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Rowland found a set of circa 1925 Josef Hoffman bentwood dining chairs from Beechwood “at a sweet little midcentury shop called Tortoise Shell [now shuttered] in the late ’90s,” and has since given most of them away to friends and family. The desk was custom-made with reclaimed pine salvaged from a barn in Hanover County by James Schmidt, a furniture maker in Montpelier. The bookshelves are from Design Within Reach.
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The teak table and chairs on the patio are vintage Smith & Hawken. Homeowner Sarah Rowland’s brother Fred, a plumber in North Carolina, crafted the candlesticks from copper plumbing pipe.
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The wire chairs are vintage ’50s pieces from Harry Bertoia. “Our dear friend Harvey McWilliams knew we already had four of these chairs. He gave us four more of his in the same vintage condition when he came over for dinner one night and saw there were not enough seats for everyone to sit around the table,” Rowland says. The dining table was purchased at LaDiff 30 years ago.
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The artwork in Rowland’s powder room “gallery” includes oil paintings by her sister-in-law, Maria Linda Guimoye, Ruth Bolduan; and Rowland’s mother Susan Rowland, a paper collage with oil paint on board by Mark B. Poteat, a lithograph by Franz Herberlot, circa 1950, and vintage Whiting & Davis Princess Mary silver mesh purses.
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The olive burl and steel desk, as well as the matching credenza in the dining area, are Leon Rosen for The Pace Collection circa the 1970s. “This was no doubt the best trade I ever made for a logo I designed for Morton Marks & Sons in the ’90s,” Rowland says. “I had no idea what they were, but I knew they were the fanciest and heaviest pieces of furniture I would ever own.” The faux bamboo armchair is a ’70s-era Chinese Chippendale. The wallpaper is by Osborne & Little.
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The high-back wire chair in the corner of the living room is a Harry Bertoia Bird chair for Knoll, the ceramic plant stand is from Creme de la Creme, and the Mantis Arm floor lamp is by Vakkerlight. Cherished artwork includes a bronze sculpture by Rubin Peacock, a black-and-white acorn photo by Bruce Peterson Photography, and a plaster sculpture of a polar bear made by Rowland’s father, Henry.
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Family cat Roxie lounges on the bed designed by close friend and architect Lisa Taranto, who also designed the addition to the house in 2000. The desk is a 1950s Partners flip-top teak desk designed by Peter Lovig Nielsen and produced by Lovig Dansk Design.
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The mural wallpaper “Powhatan,” printed by Koroseal, is a new addition to Rowland’s collection. The banister is painted with a custom Benjamin Moore Advance high-gloss alkyd paint.
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In one corner of Rowland’s studio, a cork wallcovering is perfect for pinning up samples of her current custom runs, such as the “Andi” pattern on silver mylar, remnants of the ”Lorna” pattern in cyan and “Molly” in indigo, and a wallcovering panel created for Flourish Spaces. Rowland’s silk twill scarf, featuring the “Napoleon” pattern, is draped over a Harry Bertoia Bird ottoman for Knoll.
Sarah Rowland loves order.
The circa 1960 midcentury modern home in Westover Hills that she and her family have inhabited for a quarter-century scratches that itch for clean silhouettes, functional forms and a “less is more” aesthetic.
However, the graphic designer with her own custom wallpaper and textiles business cannot deny her love of maximalism — the opposite of the minimalist philosophy that drove the home’s designer, renowned Virginia modernist architect Alan McCullough, to create its crisp, unfettered lines.
“I do love texture. I love pattern. I love objects. I love art, and I battle with the minimum-to-maximum thing in my spaces,” Rowland explains. “There are days when I look around our house and think, ‘I have too much of all these things.’ But I love them so much.”
Rowland’s work table was made by Chris Chase, who based its design on the drafting tables Rowland used while studying art at Virginia Commonwealth University. A signed Paul Rand silk screen poster given to her by the artist hangs on the wall behind her. An acrylic on board work by Scott Csoke and computer screen savers by London-based illustrator Billie Jean brighten the back desk.
