Construction opened the view of the river from the living room with big expanses of glass. “The whole idea of having this amazing site, this beautiful view, was how to take advantage of that,” says Kristi Lane of Visible Proof.
Flipping through a magazine in summer 2016, Amy Wilkinson saw an ad for a house in a friend’s neighborhood. Intrigued, she looked online and realized the property backed up to the James River — which was curious, because the river wasn’t shown.
A visit revealed why. The property was so dense with trees, the river was hidden from view. And the house itself, built in 1995, needed updating. But Wilkinson could see the possibilities.
“When I drove in [to the property] the first time, I thought, ‘This is going to be a lot,’ ” Wilkinson says, noting that her nearby friend, who was a Realtor, had warned her the house was “funky.”
“The property was overgrown, and the exterior was outdated. Inside, there was dark and heavy furniture,” Wilkinson adds. “But it had so much light. After 10 minutes, I said, ‘I think this is the house.’ ”
Once her husband, Rafe, returned from a business trip, the two visited together and quickly decided to take the plunge.
“Rafe and I are not afraid of projects and are not afraid of different,” Wilkinson says.
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“All of it comes from the idea of the river,” Lane adds. “The soapstone and wood have a linear effect; the light fixtures are open and airy, so you can look through them.”
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A dropped ceiling creates an air of intimacy in the new bar area, a must-have for the Wilkinsons, who love entertaining.
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For warmth, Lane highlighted the existing oak floors with a darker stain and added white oak accent walls throughout the first floor.
The pair began tackling a long to-do list. First came opening the view to the river, which involved removing brush and many dead and fallen trees. A trail now leads to a new patio, situated above the Kanawah Canal with views of the James River and Williams Island. For the interiors, the couple approached Mark Franko, of Mark Franko Custom Building, who directed them to Kristi Lane, the founder and managing principal of Visible Proof, who holds a B.A. in interior architecture and is a certified interior designer in Virginia and NCIDQ certified by the American Society of Interior Designers.
“I was totally up for working with a female architect,” Wilkinson says. “In construction, there’s a lot of men involved. I felt [with Lane], I would have a voice at the table. And I liked that she [manages] both architecture and interior design.” Wilkinson’s husband was familiar with Lane, having worked with her on a previous, unrealized commercial project.
Before any work was done in the main house, Lane and her team renovated a studio apartment above the garage. In fall 2018, when the couple’s younger child left for college, they moved in to the apartment so work could begin on the house in earnest. “We took the whole house down to the studs,” Wilkinson says.
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The wine room tasting area, which offers a comfortable spot to savor a favorite vintage, is adjacent to a glass, walk-in, conditioned wine room.
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The house has views of the Kanawah Canal, the James River and Williams Island.
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Originally an open walkway, the breezeway was enclosed with glass walls and full HVAC, and it’s now Bear’s favorite spot to lounge.
Everyone agreed the house should maximize the view while providing ample opportunities for the couple to display their collection of fine art. “It was important for us to have space for these pieces of art we love and to be able to add to the collection,” Wilkinson says. “We want to live with it and love it.”
“The color in the house comes from the art, not the house,” Lane says. “If you stripped all the art out of the house, it would be a white house. We wanted a crafted, modern look that includes wood and bronze and things that get a patina [over time] — neutral but warm.”
The process involved both addition and subtraction. Several walls were removed, as were 28 doors and white metal pipe railing, found throughout the house. Cranes brought in multiple steel beams for support. Expanses of glass, in the form of oversize windows and an upstairs railway, connected the inside to the outside.
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In the upper hallway, glass rail opens the eye to the view and to the artwork: paintings by Romero Britto and Jane Waterous.
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Lane used a deliberate combination of wood, marble and metal for warmth; natural materials that evoke the outdoors.
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The kitchen was designed to be functional — figured quartzite counters and backsplash paired with white oak cabinets — as well as reminiscent of the nearby James River.
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In the main bath, separate his and hers sinks are connected by an oversize walk-through shower.
For warmth, Lane highlighted the existing oak floors with a darker stain and added white oak accent walls throughout the first floor, including wrapping a central, two-story column. In the kitchen, quartzite, used for the large island, counters and backsplash, was sourced carefully so the pieces would flow together seamlessly. Virginia soapstone was brought in where new flooring was needed, because it’s soft and warmer than marble or granite, Lane says.
“All of it comes from the idea of the river,” she adds. “The soapstone and wood have a linear effect; the light fixtures are open and airy, so you can look through them.”
The ultimate goal, Lane says, was to create a “casual, entertaining and livable” home with an open floor plan that could be easily adapted to entertaining for both large and small occasions.
The homeowners “had been in other houses that were a lot more formal, with rooms they didn’t go into,” she adds. “They wanted the spaces to be multifunctional and interconnected. They wanted people to be able to see from one room into another and also see the vista outside.”
“The color in the house comes from the art, not the house.” —Interior designer Kristi Lane
The project was completed in March 2020, just as the pandemic was taking hold. Wilkinson says she and her husband are eager to share the changes.
“We love being with our friends and entertaining,” she says. “We have these big windows, and now the view is part of the art of the house. With the white and the green outside and the wood, it’s almost like a big treehouse.”
