Tour a Beautiful Victorian Home, Rebuilt After a Devastating Fire

Yesterday we toured the outside of this beautiful Victorian home belonging to Christy and Don. You may remember the original home was destroyed by fire after a lightning strike. It’s really scary to think that lightning can cause such destruction, isn’t it?

Victorian Home with Wrap Around Porch

 

We’ll start our tour here in the entry and a grand entry it is with a beautiful curving staircase. I think it may have been around Christmas when this photo was taken since the mantel is decorated with red Poinsettia. Notice the placement of that gorgeous chest with the lamp and the painting beside it. Isn’t that the most perfect vignette! I love how the lamp and painting nestled in so perfectly against the backdrop of the staircase.

Beautiful Curved Staircase in Victorian Home

 

Many, many years ago, I had an opportunity to go into a very old home that was available for purchase in Forsyth, Georgia. It had been badly neglected but was still beautiful with a grand, columned porch. Sadly the porch is gone now. It fell into such disrepair it had to be removed.

As we stepped inside the front door, the very first thing I noticed was a fireplace in the entry. That was the first time I had ever seen a fireplace in an entry/foyer and I was IN LOVE! Suddenly, a vision started playing in my head. I could see it as clearly as if it was happening at that very moment.

In my mind, the house was all decorated for Christmas. There were wreaths on all the windows, the front door was thrown open and guests were pouring in, arriving for our annual Christmas party. They were laughing and happy as a roaring fire greeted them.

Can you see it? A gorgeous crackling fire blazing away and welcoming cold, bundled-up guests as they come in from the cold. I could see them removing their coats and happily accepting the hot drinks I had for them, moving over near the fireplace to warm up.

It’s funny how one feature of a house could spark such a daydream in my head, but it did! Ever since that day, I’ve dreamed of having a home with a fireplace in the entry. It made me so happy to see one in the entry of this wonderful home!

Mantel decorated for Christmas

 

I think this may be the living/family room since I see a TV over the fireplace. You’ll notice there’s a second stairway coming down into this room.

Blue & White Living Room

 

Here’s a bit better view showing the back staircase and the beautiful kitchen that’s right off the living room.

Beautiful Blue & White Living Room in Victorian Home

 

Such a gorgeous kitchen! I asked Phyllis, Christy’s mom, what type of surface the counters were and she said they are granite. That is one of the most beautiful granites I’ve ever seen! I love how light it is in color…not dark at all! Notice the beautiful chandeliers!

White Kitchen with Granite Counters & Chandeliers

 

Bright kitchens are awesome and this one is blessed with tons of natural light.

Beautiful White Kitchen With Farmhouse Kitchen

 

Kitchen in Victorian Home

 

The mural on the tiles over the stove has a toile design/feel. You’ll see more beautiful toile designs when we visit the bedrooms upstairs. Toile fabrics and toile decorations usually portray pastoral scenes of the French countryside. In this one they appear to be fishing. Does it look like that to you?Elegant Blue and White Kitchen with Wolf Stove

 

Wow, love the chandelier in the dining room…just gorgeous!

Traditional Dining Room with Crystal Chanderlier

 

A view looking down from the back staircase… Let’s head upstairs now!

Victorian Home, New Old House

 

The Master bedroom is furnished with wonderful French Country bedding in a gorgeous red color. The bedding is so beautiful against the wood and rattan of the bed!

Master Bedroom with French Country Linens in Red Toile and Red Buffalo Check

 

If you love the look of this bedding, it’s available for purchase here: French Country Bedding

French Country Toile Bed Linens

 

There’s a fireplace in the master bedroom…sooo love this!

Living Room with Fainting Couch

 

There’s a sitting room/library right off the master bedroom. French doors open up to a deck and I bet the view is amazing!

Upstairs Library in Victorian Home

The guest room is stunning with a wonderful brass bed and lovely toile bedding. I love this room!

Bedroom with Brass Bed and Toile Bed Linens

 

So many things to love from the beautiful brass bed to the highboy to the toile bed linens. I really like the placement of the chair at the end of the bed. It feels so natural there, a great place to sit for putting on shoes when getting dressed.

Beautiful Bedroom, Brass Bed & Toile Linens

 

This beautiful toile bedding is available for purchase here: French Country Toile Bedding

Brass Bed & Highboy

 

This room feels so comfortable, very livable. I think I see a view of the gardens, too.

