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The natural white oak dining table, custom crafted in Los Angeles, and the wood and iron chairs with performance fabric cushions were sourced by JTW Design. The large “Seven Wishes” painting in white on white is a commission by Richmond artist Theodora Miller. The dish garden on the console once belonged to Leah Bandoni’s grandmother.
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The arched French doors are one of many alterations the Bandonis made to the builder’s plan. The custom desk, crafted of Gold Guanacaste wood and bronzed iron, and chair of leather and wood were sourced by JTW Design. The desk lamp is by Dyson. The built-ins were crafted by Vaughan Home Upgrades.
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Leah requested the arched openings and closed cabinets at floor level — perfect for their son’s toys — on the bookcases flanking the fireplace, and she added the square windows. The opening on the left leads to Milo’s mini man cave, placed in a space under the stairs. The chandelier, custom bench seat sofa upholstered in a white Crypton fabric, and pair of butterscotch leather and Parawood chairs were sourced by JTW Design.
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The Bandonis’ dogs, Daisy and Charlotte, bask in the backyard. The couple worked with Commonwealth Curb Appeal on the design and landscaping, and they added a pergola with a retracting roof for additional gathering space. The chairs are from Crate & Barrel, and the fire pit is from Commonwealth Curb Appeal.
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Closet Factory designed the pantry cabinets to accommodate the microwave, toaster oven and other small appliances to keep the kitchen counters clean. Pullout wire drawers hold ready-to-grab foodstuffs.
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The large sectional sofa is from Sixpenny. The light fixture is a Sputnik flush mount. The Samsung Frame TV above the Restoration Hardware console has a custom gold magnetic frame.
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Leah had the laundry room relocated to the rear wall of the house so it could have a window, and she added a deep sink and space for a rolling cart. The walls are shiplap. The floor tile is from Mosaic Home Interiors.
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The metal canopy bed is from Room & Board. The ceiling fixture is from Visual Comfort. The nettlewood bench with brandy-toned leather cushion and iron base and the custom ripple-fold linen draperies were sourced by JTW Design.
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Milo and friends. The floating shelves are from Pottery Barn Kids. The white linen Roman shades and geometric patterned wool pile rug were sourced by JTW Design.
Tristan and Leah Bandoni are finally at home.
In less than 10 years, the couple had lived in three different states and four residences. In every setting, Leah, a Virginia Commonwealth University fashion merchandising graduate who now runs an event planning business, thoughtfully curated furniture and accessories in hopes of bringing personality to living spaces that were never quite what they wanted.
Now, the couple’s goals have been realized in their home in Midlothian’s RounTrey neighborhood. Leah and Tristan worked with a builder, Covenant Building & Design, to create a floor plan tailored to their needs — and then Leah took the reins. “This is her masterpiece,” Tristan says. “My one contribution was having a surround sound system [installed]. I left it all up to her. I didn’t want to be a speed bump.”
The couple settled in Virginia in 2019 based on Leah’s fond memories of her college years. “I liked living here before,” she says.
After a year in Rocketts Landing, they began looking for a custom builder who could help them craft their “forever” place. They found Century at RounTrey, a new community with modern-style homes.The couple selected a plan and began to make it theirs.
“We moved around a lot of rooms,” Leah says. “I don’t think there’s another house in the neighborhood that looks like ours.”
On the first floor, the powder room off the kitchen was relocated to the front of the house to make way for a guest bedroom and en suite bath. To remind them of their honeymoon in Greece, the couple incorporated arched entries to the living room, dining room and office; the living room’s built-in shelves are arched instead of squared.
Oversize windows maximize outside light. The nearly floor-to-ceiling dining room windows face a cul-de-sac and welcome afternoon sun. Windows were added to the pantry and high on the living room wall, flanking the fireplace. The kitchen also has glass-fronted upper cabinets, which visually open the space at the ceiling line while offering a decorative display area. Upstairs, the laundry room follows suit, moved from an internal location to the rear of the house so it, too, could gain a window.
The window over over the large farmhouse sink — reminiscent of the kitchen sink Leah grew up with — was enlarged at her request. Tristan and Leah Bandoni share a moment.
Tristan, whose preferred metal roof didn’t fit in their budget, instead added solar panels, which connect to a battery in the garage that can power the house in the event of a storm. “We killed two birds with one stone,” he says. “Solar panels over the shingles gives it a much cleaner look, and it’s good for the environment.”
Leah wanted a simple, neutral palette for furniture and decor that would showcase the home’s contemporary style while inviting relaxation. The walls are Sherwin-Williams Alabaster, a warm white, except in Tristan’s study, which is Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black from top to bottom. Black is also used as an accent throughout the house: the living room shelves, the base of the kitchen’s more than 8-foot-by-4-foot island, window frames, bathroom tiling and in furniture.
Pops of warmth come from the incorporation of wood in the wide-plank natural white oak flooring, ceiling beams on the main level and the staircase railing. Dining room chairs have an open-back wood frame. The Anthropologie wood chest with carved geometric detailing in the entryway is one of Leah’s early purchases. Light fixtures throughout the house gleam with warm bronze accents; chandeliers in woven bamboo and rattan lend a rustic touch.
With the furniture, Leah valued comfort and function. Generously sized sofas in the living room and upstairs family room are creamy white, perfect for lounging. Butterscotch leather tops living room chairs, Tristan’s desk chair and a footboard bench in the primary suite. The primary bedroom also has a black metal canopy bed — “They couldn’t get it into our Rocketts Landing condo,” Tristan says — and a custom chaise lounge sourced by Jessica Williamson of JTW Design, who helped Leah finish the project after the birth of the couple’s son, Milo, in the fall of 2021.
“There were a lot of things in the condo we hadn’t selected, so I had all these ideas for our builder and a lot of inspiration pictures,” Leah says. “We wanted to be able to host people and have it feel comfortable and relaxed. We love it … it’s so cozy.”
