by HJ HOLTZ | Apr 24, 2019 | Designer Projects
Eric and Vicki White, whose home at 1534 Park Avenue in Richmond’s Fan neighborhood is on this year’s Garden Club of Virginia Historic Garden Week tour, have opened their home to the public before.
More than five years ago, the Whites participated in the Fan’s annual Christmas tour, which is a significant fundraiser for the neighborhood. When the couple was asked to be on this year’s Garden Week tour list – the first time the event has included homes in the Fan – it was an easy yes.
“This is good for the community, and it’s a good cause,” Vicki White says. “Plus, this [tour] is wonderful because the Garden Club comes in and does all of your flower arrangements.”
The Whites’ historic home was built in 1915 by noted architect Duncan Lee. As the Garden Week of Virginia program guide notes, the house has been altered over the years, changing some of Lee’s vision but creating spaces more attuned to modern-day living.
“We really liked how the house was freestanding and has a nice – and small – back yard,” White says. “There’s a solarium as you enter, so it’s very light and bright, when so many Fan houses are dark.”
The Whites have relied on H.J. Holtz & Son for numerous projects since 2009, when they moved into the home and Holtz was recommended by their interior designer, Robert Rentz. Over the years, Holtz team members have repaired plaster and woodwork as well as painted throughout the house.
To prepare for Garden Week, H.J. Holtz & Son painted the home’s exterior last year and freshened the shutters, which included removing them for inspection, repair and repainting. The company also painted a small basement – walls and floor – and painted outdoor furniture that is used in the back yard.
Vicki White says she’s been delighted to have office manager Carol Hudson as her primary contact because Hudson understands the importance of Garden Week.
“Carol is always on top of everything,” Vicki says. “She has been really great about working everything in. She e-mails me and keeps me updated.”
The company’s communication and responsiveness are top-notch, White says.
“Everything is well-coordinated among supervisors, and everyone is really responsive,” she says. “When they say they are going to be here, they’re here. Everyone is knowledgeable, and they do a great job of cleaning up.”
Ultimately, White says, she knows she can trust H.J. Holtz & Son.
“You find somebody who does what they say they are going to do, it’s worth a lot,” she says.
Garden Club of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week is April 27-May 4. Proceeds support the restoration and preservation of 40+ historic public gardens and landscapes, a research fellowship program, and a Centennial project with Virginia State Parks. Tours in Richmond include the Fan, Westhampton and Manakin-Sabot. For schedule and ticketing information, visit www.vagardenweek.org.
by HJ HOLTZ | Aug 10, 2018 | Designer Projects
Every other year, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra League enlists the aid of interior designers and other home professionals to transform a house into a showcase for the latest trends in home design. This year, as in past years, H.J. Holtz & Son is partnering with several designers in various locations, offering services in support of RSOL’s charitable goals.
“We’re always happy to help out with the RSOL Designer House,” says company president Rick Holtz. “It’s a great community fundraiser, and we get to work with designers to execute their visions as well as display the range of our employees’ skills.”
This year’s house, Holly Lawn, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Completed in 1901, the house in the Hermitage Road Historic District sustained significant damage in June 2016 when a 175-year-old red oak crashed into the house’s front façade. The home has been carefully restored by the homeowners and will be open to the public for tours during the RSOL event.
Kenneth Byrd, Library
Kennethbyrddesign.com
Kenneth Byrd, principal of Kenneth Byrd Design, partnered with H.J. Holtz & Son at the last RSOL Designer House and has worked with the firm on several private residential projects. He appreciates the company’s work ethic.
“We know we can get the job done professionally and well; that’s priceless in this business,” Byrd says. “You tell them to do something, you know it’s going to get done.”
In Holly Lawn, Byrd’s design incorporates influences from recent travel, specifically from Morocco. Holtz & Son will paint the crown molding and ceiling in “as glossy a finish as we can get,” he says.
“The ceiling really is a fifth wall,” Byrd notes. “It gives greater depth to the design and more for people to look at. You can get a real bang for your buck by doing something on the ceiling.”
Ironically, Holtz & Son isn’t hanging wallpaper for Byrd in the room. Instead, Byrd’s team is using a double-sided painter’s tape to hang a boldly patterned design temporarily. “I’m testing the approach in my own home,” he says.
Sara Hillery, Child’s Bedroom
sarahillery.com
As principal of Sara Hillery Design, Hillery is approaching this RSOL room with a liberal attitude and her daughter – an 7-year-old who loves animals and the outdoors – in mind.
