Jill and Steve Parham’s home is a Colonial beauty mark in Columbia. Designed and built by Hattee and Jack Christian in 1977, the house has primarily a Williamsburg footprint. The Parhams are the third owners, who easily jumped on the opportunity to purchase this gem since they lived right next door!
Set back from the road and shaded as it is by a big river birch on one side, a magnolia on the other, and the three crepe myrtles at the end of the curved brick walkway, Jill and Steve Parham’s special home tucked underneath could be easily missed. It is a Williamsburg-inspired charmer. The home was built in 1977 by Williamsburg, Virginia, native Jack Christian and his wife, Hattee. “She had a vision of what she wanted,” says Jill. Hattee also had a skilled and willing craftsman in Jack, who can be thanked for many of the home’s special features.
The Parhams are the third owners of this home. Hattee and Jack sold it to Kathy and John Bowen, who had just finished repainting it when Columbia’s 1,000-year flood occurred. “Every house on this side of the street was flooded,” Jill says. “I’d always loved this home. We lived in the house next door, and, when Kathy told me they were going to sell, I said, ‘No you’re not, we’re buying it!’” It is easy to understand why.
A step through the front door finds visitors in the foyer facing a gleaming mahogany buffet and antique brass mirror. A sparkling crystal chandelier hangs above. Four of Jill’s collection of porcelain Staffordshire dogs flank an orchid-filled cache pot in the center of the buffet, while two others watch from brass and black wall shelf perches. To the right and the left are case openings leading to the rest of the home.
The Parhams’ living room is an homage to Jill’s love of horseback riding and to traditional hunt scenes. She says, “I wanted this room to feel more masculine.” Jill, who handled all the decorating herself, achieved her objective. Matching finished leather and cowhide wing chairs frame the end of the room closest to the front. To the left, framed hunt scenes hang above a cream sofa. Across the room is a fireplace adorned with cotton boll-filled pottery, quail figurines, and a carved dough bowl on the mantel. Another hunt scene hangs above. A comfortable leather club chair and ottoman round out the grouping. The furnishings are anchored by a rust Oriental rug and cheerful gingham drapes on the windows.
The Parhams’ living room opens to the dining room centered by a table with room for at least eight. An antique brass chandelier lights the room, and Colonial-period shutters hang on the windows, ready to block the outside light for a candlelit dinner. For Jill, a wonderful feature is the use of the corner cabinets.
“There’s not an ounce of wasted space in this house,” she says as she opens them to reveal abundant storage for serving pieces and seasonal decorative items. Cheerful, light yellow and grey-flowered wallpaper serves as a focal point, as does the bay window at the end of the room. From here, the inviting garden beyond beckons.
Back at the front of the house, a turn left from the foyer leads to the “little den,” Jill’s favorite room in the house. Bookshelves frame another fireplace surrounded in Italian tile, while inside the wood-burning fireplace a carved wooden swan sleeps peacefully. On the mantel, topiaries bookend more of Jill’s Staffordshire dogs. Hanging above them is an idyllic countryside painting. The backs of the bookshelves are painted the same rust color as the living room rug.
This background accentuates Jill’s extensive pottery and figurine collection, which includes pieces by Leanne Pizio, Jill’s sister, an Oak Ridge, North Carolina, pottery artist. A cream sofa invites at one side of the room, flanked by square antique end tables topped with lamps and objets d’art. On the opposite side of the room a pair of rust flowered arm chairs complete the conversation space. The windows in this room are dressed in rust toile, originally hung by Hattee.
From the little den, stairs lead to the second level, which includes three bedrooms and two baths. Jack designed barn-style doors to close off the stairway from the bottom of the house. On the second floor is Lilly’s room. Lilly is the Parhams’ daughter, who shares the upstairs with Matilda, her bearded dragon. Matilda has an enviable dwelling of her own, which includes a hammock.
Back downstairs, Jill and Steve’s master bedroom suite, the kitchen, and the “big den” are all accessible from the little den. The Parhams’ kitchen is cheerful, with plenty of prep space and a large island. Cabinets go all the way to the ceiling, providing more storage than Jill can use. A prep sink is located on the island and another at the pass-through window facing the back of the house. Dishwashers can enjoy views of the yard while they labor.
