Tour an Historic Equestrian Estate in Virginia

Autumn, the air is crisp and invigorating, let’s saddle up the horses and go for a ride! Okay, I don’t have a horse, but I can dream!

Imagine riding your horse on this beautiful estate! The trees are just beginning to change their summer clothes for brighter garments. The manor house pictured below is The Maples and it was built in 1853. In addition to the main house, there’s a guest house with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. There’s also a 4-story stone bank barn, stable paddocks, pool, pergola and a creek.

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I’m so glad foxhunting is now banned in so many places. I have always loved all the beautiful “hunt imagery” seen on dishware, in paintings, etc… of men/women dressed in their red coats and riding gear but I always felt bad for the fox. So glad they have now figured out a way to enjoy the thrill of the hunt without the actual fox. 🙂

Have you ever wondered how that’s done? Hunters now participate in what is called “drag hunting.” A cloth dipped in a special scent hounds can’t resist is used to lay down the trail for the hounds to chase. Can you just imagine how exciting that must be, riding at great speed, following the dogs on their mad pursuit. That must seriously get the ole adrenaline going! There must be some pretty confused doggies when there’s no fox to be found at the end. Ha!

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One of the first things I noticed about The Maples, is the porch ceiling is painted “haint blue.” Love that! If you’re not sure what haint blue is, you can read about it here: Paint Your Porch Ceiling, Haint Blue

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Beautiful entry. I think my favorite thing about this space are those gorgeous brass lanterns hanging the length of the wall on the left of the picture. The floors are absolutely beautiful, too!

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Would love to know what color they used for the walls. The yellow is so pretty. It looks a little like Benjamin Moore, Hawthorne Yellow which is a stronger yellow than the yellow (Sugar Cookie) I have in several rooms of my home.

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A wonderful study…cozy and perfect for a night reading by the fire.

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The dining room was one of the rooms that really caught my attention in this historic home. Many years ago I became enamoured with Zuber wallpaper. This was back in the day when Colonial Homes Magazine still existed. Remember it? It eventually became “Classic Homes” then unfortunately, went away. Anyway, back when it was still Colonial Homes, you would often see dining rooms with beautiful scenes on the walls. The article always said it was Zuber wallpaper.

The French manufacturer, Zuber & Cie is apparently the last factory in the world to produce woodblock printed wallpaper.  I actually requested some samples back then when I was dreaming of doing something like this in my dining room. I still have those somewhere around here. I should pull them out and take pictures for a post some day. 🙂 The price back then if I had wallpapered the area just above the chair rail of my small dining would have been around $25,000, way out of my decorating budget! Still, whenever I see gorgeous murals in dining rooms like the one below, I think of historic Zuber wallpaper. You can read more about Zuber & Cie at Wikipedia, HERE.

Did you notice the Dutch door? I love the transom above the door, too!

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Beautiful kitchen!

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A gorgeous bedroom with a Princess and the Pea 😉 four-poster bed.

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A great bath…love the wall color! It reminds me of the old Duron color, Tea Biscuit I have in my upstairs family room.

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Think we could fit a screened-in porch on the back?

Historic Equestrain Estate in Virginia

Imagine having this view from the porch! I would never go inside! I’d love to see it in winter covered in snow.

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I’ll leave you with this beautiful fall scene…

Home in Virginia

…and a link to the listing where I found all the photos in this post. You’ll find additional information about this wonderful estate there, too.

