by HJ HOLTZ | Apr 18, 2025 | Decorative Painting
The saying “Put your best foot forward” is often taken to mean that a first impression is important. There’s a recognition that an observer – unwittingly or not – will make judgments based on what is readily apparent: a facial expression, clothing choice, stance of body.
The same is true for your home. A house that shows a well-maintained exterior demonstrates care and attention. Fresh or clean siding, intact fixtures, crisp window and edge trim, sturdy railings, color from a bright front door and plants – all these are pleasing to the eye and also signal that the home is well-maintained even before a guest walks inside.
Spring is a natural time of year for exterior maintenance and for considering what repairs or refreshes might be needed for a house’s exterior. Start with the front door. Is the paint intact? Would a color change be useful – or just fun? Repainting the front door is a small job that can yield great impact.
Next, assess fences and railings. Over time, even the most well-crafted supports can deteriorate, necessitating repair or replacement. It’s especially important to ensure any handrail that is used regularly is solid and can withstand a tug in a time of need. Fences that hug the property line or face the street set the tone for the property as a whole, even if they aren’t technically part of the house.
A close appraisal of window trim, shutters, and siding is best done by a professional, who can use a ladder for access and who is able to recognize the signs of lurking trouble. Damage can come from water, plant material deposited by wind and storms, and growing organisms (mold, fungus, etc.). Repairing or replacing planks is essential before repainting occurs, as the painting won’t correct a problem but can allow it to fester unseen.
Contact H.J. Holtz & Son for Expert Exterior Maintenance
Contact H.J. Holtz & Son today for a free assessment of your home’s exterior so work can be scheduled for the warmer months.
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by HJ HOLTZ | Apr 7, 2025 | Decorative Painting
Thomas Jefferson wasn’t the first homeowner to paint his wood floors, but the green floor in Monticello’s Entrance Hall – the first room visitors enter – demonstrates how effective simple paint can be when applied to the wall that’s underfoot.
“Just like with walls, painting a floor is one of the most cost-effective ways to change a look and really create a feeling,” says Andy Clark, principal of Andrew Clark Inc. Interior Design.
As with any other design strategy, the appeal of painted floors can ebb and flow. “We are seeing a resurgence now,” says Ashley Hanley, principal of the design firm that bears her name. “When more people see [this technique], they think, ‘Oh, it’s not that scary,’ so they’re more comfortable with it.”
Hanley points to Colonial Williamsburg for inspiration, noting that residents in the 1700s and 1800s used painted floorcloths to warm and decorate their homes. Painted floors achieve the same effect. “A lot of times, a painted floor can really ground the space,” she says. “It’s a classic, timeless look.”
Clark observes that painted floors also allowed a homeowner to create a luxe appearance without the cost. “People would use faux paint to mimic marble,” he says. “Painted floors can add a whole new decorative pattern or variety of colors you don’t have. You can do so many things to a floor to elevate the space.”
Clark, who divides his time between New York City and Richmond, has white painted floors in both residences. The NYC apartment came with pickled floors, which he immediately had sanded to their original oak. He quickly realized the pickling had made the space seem larger, so he had the floors repainted with gloss white deck paint.
In Richmond, Clark had hired H.J. Holtz & Son to paint his home’s interior. Once that project was complete, Clark decided to go one step further. “I thought, ‘I like [the white floors] in New York], so why not have them here?’” he says. “I feel like people get stuck into what they’re used to seeing. Just because we’re used to seeing a brown floor doesn’t mean it has to be brown.”
Both designers acknowledge people may worry about how a painted floor will wear. The good news is that it’s up to the homeowner to decide how the floor should look – weathered or pristine. Visible wear can be part of the appeal, or careful preparation and finishing will keep the floors looking fresh for years.
Hanley painted her own kitchen floor during the pandemic because she wanted a change and knew a full kitchen renovation was in the house’s future. “I didn’t take any of the beautiful steps that Holtz takes,” she says. “After three years, the hardwood started coming back through the paint, and the floors looked distressed. If you don’t prep it, and you don’t seal it, then it’s going to wear.”
