New Book Explores Architectural and Interior Design Processs
Photography by Durston Saylor
In late August, Charlottesville architecture and interior design firm Purple Cherry Architects released its first design book, The Design of a Country Estate, published by Gibbs Smith. Founder and principal Cathy Purple Cherry tells the story of a grand country estate and how the vision came to life. The main house, guesthouse, and seven outbuildings are dissected in detail so readers will experience what it is like to develop such a comprehensive project, from the planning to the execution, and all the steps along the way. The book focuses on the thought processes behind each decision, whether it is the materials employed or the location of each building for walkability and use. Luxury home enthusiasts and design professionals alike will find inspiration throughout the pages, whether the dream is a cozy cabin in the woods or an expansive country estate.
The following text and images are excerpted from a section of the book that details the design of the main house’s entertaining and working spaces—the office, den or “winter room,” billiards room, and double-story bar room.
While most of the home has white walls, this office is a departure with its moodier palette of dark slate blue that we wrapped around the entire room and softened with warm tones in the brown leather armchairs, flooring, and brass lighting.
To keep the room from feeling closed in, we included French doors that lead to the billiards area. A freestanding table versus a traditional desk and a neutral rug impart airiness. A porthole window to the bar beyond adds a little whimsy, and a hidden closet behind a bookcase panel feels like something out of a who-done-it mystery. Disguised doors often lead to another room, hide such office support items as printers, or conceal a home safe.
You see the power of millwork in the billiards room as well. A curved Douglas fir beadboard ceiling over the pool table feels reminiscent of a ship’s hull and sets this area apart. Specially designed ledges along the perimeter, topped with a slate slab inset, provide a place to set down cocktails in between play.
The waterfront side in this part of the home features a small den, which we call the “winter room.” For us, a monochromatic dark color creates coziness, and this deep blue helps to bring down the ceiling height. There’s a cocooning attitude that makes you want to snuggle up when the temperatures drop. And just like the kitchen, this space connects to an identical screened-in porch used for sitting outside around a wood-burning fireplace during cooler months.
At the very end of the house sits the stepped down, built-in bar room. It’s quite a spectacular space with a Chicago brick backdrop and a tall, vaulted ceiling that definitely adds a wow moment. Horizontal V-groove wood panels, used for the bar’s base and on the walls, convey a playful, nautical vibe. A dartboard hides behind an interior shutter for when the mood strikes, and it’s fun to show the reveal.
The double-story volume here was created for drama but also to integrate the bar into the primary guest suite on the second floor. Windows in that suite look down into the bar and are also framed in Douglas fir to provide some continuity between the two floors. A jib door offers another surprise in the bar. It opens to reveal a narrow stairway that leads to the lower level. If you run out of Pinot Noir upstairs, you can descend to the wine vault without having to go back through the house. As well as a conversational touch point, it also conjures up that feeling of going to a hidden speakeasy of yesteryear.