A Humane Hunt

 

Tour another beautiful equestrian estate here: Historic Gentleman’s Farm  (Picture below is from that post)

Love historic home tours, you’ll find more under Home Tours/Historic Homes at the top of BNOTP or click here: Historic Home Tours

Red Library in Historic Home Equestrian Farm_wm

 

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Comments

  1. pam ~ crumpety cottage says

    Oh my goodness! I absolutely love the mix of old and new. Wow, so many great things to comment on. How about that sunny yellow room? And how cheery it looked with those red pillows? Who would have thought that? The mural in the dining room was exquisite, and I absolutely love, love, love, the cabinetry and counter in the bathroom. Oh, just gorgeous. And that view! Eek. I’m going to be coming back over and over to look at this post. 😀

    (P.S. — I love the horses and hounds photo – so very Englishy)

  2. Lynette Poythress says

    I certainly do remember Colonial Homes wonderful magazine ~ I still have oodles of copies that I can’t bear to part with .. gathering dust. I pull them out from time to time, and pour over the lovely homes pictured inside.
    Thanks for sharing this gorgeous home and property with us. LOVE the beautiful fall scene!
    Lindy (in South Georgia)

  3. Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing!

  4. Hi Susan, thanks for sharing. Such a pretty home and lovely rooms. The view is breathtaking!!!! I’am like you love the horses and the dogs but always felt sorry for the poor fox. Have a great Fall day….

  5. Oh, Susan,
    this is a very beautiful house!
    I especially love the yellow room, the bedroom and that JFK painting!
    Susan, those murals are sooo dreamy! They give the dining room a romantic touch of nostalgia, don’t they, but I think I have never seen a dining room with a Dutch door, before!
    Can you tell this is an Equestrian estate? lol
    ~Hugs to you~
    Cecilia

    • Oh, I forgot to mention the Dutch door. I thought the same thing when I saw it. Usually you see those in the kitchen. Imagine if a horse came up and poked his head in…wouldn’t that be cute! 🙂

      • pam ~ crumpety cottage says

        Yes! I have always had this fantasy (since I was a young girl) of living on a farm and having a dutch door in my kitchen. My pet cow (alternately named Bessie or Bossie, I usually can’t decide) would come up and poke her pretty golden and cream colored face in over the door. 😀 I know a lot of people probably think that sounds crazy, but I still have that dream and actually expect it to happen one day. 🙂

  6. About those wallpaper samples–are they something you could frame and hang like a collection? Or something else crafty?

    • Mia, that’s a great idea! I’ll pull them out and see. It’s been so long since I looked at them, I don’t remember how big they are. I’ll get them out though and share them, soon. Wonder if Zuber still sends samples upon request.

      • And I just checked out the listing. It’s in Upperville, less than an hour from me. I love the Upperville area; it’s just gorgeous any time of year. I also have some fox hunting experience (yay, never caught one) and it is absolutely glorious and thrilling on a crisp autumn morning.

  7. In the United States fox hunters do not kill the foxes. The foxes enjoy the merry hide and seek, which is where the expression being “outfoxed” came from. Masters of the hunt and their staff take great care of the wild foxes, putting out feed in bad weather, providing parasite control, immunizations from rabies. You should read some of Rita Mae Brown’s novels on hunting. They are who-done-its, set in the hunt country, and you learn much about what fox hunting really is while being entertained with a well crafted story.
    LOVE your blog. I look forward to it every day.
    JW

    • Thanks, JW! Glad to hear that! I had read that they can be run to exhaustion, then attacked, which is more than my heart can bear thinking about. I’ll look for her books…thanks for the tip, JW!

      • You might enjoy the novels.
        It’s an imperfect world, so there may be some occasions when the unkind occurs. Nature is not kind either and culls the unfit. Hard realities for us humans. Nevertheless, the M.F.H. has high standards and all hunt clubs are supposed to be members of the M.F.H.
        Enough of that.
        Just want you to know I look forward to every single one of your postings–all the beauty and creativity you share daily. You’ve inspired me to tablescape. Previous to your site, I didn’t know tablescaping existed. Being an artist, I’ve taken to that creative outlet like a duck to water.
        jw

  8. Wow, what a house. It is absolutely beautiful. I checked the listing and in 2006 it went for $900,00 and is now over 4 million.
    I love the bright airy feeling of the house, adore the bathroom with all its closets. The two chairs peeping behind the settee in the living room and as a spare in the dining room, happen to be the same as my dining chairs!! The view is beautiful and yes, you could cover in the porch!!
    In my working life in England, one of our sales executives, was a hunter. We had many arguments over this, I was so against it, so it is nice to see they have at last spared the poor fox. I do, however, have some hunting pictures in my den, I just pretend they are out for a ride!!! 🙂
    Thank you for showing this house Susan, and teasing us with all these wonderful homes!! 🙂

