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Custom Hammerton chandeliers, designed by Kathy Corbet, were inspired by fixtures the homeowners saw in California. The faux stucco wallpaper is by Koroseal. The leather sectional sofas were custom made.
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Chairs in the snug are by Wesley Hall, the ottoman is by Hooker Furniture, the rug is by Stanton Carpet, and the light fixture is by Visual Comfort.
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The dining table is custom Robert James, the leather dining chairs are from Fabricut, and the barstools are by Palecek. The pendant counter lights are by Hudson Valley Lighting, and the linear fixture over the table is by Studio M.
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An early 19th-century Pennsylvania barn provides the framework for this lodge-style home sited on 13 acres overlooking the James River in Charles City County. It boasts 25-foot-high ceilings and wood flooring milled from the original barn.
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One of two porches that provide sensational views of the James is furnished with a dining table and chairs by Castelle.
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In the mudroom, the textured wallpaper is by Koroseal, and the ceiling-mounted light fixture is from Shades of Light.
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The chairs in the primary bedroom are refurbished antiques from Belgium. The textured wallpaper is by the French company Élitis.
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Corbet custom designed the built-in cabinets in the office. The desk is from Noir, and the light fixture is from Visual Comfort.
Richmond-based decorator Kathy Corbet understood her mission: Tasked by the owners to transform their new home to match their aesthetic, Corbet drew from her decades of experience crafting client-centric living spaces to create the resort feel they sought for the house, confidently reflecting an eccentric juxtaposition of old and new.
Discovered after a nearly yearlong search for a private riverfront home, the lodge-style dwelling in Charles City County was not a slam-dunk choice for the couple, who are native to the area; it required multiple tours of the listing over a six-month period to come to a decision. The unique residence, built around the framework of an 1820s post-and-beam thrashing barn from Pennsylvania, was not the new-build, modern-amenity-filled choice the husband envisioned. It was, however, a dream come true for the wife, who immediately bonded with the quirky nature of the home’s interiors and its natural setting.
“When we walked in, I fell in love,” the wife recalls. “I loved just about everything about it. We joke that we’re a little weird, and the house itself fit our quirky personalities.”
“I told her no. It had all the things I didn’t want,” the husband says, laughing. “I wanted basically a brand-new house that I had to do nothing to.”
Finally convinced that the house-wrapped barn, dubbed “Barnstone,” was a once-in-lifetime chance to enjoy riverfront life in a truly unique setting, the couple purchased the nearly 6,000-square-foot house and appealed to Corbet to help them find harmony in their duality.
The house originally had six bedrooms, but Corbet kept only two to accommodate requests for an office and a television room on the first level and a dressing room and exercise room on the second. The home’s 6 1/2 bathrooms were modified to three full and two half baths to carve out space for a luxurious primary bath and laundry room, Corbet says.
Also at the top of the list for the couple was opening dark interior spaces to let in light, maximize views of the James River and connect with the beauty of the property’s 13 acres of woodlands.
Accomplishing this required dramatic changes to the home’s foyer, including the removal of two awkward walls and rearrangement of barn timbers to open the entry to the spectacular views from the adjacent great room. Corbet also added a custom glass-and-metal outer door to bring in more natural light.
We wanted to bring together a soft, modern design with the lodge-type look.
—Homeowner
“We cleaned up all of the millwork to prevent any distractions from the breathtaking view,” she says. “This included removing the stained wood window casings and adding minimal casework. We added four large picture windows facing the James River in the great room, as well as larger windows in the expanded primary bath on the second floor.”
Heavy barn timbers dominate the soaring two-story great room at the center of the home. Corbet filled the space with multiple seating areas and selected contemporary furnishings in muted grays and creamy white tones to emphasize the architectural details of the barn.
At the center of the room are book-matched sectionals facing the rustic fieldstone-faced Rumford fireplace, which has an elegant marble mantelpiece sourced from Belgium by the home’s original owner. Bluestone paved floors are dotted with textured area rugs that help to define the different seating areas. Creamy white, heavily textured wall coverings in the great room and second floor loft mimic troweled plaster to soften the visual match with the textured timbers.
A snug — a small, cozy space designed for relaxation, reading or enjoying music — is situated just off the great room and adjacent to the foyer. Corbet’s dark and moody design treatment here offers a counterpoint to the great room, with dark blue walls and ceilings selected to highlight a stone wall punctuated by niches. Mercury glass pendants hung at different heights over deep blue velvet chairs huddled around a suede ottoman accentuate the room’s intimate feel.
The home is a study in contrasts. “We wanted to bring together a soft, modern design with the lodge-type look that the house has,” the wife explains. “We really like natural, earthy colors, and we wanted to stick with a natural feel in our decor. I like a lot of texture, but I don’t like pattern.”
Nowhere is that preference more evident than in the primary and guest bedrooms on the second floor. Working around barn timbers, Corbet split the primary bedroom into sitting and sleeping areas with nightstands atop different but compatible rugs.
“We wanted layers of light textures from floor to ceiling and went with distressed black woods for the dresser and night tables,” Corbet says. “The result is very calming. It’s a great place to unwind and end the day. The views from up here are also a great way to start the day.”
