Theodora Miller’s mixed-media abstracts flank the living room fireplace. The antique dolphin andirons are a nod to her husband George’s naval service.
The beautiful thing about moving to a new living space is the chance to start over with a blank canvas.
Bare walls, empty rooms, a fresh perspective. That’s what Theodora Miller and her family found when they moved from the suburbs to the Fan District in 2014. “It was an opportunity to design the life we wanted to live,” says Miller, who was enticed by the possibility of new adventures.
As she, her husband, George, and their three children settled into their 1912 townhouse, Miller began to consider how that opportunity might manifest. She reflected on her Greek heritage and growing up in Florida, where, she says, “I was a child artist and loved to draw.” But she pursued a career in banking after graduating from college, and she soon came to a realization: “It was not feeding my soul.” She jumped at the chance to use her skills in a new setting as the communications and marketing director at St. Catherine’s School. There, she had the chance to take art classes with painter Diego Sanchez, and she rediscovered that “this [painting] is what brings me joy.”
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A bespoke light fixture by Sazerac Stitches hangs in the entryway. The needlepoint picture of the Parthenon was stitched by an aunt living in Greece.
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Theodora Miller at the garden table that does double duty as a place for family dinners and her favorite spot to paint
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A gallery wall in the kitchen includes a mix of children’s portraits and pieces from Miller’s growing collection of work by other women artists.
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A collection of Greek Orthodox icons, including the crown that Miller’s parents wore at their wedding in Athens
Then in 2014, a fall down a flight of stairs in her house brought all aspects of her life to a screeching halt. A traumatic brain injury affected her balance, vision, hearing and cognitive skills, and she began a difficult three-month recovery. The silver lining — she picked up her paintbrushes again. Creativity became a healing and meditative respite from the work involved in recovery, and her basement studio was a refuge as she developed her abstract expressionist style.
“It was the first time in my life that I was painting just for a pastime, not to create anything specific, no expectations,” Miller says. “It seemed like, during that time of rest, the neurons in my brain reconnected in ways that helped me come back stronger. The more I felt better, the better I painted. The hours would pass faster, and my symptoms began to dissipate. Painting was helping me manage my emotions and giving me inner peace.”
As she immersed herself in self-expression, Miller’s home began to reflect that newfound drive. She had already collected works by area artists she admired, including Frankie Slaughter, Kevin Sabo, Maria O’Driscoll and Sarah Boyts Yoder. Adding her own art to the walls transformed them into a personal gallery of work, some of which reflected her family’s Greek roots.
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The dining room features the artist’s Grammata series, a visual language inspired by ancient symbols.
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The primary bedroom and bath feature wallpapers and fabrics from the painter’s Grammata collection.
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In the primary bedroom, a painting by Richmond artist Kevin Sabo
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Miller worked with designer Stephanie Theofanos and Georgia Kukoski of the Closet Factory to maximize storage.
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A limited-edition Moroccan rug inspired by a painting by Charlottesville artist Sarah Boyts Yoder
Miller’s home environment — her blank canvas — came alive with color and dear family memories. “I’ve leaned into my Hellenic heritage,” she says. “I love color and have reimagined my living space to make daily life better.” On a wall near the front door is a grouping of Greek icons, and in the den hangs a collage she made of her Greek mother’s passport photos. In the dining room, a series of paintings of symbols are what Miller calls her “ever-evolving visual language, inspired by the Greek alphabet and Hellenic icons.”
One room that has received special attention is the primary bedroom. With Richmond interior designer Stephanie Theofanos, Miller found a kindred spirit to help her reconfigure the space. Removing walls and a fireplace, moving a door and installing floor-to-ceiling closets gave the room a clean look, but it’s the color that gives the space a quiet, calm vibe. The walls, ceiling and closets are saturated with a deep teal shade, making the bedroom an oasis of quiet and calm. Fabrics for pillows and curtains are her own designs, printed by Spoonflower, a custom surface printer. And, as in all rooms of the house, there’s a family touch — her mother’s favorite chair. “It’s important to collect things that tell the story of your life,” she says.
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Mixed-media pieces from the artist’s Organica series share space with vintage finds.
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This mini office space was created during the pandemic. The wallpaper on the back wall is one of Miller’s designs.
Content in her colorful nest and happy being true to her artistic nature, Miller is enjoying life. She’s working on her own line of wallpaper and fabric designs, and now she paints outside in her back garden, even in winter. “I love the natural light and working under the big elm tree,” she says. Miller illustrates her experiences of the past few years with a three-line Greek poem that she loves. “It’s about the notion that you can design the life you want to live … use your imagination and take some risks and make it happen.”
You have brushes.
You have colors.
Paint paradise and get in.