Andy Cobb, principal of the Charlottesville design firm William A. Cobb Interior Design, knew his client’s Monument Square home would benefit from a tweak. A front room, adjacent to the foyer, was slated to be a welcoming parlor. But it lacked oomph.
The solution: architectural elements, added by the H.J. Holtz & Son carpentry team. Now, the room is clearly a separate space, set off by floor-to-ceiling columns and a soffit, accented with a two-part crown molding.
“I explained [to my client] the wide opening needed to be defined, and that it would frame the view into the room,” Cobb says.
Cobb has worked with Holtz & Son on numerous projects in Charlottesville and Richmond. For this Monument Square townhome, he trusted Holtz to hang wallpaper and bring his vision of the architectural elements to life.
“I know how thorough [Holtz & Son] are,” he says. “I can always rely on them to stop and ask a question before proceeding, if something unexpected comes up.”
Just steps inside the home, the Holtz team built a soffit, installed molding, and painted all, including the pine columns, which were sourced from Richmond’s Siewers Lumber & Millwork. The plan – and the columns in particular – had to be executed with great attention to detail, Cobb says.
“It was vital the columns be of the proper proportion and the proper style for the classic architecture of the house, which is filled with amazing antiques,” he notes. “[The columns] are solid wood and not fiberglass. They feel substantial to the touch and take the paint finish properly.”
Holtz & Son craftsmen also hung wallpaper, made in the United Kingdom, in the home’s bathrooms and powder rooms. In the first-floor powder room, the paper is from England, is 54” wide and has a “huge” pattern repeat, Cobb says. “It’s very tricky to lay out and to install, something I would only entrust with the Holtz paper hangers,” he says. “The other papers are all handprinted papers from the UK and require special skill and talent to install.”
Cobb says the client is thrilled with the finished look.
“She’s really happy with everything,” he says. “Everything in this house is a certain level, so you have to step up to that.”