When interior designer Janie Molster found homeowner Kim Gottwald’s collection of pressed botanicals stashed in her basement, Molster knew they had to come out of storage to serve as a focal point in the home’s family room. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
One of the great gifts of a landscape is that living things aren’t static; they change over time.
And therein lies the challenge.
When Kim Gottwald purchased her home in 2008 in the city’s Near West End, it was clear there was work to be done. The house, built in 1910 by architect Charles K. Bryant on a 2-acre lot, was in need of updating, but the bigger task was outside.
“The garden was in bad shape,” Gottwald says. “All existing plantings were overgrown, and there were a lot of dead trees.”
Aesthetics weren’t the only issues.
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The stately Three Chopt Road home was built in 1901. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
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The home’s garden, originally designed by the late landscape architect William Spell, was recently refreshed by Janet Baruch of Greenway Gardens. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
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The comfortable family room features a well-loved leather sofa and other existing pieces of furniture that were refurbished and refreshed. A new brass and stone coffee table helps to unify the large space. “We love to leave the windows unblocked and give visual access to the outside,” Molster says. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
The pink stucco Colonial Revival home sits at the corner of Three Chopt Road and Tiber Lane, with a lot that is far deeper than it is wide. Limited parking, accessible only from Three Chopt, was insufficient for a family with six children coming and going. Gottwald quickly enlisted the help of local landscape architect William Spell, who devised a multifaceted plan that was both beautiful and functional.
“We began by cleaning up and then installed the new design, done all in green and white,” Gottwald says. “A circular drive was installed [in the front], as well as a rear road to a back exit” on Tiber Lane.
“Your biggest friend in interior design is natural light.” —Janie Molster, interior designer
The parking changes were effective, and the plantings — evergreens, boxwoods, magnolias, hydrangeas, roses — framed the landscape both elegantly and practically, leaving an open area at the rear of the house for family playtime as well as larger social events.
A decade passed … and everything grew. It was time to take another look, partially to ready the home for Historic Garden Week in Virginia. Gottwald’s home will be open Thursday, May 2, during the Westhampton tour.
Unfortunately, Spell died in 2009. Gottwald turned to Janet Baruch, CLD, principal of Greenway Gardens, for assistance.
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The welcoming foyer features an eclectic mix of antiques, from the centerpiece horse statuette to an English sideboard from Kim Faison Antiques. Antique Turkish Oushak rugs in shades of pink add feminine flair. The modern art is by Richard Serra from Reynolds Gallery. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
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The dining room features walls lacquered by H.J. Holtz & Sonin a custom shade of pink. The ceiling is a contrasting gray. Existing chairs were painted to look like Swedish antiques. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
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Molster updated a formal Italian settee with a light linen slipcover and a colorful hand-blocked linen bolster pillow featuring an Amanda Nisbet fabric. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
“She got me involved because she felt things were a little out of control,” Baruch says. “Things get bigger after a number of years and grow into one another. We’ve done a lot of editing.”
Baruch says she’s happy to step into an established landscape plan, especially when the client is satisfied with the vision.
“In my opinion, what Bill Spell did was nearly perfection,” Baruch says. “It’s beautiful, and Kim likes it.”
To freshen the space, Baruch and Gottwald agreed to create new beds and relocate plants that had outgrown their original sites. “Kim likes to have each plant in its own place, not growing on top of one another,” Baruch says, adding that Gottwald was keen to find new locations rather than discard what didn’t seem to fit.
While the outside was being revitalized, Gottwald turned her attention indoors, responding to the gentle nudges of a longtime friend with just the right skill set.
Janie Molster, principal of Janie Molster Designs and a college friend of Gottwald’s, says the rush of everyday life meant Gottwald initially “just moved the stuff they had and set up house.” Some construction happened to create more bedrooms, but “she had never done the design,” Molster said.
Finally, it was time.
“We were chatting, and I said, ‘I’m going to hold your feet to the fire,’ ” Molster says. “This was a nice opportunity for her. The children are growing older, but there are still a few at home. She can see the light at the end of the tunnel in not having to decorate solely for a family-friendly vibe.”