Rowland has cleverly addressed her yin-and-yang lifestyle with a studied approach now referred to as restrained maximalism — styling select spaces with curated pieces that share a story, either through personal art and photographs or period furnishings.
“The struggle is real,” Rowland says with a laugh. While she and her husband, Joe Alexander, enjoy the home’s open floor plan, it presents unique challenges in accommodating the treasured pieces of art and furnishings they have collected.
“This house is very adaptable and accepting,” Rowland explains, “but when you do move something, it affects everything because you can see everything at once. I love the idea of simplicity and just open space, but I just can’t help but fill it.”
The low-slung house hugs a high hill overlooking the James River. In the main living space, floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the expanse of the home’s river-facing side offer panoramic views, while clerestory windows on the opposite wall bring in sunlight from the southern exposure. In the main living room, a brick fireplace with one of McCullough’s signature cantilevered hearths commands attention; a low bookshelf to one side hides a stairwell to the home’s lower level. The horizontal expanse also provides an opportunity to display framed family photos and a beloved sculpture by local artist Rubin Peacock.
A large and welcoming espresso sectional sofa and lightly stained maple floors ground the space, which is otherwise devoted to the kaleidoscope of nature outside the windows and views from the wraparound deck.
A powder room added by the couple just off of the living room is covered in a rich brown wallpaper with a chinoiserie pattern that serves as a backdrop for a mélange of abstract art, family portraits and paintings, in addition to an assortment of photographs and even Rowland’s father’s framed Harvard degree. “This is where I put things when I can’t figure out where else to put them,” says Rowland, who also maintains a pantry full of other works waiting to be brought out for display.
In the kitchen, walls in a soft olive shade paired with white glass-front cabinets and soapstone counters provide a neutral counterpoint to the adjacent dining space where clusters of art are displayed.
Connecting the living and dining rooms is an office space, which features a collection of favorite photos and works of art atop a sleek modern desk. “I want to create a focal point that is not just centered on your best piece of art, but one that unfolds like a discovery. It comes down to colors with a lot of really different personalities,” Rowland explains.
Four panels of oak doors painted a bright citron yellow separate the living spaces from the couple’s bedroom. Rowland purchased three of the doors while living in New England and had the fourth panel made to match by local craftsman Kevin Lipnicki. A French blue wallpaper covers one wall in the room, which is dominated by a bed with built-in cabinetry.
One of two iconic circa 1933 Gerald Summers bent plywood chairs purchased by Rowland early in her design career rests just inside the bedroom. Opposite, a circa 1962 stainless steel Arco floor lamp by brothers Achille and Pier Castiglioni arcs over the bed.
The juxtaposition of the simple, clean lines of the bedroom furnishings and a gallery wall of family photographs and other framed memorabilia creates a harmonious and balanced energy.
The primary bath is tucked behind the bedroom, across from the wall of windows. Deep blue tiles line the shower, where a custom black pebble floor matches a dark soapstone vanity. More clerestory windows illuminate the space.
Rowland’s mural wallpaper “Powhatan” — an abstract love letter to the exquisite natural landscape that surrounds the house — covers the wall leading down to the home’s ground level.
Once the domain of the couple’s three now-grown daughters, the office features a fireplace and simple step hearth laid out in terrazzo original to the house. Glass panes fill the river-facing side. Seven-foot-tall towers of simple narrow shelves hold the couple’s extensive book collection, appearing almost suspended in midair. A gently curved hallway leads to bedrooms, a full bathroom, the laundry room and Rowland’s studio.
Throughout her home, Rowland has made unusual choices to embrace the enchanting with textiles, wall coverings and her collections.
“The house has really developed slowly as we changed,” Rowland says. “The girls grew, so our family changed, and now we have the house to ourselves. It’s just been a really fun ride in this loving, positive and, like my husband says, optimistic house.”
