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Frances Santarella in her newly redecorated Fan home
A recent addition to Santarella’s dining room, this antique mantle from Caravati’s is accented with tile from Morris Tile. Designer David Barden arranged the blue-and-white vases.
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Santarella and her late husband found this once dated — and brown — mirror at Governor’s Antiques and saw its potential. Tamara Clark of TC Artworks reimagined it with a gold-leaf finish.
Every morning when Santarella sees Thibaut’s “Imperial Dragon” wallpaper, which covers the foyer and stairwell, her subconscious sings “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers.
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This unassuming lamp once belonged to Frances Santarella’s late husband, Ted. It was the inspiration not only for her blue-and-white living room, but also the entire house.
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Santarella still has the issue of Architectural Digest where she discovered this Schumacher fabric by Timothy Corrigan, which inspired the house's design transformation.
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This estate-sale chair was transformed from its original dark brown to a patinated off-white by Clark. Sheila Fox reupholstered it in Schumacher’s “Iconic Leopard.”
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Joshua Barber’s painting is a reminder that life is about the journey, not the destination. A smaller version in Max’s playroom symbolizes the close bond between mother and son.
How does one create a happy home? That’s the question Frances Santarella has faced since the death of her husband, restaurateur and founder of RVA Hospitality Ted Santarella, in 2016. As she has coped with her grief, Santarella has been on the quest for a fresh start for herself, and son, Max, 6, working with interior designer and close friend David Barden to redecorate her Fan District house.
“It was important to create a warm, inviting, comfortable home where kids can play and run around,” she says. “I also wanted to utilize every room in the house.” As Max runs from room to room with enthusiasm and shares the stories behind every toy in his playroom, it appears she has accomplished her mission.
Upon entering the home, one is imbued with an infectious positivity thanks to an energetic blue, white and orange color scheme laden with Chinoiserie, reworked antique treasures and the boundless energy of a 6-year-old boy. The inspiration for this home’s color palette came from a lamp Ted owned when he lived above his first restaurant, Tarrant’s Café, before he and Frances moved in together. It was one of the few pieces from the past that she included in her newly redecorated house.
Santarella first met her husband at Tarrant’s in 2008, and the couple married in 2012. Soon after, they opened Max’s on Broad, naming the restaurant after their son. Today, Santarella and her business partner, Liz Kincaid, own five restaurants: Tarrant’s Café, Max’s on Broad, Tarrant’s West, Little Saint and the newest, Bar Solita.
With her late husband’s lamp as a jumping-off point, Santarella worked to find a mix of traditional and contemporary pieces that would have meaning to her and her family. A landscape painting of the Golden Gate Bridge, commissioned from Joshua Barber, hangs in her dining room. Titled “Courage to Lose Sight of the Shore,” the painting is imbued with meaning. “Joshua created a piece that pays homage to my home state and depicts transition, hope and promise,” Santarella says. “The three boats in the water represent Ted, me and Max.”
Even though her husband can no longer sail alongside her and her son, Santarella is optimistic that she and Max can evolve with the house and tailor it to their changing needs. She looks forward to incorporating other beautiful pieces to complement the piece of Ted’s that started it all — the lamp. Even though Santarella is continually updating her home, it seems as though Ted never left the building.
