As you approach the pea-gravel motor court of this home, with its painted-brick exterior and striking mansard roof, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported to the outskirts of Paris. Twenty years ago, a couple who’d lived in the French capital for many years returned to Virginia and hired Dalgliesh Gilpin Paxton Architects to design a house in Charlottesville for them that would reflect their love of classic Gallic architecture. In 2020, the stately, 17-acre property passed to a new owner, a single mom of three who helms her own interior design business in town. To ready the home for its next chapter, she knew just the architects to tap for a few updates.

“We’ve been in business since 1933 so it’s not uncommon to get those calls,” says Robert Paxton, one of the firm’s principal architects. “It’s fun to go back to something we’ve done and give it life for a new family.”

Returning to the scene gave the firm a chance to revisit the project with fresh eyes. Originally, the 3,700-square-foot home featured a central section connected to a garage on the left and a trellis-topped terrace to the right. “Essentially, it was three parts of what would normally be a classical five-part composition,” Paxton explains.

Given the opportunity to design a more balanced façade, he and project architect John Peterson conceived a substantial right wing to mirror the home’s left side, bringing symmetry and harmony to the configuration. The 2,340-square-foot addition would house the primary suite, an office and guest quarters on the main level, and a small gym and future bunk room on the second floor for eventual visiting grandkids and extended family. The pergola would move to the back of the house just off the kitchen; new terraces would bolster indoor-outdoor connections and unify the exterior spaces.

The original core of the five-bedroom house also saw updates. While the European-style galley kitchen had served as a pleasant reminder of time abroad for the previous clients, it was too cut off from the rest of the rooms for the new owner’s vision. Opening it up to the adjacent family room made it feel more spacious and offered a better setup for the mom to connect with her young-adult children. “She wished to create an environment where the kids want to be right now and will want to visit when they get older,” Paxton notes. “For us, that meant rethinking the relationship between the kitchen and the family room.”

When the house was first built, provisions were put in place for a future resident to finish a raw space above the garage. This iteration carved a game room out of this unfinished zone to give the siblings a bonding spot of their own. “Fortunately, the original owners had really thoughtful architects,” quips Paxton.

For the interior finishes, the team made selections that played into the home’s established style and complemented the existing white oak floors. “We used heavy, reclaimed timbers to span the kitchen and the family room,” says Paxton, “which gave the space some texture and age.”

“It’s the kind of detail you might see in an old French home,” Peterson adds.

In the kitchen, linen-hued cabinets fabricated by Worthington Architectural Millwork feature marble countertops sourced from the same Colorado stone quarry as the Lincoln Memorial.

When it was time to dress the rooms, the client called on her longtime friend Chloe Ball of Kenny Ball Design to make the house feel sophisticated yet welcoming. Upon entry, visitors are swept into a foyer adorned with a scenic Gracie wall covering that depicts weeping cherry blossoms swaying over a stylized wave. In the dining room beyond, marbleized wallpaper introduces the home’s palette of pewter, soft pink and blue.

Shades of cerulean continue in the butler’s pantry and in the family room, where a particularly inviting corner hosts a dining bench topped with Delft plates in acrylic boxes—a treatment client and designer spied while on a trip to New York City. “It was inspired by Kit Kemp. We had dinner at one of her hotels and loved that detail,” Ball shares.

Moving from the public spaces to the owner’s private rooms in the newer wing, the palette turns rosier. In the primary bedroom, Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster sets the scene for camouflage-print silk Fortuny draperies and a vintage Murano glass flush-mount light. Next door in the owner’s office, the blushing pink takes on a masculine edge when paired with millwork and graphic Kelly Wearstler wallpaper that resembles an abstract patchwork quilt.

While the home offers no shortage of eye-catching, top-shelf wall coverings, one of the most opulent moments occurs in the guest bath, where a sedge of cranes perches on hand-painted silk. “She fell in love with that de Gournay paper, but it can’t be exposed to constant heat and steam,” Ball explains. “Because this bathroom isn’t used very much, we decided to go for it.”

Such decisions were made easier by the fact that the two women aren’t just designer and client, but also friends. “We really excel as a team because we’re a good sounding board for one another. She trusted me to complete her vision for this house,” recounts Ball, adding, “At the end of the day, the interior choices and the architecture have to dance together.”

Renovation Architecture: Robert Paxton, AIA, principal architect; John Peterson, AIA, project architect, Dalgliesh Gilpin Paxton Architects, Charlottesville, Virginia. Interior Design: Chloe Ball, Kenny Ball Design, Charlottesville, Virginia. Builder: Shelter Associates Ltd., Charlottesville, Virginia. Landscape Architecture: Rachel Lilly, Port Republic, Virginia.

RESOURCES

DINING ROOM
Wallpaper: graciestudio.com. Table: gregoriuspineo.com. Chairs: mosshomeusa.com. Rug: Custom through kennyballdesign.com. Chandelier: apparatusstudio.com.

FOYER
Wall Treatment: graciestudio.com. Sconces: urbanelectric.com. Bench: 1stdibs.com.

KITCHEN
Island Pendant: urbanelectric.com. Island Stools: palecek.com. Café Table & Chairs: rh.com. Banquette: Custom through kennyballdesign.com.

BUTLER’S PANTRY
Cabinetry Paint: Hague Blue by farrow-ball.com.

PINK BEDROOM
Bed: bakerfurniture.com. Ceiling Fixture: 1stdibs.com. Drapery & Drapery Fabrication: fortuny.com through kennyballdesign.com. Paint: Setting Plaster by farrow-ball.com. Painting Over Dresser: abbykasonik.com. Rug: therugcompany.com.

BEDROOM
Headboard Fabric: clarencehouse.com through beautifulbedco.com. Nightstand: thefabulousthings.com.