When our client Kathryn Everett first invited us out to Chancellor's Rock Farm which she and her husband Tony Everett had recently purchased, Seth Ballard could not believe the luck and honor to be hired to help with the preservation and renovation of such an amazing property.  

This amazing working farm and estate features 500 acres in Rappahannock County, Virginia, and borders the Rappahannock River.  The original talented design team of Architect Richard Williams, Landscape Architect Richard Burck Associates, and Interior firm Solis-Betancourt teamed up over the 1990s to create the AIA award-winning project of the pool house and pavilion, a stone addition to the main log cabin farmhouse, guest houses, and the surrounding landscape.

The estate had been for sale for a dozen years, run by a farm manager, but with the buildings left empty of their original furniture and habitats and left with only minimal upkeep.

Our project and challenge, I likened to that of putting a team together that could follow the analogy of a Monet working behind Davinci. The project had been featured in Architectural Digest in 1994 and 1999, and it was detailed, designed, and built to a very high level.

Yet, the kitchens and baths were dated, the HVAC systems not working properly, the basement of the farmhouse leaked air and water, the attic was full of snakes and uninsulated, the pool house had water issues from no gutters and downspouts, the changing rooms though amazing did not have enough light, the farmhouse was dark and needed more light and the basement of the farmhouse was unfinished.  Also, with the farmhouse being a working farm, we decided the main house needed a mudroom and front porch.

As a first step, Kathryn Everett, owner of the project and a very talented Landscape Designer and gifted interior designer, met to review all of the project goals. Kathryn sold a through-and-through beach house in the 4x4 area of the Outer Banks and planned on moving most of the furniture from this family home to use in the various homes of the Chancellor's Rock Estate. However, assembling and locating these pieces, and complementing them with the right fabrics and furniture required rounding out our team of Architect and Landscape designers/Clients with a professional interior designer. After some interviews and asking around, we found Melanie Gowen who proved to be the perfect complement to our team. Finally, Kathryn and Tony listened to me when I said I had the perfect General Contractor in Jerry Staley and his company Gerald Staley Builders.  Jerry lives in a Williamsburg replica home on a hillside in Round Hill, complete with horses and a limp from always walking on a hill.

Everything was driven by the amazing taste of the Clients, but together, we worked very hard to design and detail a replacement kitchen designed for Tony's gourmet cooking and their regular entertaining of guests. With walls that were literally crooked in every direction, we added a ledge between the cabinets and the log walls and were careful to preserve the original cabin's feel, while complementing it with lighter finishes and new appliances. All lighting was redone and the logs refinished and brightened up, and the floor was refinished carefully.   Most of the lighting was selected from Urban Electric Company and their level of craft really has added to the gem of a project.

Ballard Mensua designed custom vanities for all of the bathrooms, modeled after antiques, and worked with Kathryn to choose earthy tiles, that feel like the correct vintage for the home while lightening and freshening up the overall feel. The master bath color palette blends chestnut to match the original home, with hand-baked ceramics in a Williamsburg blue, mixed with limestone of two colors and cream cabinets, resulting in a wonderful patina. We opened up the bathroom to the closet hall and Jerry did an amazing job of tying in the new chestnut paneling to blend with the original.

The basement transformation from an unfinished cellar to a working Laundry Room, cedar closet, pantry, and 2nd backup kitchen with freezer and second fridge, wine storage with fresh bright finishes added to the already amazing home above. A new geothermal heating system and all new ductwork, plus new insulation throughout the home have significantly improved the livability of the home.

Finally, the front porch and mudroom are equivalent to having to touch up an amazing painting and the result coming out to where the viewer cannot see that the painting was touched. We are very proud that the porch and mudroom feel original, and not only don't detract, but they add to and improve the home in function and aesthetically from the front.

Carrying this outside to Kathryn's amazing landscaping efforts to further develop and restore the beautiful gardens. New pergolas, patios, walls, approach, paths, and plantings better provide a connection between the buildings of the complex and views and vignettes.  

Furnishing all of the buildings is another example of Kathryn and Tony's amazing taste. With amazing help from Melanie and some voting rights from Seth Ballard, Principal of Ballard Mensua, the strong and vibrant color palettes used and soft textures of velvet complemented by other natural fabrics, result in a home that you don't want to leave. Even more amazing is that the log cabin fever that can quickly infect anyone living with too much wood, is really countered extremely well because there is plenty of contrast.

The subtle move of the method of attaching the gutters to the pool house is also something we are proud of as touching this masterpiece was again, something we only did lightly and with respect. We are happy that again, the building only looks better after we completed our work.

The new fencing and gardens that the Everett's have built have both turned out amazing to look at and have produced top-quality products. Now the farm will be selling their garden and meat products to the Fiola Mare family of restaurants and hosting special events in association with the restaurants. We look forward to seeing the full potential of the farm develop and remain extremely proud and honored to be included in the project.