Henley New Homes for Sale in Richmond, VA

Most men surprise their wives with flowers, jewelry, sometimes even a car. Franco Ambrogi surprised his with an estate home. After 33 years in the same house, Franco was bored and ready for something new. Since his wife Ruth was very attached to the home where they had raised their family, Franco had to start looking at new homes on the sly. After he searched in a variety of neighborhoods, Henley by Orleans Homes caught his eye.

Franco got Ruth to come with him one day when he said he had a "meeting" with a nice gentleman, a ruse to get her to look at the house. "She was pretty surprised," Franco said. "She said she was not going to move.  I said, 'Fine, it's not your house, then, it’s my house.’  They started joking about that, and Franco agreed they wouldn’t sell the old house yet, so if she wasn’t completely happy with the new one, she could just come back. "But I made it clear I would be staying in the new one," he remembered with a laugh. Fortunately for Franco, when Ruth saw the plan, she fell in love with it and all the customizations Orleans was planning to do. "We built it, and we’ve been completely happy ever since," Franco said.

If you figured that a couple who once built one of their fine clothing stores around a marble-floored rotunda modeled loosely after the Galleria in Milan, Italy would have an exceptionally beautiful  home, you’d be absolutely right. Franco and Ruth, who have owned Franco’s Fine Clothiers for 38 years, did everything the way they wanted to make their new home in Henley a thing of beauty. Their finished Orleans home reflects the exacting nature of a man who began learning the trade of tailoring in Italy when he was 10 and made his first suit when he was 11, as well as the great tastes of the woman he calls "the smart cookie in the family."

The front of the house with its lovely fountain, used as a centerpiece for the circular drive, and well-planned landscaping with knock-out roses and azaleas draws great complements. Ruth is retired from their business, and though Franco isn't, he says he's trying to slow down, and find time for making the yard even better. They also put in a swimming pool and elevator.

Franco says the two of them spend most of their time in the kitchen, where they often work together. They added a conservatory, and thought they would spent a lot of time there, but it turned out to be the ideal space for their grandchildren. Having a huge family room and other spacious main living areas on the first floor fits their lifestyle especially well. When they have guests or his wife has friends over, Franco can retreat up the floating front stairwell and relax in the second floor master suite. "When I shut the door, it feels like a whole different world up there," he said. The living and dining rooms will be big enough to host 25 or 30 family members and close friends for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner, which they plan to have catered or prepared by a chef who will love their kitchen.        

"We're glad for the size of the lots in Henley because, even though we know and like everyone on the block, we also like having a little more space from each other's homes," Franco said. The location works well because it’s just three miles from one location of Franco's and 12 miles from the other.  "The nearby highways are great," Franco said. "If either I-64 or I-295 is backed up, I can just take the other one. We’re really pleased with our home. Whenever any issue came up, Orleans was wonderful – they always took care of it."