Clark adds: “The most important thing to say about any painting is the value of the paint and the paint job is in the prep work. That’s where the time goes – the labor – and that’s what makes it last and makes it look amazing. That’s what Holtz does best.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Feb 27, 2025 | Decorative Painting
Blair Delli Santi’s family was excited to move into their new house last summer. The nearly 120-year-old home was filled with character and thoughtful updates from the previous owner, but Delli Santi wanted something to pop.
Her solution: A Fine Paints of Europe front room just for her.
“I call it ‘Mom’s blue room,’” she says. “It’s my room away from the chaos.”
The chaos includes two – soon to be three – children, plus her husband. Delli Santi had hired the H.J. Holtz & Son team for wallpaper installation in the family’s prior residence. But in this space, Delli Santi’s aim was to go for full dramatic effect.
“I wanted to put my own decorative stamp on the space,” she says. “Because I’d worked with them before, I trusted them implicitly.”
When it came to color selection, Delli Santi worked with the H.J. Holtz & Son team – the only certified Fine Paints of Europe painter in the Commonwealth of Virginia – to find just the right color. “I knew I wanted a gray blue, and they helped me narrow it down,” she says. The final selection? Farrow & Ball’s Parma Gray, a cool blue with a distinctive chalky finish.
Installation was less complicated than for some other projects, because the Holtz painting team was able to work before the family moved in. Fine Paints of Europe application requires a carefully contained and controlled atmosphere, as the high-gloss coating will attract and show airborne particles, such as dust. For this project, the team created an enclosed area that extended from the front of the house, where the room is, down the hallway and out the back door. “It was tricky, but we didn’t have to live with it,” Delli Santi notes.
Now that she’s had a chance to live with the room for a while, Delli Santi wouldn’t change a thing. “It’s always daunting to feel confident with your choices,” she says. “I love working with H.J. Holtz & Sons because they’re so professional, so easy to communicate with. Their attention to detail and craftsmanship is unparalleled in Richmond.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Jan 29, 2025 | Decorative Painting
H.J. Holtz & Son has been in its “new” North Chesterfield location for nearly 18 months, and the renovation of the space is nearly complete. Nearly.
When company president Rick Holtz found a larger building for the growing company in spring 2023, he knew renovations would be necessary. He also knew it wasn’t wise to try to do everything at once; he wanted the team to occupy the space and feel their way into how it could best be used. And he didn’t want the in-house work to affect how the company serviced clients.
“We had to keep our eye on the ball: doing the work our clients need us to do,” he says.
While the project is not yet complete, the new location is looking – and feeling – comfortable and functional.
“It’s coming together,” Holtz says.
A former body work shop, the building has 12,000 square feet in a long, rectangular configuration. Administrative tasks are housed at one end, with a reception area that will soon feature a Holtz Built desk and a row of three individual offices. A door connects the administrative wing to a spacious, light-filled room with moveable standing desks. An adjacent conference room seats 14 around the table with ample wall space for brainstorming on butcher paper. A large screen allows for computer presentations.
Beyond, the building is largely open, with tables and shelving that can be rearranged to accommodate furniture, cabinets, or windows in varying stages of production. Two spray booths and a designated priming space allow multiple paint jobs to be managed simultaneously.
The carpentry division is at the far end of the building and is enclosed by a wall of windows that was moved from the company’s Scott’s Addition location. The wall helps to contain dust generated by woodworking equipment and creates a sound barrier that benefits both those working within the carpentry area and those outside.
The Holtz team framed the spaces and made the woodwork and trim. A subcontractor handled drywall, and John Calhoun of Cardinal Electric, a regular partner, took care of electrical. Pye Interiors of Charlottesville – whose principal designer is Linda Pye, Rick Holtz’s sister – advised on light fixtures, furniture, and overall decor.