Beautiful Bedroom

 

The bathrooms are just as beautiful as the other rooms in the home.

Bath, Wainscotting, Marble Floor, Clawfoot Tub

 

A beautiful marble floor and clawfoot tub…

Marble Floor Bath with Claw Foot Tub

 

This photo is a bit blurry but hopefully you can see the pretty sconces.

Bath painted blue with white waincotting

 

I think this may be the master bath. Love the chandelier…so fun having a chandelier in the master bath! It just makes that room feel as special as all the other rooms in a home. There’s a lovely Venetian glass mirror and notice how it’s hung atop a larger mirror.

Bath with chandelier and Venetian Glass Mirror

 

Did you enjoy our tour today of this wonderful Victorian home?

Beautiful Curved Staircase in Victorian Home

 

Thanks so much to Phyllis, Christy’s Mom, for sharing pictures with me so I could share them with you! It makes me so happy that Christy and Don were able to rebuild their home, truly a testament to the enduring spirit we all possess to come back even stronger when confronted with huge challenges.

Did you have a favorite room?

Victorian Home with Wrap Around Porch

*If a post is sponsored or a product was provided at no charge, it will be stated in post. Some links may be affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. *



 Never miss a Between Naps on the Porch post! 

*Subscribe to have updates delivered to your Inbox. 



Comments

  1. Mary Eynard says

    LOVE this home! Also LOVE you web site – I believe we are of a like mind. Would like to see more of my favorite plantation – Rosedown in St. Francisville, LA.

    • Mary, you are in for a treat because I took a gazillion pictures when I toured it. 🙂 I just haven’t had the time to go through them all. I promise to do that soon and post a tour of the inside and outside real soon, hopefully sometime next week. I’ll probably have to do it in two tours, one for the outside/gardens and one for the inside. I took a lot of pictures! I loved Rosedown!

  2. Jill from Southern New Hampshire says

    There are so many gorgeous things about this home, I don’t know where to begin! This was the perfect respite from a pretty rough day at work and brought lots of cheer into the day. I’ve had my eye on that beautiful red French Countryside fabric for years now – it would make beautiful curtains for the family room in our newer colonial home, which has high ceilings and welcomes traditional touches.

  3. Charlotte says

    I could move right into this beautiful home! I love the yellow walls, the kitchen is just perfect. All of the blue & white just makes my heart sing! I love fireplaces too, so cozy, I light mine just about every night in the winter. Thank you for sharing this lovely home!

  4. Thanks for sharing this beautiful home with us. Truly beautiful with lots of great ideas.

  5. Hi Susan! My favorite is the kitchen and living room…I love the whole house. It’s beautiful! Thanks for sharing! 😉

  6. The kitchen is so amazing, it is my favorite room. I love color and really liked how they had used reds and blues throughout the home. The rooms were very peaceful and serene, casual but very elegant. Just lovely!!
    Thanks for sharing.

  7. Sherry Myers says

    I loved this tour! Many homes like this one have a tendency to be dark and stuffy. Not this one. I have done some swooning over this one. Thanks, Susan.
    Have a great day, and stay cool! We are extremely hot here in eastern NC!
    Sherry

  8. Charlotte says

    This is such a beautiful home. Chandeliers everywhere…yes! And yes, the f/p in entryway is so warm and inviting. It’s cozily inviting. Would love to be a house guest! Thank you for the tour of such a charming home.

  9. This is a beautiful home! I love how light it is and seems to have so much natural light. Thanks for the tour, Susan!

  10. I am a new follower. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog!!! I can’t wait to see what you post next. Thank you for such a treat!

  11. I love the kitchen! Do you think the small cabinets beside the stove are used to store spices? And is that a refrigerator and, perhaps, a freezer flanking the stove? How perfect would that be.

    And wouldn’t I just give anything to be able to grow hydrangeas like the one by the porch. Just gorgeous.

    • Hannah, I bet you’re right! That would be the perfect spot for spices. And I bet those are refrigerators with the freezers below. I would love a in depth tour of the kitchen to see where everything is.

  12. Linda Campbell says

    Thanks for sharing the pictures. Next best things to actually getting to tour the home. I loved all the rooms – absolutely breath-taking!

  13. I too LOVE this house! My eyes have had a wonderful feast . Will be looking forward the the rest of the tour. I like the way you point certain things out, otherwise I might miss something . Thank you for sharing this with us. You are my favorite blogger by far!