Fun abounds here in a display of Lilly’s clay animal figurines and more of her Aunt Leanne’s pottery, including a trio of cute pigs. Above the door going to the porch is a Leanne-created Alice in Wonderland tea set that came from a themed show in which she was the featured artist. Stools cozy up to the island, allowing friends and family to chat while meals are prepared.
The big den, as its name implies, is a large, family-sized space with a moss green sofa topped with cream and moss green throw pillows. A painting of an old-world cobbled street hangs above it, beckoning daydreams or inspiring a trip away. It is flanked by windows framed with soft green and white drapes. Layered underneath, bamboo shades can be lowered to dim the light. Across from the sofa are a pair of upholstered chairs comfortable for reading or a chat over a glass of iced tea. At one end of the room is a large bookcase filled with volumes, including a group of first editions. The books surround the family’s television.
Old meets new at the back of Jill and Steve’s home. “We closed part of this porch two years ago,” says Jill. “It used to be one big outdoor porch.” An enclosed glass wall laid with the original black and white checkerboard tile connects the dining room, kitchen, and big den. Here, George, Annabelle, and Owen, the family’s goldendoodle and pair of maltipoos, peer through the floor-to-ceiling glass window wall that looks onto the back porch and the garden beyond. Guests can choose to chat on the sofa at one end or share a cup of coffee at the kitchen table at the other while enjoying the view of the garden. Pour a drink from the built-in bar before heading outside.
Stepping out onto the wide, brick back porch leads to Jill’s other favorite place. “I had a vision for what I wanted,” said Jill. “A couple other contractors looked at the space for about 15 minutes and just handed us a quote.” The lack of vision and detail left Jill uncertain. Enter Tony Thompson and Allyson Hank of Remodeling Services Unlimited. “Tony and Allyson came and spent an hour or more and had all these great ideas,” Jill says. “They wanted to incorporate different aspects of the house into the design, like the beams from the little den, the arches entering the sun porch, the columns at the front of the house, and pattern of the brick fence.”
By the time they left, Jill was nearly in tears because she assumed their bid would be too high; however, the price was very reasonable. “They were the loveliest people,” she says. “They were here every day, and they finished before their proposed deadline.”
The result is a beautiful outdoor living space. To the left is one conversation space with a sofa and two chairs surrounding a coffee table. The table and the low brick wall nearby feature more of Leanne’s pottery. At the opposite end is a gas burning fireplace under a television and a chair foursome. Matching rugs for both seating spaces give the porch a cohesive look. The Sherwin-Williams Open Air “haint blue” ceiling is crossed with beams and sports ceiling fans to stir the breeze on hot days. It is easy to understand why Jill loves the space so much.
A few stairs down lead to a partially enclosed brick patio with flower beds, bird feeders, a fountain, and black wrought iron seating. Over on the left is a space for Steve’s grill at the back wall of the house near a charming arched wooden door, another handprint of Jack’s craftsmanship, leading to the carport. It is painted Charleston green like the home’s shutters and front door. Through the gateway in one direction or the other is the Parhams’ shady backyard garden. Mature shrubbery, trees, and flowering plants are framed by the low cobblestone border Jack built.
At the back, right corner of the yard is the Parhams’ cobblestone “hobbit house.” “When master mason Ernest Washington was building the fence around the perimeter of the property for Hattee and Jack, a large oak tree was in that corner,” says Jill. “Of course, they weren’t going to take down the tree, so they were building the wall in a circle around it.”
Unfortunately, a storm knocked the tree down anyway. So, Ernest built a hobbit-inspired garden shed where the tree once stood. “Allyson wants to turn it into a she-shed for me, with a chair for reading and a crystal chandelier,” Jill says. The little structure would make any dreamer or fan of The Hobbit jealous that they do not have one, too.
The Parhams’ Williamsburg-style home is a charming step into the past, as well as a celebration of outdoor beauty. Plentiful light, the wide choice of comfortable gathering areas, and the blend of old and new delight. “I’m never leaving,” says Jill of her home. Who could blame her?
