If a Tuscan-style villa could be established in Virginia’s countryside, then Sheila Johnson would be the one to make it happen. And so she did.
“If I could pick anywhere in the world to live, I would live in Italy, in the Tuscan region,” Johnson says. “My grandmother was from Sicily, but I didn’t know her. She passed away early.” Johnson has a strong Italian bend in her. “I just love the vitality the people of that area exude as far as living is concerned, their enjoyment of food, people, and entertainment,” she adds.
When it came time to share her thoughts on how to renovate the century-old stone mansion on her 165-acre property on Salamander Farm just outside Middleburg, Johnson turned to the photographs she had of Tuscany and shared them with Anne Decker, principal of Rill & Decker Architects. “The great thing about the home was that it already had a European flair with loggias,” Johnson says. It was important to recreate those both inside and out to enhance the property’s Tuscan feel.
Fond Passages
Precision, patience, and perseverance are traits that have guided Johnson throughout her life as a successful musician, conductor, businesswoman, president and managing partner of the Washington Mystics, and co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET). They also guided her through the three-year renovation of Salamander Farm.
“My daughter’s love of horses brought me to the area,” Johnson says. “But I bought the home because of the view. The view is hard to duplicate.” Johnson lives on the majestic property that overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains with daughter Paige, a Grand Prix horsewoman, son Brett, and husband of two years, Arlington Chief Judge William Newman Jr. Coincidentally, Newman was the presiding judge over Johnson’s divorce from Robert Johnson in 2002, with whom she founded the cable network BET. After the divorce proceedings, Johnson and Newman realized they had acted together in a New York play 30 years prior and rekindled a friendship that developed into more.
Humble Roots
As with most major renovations, there were numerous starts and stops along the way. “The home was really in disrepair,” Johnson says. “Nothing really functioned.” After discussions with Decker and Daryl Landis, president of Potomac Valley Builders, who had worked with Johnson on two previous new homes, Johnson decided to gut the home, keeping the front elevation, but digging down 2’ to raise the ceiling on the bottom floor, which housed the public spaces.
“How can we take this beautiful jewel and make it into a diamond, a Hope diamond?” Johnson asked. “It had great history, architecture, and something to hold onto.”
“I loved the feel of the existing house,” Decker says. “The bones had a simple, humble feel to them.” She repeated the theme of the arches and gables so that the new elements spoke to the original components of the home. “The idea was to have the added wings and outbuildings speak to the existing house and respect the land,” Decker adds. “Now the extended rooms create arms that reach out to the property and anchor the house into the landscape.” Decker introduced the use of painted floor-to-ceiling paneling, drawing light and a sense of “arrival” to many of the more formal areas of the house.
“Anne was just incredible,” Johnson says. “She listened to me and captured my vision, which was to have a welcoming home that was enlarged, had classic lines, and addressed the outside. She was able to pull it off.”
From Better to Best
“One of the biggest challenges was organizing the project,” Landis says. The superintendent on the job, Gene Davis, deserves a lot of credit, he adds. A job this large required constant coordination, from ordering stone from three quarries to match the original exterior to installing a commercial-grade chiller system located under the new garage to service the main house and numerous outbuildings on the property. “As the temperature changes outside, so does it inside,” Johnson says. “It’s fresh and clean all the time.”
Johnson and family lived in a doublewide trailer during renovations, but that didn’t deter them. They knew it would all be worth it. “Salamander Farm has reached the highest level of perfection,” Johnson says. “When asked why I need that, I say, ‘You only live once so I want it to be the best.’ “
What’s in a Name
Now grounded at Salamander Farm, Johnson recalls moving 14 times as a child because her father was a military neurosurgeon. But even with constant moving around, she remembers the kitchens of her homes as the central gathering areas where her mom was “the queen of hospitality. She taught me everything I know,” Johnson says.
While entertaining is in her blood, Johnson’s tenacity comes from her father, who told her to never accept no for an answer. “He was one who never believed in glass ceilings,” she says. He taught her to do what she needed and wanted to do and never give up.
“I’m a woman of compassion,” Johnson adds. “I’m very interested in the welfare of women and children. Women should be empowered, get to know who they are and not be dictated by anyone else. You can only be creative and know how to enjoy life by knowing and loving yourself.”
Loyalty and courage mean a lot to her, too. So when Johnson discovered the property’s second owner, Bruce Sundlun – who was given the code name Salamander in World War II and received honors for his valor – called the farm Salamander, she changed the name back. It was a fit for the property and the owner.
“You can visualize how you want your home, but Anne Decker and Thomas Pheasant took it 20 levels higher,” Johnson says. Johnson credits Decker and Pheasant with enabling her to speak about architecture as chair of the board of governors at Parsons The New School for Design. “It’s wonderful what I’ve learned from them both,” and how refreshing the finished designs are.
One of her favorite spots is her bathroom. “I take bubble baths in there. I transform in there and make myself presentable,” says Johnson, who often hosts parties and dinners, including for the players of the Washington Mystics, at her home. “It was really important that all outdoor spaces fit two or 200,” Fendrick says. Gatherings on Salamander Farm’s horizon include a fundraiser for Barack Obama.
“We wanted to link all rooms out back with one circular system,” Fendrick says – sort of a daily reminder of the circle of life that is reflective of Johnson’s journey to this point in hers. “My house is about who I am, my personality, and my love of entertaining,” Johnson says. “Lila designed gardens to complement the home,” and added special elements such as the secret garden. “It’s romantic,” Johnson says. “We have total privacy in the secret garden. We toast the sunset while having evening cocktails.”
“Salamander Farm is a place of respite, tranquility, solitude, a place where you can regroup,” Johnson says. “It’s almost like being at a resort … I can travel anywhere,” she adds. But she doesn’t need to. “I feel like I’m on vacation here.”
