When Eugenie Calderón left her hometown of Richmond to live in Washington, DC, and New York, she never imagined that her next step would be to return home. He says: “I am back here expecting to leave Richmond again as soon as I think about my life, as one does in that quarter of life.” Then I met my husband, Jose Calderón, who is from Bogota, Colombia, and he loved Richmond, so we decided to stay.
The couple started looking for a house after getting engaged. Eugenie, who grew up near Cary Street, says that it was Jose who first saw the potential of the house they chose and its location, and he was right; they like to live there. “For us, convenience was king. … Being close to my family and being close to schools and grocery stores and playgrounds … all these things make life easier here,” Eugenie says.
As a decorator at her firm, Eugenie Calderón Interiors, Eugenie says she is also fascinated by the idea of changing a home to fit their lifestyle. They bought the property in 2018 and started by replacing the small front porch with a new one that covers the entire yard, enhancing the curb appeal.
After the birth of their second child, they began to completely renovate and expand the house. The first building stopped where the dining room ends. Eugenie explains: “We basically gutted the ground floor and fixed all these things. The top floor wasn’t the same, except we opened up the back of it.
Eugenie says she thinks some guests are initially surprised by the color, texture and boldness of her interior. “Everything I do design-wise is based on color and pattern and shape and kind of having that ‘wow’ moment, because I think 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, he says, referring to the collection of works that greet visitors as they enter the foyer and continue through the house. Some pieces are inherited, including an abstract painting in the dining room by a famous New Orleans artist, which once belonged to his grandmother. Others are from local galleries such as Crossroads Art Center, Quirk Gallery and Foyer Gallery. A few were found on New York sidewalks.
“When my grandmother died, she left me an unusual picture because it was her favorite and I was her name. I put it in the dining room, where I pass it every day. I feel like the basis of the design of my whole house was a piece of art.
I think every room should be a conversation piece. Your home tells the world a lot about you.
— Eugenie Calderon
Antique wooden columns found at North Carolina’s High Point Market add a vertical element to the living room. An antique Louis XVI-style rug draped in a kilim rug offers elegance and an unexpected pattern, paired with a tall bolster that Eugenie hand-painted. She says the curtains are the wrong shade of white, but she likes the subtle way the white pops through the white walls. An upholstered ottoman with a pink polka dot fabric and a bold Suzani fabric drapes the sofa’s white color in the space. Multimedia images – many by Eugenie’s mother, Richmond artist and designer Deborah Valentine – add dimension.
In the dining room, where a picture of her grandmother holds the podium, Mr. Brown’s old heroine Eugenie is painted in white paint that hangs on the chartreuse lacquered ceiling, which matches the white walls. Suzani’s colorful cloth covers an antique table that once belonged to her parents. He discovered the cables in their attic and fixed them for the room.
Oversized wallpaper from Design Legacy by Kelly O’Neal adds an unexpected element to the kitchen – set off by the light color of the large butcher’s island, white country floors and colorful Moroccan rugs – while full-length turquoise tiles calm and color the space.
“My mother has this amazing ability to walk into a room and see it upside down,” says Eugenie. “Growing up, my house was always upside down. What he taught me, and I will take this forever, is that doing what everyone else is doing in your house is not a reflection of you; it is a reflection of what everyone expects from you. When you are in your home, it should be your favorite place.”
The Calderóns’ Westhampton home will be open to the public on the Historic Garden Week Westhampton Tour on April 23.
Historic Gardens Week 2026
April 18: Ashland
April 19, 20: The old plantations of Berkeley, Westover and Shirley
April 21: Richmond – South Gaskins; Petersburg
April 22: Richmond – Church Hill
April 23: Richmond – Westhampton
April 24: Richmond – Kent – Valentine House; Virginia Executive Mansion
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