    • Wow, that was a great investment! I wonder if they did a restoration. It looked on the chart at the bottom of that listing like it increased in value dramatically at one point. lol Megan, that’s what I envision with the one I have…the fox ALWAYS escapes! 🙂

  9. Linda Page says

    Oh, my, this house and all the out buildings and grounds are just beautiful. I love the stone out buildings. This reminds me of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticutt where there are lots of beautiful old large houses made of stone. I know that you keep showing these beautiful homes in hopes that I will want to live in those homes instead of moving in with you but your house is still my #1 choice….I just haven’t packed my bags yet!!! I love the wallpaper. One of my favorite towns to tour, Natchez, Mississippi, has many homes with scenic wallpaper. Most of those are in the large main hallways with a curving staircase spilling into the front hall. Oh, be still my heart!!!! I am so southern it is sickening!! I love the dining room and especially the Dutch door. That is so unique. I do not think I have ever seen a Dutch door inside a house as opposed to a door leading outside. I also love a house with transoms over the doors. Thanks for the tour. You always come up with the most fabulous houses to share with us.

    • 🙂 Thanks, Linda! That would be like Humas, wouldn’t it. Didn’t Humas have beautiful scenes in the entry of the home? You’re right, they do normally lead outside. They must have added on the sunroom (that’s on the back of the house) at a later date.

  10. So glad someone set the record straight on fox hunting! So many city people fail to check out the facts before deciding on an issue. The house is just beautiful! My horses & I would love riding out from there! Please keep the historical homes coming! Final note-many more people are “caught” by the fox’s tricks, and they love to outsmart the hounds!

  11. Hi……there was a Fabulous stone barn on a horse farm where I grew up..I hadn’t been in that area for some time and went to visit my brother an sister in law..several yrs ago we rode by there and I could not believe my eyes…GONE…a development in it’s place the farm was so big this development has it’s own shopping center with huge grocery..maybe even PO for all I know..my brother said the kids didn’t want it after the parents passed..how awful…if having a horse was as simple as having a dog or cat I’d have them..we did when I was a kid it was wonderful.! Susan you might like my friends facebook pg with her horse farm in KY…it’s a full service farm..she posts videos there too…from birth to when they go home with their owner..it’s so much fun watching them grow up…December Farm is her page.

  12. Beautiful estate and right near where I live! Fox hunting is a big deal around here, in fact, they call where I live “Hunt country”. I hate it – I think it’s cruel and hope that they switch to dragging soon. Beautiful pictures of the estate! Love the fall here with so many trees! Hugs, Leena

  13. How amazing it would be to live in a place like this! Thanks so much for the tour, what a treat!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

  14. Dear Susan,
    You’ve done such a nice job with this post. It is always a treat to stop by your place and see what’s goin’ on.
    I think the mural in the dining room is lovely and I have thought about painting one in my ‘ole 1885 stone house. Visiting with my hubby about this one.
    After seeing murals in person, it caught my attention, but seeing the ones that you have shared, makes me think more about it all the time. Actually painting on the walls would be a plus with no wall paper peeling. When tired of it, if that should happen, just paint over it all together.
    Now I have to go back and look at that dining room again!
    Blessings and may you have a pleasant Autumn,
    d

  15. Margo Kuhn says

    Susan, thank you for sharing this wonderful home. I love it. I am not sure what part I love the most, it’s beautiful.

    It’s also funny you mentioning the hunt, as a number of years ago I started a needlepoint of the hunt, and it’s so difficult that I work on it only every now and then. I have perhaps 1/4 done. But I too love that look and would love to join in.

  16. This is just a gorgeous house. I love the kitchen and the generous foyer. I love the yellow. I think they can get away with it being bright because of the size of the rooms. In fact I would not change a thing.