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The eclectic study features a vibrant Moroccan rug juxtaposed with geometric wallpaper from Phillip Jeffries. A riding boot was made into a lamp for Gottwald, who is an accomplished equestrian. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
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Gotwald’s collection of blue-and-white Delft porcelain is artfully displayed in the home’s elegant living room, which features a pretty pastel palette. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
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The keeping room features a slipcovered sofa by Verellen. The coffee table is from Bernhardt, and the pillows are from V Rugs and Home. (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
Molster says the process was remarkably easy, thanks to Gottwald’s collections of blue porcelain and botanical prints (many hidden in the basement), and the house’s generous windows that welcome the light.
“A lot of the process was organizing what she already had,” Molster says. “These items are so much more impactful when placed together.”
Using the windows to connect to the outdoors was also logical, the designer says.
“I am a light fanatic,” Molster says. “We love to leave the windows unblocked and give visual access to the outside. Your biggest friend in interior design is natural light.”
The family room, in particular, opens to an expansive terrace that Gottwald added when she purchased the house. When the weather allows, the two spaces become one, facilitating large events such as the many nonprofit fundraisers Gottwald hosts.
In the end, Molster says, it’s always useful to seek the input of professionals, especially after some time has passed in a home.
“A lot of people are lost in their own homes,” she says. “A fresh, trained eye is worth its weight.”
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Molster wanted to create a special “grandmother nursery” for Gottwald, a mother of six. “We knew there would be a whole lot of grandchildren passing through,” Molster says. She made judicious use of Gottwald’s favorite color, blue. Red grosgrain ribbon is used as piping around the Thibaut wallpaper. The cushy carpet is stain-resistant and kid-friendly. The lip print is by Donald Robertson. (Photo by Gordon Gregory)
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Local Garden Week Tours
Attendees at this year’s Historic Garden Week will be able to experience a full range of neighborhood styles: urban, suburban and country.
On Wednesday, May 1, the tour offers five homes on Park Avenue in The Fan. Thursday’s tour (May 2) is set for Westhampton and includes homes on Three Chopt Road, Cary Street Road and York Road. Friday’s tour (May 3) moves to Goochland County, for five properties that showcase country living.
Lisa Brennan, co-chair of Richmond Historic Garden Week, says the broad array of homes included in 2019 should appeal to visitors.
“The tour hasn’t been in Goochland for years,” she says.
Other notable local tours include Ashland on Saturday, April 27, with five properties in two neighborhoods and Petersburg on Tuesday, April 30, featuring homes from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
All four Richmond-area garden clubs — The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton, The James River Garden Club, The Boxwood Garden Club and Three Chopt Garden Club — collaborate to create two days of the Richmond tour. Historic Richmond organizes the third day.
The process for selecting neighborhoods and recruiting homeowners begins 18 to 24 months in advance, says state Historic Garden Week Chairwoman Stephie Broadwater. Each club forms a procurement committee to select the neighborhoods and then approach homeowners.
When it comes to individual houses, the ask can be personal, such as a friend calling another friend, or a friendly cold call. “It’s a huge ask,” Brennan says. “We are so grateful to homeowners.”
During Historic Garden Week, now in its 86th year, about 24,000 people tour houses statewide. Proceeds support the Garden Club of Virginia’s efforts to restore historic gardens throughout the state, as well as a research fellowship that seeks to develop a comprehensive library of Virginia’s important gardens and landscapes.
“[Historic Garden Week] is the one thing that all 47 [state] clubs and all 3,400 members work on together,” Broadwater says. “While the week has changed over the years, it is true to itself. It’s a tradition that people look forward to every year. We love being part of showing off Virginia.”
For details and ticket information, visit vagardenweek.org.
Photo courtesy Garden Club of Virginia
Historic Garden Week in Virginia
April 27-May 4
Richmond Tours:
Saturday, April 27: Ashland
Wednesday, May 1: Park Avenue in The Fan
Thursday, May 2: Westhampton
Friday, May 3: Goochland
For tickets and details on this and other tours, visit vagardenweek.org.