“Usually, I’ll do a kid’s room on a budget,” Hillery says. “Here, we get to blow it out, give it some real style.”
Hillery is having Holtz hang a recycled paper wallcovering that is similar to grasscloth. Workers will have to navigate the room corners, which have cut-out details and niches.
“It’s tricky because [the covering] has a felt fabric background,” she says. “It will add texture to the room, so it’s not just painted plaster walls.”
She’s hoping the bold approach will be inspirational. “I’m hoping this will encourage parents to think about their kids a little more, to think about whether their child would embrace something more than a bed, dresser and nightstand.”
Hillery worked with Holtz & Son in the last RSOL Designer House, in which the Holtz team painted the kitchen walls and floor. She is happy to partner with the firm again. “It’s hard to move on when someone offers that kind of detail,” she says. “They are just awesome.”
Melissa Mathe, Bedroom
Mathedesign.com
Principal Melissa Mathe is happy to work with Holtz & Son in a second RSOL Designer House. “They’ve become my go-to,” she says. “I know I can always count on them for wallpaper install and custom paint treatments.”
In Holly Lawn, Mathe is having Holtz workers paint the room and an art rail. Walls and ceiling will be white, and the railing trim will be a glossy black. “I’m showing color by using the absence of it,” Mathe says. “I’m designing a room for children, but not young children.”
Mathe says it’s important to have experienced painters for every job, even when the task might seem simple. She notes that older homes, especially those with plaster walls – like the ones found in Holly Lawn – might have surface irregularities.
“You don’t want paint to highlight imperfections,” she says. “You want to have a quality installer who knows how to hide those imperfections.”
The Richmond Symphony Orchestra League Designer House hours are Sept 17-Oct. 14, Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person. For more information, visit rsol.org.
by HJ HOLTZ | May 11, 2018 | Client Work, Designer Projects
Visitors to this year’s Charlottesville Design House, benefitting the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE), will see H.J. Holtz & Son craftsmanship in several areas: the entrance foyer, the living/dining room, and a guest bathroom. Holtz & Son is a regular contributor to charitable home shows, believing in the importance of philanthropy within the business model. “We’ve benefited from the support of our community for over 80 years and do at least one significant charity project annually as a way of showing our gratitude,” explained Rick Holtz. “This project just fit right in with our philosophy, so we were eager to be involved.”
Charlottesville’s SHE provides a safe environment, support and resources for survivors of domestic violence. This is the 10th year that a Design House has been decorated by local professionals and opened for tours, with proceeds benefitting SHE. This year’s house, Wind River, was built in 2001 and features more than 6,000 s.f. of living space. Information about visiting can be found at http://cvilledesignhouse.com/.
Entrance Foyer
Franny Hurt, of Franny Hurt Design, found H.J. Holtz & Son in her quest to find the right lime wash contractor for her home. “They are only one of two [companies] in the state who apply this lime wash,” she says. After conversations with company staff, Hurt realized how much more the firm does. “When I [was given] the foyer and knew I wanted to do grasscloth, I thought this was a great opportunity to work with them on the wallpaper.”
Because the foyer is relatively small and dominated by the staircase to the second floor, Hurt says, she knew it would be important to update the space through paint and wall covering. With dark paint on the stair woodwork and trim, she needed something that would blend well. “Nothing is warmer than grasscloth wallpaper,” she notes. “It’s a great neutral that provides wonderful texture.”
Hurt said the Holtz & Son team’s thoughtfulness was evident during the scheduling process. “I wanted to move as quickly as possible, to get the paper up,” Hurt says. “But they recommended waiting because of all the traffic in the house: the furniture that was being moved up and down the stairs.
“Given the condition of the walls after it was all done, I was very glad [for the wait] because the paper would have gotten scuffed.”
Hurt also credits the craftsmen for their attention to detail in hanging the cloth. “With grasscloth, you don’t have to line up a pattern image, but you can get a stripe effect because the rolls have different lines,” she says. “With little direction from me, they did a fantastic job of laying out all those stripes.”
Living/Dining Room
While Wind River might be the first Charlottesville Design House for Chloe Ball and Kathleen Conroy of Kenny Ball Design, the pair has been working with H.J. Holtz & Son since their go-to wallpaper installer retired a few years ago. “They are very professional, and they come often to Charlottesville on business,” Ball says. “We have a lot of projects with them.”