  14. Wow! I love this house! Especially the kitchen. I agree, that granite is very nice, and I’m not usually a fan of granite. Thanks for the tour!

  15. I would be compelled to do a “Gone With the Wind” entrance every time I came down that beautiful living room staircase: )

  16. Wow I knew I was going to love it! I am in love with the kitchen and connected living room. I’ve enjoyed every aspect of this home. I can’t imagine how sick they were when the first one burnt down. It’s so wonderful to know that a home of this scale and quality can be re-created. Your day dream Christmas gathering sounded quite perfect to me!!

  17. What a gorgeous house! The kitchen is my favorite; and the granite is perfect. Thank you for sharing. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

  18. Wow, very beautiful!! Looks like something out of a movie 🙂

    ~Lor @ lovelyandcozy.com ♥

  19. Marlene Stephenson says

    Loved the inside just beautiful,thanks Susan.

  20. christie long says

    I would LOVE to know how to hang a mirror over a wall mirror as pictured in the above bathroom. I’ve searched to no avail. Any ideas?

    • Christie, I’m not sure either but I have seen it done before. Hopefully Christy will see this comment and can tell us.

      • Susan,
        I believe french cleats were used to hang the two Venetian mirrors over the sinks in the master bath, however, I did not actually see it hung.
        Christy

  21. crumpety cottage says

    Lol, Susan, you know us so well. I was going to ask about that gorgeous bedding and you already thought to include a link. Thank you! Such a lovely place. Do you happen to know if that first photo of the entry foyer was taken from the front door? I was trying to orient myself and was wondering if the front door was across from the stairs or the fireplace. Either way, it’s gorgeous and I loved your little day dream about visitors arriving with on a snowy evening with the fire blazing.

    This is one of those houses with just too many beautiful things to mention. Like Hannah, I was wondering if those were a fridge and freezer flanking the stove. That would be so convenient. I would love one whole side to be just the fridge and the other whole side to be just the freezer. Interesting size, too. More like what the European’s have when they go ‘big.’ I’ve also seen that style in Canada. Btw, are you allowed to tell us in which state this gorgeous house is located? I was thinking somewhere along the eastern seaboard, but not too far north because the beach view yesterday looked sandy.

    Lastly, if Christy would only agree to run it as a bed and breakfast, I think she would stay booked from here to eternity, just from we BNOTPers. 😀

    Gorgeous place. Thanks.

    • Yes, the first picture in the foyer is taken from the front door across from the staircase. To the left of the staircase through the small arch is a passage to the family room. The living room (which was not pictured) is to the left of the fireplace through the archway. Across the room from the fireplace is the dining room.

      • crumpety cottage says

        Thanks for explaining, Christy. I love that arched doorway and little passages. Spaces like that make a house so unique. The whole house is beautiful and I’m sure you love it. Now, what about that bed and breakfast idea? 😉

  22. This is absolutely a beautiful home. I love everything about it. I usually like one or two things, but would change the rest; not this one, it is fabulous. The color in the bathroom looks like a spa. Is Christy a designer or did she hire one?

  23. crumpety cottage says

    Btw, I just wanted to say, good for them for not being defeated by the fire. What a heartbreaking thing that must have been for them, and rather than just give up, they rose to the occasion and created such an impressive and beautiful home. I just wanted to congratulate them on their spirit.

  24. Awww… Susan!
    I L.O.V.E every room of Christy’s home, it’s very, very beautiful, but I especially ♥ ♥ ♥ the kitchen and the symmetrical arrangement of furniture/appliances in it! “Hidden” refrigerators (I know how much you love them! 🙂 ) flanking BOTH sides of the stove is just genius! Being the libra that I am, this is something I, too, would love to have! (And the little “Monk”-ina in me, too. lol)
    Susan, I always fall in love with all the gorgeous homes you post here, but in real life I haven’t been lucky yet, and now I am tired and exhausted. Do you remember what we were talking about in our last e-mails?
    You won’t believe how many homes I have visited (I lost count!) but there’s always something! Either are the homes beautiful but they do have thatched roofs (very popular here) which are very pretty to look at as they always remind me of Thomas Kinkade’s paintings, but which can also be dangerous because of fire, weavers, bugs, algae, etc., so I’m not sure yet if I love them or not, or the exteriors are beautiful but the layouts of the homes are unsuitable to meet our needs, e.g. the kitchens are too small (What?! No eat-in-kitchen?! I am Italian, I live almost EXCLUSIVELY in my kitchen! lol) or there’s not enough bed/bathrooms OR the prices they request would force me to sell a kidney! JK!!! But I don’t give up… I am patient… Really?… Okay… I am not, but my son gave me a beautiful sign that says: ‘Keep calm and listen to the Bee Gees’… and what can I say?
    It helps! (not…) lol
    (But it’s ok, I love those guys and listen to them, anyway!) 🙂
    Okay, bella, come va il progetto per l’Italia? 🙂
    ~Tanti baci~
    Cecilia

