Beth and Juan Astruc have been on quite a journey. 

A vision quest, really, that has spanned decades and epic hurdles, not the least of which were a pandemic and an economic crisis or two. The twists and turns of the couple’s enduring pursuit of a home that would truly represent them and provide for the needs of their family of six are something out of a storybook, complete with a very happy ending.

The classical, nearly century-old Georgian townhome on Monument Avenue they recently transformed from its previous incarnation as an office and residential space to a home is far from what they had originally planned. In 2005, when the Astrucs first approached architect Dan Ensminger about designing a new home to be located on a lot they had purchased in Mooreland Commons in Richmond’s West End, they asked for a modern take on a Spanish style similar to homes Juan knew from his family’s roots in Spain’s Andalusia region.

“We started looking around at other possibilities,” Beth says. “We knew we still wanted a modern Spanish style, but it wasn’t until we were traveling in Spain that we really saw what we wanted. We were in Granada and staying in an old house that was still very traditional on the outside, but when we went inside it had been completely altered to achieve a clean, modern interior. We immediately said, ‘This is us! This is what we want!’”

Their search in Richmond opened up to include older homes they could transform, and in 2017 they purchased the Monument Avenue house, which would provide the traditional outer shell and a four-story interior that could accommodate a modern, open interpretation of Juan’s Spanish heritage. The spacious property also offered the potential to host the couple’s large extended family gatherings that range from weekly dinners to wedding parties. Juan is one of seven children, and Beth is one of three. Add in their four grown children, plus friends and cousins who are both in the U.S. and visiting from Spain.

Ensminger notes that, unlike other Monument Avenue projects he has worked on, the house didn’t offer much grace or grandeur inside. The ground floor, originally designed by famed architect Duncan Lee to be a doctor’s office and more recently housing an advertising agency, had only 8-foot ceilings and was carved into a honeycomb of offices. A modest L-shaped staircase led from the east entrance to the upper residence.

“I knew that I had to excavate to achieve what the Astrucs needed,” Ensminger says. “It was not your typical Monument Avenue house. It was depressing.” 

He began with the staircase, removing the existing stairs and walls and opening the entrance up enough to install a Carrara marble floor with brass inlay in the foyer and a sweeping nautilus staircase that reaches through to the third floor. The staircase and a dramatic cascading light fixture offer a sculptural counterpoint to the home’s square lines and flood three floors with light.

The Astrucs selected interior decorators Amy Beaty and Carter Brown Williams of Richmond’s Beaty & Brown firm to design the home’s interiors. “There was so much demo, we almost had a blank slate to translate the spaces into the modern, clean-lined and almost sculptural Mediterranean style they wanted,” Beaty says. 

The family’s main living and entertaining spaces are on the first floor, where creamy whites and light browns and grays convey the monochromatic effect the couple wanted. Curvy furniture covered in rich white fabrics relies on textures for character. The sweeping space flows from a cozy living room and its balcony overlooking Monument Avenue to a dining room furnished with a round white table seating six and a family living area at the back.

This is us, after all.

—Beth Astruc

Ensminger opened the space above the kitchen to the second floor. A soaring whitewashed stucco stove hood reaches to the second level, centering the space and providing a dramatic focal point for the room. A modern brass and glass pendant designed by Beaty stretches the length of a marble kitchen island.

The large, entertaining-friendly living spaces presented their own challenges. Beaty says, “Everything is so open that every aspect of the plan had to play off of everything else.”

The icing on the cake is the home’s state-of-the-art sound system with speakers built into the walls and ceilings. A true “smart” home, it’s hard to name a feature that isn’t controlled by the couple’s cell phones, including the sound system. Even large windows that span the length of the primary bathroom’s shower and tub area can change from transparent to opaque for privacy at the click of a button.

Successful relationships require give and take. It’s the essence of finding a balance that is not solely the domain of humans but also applies to their homes. The Astrucs’ long quest to find just the right place for themselves, family and friends seems nothing if not successful.

“This is us, after all,” Beth says.