A DECADE OF RIGHT TOUCHES

Photography by Kathryn Feldmann

The Davenports Create a Canvas for Holiday Décor

When first seeing the stately white colonial with two-story tall columns, Heather Davenport knew it would make a perfect home for her family. With a flat front yard, this home sits on a quiet street where children and families enjoy being outside. The home’s white siding, black shutters and large window boxes serve as a lovely backdrop for holiday decorations. The interior needed a few decorative changes, but its main features easily fit the family’s lifestyle. Thus, 10 years ago, Heather bought the house and dived right into painting rooms and then renovating the kitchen. 

Improving the flow
The layout of the first floor with a primary suite, living, dining, kitchen, sunroom, office and family room offers a great flow for entertaining as well as daily family life. The big deck off the back provides amazing views of Chestnut Mountain and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Upstairs the bedrooms and baths offer private space for children and overnight guests. The sloping lot allows for the back wall of the basement and two upper floors to have myriad large windows to bring in the light. 

Heather’s vision to take the current galley-style kitchen and open it onto the sunroom kept the original layout while improving the flow and adding so much light for cooking. Choosing to install a big island painted black and topped with gorgeous marble countertops in the middle of the kitchen, carved out room for prepping meals while the countertop overhang offers space for tall bamboo and wooden chairs that invite hanging out in the kitchen. On the surrounding walls, white cabinets with marble counters and brass pulls define the space and balance the kitchen’s taupe walls that feature colorful art. Upper cabinet doors with glass fronts offer an elegant vibe and plenty of room for glassware and dishes.

Showcasing art & collections 
Both Heather and her husband Paul, who joined the family five years ago, love art. Their home is a gallery in which each room’s art ties in with the décor. The art changes with the seasons as they move it around the house. Paul’s mother, Ann Berry Davenport, was an artist in Richmond, Va., and her watercolors are displayed in many of the rooms. These beautiful paintings are a tribute to Paul’s mother and “provide a thread,” keeping his mom around their home. A black-and-white photograph of his mother sits proudly on a gold metal and glass cart beneath several of her paintings.

Paul and Heather enjoy collecting and curating their art. They try to buy at least one piece each year. During summers in Roanoke, they attend the annual Sidewalk Art Show to find new pieces for their collection. They are drawn to local artists: a few favorites are Diane Patton, Angie Patton Poe and Eastern Shore artist Carrie Jacobson. Paul’s mom taught him that with art, “the piece chooses you.” Bringing home a new addition means moving some current pieces. It keeps the look of their home fresh and offers a nod to Paul’s mother who instilled in him a love of art. 

Heather’s talent for decorating and styling leads her to move their furniture and accessories around the house, too. She says her style is eclectic. Heather mixes comfortable pieces with practical tables and cabinets that hold her collection of distinct objects: vases, bowls and candlesticks that are useful as well as embellish their home, especially when she decorates for the holidays. Heather has an eye for detail that gives each room an inviting appeal. 

Paul brought many family pieces and antiques into their home. Heather loves those antique pieces, as well, and they blend with her love of moody colors. “It is really important to us that we incorporate our family pieces in our home,” Paul states. Adding these pieces from Paul’s mother and grandmother to the home worked well with the décor. Heather noted, “The house has an old style, so these pieces matched well.” The couch Heather and Paul sit on many evenings in their favorite living room spot is the one that Paul’s parents courted on many years ago.

Rooms with a view 
All the rooms flow from the central front hall. The living room opens into the dining room where French doors topped with an arched glass window open to the back deck. The mountain views in the distance are always changing – through each season, they feature a different look. Paul says, “It is truly a color wheel.” 

On the other side of the entrance hall, a wide-cased opening allows light to flow into the first-floor office. Dark gray green walls make for a cozy space to work. Wooden slatted doors provide privacy from the den that sits on the other side. In the den, a warm leather couch and chairs keep the family comfortable for movie nights and evening gatherings. 

Chris Smith, a local contractor, stepped in and helped with their exterior renovations. Under his guidance last year, Heather and Paul replaced the roof, took off the old wood siding and replaced it and the columns with Hardie® Plank materials. They installed a new front door with glass panes and side panels that flood light into the front hall. Paul says, “We’ve slowly now done everything.” These exterior improvements “made it look like it belongs in the neighborhood.” A sleek black lantern on a long metal chain lights up the front porch and adds a modern touch to the classic white home. 

Festive for the season 
For the holidays, Heather uses a plethora of natural material. “When I was little, that’s the way we decorated,” Heather says, “so it is natural for me to mix pre-bought items with things from the outdoors.” Five years ago, Paul and Heather were married on a friend’s farm, so they often return there for cuttings and beautiful greens and berries to decorate their home. Heather demonstrates a knack for livening up jars and bowls with fresh greens in each room. It adds color and Christmas whimsy all over their home. Their graceful, curved stair banister and mantels are draped with greenery. She adds bows, pinecones, dried fruit and small holiday decorations like metal bells to make a unique setting. 

Every year, Heather decorates at least two and sometimes three Christmas trees. “I love doing the trees,” Heather states. Each one displays a theme united by color and decorations. A more formal tree with white lights is in the living room. The casual tree, with all the gifts piled underneath, is in the family room. Some years, there is a tree in the office. Heather fills the outside window boxes with greens and hangs wreaths from velvet ribbons on the front windows. 

The decorations change a bit as their collections grow. The Christmas Village pieces were started by Paul’s mother to reflect his interests. She added pieces as his careers changed over the years from firefighter to EMS then Emergency Medicine. The dining room’s beautiful wood table reflects a bright winter scene — a long centerpiece of magnolia leaves, green garlands, small gold trees and dried oranges that Heather designs. On the back of each chair, Heather hangs a small green wreath to accent the natural cloth fabric edged with brass nails. Christmas décor makes this room of wood and neutral colors sparkle for holiday meals. 

Heather says, “we’ve come full circle and done just about everything.” In a brief decade, she managed to update this lovely home while keeping the timeless style that the house emanates. Paul’s art and family pieces add just the right touches. What a perfect home to demonstrate that a good layout and beautiful things make improvements easy! ✦