  25. Sherry Stuifbergen says

    I loved this tour! My favorites were the entry and livingroom with the back stairs…the kitchen was very nice too…(I like prim kitchens with all my collections showing) so it was a little “too pristine” for me. Yet, I could move in! I could adapt! Thank you!

  26. Wow, what a marvelous home! I missed the garden tour so I’m off to see that and I will be checking out French Country Toile bedding – drool, drool. Thanks Susan, I try to never miss one of your posts. Vikki in VA.

  27. bobbi duncan says

    Oh, girl! You never disappoint. This home is sooo pretty. I love the kitchen/family room and that foyer best, but everything is beautiful and cheerful. I can absolutely envision that foyer decorated for Xmas, with the fire glowing. I would love to have that kind of foyer in our one-day cottage, but going small may be difficult…guess we could have a big foyer and big kitchen and the rest of the home could still be less square footage. See what you’ve gone and done???? Now I’ve got to figure out a way to incorporate that into the house I’m designing lol! We are doing the same blues in our living room and dining room as Christy used in her family room…love that color! Kudos to Christy and Don for bringing their home back to life, and much happiness to them both. Thank you for sharing, as always. Hugs.

  28. Stunning home! Perfection! The kitchen took my breath away!

  29. Susan, thank you again for another wonderful house tour. It is certainly a beautiful home in all aspects. -Brenda-
    P.S.: Some of my favourite homes in architecture are ‘the painted ladies’ of San Francisco … ☺.

  30. Susan, posting this house tour borders on cruelty, lol. Soo beautiful and with my favorite color kitchen. Love a bright, light kitchen ❤️

  31. Shirley Ore says

    Love the beautiful house Susan…I want to live there in my next life.Good luck with your car hunting, I’m like you I drive them till they fall down.My 2001 is still going great, love that ole car, she know me. I really enjoy you blog….it’s the first thing I read in the morning…. Thank you…

  32. Susan, I love this home. It reminds me of my grandparents home in VA.
    What do I love most ? The kitchen. The porch is pretty awesome too. When we imagine winning the lottery and buying any home, this might be my ideal. Born in the south, always a southerner, loving the beautiful home. Christy and Don did a beautiful job.

  33. I love everything about this gorgeous and elegant and also amazing home and love how the rooms are so well decorated and how everything is so wonderful in the colors that she has chose for her home… this home is a “WOW” for me. I love the outside as well as I did the inside and I would love to have a elegant and gorgeous home like this one. I love all the rooms she has shown. all I can say is what is not to love about this gorgeous and beautiful and elegant home.

  34. Michelle Mateer says

    Can you tell me the name of your backsplash tile and tile behind the range. I’m redoing my kitchen and is trying so hard to match yours.
    Thank you
    Michelle

  35. Alex young says

    Sure would love to have that kitchen backsplash. Can you tell me who makes it. Thank you

    • Hi Alex, This post was written four years ago, so I’m not sure how to reach Christy and Don at this point. I don’t have their mother’s email address anymore and she was the one who sent me the photos for this post. If you share the photos with a designer or kitchen supply company in your area, perhaps they will recognize the pattern. Sorry, I don’t have any other information for you.

  36. Christy Rave says

    Susan,
    Just happened to see this today. The toile area behind the stove and backsplash were painted by an artist who does that kind of work but I would imagine that something similar could be found.
    Christy

  37. Alex young says

    Can you tell me what the inspiration picture was for that incredible backsplash? Love, love, love it!

  38. Where did you get the beautiful toile tiles behind the oven? This place is just gorgeous.

Leave a Reply to Jann from Newton Custom Interiors Cancel reply

*