Situated on the banks of the St. Johns River in an historic neighborhood, the home is a classic southern river house. The architect of the renovation, William A. Leuthold (Bill), says, “I call it ‘Ortega Eclectic Shingle,’ but simply calling it ‘shingle style’ will work.”
This style developed in the coastal areas of the Carolinas, Georgia and north Florida to take advantage of the breezes before air conditioning was prevalent; the cedar shingles naturally repel pests and mildew, while the porches are a great place to relax and take in the breeze.
WRITTEN BY Bek Mitchell-Kidd
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jessie Preza
INTERIOR DESIGN BY Stephanie Jarvis
ARCHITECTURE BY William A. Leuthold
A HOME FOR FAMILY
Interior designer Stephanie Jarvis says, “Primarily the clients needed us to take a smaller historic river house and expand it to accommodate a growing young family with all the newest mechanical systems and construction techniques. The children needed areas to relax and play with toys without those items being in the middle of the entertaining spaces. They also asked to have a comfortable amount of indoor/outdoor entertaining areas that would work for family get-togethers, so we designed a few different gathering areas on porches and around the pool.”
A WELCOMING FRONT ENTRANCE
The front door is fondly referred to as an “Ortega door” because so many people in the neighborhood have some version of it. It’s a wood entry door with glass panels that has a solid entry door behind it. When you are home, the solid door stays open and you can see through the glass door down the entry hall to the formal living room and the river beyond.
ROOM WITH A VIEW
The river room is an all-white (the client’s favorite color) double-height room that is flooded with natural light and endless views of the St. Johns River. Stephanie says, “We kept everything comfortable, kid friendly and with layers of whites/off whites and textures to keep the focus on the gorgeous view. Because this room is surrounded by 12-foot-deep porches, the upper windows make sure that there is no lack of sun and blue sky views from the inside.”
“The new, high-ceiling river room made the biggest impact on the house (during the renovation),” Bill adds. “With relatively low ceilings in the old house, this space opens up and allows relief from the smaller rooms while looking out to the river.”
FAMILY DINING ROOM
This is a family who sits down at the table for dinner, so the interior design team had to come up with something that felt right for the house and was able to handle whatever a preschooler could throw at it.
The concrete table, modern sconces and art balance the very traditional paneled walls, while the diagonal stripe on the curtains keeps everything feeling fresh yet still familiar.
THE PLAYROOM
With three young girls in the family, Stephanie’s design focuses on the “right now.” She says, “These sorts of spaces have a very short shelf life after they are enjoyed by preschoolers/elementary aged kids day in and day out. Knowing this, we encouraged the clients’ selections to push a little further than typical. They will need to be replaced probably about the time the girls are heading into junior high, and this design is set up to transition to a preteen hangout with a TV pretty easily.”
The client says, “We have three little girls and spend a lot of time in the ‘pink room.’ This room is the playroom off the kitchen; it is bright and cheery and already holds many wonderful memories of dolls, forts, stories and card games. I love being able to dip in and out while cooking, still hearing their laughter down the hall.”
UPPER-LEVEL LIVING ROOM
According to Stephanie, the main priorities for the living room on the second floor were:
- A super comfy sofa to wind down at the end of the day.
- A super comfy rug for the kids to go barefoot in pjs while selecting a book to read before bed.
- A small wet bar built into the cabinetry to handle late night bottle duty without needing to run downstairs.
- A focus on the view but in a different way from the river room; Stephanie’s team went all in with the all-blue palette which creates a whimsical feel.
PRIMARY BATH
The primary bath continues with the all-white theme, and without color as a tool, Stephanie relied on the interesting architecture and finishes to carry the day.
“We wanted the primary bath to have a crisp, super clean, sparkly feeling. The arched openings, white marble, polished nickel Waterworks Bond line fixtures and high-gloss white paint mixed with a killer light from The Urban Electric Co. in the arched hall really got the job done,” says Stephanie.
WALLPAPER
Wallpaper is used extensively throughout the home. “I adore wallpaper and the added layers of texture and pattern,” says Stephanie. “There are a number of places where we wallpapered ceilings along with areas where the paper and the fabric are the same print. This adds a great modern but cozy atmosphere without feeling ‘old lady.’”
LIGHTING
Bespoke lighting selections turn on a casual sense of luxury and personality.
“Unique lights really set the mood. The plaster fixture in the river room is one that really needed a custom size and scale. We worked with Julie Neill in New Orleans to design and fabricate just the right thing,” Stephanie explains. “We also have loads of lights from one of our favorite resources, The Urban Electric Co. out of Charleston. They really allow you to customize their lights in so many ways that always feel unique and exceptional at the same time.”
“I cannot say enough wonderful things about Stephanie Jarvis and Sarah Cox. Stephanie was very intentional to design a space that could grow with our family. She listened to our needs and came up with creative ways to ensure the house would be beautiful and comfortable. I enjoyed every minute of our time together and loved watching someone excel in their craft. It is clear Stephanie loves what she does, and I feel very fortunate to live in a home designed with such creativity and attention to detail,” says the client.
Stunning home! Where are the 3 piece coffee tables from in the living room? Thank you!