A Virginia Home That Expertly Mixes High and Low

When Jenny Foley and her husband, Jay, walked into the 2,200-square-foot house in Richmond, VA, that they would eventually buy, there was no doubt about it: This was an honest-to-goodness fixer upper. “Let’s see, the kitchen had teal cabinets and floor-to-ceiling tile, the dining room had maroon and mustard sponge-painted walls and the bathrooms hadn’t been updated since the ’50s,” says Jenny. “Ugly doesn’t begin to describe it.”

Still, she and Jay saw gobs of potential in the 1925 home with original oak floors, a spacious foyer and a sunroom. And — most important — they could afford it! Twelve years, two remodels and two kids later, Jenny’s clever decorating style is on full display. Her credo? Mix a few high-end buys with a mash-up of hand-me-downs, flea market finds and great-looking bargains. “I look at decorating a home the same way I do shopping for clothes,” she says. “You don’t need to spend a lot of money. Pair your nice things with some vintage pieces and steals, and you can make a whole room look more expensive than it is.”