Once inside Gretchen and Keith Hopkins’ home in the Settler’s Mill neighborhood, it’s easy to forget that you’re in Williamsburg – a city known for its colonial history.
The remarkable contemporary home looks like it hails from the West Coast, not right down the street from the oldest living history museum in America.
Even from the street, you can tell the Hopkins’ home is unique.
The exterior, a mixture of Frank Lloyd Wright and contemporary architecture, hints at what might be behind the front door.
Wall-to-wall bright white tile and high ceilings are the first things to notice inside the home. There are no brick floors, shutters or colonial accoutrements in the Hopkins’ house: Their house is the epitome of contemporary, and it shines.
The Hopkins aren’t new to Williamsburg. In fact, Gretchen has lived in the area for 30 years and Keith for 12 years. The couple raised their family in the Settlers’ Mill neighborhood.
“We just love it here,” Gretchen said.
When they became empty-nesters, they decided it was time to build the house they always wanted that would benefit them in their golden years.
“We wanted to build something that would work for us now and in the future,” said Keith.
Fortunately, a lot just two houses down from where they were living was listed for sale, and they jumped at the opportunity to build their dream home in the neighborhood they’ve grown to love.
In no time, Keith and Gretchen took pen to paper and sketched out their ideal floor plan.
“We wanted something with a lot of open space – so we built off that idea,” Gretchen said. “We didn’t want a formal living room or formal dining room.”
After consulting with several architects, they finally found one that would build their home exactly like they wanted.
“We ran into issues with architects who wanted to close in rooms or who were worried about roof lines, but we stuck to our plan because we knew it could be done,” said Keith.
The result was 4,200 square feet of carefully-planned living space.
The Hopkins made sure their forever home had everything they would need, including offices for each of them, a workshop for Keith and a painting area for Gretchen, a wine cellar, two separate garages for their vehicles, 1,000 square feet of outside decking and plenty of space downstairs for when family visits and for storage.
And they thought about their future. The couple made sure the house was totally accessible from the first floor living area. They also incorporated extra wide doorways, automation and security features in their home.
When it came to interior design, the couple was in-sync with their styles.
“It was great, because that part was really easy, and we were completely on the same page,” said Gretchen.
The interior is also unlike many other homes in the area.
The open floor plan features a large foyer that opens up to include the kitchen as well the living and dining areas. A cohesive black and white motif with bright teal and grey accents flows through the space and complements the white tile throughout.
Instead of the usual white subway tile backsplash in the kitchen, the Hopkins chose a shiny, beveled black tile which offers a contrast against the glossy white cabinetry.
The Hopkins’ favorite piece is the kitchen island, which features a unique black and white Dalmata granite countertop.
“We knew we wanted one huge piece for the island, and we wanted something different,” said Gretchen. “We went hunting for this piece, and when we found it, we designed the entire kitchen around it.”
Another show stopper is the light fixture above the island.
“We have a lot of unique lighting in the house,” said Gretchen. There are sconces, pendulums and chandeliers throughout. Similarly, all the interior doors area unique.”
“Our builder loved that,” laughed Keith.
The Hopkins have an eye for detail. Whether it was mechanical or design-oriented, the couple didn’t overlook a thing.
