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.”