When Eugenie Calderon left her hometown of Richmond to live in Washington, D.C., and then New York, she never imagined her next step would be to return home. “I came back here with the intention of leaving Richmond again once I figured out my life, as you do in a quarter of your life,” she says. “Then I met my husband, Jose Calderon, from Bogota, Colombia. He loved Richmond so much that we decided to stay here.”
After the couple got engaged, they started looking for a home. Eugenie, who grew up near Carey Street, said Jose was the first to see the potential in their chosen home and location. And he was right. they love living there. “For us, convenience was paramount. … being close to family, being close to schools, grocery stores and playgrounds… all of these things make living here easier,” says Eugenie.
As a decorator with her company, Eugenie Calderon Interiors, Eugenie said she was also drawn to the idea of reimagining homes to fit people’s lifestyles. They purchased the property in 2018 and started by replacing the small front porch with a new porch that spans the entire facade and improving curb appeal.
After our second child was born, we began a complete renovation and addition to our home. The original structure stopped where the dining room ended. “We basically demolished the entire downstairs and reconfigured everything,” Eugenie explains. “The upper floor hadn’t changed much except for blowing out the back. If you had walked by here before, you wouldn’t have recognized the house.”
Eugenie said she thinks some guests may be surprised at first by the colors, textures and boldness of the interiors. “Everything I do design-wise is rooted in the fundamentals of color, pattern, and texture to have some kind of ‘wow’ moment, because I believe every room should be a conversation piece. Your home tells the world a lot about you.”
The beauty of art is in the eye of the beholder, she said, and talked about the collection of artwork that greets guests as they enter the front door and make their way through the home. Some of the pieces, including an abstract painting in the dining room by a famous New Orleans artist, belonged to her grandmother and were passed on. Other works on display include works from local galleries such as Crossroads Art Center, Quirk Gallery, and Feuer Gallery. Some were found on sidewalks in New York.
“When my grandmother passed away, she left me an abstract painting because it was her favorite and I was her namesake. I put it in the dining room and walk through it every day. I feel like that piece of art was the basis for the design of the entire house. I found it so captivating just the colors and shapes and the unexpectedness of it.”
I think every room should be a conversation piece. Your home tells the world a lot about you.
—Eugenie Calderon
A pair of antique wood columns found at High Point Market in North Carolina add a vertical element to the living room. A vintage Louis XVI-style banquette upholstered in a kilim rug provides a touch of charm and unexpected pattern, paired with long pillows hand-painted by Eugénie. She says the curtains are all the wrong shade of white, but she loves how the off-white color pops subtly against the white walls. An ottoman upholstered in pink polka dots and a bold Suzani throw on a white sofa bring color to the space. Multimedia artwork, much of it by Eugenie’s mother, Richmond artist and designer Deborah Valentine, adds dimension.
In the dining room, where her grandmother’s paintings take center stage, an old Mr. Brown chandelier, which Eugenie repainted white, hangs from the chartreuse lacquered ceiling and blends with the white walls. Colorful Suzani cloth covers a vintage table that once belonged to her parents. She found the curtains in the attic and reused them in the room.
Design Legacy’s large graphic wallpaper by Kelly O’Neill adds an unexpected element to your kitchen. Based on the bright colors of the island’s large butcher block, rustic white wood floors and colorful Moroccan rugs. Meanwhile, a full-height turquoise tile backsplash calms and colors the space.
“My mother has this amazing skill of walking into a room and making it look almost upside down,” says Eugenie. “When I was a kid, my house was always being turned upside down. She taught me, and I’ll always cherish this, that doing what other people do at home is not a reflection of yourself, it’s a reflection of what other people expect of you. When you’re at home, it should be a place you love.”
The Calderon family’s Westhampton home will be open to the public during the Historic Garden Week Westhampton Tour on April 23rd.
Historic Gardens Week 2026
April 18th: ashland
April 19th and 20th: Historic Berkeley, Westover, and Shirley Plantations
April 21st: Richmond – South Gaskins; St. Petersburg
April 22nd: Richmond – Church Hill
April 23rd: Richmond – Westhampton
April 24th: Richmond-Kent-Valentine House; Virginia Executive Mansion
#place #home