This Home Will Inspire You to Break with Tradition

"I love history and traditional things just as much as I love unexpected and modern things," says Jenny Lucas. This explains the home she shares with her husband, Brian. From the outside, it's a regal 1941 redbrick home in Richmond's Windsor Farms neighborhood, but inside, unexpected touches—chartreuse lacquered walls, maximalist brass tables, and contemporary art—rule. "The house and the neighborhood remind me of my childhood home, but we wanted to be more adventurous with the decorating choices," explains Jenny. The starting point for her was an antique settee she'd bought for her living room. "As with the house, I loved it, but I knew it had to be updated." So she and Brian turned to their sister-in-law, designer Charlotte Lucas, whose knack for energizing old pieces with new twists they had long admired. First, Charlotte convinced them to re-cover the antique settee in a wild graffiti-style fabric. "Charlotte said, 'Trust me,' and I'm so glad that I did," says Jenny, "because the look is dynamite!"

This daring move set the design agenda for the entire home: Make traditional more lively and livable. While classic 1941 design elements remain hardwired throughout the home with archways, thick moldings, dark hardwood flooring, and a sprinkling of family antiques, the decor is powered by high-energy jolts of color, pattern, funky lighting, and vintage pieces. Keeping in mind that Jenny and Brian have three kids under age 10, Charlotte also made it a family home that's hospitable to Lego blocks and crayons. She planned for a spacious kitchen island, vinyl dining upholstery, comfortable sofas, and plenty of daybeds to accommodate the Lucases in a way that doesn't scream "family of five." See how Charlotte and Jenny boldly redefine classic cool.