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(From left) Shawn Loehr and Geraldo Netto. Paintings by Netto rest on cabinets he made. The frame for the TV and sound bar, fireplace mantel, and coffered ceiling are also his handiwork. The leather armchairs and coffee table in the lounge are from Arhaus, the wall sconces from Oxygen Home, and the chandelier by Elk Home. Loehr found the sculpture of a Venetian soldier while in Lebanon.
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The paintings in the living room are all by Netto, who also handcrafted the coffee and lamp tables. The vintage midcentury wood and leather armchairs were once owned by Loehr’s aunt and uncle. The inlaid box on the coffee table was purchased in Lebanon, and the lamps are from Verve Home Furnishings.
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Loehr says he didn’t care for the Buddha head in the entryway when they first found it. Then Netto gave it gravitas, changing it from a head to a bust with a little cement wash and paint.
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The bust in the lounge was discovered at West End Antiques Mall. The brass and black pendant light is by Visual Comfort, and the chairs are by Arhaus.
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In addition to carving the pantry doors in the kitchen, Netto designed the range hood to mimic some of the architectural elements he used throughout the house. He also used plaster to create faux tile coping on the side wall.
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In the primary bedroom, the inlaid boxes by the bed were collected in Lebanon. The furniture is by Restoration Hardware, the bedding is by Banana Republic Home, and the wall sconces are by Capital Lighting.
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When they couldn’t find a nine-drawer vanity for the primary bath, Netto made one, Loehr says. He also made the door and created the sculpture niche where a window had once been.
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A vintage photo of Loehr’s grandmother and her parents taken in Chimborazo Park in the early 1920s inspired the painting over the bar, which is set with the fixings for Brazilian caipirinhas.
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For the backyard sitting area outside of his studio, Netto crafted two chandeliers, the coffee and side tables, and the fireplace mantel.
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Netto in his backyard studio
“Everything here turns into art,” Geraldo Netto says of the Near West End home he shares with Shawn Loehr.
It’s an apt description. Wooden fence posts are used to build the face of a fireplace. A fallen tree has been sliced into a side table. And every work of art on the walls — save one 17th-century find — is painted by Netto.
“We use everything,” Netto says. “We don’t waste anything.”
Loehr purchased the midcentury brick ranch 20 years ago. At the time, it blended in with the surrounding houses, which were all designed by the same builder. That changed a few years later when Loehr and Netto met at a friend’s house.
Netto, who is from Brazil, has been painting since childhood. His large-scale, mixed-media landscapes feature subtle colors and soft textures that hint at winding roads, plants, animals and reflections on water. His artistic eye and handcrafted touch quickly infused their home.
It started with small projects: a coffered-style ceiling in the front room, frame moldings on the walls and refinishing the hardwood floors. Netto also hand-built several pieces of furniture.
About eight years ago, the projects increased in scope. Outside, Netto and Loehr created a backyard oasis featuring a 10-foot dining table, a custom pizza oven and two dramatic chandeliers — all crafted by Netto.
“I suggested we put a pergola above the pizza oven,” Loehr says. “He Googled it, and the next week we had a pergola.”
The outdoor retreat turned out to be a haven for socially distanced gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Loehr says the home’s interior wasn’t equally conducive to company. Like many 1950s ranch homes, space was tight, and Loehr had long dreamed of a bigger kitchen.
Loehr approached several builders, but none of their proposals aligned with the pair’s vision. Ultimately, it was Netto who suggested a complete realignment of the home’s layout, which included extending the back and sides of the house by several feet. The sunroom was replaced by the expanded lounge and kitchen, the dining room became a bedroom, and the original kitchen was converted into the primary bathroom. The added square footage also allowed Loehr and Netto to add a mudroom with laundry and a powder room.
Renovations began in early 2022, when supply chain issues were disrupting countless construction projects and furniture purchases. Netto and Loehr were able to avoid many of those delays — and react to unexpected pivots — thanks to Netto’s woodworking skills and their knack for repurposing.
The design of the lounge, for instance, was informed by a sliding glass door and picture window they found at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. They also stumbled upon a pair of sculptures at Governor’s Architectural Antiques in Mechanicsville, which became the base of a fireplace mantle. Netto crafted a coordinating top out of cement and clad the wall above it using wood from their old fence.
In the kitchen, they initially planned to build an 11-foot island. However, the slab of quartzite they sourced was too short, so Netto built the island to fit. They planned to reuse the home’s original back door for one of the corner pantries but couldn’t find a second to match. Instead, Netto crafted his own from pine they purchased at Home Depot, bringing a French antique touch to the kitchen.
When it came to furnishings, the duo scoured local stores and online retailers such as Arhaus. Several rooms feature bold chandeliers and dramatic lighting, many purchased during Curtain Call’s annual consignment sale.
Personal touches and mementos are also dispersed throughout their home. A Persian rug in the lounge came from a family friend’s father. A butcher block from the former Shaar’s restaurant at Belvidere and Broad streets and a Lebanese backgammon table are both nods to Loehr’s family ties. And a 17th-century painting from a church in Malta, the history and workmanship of which caught Netto’s eye, hangs in the dining room.
But it’s Netto’s paintings that take center stage. At Loehr’s encouragement, Netto first started selling his artwork during the early days of the pandemic. He secured a gallery wall at Crossroads Art Center for four months to gauge interest. The first week, set designers for the TV show “Dopesick” saw his work and asked to rent several paintings for the production. Since then, Netto’s following has grown and he has twice expanded his gallery space.
When designing their home, Netto and Loehr wanted to create an extension of that gallery. Frame molding and lighting turn a spotlight on his paintings, which they rotate out regularly.
“If a decorator or designer or art collector comes by,” Loehr says, “they can see what he has available in his personal collection. They can see his art in his space.”
