May/June 2006

Mission Accomplished

Owners of this Ingleside beach home wanted a detailed design to embrace and entertain their lucky guests.

By Betsy DiJulio

In 2002, Bill Griggs was not looking for a new project, having recently renovated his home in Norfolk’s Ingleside neighborhood. But when a beautiful piece of nearby waterfront property came on the market, he couldn’t resist the nearly 360-degree views of the river. And when the lot’s original home proved to be a “tear down,” he was left with one choice: build from the ground up, a process he began in 2004.

Eleven months and three furniture market trips later, a stunning, Mission-style beach home commanded those river views from virtually every room in the house, as well as from expansive furnished outdoor spaces with accoutrements aplenty.

To create this show stopping home, Griggs, a professional musician cum businessman (he is president of WaysideCleaners.com), and his partner, Ernie Warinner, a.k.a. “Dr. Techno” (employed by Entercom Communications-Norfolk), played back up for Griggs’ high school pal “Cab.” Now an award-winning designer, Cabot Wilson is also vice president of Decorum Furniture, Inc., Hampton Roads’ premier dealer in fine contemporary furniture and the source of many of the home’s furnishings.

Painstakingly designed by the gregarious trio to bring people together for short visits or extended stays, the inviting, 4,700-square foot home (5,300 including the first level multipurpose space and decking) boasts three floors connected by both an elevator and stairs. At ground level, the multi-use space/garage converts into well-equipped guest quarters. One level up, the main living/dining spaces, music room/wet bar, laundry and master suite coexist harmoniously. And at the top, a guest suite with “morning kitchen,” a sitting room “loft” and an office suite—both of the latter with sleeper sofas—pampers residents and guests alike. As Griggs notes, “Cab’s ability to design a space so that when you enter it all you need is your suitcase is a rare find.”

“Modified Mission” only begins to describe the interior design of this home. Though the Arts and Crafts/Mission/Prairie styles are often associated with dark woods, here plaster walls with a buttery yellow “knock-down” finish throughout much of the main living space help lighten the feel without sacrificing warmth. Handsome details, architectural and otherwise, are rooted in history, while a more open floor plan reflecting Griggs’ preference for “an open feel but with defined spaces” updates the vintage style. Hi-tech amenities ground this house squarely but discreetly in the 21st century thanks to Dr. Techno’s wizardry. Explains Bill, “I love technology. I just don’t want to see it.”

For the rest of this story, see the May/June 2006 issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.