For this project, Ball and Conroy had been conferring with Stephanie Snyder, owner of Palette Paint and Home, on a particular Farrow & Ball paint color (carried exclusively by Palette), when a visiting Farrow & Ball representative suggested wallpaper instead. The result: Original neutral beige walls now have Farrow & Ball Inchyra Blue (a dark blue-gray); shimmering gold wallpaper on the ceiling lightens the space. “It’s to die for,” Ball says.
Additionally, Holtz & Son took a table donated by Palette Paint & Home and painted it to resemble a tray that Ball and Conroy fancied. “It’s this papier-mâché tray that we were wild about,” Ball says. “We mailed the tray to Holtz & Son and said ‘This is what we want.’
“It’s so good!” she adds. “We can dream it, and they do it.” Ball says she and Conroy enjoy the partnership with Holtz & Son. “It’s always nice to recommend them because we know they’re going to do a great job.”
Guest Bathroom
Moyanne Harding, of Interiors by Moyanne in Lynchburg, first worked with Holtz & Son in a Richmond Symphony Design House, because she needed someone local to paint and wallpaper her assigned room. “I was really pleased; they did a beautiful job,” she says.
After discovering that Holtz & Son has expanded its service area to include Charlottesville, Harding was again happy to use their expertise. “My paper hanger from Lynchburg was too busy [for the Charlottesville Design House],” she says. “I do stuff all over Virginia, and they are willing to travel.”
Harding’s upstairs guest suite includes a “huge” bathroom in which she couldn’t change layout or tile. She decided to update the space with some new fixtures and Farrow & Ball wallpaper, “which turned out beautifully,” she says.
Holtz & Son’s professionalism is top-notch, Harding says. “As a designer, I’m really really busy, and I need someone to get in there and to the job fabulously,” she says. “I don’t have to call and check up on them.”
With this project, the team ran into a surprise at the end when there wasn’t quite enough wallpaper left to cover the walls in the water closet. “So we collaborated, and just did one wall,” Harding says. In the end, she adds, it’s about getting the job done right. “Holtz & Son knows the business,” she says, “What we do and why we do it that way, and the order we do it in.”
The Wind River house is open now through May 20th. Visit the website for details.
by HJ HOLTZ | Apr 17, 2017 | Designer Projects, Residential Painting
During the last week of April the Garden Club of Virginia will hold their annual tours of homes and gardens throughout the Commonwealth. Conducted in over 30 towns and cities in Virginia, it is the only statewide home and garden tour in the nation.
Garden clubs in the Richmond area invite you to come along and experience Virginia’s unique mix of tradition, elegance and spring. Beginning Wednesday April 26th you can visit 20 homes and gardens in the Richmond area that offer a sweeping vision of Virginia architecture and landscaping. You may just experience how Downton Abbey might appear in contemporary Virginia.
In addition to enjoying the gardens and homes you will want to note the strategies owners adhere to in protecting the heritage of their homes while still making them feel new again. In the near future you might be planning a graduation party, perhaps a wedding celebration at your home, maybe a golden anniversary. Or you may be thinking of selling your home. If you are, jot down tips you take away from the tour. It could be the particular color chosen to repaint an exterior. Or it might be as simple as an arresting rose hue applied to a front door that refreshes the entire front of the home. What you learn may inspire your own home restoration.
We have provided dramatic interior and exterior renovations to historic homes throughout Virginia since F.D.R. was president. For the past 30 years the team at H.J. Holtz and Son have sponsored the Garden Club tours. Additionally, owners of homes on the tour have often called upon us to help them prepare. This year there are three homes along the Richmond tour that showcase the level of quality we bring to the art of restoration.
The homes are located on Monument Avenue which the Garden Club of Virginia tour guide cites as a National Landmark District, “regarded as one of the most beautiful boulevards in America.”
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- 1800 Monument Avenue. With a view of the Robert E. Lee monument, this “Late Georgian” design with Greek revival detailing was built in 1931 and designed by William Bottomley . The owner, Mrs. Carole Conner, enlisted us to perform interior and exterior detail work. From painting the exterior shutters to having our decorative painters touch-up the original finish in the library.
- 1828 Monument Avenue. The elegant redbrick residence is owned by Susan Snyder. Designed by Claude Knox Howell, the home was built around 1907. Designer Janie Molster recently brought us into the home for interior painting and plaster repairs. The prep work is indicative of the painstaking restoration that goes into these treasured homes.