  17. I believe this is one of the homes we “visited” on a Virginia Gardens & Homes tour. Upperville area is uber gorgeous!! franki

  18. Ok, I can live there for sure. Gorgeous. Hugs, Marty

  19. We periodically drive through “horse farm country” from central VA to N. VA several times a year and it’s my favorite part of the three hour drive. Have you seen the beautiful stone church in that area (Orange County)? Loved this post! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  20. Margo Kuhn says

    Susan, the needlepoint of the hunt scene is for a framed wall hanging. I hope to hang it in my library if I ever get it done. lol.

  21. After drooling over all the beautiful pictures of this glorious estate I clicked over to the listing and said “I just knew this was in Virginia.” Not really, but I suspected it, heehee. I am coveting that bathroom with the marble counters, floor and tub surround…have you ever seen such beauty? I also love the foyer and the view thru the house to the wall of windows in the back. That chandelier in the “Princess/Pea” bedroom…be still my heart. The entire estate makes my eyes happy. Thanks for finding it Susan. Vikki in VA.

    • I’m so glad…it had the same effect on me! 🙂 You know what you just made me think of…remember the post I did recently showing the inside of Tidalholm used in the movie, The Big Chill? In the picture looking from the foyer past the staircase through to the back of the home, it has a similar view with a wall of windows. Here’s a link to the post if you want to see what I mean. https://betweennapsontheporch.net/the-big-chill-tour-the-antebellum-house-in-the-movie/
      I hadn’t thought of that until you mentioned the view and I looked closer. 🙂
      That is a beautiful chandelier! I love that whole room!

      • I get the DUH award for the day. Went back and read your comments at the top of the post and saw where you said the house was in Virginia!!! I had not seen that when I wrote my comment.

        • No, you were spot on! It does say Virginia, all those rolling hills and pastures. Gorgeous countryside! I have a funny Virginia story that I should tell one day. 🙂

  22. This home is simply gorgeous Susan! You’ve outdone yourself with this one, and that’s saying a lot :).

    I used to volunteer at the local Woman’s Club and their headquarters is an historic home that has a couple of murals such as the one in the dining room. They’re so beautiful and detailed. Hard to come by these days.

  23. Angela Vaughan says

    I remember Colonial Homes! Loved that magazine!

  24. Really gorgeous setting for autumn wishes!! I love the warmth, the richness of the color palette!

    Xoxo
    Karena
    Velvet Pumpkins Giveaway

  25. Beautiful, Susan! Virginia my fave state after KY. Thank you for sharing. Love your blog.

  26. Here is a twist to the “fame the wallpaper samples” idea. If large enough, using them as border around small framed pictures.
    http://www.rshcatalog.com/product/bird_photo_frames/Home_Decor

  27. I love Zuber! I worked for the US distributor back in the early 80’s. I was the person that placed all the orders with Zuber for their murals, wall papers and matching corner pieces. I actually bought four wallpaper corners and used them to frame a mirror and then had it all customer framed. I also bought a lamp made from one of their old wallpaper rollers. Jackie Kennedy had the Americana mural installed in the White House.

  28. Yolly D. Miranda says

    This home is truly an inspiration. I am in the process of building my retirement home and this post really helped me a lot in finalizing the interior design of my house. I love the bathroom cabinetry, the kitchen is so beautiful and I am happy I have some ideas that are featured in this beautiful home.. Love the porches and I am now rethinking my plan for my porches. Thanks a lot for helping a lot of people through your blog site. You are such a blessing to us. God bless you and your family.

  29. I’m a recent subscriber to your blog, and I’m catching up on older posts. I love this house – what a dream to live in such a place. I’ve always loved the scenic hand-painted wallpapers, too, but didn’t know that Zuber was still in business, although fat lot of good it will do me with those prices! I enjoyed seeing the tour, anyway!

  30. Wow such a beautiful estate! Really love the yellow room. I wonder if it might be Farrow & Ball Yellow Ground – I am dying to paint one of my rooms that colour.

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