Every Room In This Richmond, Virginia, Home Is Designed to Feel Like a Vacation
“When they’re home, they really want to be at home,” says Richmond-based interior designer Janie Molster of her clients, Ammar and Sara Sarraf, two full-time doctors with three young kids. “They’re so committed to their careers, and they also have this busy growing family that, you know, needs full attention!” The couple called on Molster to help them turn an outdated 1950s cottage in a leafy Richmond neighborhood into a fully functional family retreat. “They did have a long wish list,” Molster recalls. “They wanted to be able to spread out.”
This meant the house would need to be renovated “down to the studs,” per Molster, then expanded to include a more comfortably sized kitchen and dining room, plus larger living spaces and bedrooms. “We definitely almost doubled the square footage,” Sara says.
Light now tumbles inside at every turn: An 8-foot ceiling by the front door was scrapped to create a two-story entryway, and the new dining room has a 14-foot cathedral ceiling. Just off the kitchen, the family now sits down to breakfast beside a whole wall of windows overlooking the backyard. But it’s the details in each room that reflect the family’s passion: getting out and seeing the world.
“When we first got married, we went to a ton of different places, and later with the kids,” Sara says. “And I’ve just always loved the Mediterranean.” A collection of imports—Italian Savonarola dining chairs, multiple Moroccan rugs—are mixed with American-made pieces: ombré curtains in Kevin O’Brien Studio velvet, a Hubbardton Forge chandelier, works by Southern artists. In the son’s room, Molster covered the angled ceiling above the bed in a blown-up world map to inspire dreams of the family’s next destination: “Kids need a retreat just like we need a retreat,” she says.
And each room, really, feels like an escape. “You want to have this sort of romantic feeling of being transported elsewhere,” Molster, a mother of five herself, explains, “because with young children, it’s often hard to be anywhere else.”
Dining Room
“We thought of this as almost like a destination restaurant,” says designer Janie Molster of the transporting dining room in this Virginia home.
Paint: Ciao Bella (walls) and Pink Beach (trim) by Benjamin Moore. Art: Sabine Maes. Chairs: Nuevo. Table: Century Furniture. Curtain fabric: Michael Clément. Curtain rod: Orion. Chandelier: Dira. Totems: Julie Silvers. Sideboard: client's own.
Sitting Room
“We wanted this room to be a place where Mom and Dad could go at night, after the kids are in bed, and have a glass of wine,” says Molster.
Paint: Spellbound by Benjamin Moore. Fretwork: Ornamental Plaster Works, through Janie Molster Designs. Chair: Verellen. Sofa: Weiman. Tapestry: antique Flemish, Kim Faison Antiques. Lamp: Currey & Company. Art: Bud Lane, via Lucky Fish Gallery (top), Anne Darby Parker (bottom). Curtain: JAB. Curtain rod: Orion. Carpeting: Fibreworks. Rug: through Janie Molster Designs. Table: Arteriors.
Entryway
The steel-and-glass door by Wellborn + Wright lets in plenty of light, while curtains in Elitis fabric protect privacy (on ONA rods).
Chandelier: John Richard. Paint: Silver Satin by Benjamin Moore. Wall mirror, settee, Oushak rug, coatrack, Spanish coffer: antique, Janie Molster Designs. Pillow: made from an Oushak rug, J&D Oriental Rugs.
Kitchen
“We wanted something to sexy up all that white,” says Molster of the vintage Gaetano Sciolari chandeliers in the kitchen.
Paint: Cloud Cover by Benjamin Moore. Backsplash: Adex USA. Chair and hardware: custom, Janie Molster Designs. Cabinetry: Bluebird Cabinetry. Range: Lacanche.
Family Room
An extra-fluffy, custom Moroccan rug blankets the floor of this room where the family hangs out together. Molster had it coated in Fiber-Seal in order to extend the life of the piece.
Make Any Fabric Kid-Proof
While Molster did apply performance materials in smart locations (Perennials on the son’s headboard, and wipeable leather on the kitchen counter stools), in many cases she went for classic upholstery and rugs. “What we do when we install them is, we have a local service called Fiber-Seal come in, and we have everything treated with it,” she says. “And what the Fiber-Seal does is, it just kind of keeps the spill on the top of the rug until you can get to it. Because any stain will come out of a rug if it’s dealt with promptly.”
Son's Room
“I pictured this precious boy staring up at his map at bedtime, imagining all the places he will travel to,” says Molster.
Paint: Seapearl by Benjamin Moore. Fan: Modern Fan Outlet. Curtain fabric: Robert Allen. Rod: Orion. Rug: ProSource. Headboard: custom, Janie Molster Designs, in Perennials fabric. Blanket: Pendleton. Wallpaper: Murals Your Way. Starburst mirror: Janie Molster Designs. Dresser: client's own. Mirror above dresser: burlwood, vintage. Bedside table: Halo. Bedside lamp: Worlds Away.
En Suite Bath
Paint: Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore. Showerhead and faucets: Rohl. Vanity: custom, Janie Molster Designs. Floor tile: Elon (main), Appomattox Tile Art (border). Hardware: Pepe & Carols. Sconces: Hudson Valley Lighting. Mirror: Carver's Guild.
Parents’ Room
Curtains in ombré Kevin O’Brien Studio fabric (on Orion rods) give the room a luxurious feel.
Paint: Adagio by Benjamin Moore. Pendant: Fortuny. Wallpaper: Cowtan & Tout. Desk: Bungalow 5. Mirror and lamp: through Janie Molster Designs. Chair: Global Views. Bed and bedding: Modern History. Rug: Rosecore.
Daughter’s Room
“I love to do nurseries that avoid motifs and color palettes that a baby can outgrow in a few short years,” the designer says.
Paint: Glacier White by Benjamin Moore. Pendant: Currey & Company. Curtains: Trend (white) and Victoria Hagan (band). Wallpaper: Jane Churchill. Wall art and Moroccan rug: Janie Molster Designs. Carpet: Fibreworks. Giraffe: Melissa & Doug.
Breakfast Room
Paint: Cloud Cover by Benjamin Moore. Light: Hubbardton Forge. Tablecloth: antique suzani, Janie Molster Designs. Chairs: antique Savonarola, Janie Molster Designs. Door hardware: Baldwin.
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