T
HEY DIDN’T WANT the house just for themselves. Frank and
Mary have two sons and five grandsons. Their first granddaugh-ter
was due in July. Family is of utmost importance.
“That’s what we live for now,” Mary says. “That’s why we
bought this property, so family could come. We don’t have much
left. All the grandmamas and aunts and uncles and cousins that
lived on the farm have since passed. The few that are left, we’re like, ‘please come.’”
The Deans were very hands-on with the original construction.
“It was a labor of love designing that house,” Herring says. “They were engaged and
participated.”
They imbued the home with lots of unique touches. The flooring in the office is
cumaru, a Brazilian hardwood. The fireplace mantles came from historic homes. The
granite tops and cabinets in the kitchen are custom made.
“They were well traveled,” Herring says. “There was a lot of furniture and tiles they
got from other places. They brought furniture back from the islands. They brought a
fountain back from France. They plugged it into the house wherever it would fit.”
The Deans were selling the house mostly furnished, but intended to take the
distinctive dining table, hand-carved and painted in the Philippines, with them to
Florida.
“She didn’t want to leave it,” Mary says. “They went to the Philippines and it took
’em two weeks to make it. The men carved it and the ladies painted it.”
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The den flooring is camaru, an exotic South America wood. The dining table was
hand-made in the Philippines. The sunken living room features a fireplace mantle
rescued from a historic home in Virginia.
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