“We’re pretty happy with how it’s shaping up,” Rick Holtz says. “And it will be great when it’s all finally finished.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Nov 21, 2024 | Decorative Painting
It’s easy to make safe choices when decorating a home. But an unexpected pop of color or whimsy will elevate your living environment from ho-hum to heavenly.
Often, people think the only way to create a dramatic effect is through wallpaper, which comes in an array of colors, patterns and finishes. But hanging wallpaper feels like a big commitment, because the paper is attached to the surface with adhesive; removal seems daunting. Decorative painting, however, is the marriage of design with ease. Virtually any surface can be painted, and with the right hands, that surface can be transformed into an eye-catching accent or focal point.
H.J. Holtz & Son’s decorative artist, Diana Orellano, has been with the company for five years, learning the special skill set needed for decorative painting from those who came before her. Even if a client doesn’t have a clear vision of what they want, Orellano knows how to begin the conversation.
“An idea can come from something they saw or a memory,” she says. “When [clients] see pictures of things we make, they remember things they like, too.”
Decorative painting can be found anywhere in a house: floors, walls, and ceilings. Entire rooms can be filled with hand-painted murals, or a room’s chandelier can be emphasized with ceiling painting that draws the eye upward. Floors are an especially effective canvas, with bold patterns or faux effects that transform a standard surface. One previous Holtz project involved painting a wood floor to look like marble tiles, complete with veining. In another instance, the Holtz team painted a geometric pattern over concrete in a business office.
Orellana says floors are her favorite projects, because they require attention to detail. “It’s like a challenge for me,” she says. “I’m really picky; I want everything to be perfect. When [I’m told] I have a floor to do, I get happy.”
Floors are interesting, she says, because few rooms have perfectly straight lines, which means accurate measurements are essential. “You have to be precise and patient,” she says, noting that she begins by laying out a plan or pattern to see how it really fits. Once she has made adjustments, she starts painting in the center of the room and works outward.
Orellano assists the wallpaper team by painting light switch plates or other wall elements, like vents, so they become nearly invisible to the casual observer. Whatever the task, she says decorative painting is sure to have an impact.
“You can make a difference, have a happy room – do whatever you want,” she says.
by HJ HOLTZ | Jul 23, 2024 | Decorative Painting
The view inside the Heacocks’ living room is every bit as compelling as the view outside, thanks to careful planning and the skills of an H.J. Holtz & Son’s decorative artist.
The couple’s house is situated on a lakefront lot, and a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows offers a generous perspective. But inside, a chimney breast covered in decorative Venetian plaster provides the crowning touch above the glass-enclosed gas fireplace, which sits atop stone tile.
“There’s so much glass in the room, we needed to anchor the space,” Lynn Heacock says.
The new house in suburban Richmond is the fifth that the homeowners have built together. Most of their residences incorporate contemporary design elements. “I love California design,” Heacock says. “And we like building houses with windows all the way down to the floor.”
Heacock wasn’t familiar with Venetian plaster until Leah Dodge, of Decorum Interiors, suggested using the finish to create a dramatic focal point in the living room. To achieve the look, decorative artist Diana Orellana applied a lime-based plaster that includes aggregate materials for texture. Using a trowel to spread thin layers, one on top of another, Orellana created a veneer that is truly one-of-a-kind.
“I loved the idea of it, and the process went beautifully,” Heacock says, adding that had she anticipated how much she’d like the finished look, she might have incorporated more Venetian plaster elsewhere in the house.
The Venetian plaster project was the first time the Heacocks had worked with H.J. Holtz & Son, but it won’t be the last. The Holtz wallpaper team is scheduled to hang wallpaper in the home’s half bathrooms in the coming months. Until then, the couple and their guests can enjoy the view in the living room.
“Several people have come in and said this [treatment] is stunning,” Heacock says. “Everybody who comes in loves it. We’re very happy with it.”
