’re just like, OK, we want to make it beautiful,” Siriano says.
The walls, woodwork and ceilings of the more public-facing rooms are drenched in crisp white paints. Color was reserved for the bedrooms and the kitchen, which is painted a lush mossy green. Siriano says he chose to use white to keep the house really fresh and clean, and to balance the dark wood doors and floors. Pops of color are concentrated in artwork and decorative objects.
Siriano restored the original wood floors, doors and woodwork throughout the house. The foyer’s wainscot, moldings and walls are drenched in bright white paint selected to balance the dark wood of the floors and doors.
Many of the furnishings are vintage French and Italian pieces from the 1950s and ’60s that Siriano says he chose as a kind of homage to his mother, who grew up during those eras. “I felt like it would be cool to have things like that even though it’s not necessarily always been her taste. … I remember putting in the daybed, and she was like, ‘Oh, my God, I remember daybeds like that growing up. I would see them in people’s homes.’
“So, it was nice to have that, in a way, and also, I wanted the house to not feel too traditional because that’s just not really my design style. It was important to make sure that it still felt very modern and cool and new, because anybody could come in and make that house feel very traditional. We wanted it to feel a bit different from what else is around the block.”
Siriano says it’s hard to pick a favorite piece from the collection he curated for his mother’s home. “Oh, my gosh … so many. … You know, we have this daybed ... a [vintage] Johannes Andersen daybed, and I love that piece because it feels really modern and beautiful, but the tufting and the fabric make it feel traditional. I love that balance.” Other favorites include a vintage boucle Jean Royere Oeuf chair and the Murano glass pendants in the kitchen.
“I also just love, in the living room, I gave her these beautiful sofas that were designed by a great designer, my friend Jake Arnold, for Crate & Barrel. They’re skirted, and they feel a little bit more feminine,” he says.
Subtle details throughout the house reflect Siriano’s discerning eye and the dressmaking talent he shares with his mother. In the kitchen, a dramatic range hood, which mimics the form of a cinched-waist mannequin; delicate Murano glass pendant lights; and custom shearling-covered stools add softness to the marble surfaces. “I think that they give a little of that, again, feminine glamour that we wanted and make it feel really beautiful. Because the stone was quite harsh and cold, and it’s about creating different shapes and lines,” he says.
“I think there’s a little bit of that everywhere,” Siriano continues. “Even from, again, those sofas having those beautiful box pleats. And a lot of the fabrics … we used a lot of beautiful cashmere mohairs, linens. We used some beautiful silks upstairs, and so I think everything has a little hint to why I love making clothes; my mom made a lot of clothes. So, I think that that is there without it even [being planned] … it just happens naturally.
“I wanted my mom to come home to something kind of tranquil,” Siriano adds. “The light in that house is amazing. It just feels so bright and fresh. She’s loving it. My sister loves it. Her boys love it. The whole family uses it all the time. It’s perfect for her.”