- 1839 Monument Avenue. The house was the first major independent commission by the noted Richmond architect, W. Duncan Lee, who was 23 when the home was built in 1908. The owners, Dr. and Mrs. Roger Tutton, had our team perform interior and exterior painting, exterior carpentry work, caulking and other “finesse” touching-up.
If you are considering interior or exterior renewal of your own home give us a call to see how we can bring new life to your own Virginia treasure.
by HJ HOLTZ | Dec 21, 2016 | Client Work, Designer Projects
Collaborating with designers is an important and wonderful way for us to work together to help clients visualize and achieve their goals. On the project below we collaborated with local designers Nan McVey and Margaret Valentine of McVey-Valentine Interior Design to create a gorgeous, refreshed foyer without lifting a hammer or destroying a wall. Nan and Margaret worked with Rick Holtz to launch the project and relied heavily on Jeff Ragland’s team at H.J. Holtz & Son for design input.
In speaking with Nan McVey we understand the process of creating an updated space for our client.
“The client has always gravitated to an ethereal palette. We took the colors from the living room, and translated them into a new linen fabric from Cowtan and Tout for the window fabric and glass/stone trim. We then used the geometric pattern to choose the colors for the floor design, always favoring Farrow and Ball paints. The floor design was a collaboration between The H.J. Holtz team and McVey-Valentine. Several color boards were considered before choosing the perfect one. The diamond accent design replicated the color of the hand forged metal poles that were used for the window hardware. We learned that the Farrow and Ball floor paint did not require a finish coat, which expedited the process for a busy family.”
“The wall paint design worked off of the same colors. The existing wall moulding dictated the design. One floor paint was a base coat, and the other was combined to make a faux finish within the moulding. The trim color was a tried and true Farrow and Ball color with warm tones.” The patterned floor and and faux paint “pulled together a long narrow space, while giving it some interest and dimension. The textures in the fabric, floor design and faux painting all spoke to each other.” Which leads to an inviting, beautiful space.
Before:
And after!
The transformation is amazing! The diamonds were painted on a smaller scale, with inserted smaller diamonds on point connecting the larger diamonds. A border was also added which creates even more interest on the floor. The mouldings now pop because of the contrast of color and the faux painting in the middle gives the wall depth. The faux painted light fixture matching the wall completes the room.
Nan and Margaret said “One of the luxuries of the job was the ongoing relationship we have had with the client. We value their input, and they trust our judgement. All of these factors worked together to make a winning combination.” We at H.J.Holtz & Son are lucky to have this relationship with designers like McVey-Valentine because together we can make magic.
by HJ HOLTZ | Nov 30, 2016 | Client Work, Decorating Tips, Designer Projects
At H.J. Holtz & Son our talented craftsmen are often asked to create a painted graphic for our customers. A painted graphic can be anything from a pattern to a stripe… whatever the customer desires! Below are some examples of what our talented artists can do.
Recently we did a unique project with Janie Molster Designs, for Initiate-It, a local marketing firm, and it looks amazing! Using a word bank supplied by Initiate-It, our artists spread out across the wall, stenciling the words in chalk within the flow of a swirl. Emulating different fonts, widths, depth and height of letters; they used assorted brushes with different widths and sporadically placed color down the wall.
The finished product is an inspirational “graffiti” wall which showcases the ability of our artists to blend their improvisational skills and creativity into one.
The stripes on this wall is also an example of a painted graphic. The stripes are created by taping off the area, painting, then reverse painting. Notice that the whiteboard looks 3D!
This commercial garage is another example of a painted graphic. At first glance you may not notice all of the different shades in each geometric ribbon, though upon closer inspection you can see all detail that went into these walls. The colors and shape add interest while helping users find their car more easily.
A painted graphic is not exclusive to commercial buildings. In this homeowner’s garage we painted the faux chair rail. Graphic paint can be as simple as a single stripe in a room! In this situation the simple stripe divides the top and bottom color.
Or it can be complex like this this beautiful compass rose we painted in the Southern Traditions Homearama home in Hallsley. You can see the multiple colors used to create the depth of the arms and the light blue accent rings. The compass rose adds interest to the room and centers the light fixture in the nautical themed space.
Stenciling is another type of a painted graphic! Our own logo was stencil painted on the exterior of our building. Using the stencil kept the blue from bleeding into the red and white, recreating our logo at an astounding size. If you would like to explore including a painted graphic in your home or business give us a call for a free estimate.
