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Kirsten Beatley
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Kirsten Beatley
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Kirsten Beatley
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Kirsten Beatley
It’s not often that a client calls Randall Kipp Architecture for a house remodel.
But that’s exactly what happened when a couple bought a one-story 1970s home in Upper Lancaster County—what Kipp refers to as “the Northern Neck Riviera”—and looked to him to update it without razing it. The result is a light-filled home, minus the walls and lack of views that covered up the house’s potential. “It was better to modernize a building like this that didn’t need to be destroyed,” Kipp says. “The house had good bones; you just couldn’t see them, so there was no overarching reason to tear it down.”
The house was a typical old river cottage with board-and-batten siding, 8-foot ceilings and rooms divided by walls. Those walls were removed, the fireplace was modernized and the living, dining and kitchen spaces became one. “Taking out walls allowed us to add more glass,” Kipp says. “The view of the Corrotoman River was precious to the clients and that’s become the focus. All the spaces are in dialog with each other now.”
A closet near the glass front door was reimagined as a wine room, a reflection of the owner’s career and passion for wine. The existing fireplace was reimagined, and a raised hearth was added. Likewise, in the revamped kitchen the island is enhanced by a substantial piece of reclaimed wood that’s cantilevered off the side of it. “This couple are antique collectors, and they wanted some of their finds incorporated into the design,” Kipp says of pieces such as a large wooden figure of a woman and elaborate columns. “My job is to make the house in harmony with the people who now own it.”
The original owners had created gardens all around the house, which Kipp says was very well sited on the property. To complement what existed, large planters and a rock garden were added leading to the front door. “The living room, dining room and kitchen now all have water views and a view to the front garden,” says Kipp.
New hardwood floors and light flooding in from the front and back of the house make for a home that feels fresh and completely contemporary.
“I’m proud of this project,” Kipp says. “We reused what was there and came up with a better house.”
RANDALL KIPP
Office: 804-438-6287
81 King Carter Drive
Irvington, Virginia 22480
