This $7.95 Million Virginia Estate Hides a ‘Jungle Room’ Behind Its Classical Façade

Known as Ivy Knoll, the nearly 9,000-square-foot estate outside Richmond pairs formal architecture with a hand-painted tropical entertaining room, a resort-style saltwater pool, illuminated putting green and almost 17 private acres.

From the end of its tree-lined drive, Ivy Knoll presents itself with considerable restraint.

The nearly 9,000-square-foot estate in Ashland, Virginia, rises from the Hanover County countryside in crisp white, its arched windows framed by custom stone surrounds and sills. An Italian fountain punctuates the motor court, while carefully designed architectural and landscape lighting gives the residence an entirely different character after sunset.

But the formality is somewhat deceptive.

Inside the $7.95 million property at 13259 Greenwood Church Road is a room covered almost entirely in a hand-painted tropical mural. Known as the Jungle Room, it has its own octagonal bar and a separate circulation pattern that allows guests arriving from the rear grounds to enter the party without moving through the rest of the house.

It is precisely the kind of unexpected detail that defines Ivy Knoll.

Built in 2019, the five-bedroom, six-bathroom residence spans approximately 8,967 square feet on 16.86 acres, surrounded by forested land that gives the property a sense of isolation despite its connection to the greater Richmond area.

Listing agents Laura Peery and Elizabeth Smalley of The Steele Group characterize Ivy Knoll as a property of “uncommon intention”—a complete environment in which architecture, materials, technology and landscape were conceived to work together rather than as separate elements.

A Formal Arrival Sets the Stage

The experience begins well before the front door.

A private drive passes beneath mature trees before opening onto the motor court, gradually revealing the house rather than exposing it from the road.

The all-white façade establishes an almost European formality. Arched windows repeat across the elevations, each finished with custom stone surrounds and sills, while the Italian fountain introduces a focal point at arrival.

After dark, the composition becomes more theatrical.

Soffit lighting traces the architecture, uplighting emphasizes the façade and professionally designed landscape illumination extends across the grounds. Instead of disappearing into the countryside after sunset, Ivy Knoll takes on what the listing describes as a “refined nocturnal presence.”

That attention to nighttime presentation is telling. This is a house designed not only around individual rooms but around the experience of moving through the property at different times of day.

According to Peery and Smalley’s marketing, the estate was conceived as a complete environment, and the arrival sequence is the first indication of how deliberately that idea was pursued.

Marble, Custom Cabinetry and a Pantry Hidden Behind a Wall

Beyond the formal exterior, the interiors introduce a succession of custom details.

The living room centers on an Italian marble fireplace, while designer wall coverings bring additional texture to the primary suite. Custom cabinetry appears throughout the residence, and the kitchen is equipped with professional-grade appliances.

Some of the home’s more interesting features are considerably less obvious.

A hidden pantry disappears behind what appears to be a seamless wall. Inside, a sliding library ladder provides access to upper storage, turning an otherwise utilitarian space into one of the home’s more playful design moments.

The primary bathroom takes a more restrained approach, incorporating a zero-entry shower as part of its spa-like design.

There is also additional room to grow vertically. A walk-up third-floor attic expands the usable footprint and offers flexibility for storage or future adaptation, subject to any necessary approvals.

Rather than relying on a single dramatic interior gesture, Ivy Knoll layers craftsmanship throughout the house—a point reinforced by the listing team’s emphasis on the relationship between materials and architecture.

A Curved Piano Room Occupies the Turret

One of the home’s most architecturally distinctive spaces occupies its turret.

Instead of treating the rounded volume as an ornamental exterior feature with an awkward room behind it, the designers transformed it into a dedicated piano room.

A custom built-in bench follows the curvature of the walls, emphasizing the geometry rather than fighting against it.

The room provides a quieter counterpoint to the larger gathering spaces elsewhere in the residence. Its shape gives it a sense of intimacy while still connecting it to the home’s more formal architectural language.

It is also representative of Ivy Knoll’s broader design philosophy: unusual architectural conditions were treated as opportunities for custom solutions.

That level of specificity is increasingly difficult to reproduce in houses built around standardized plans, even at the luxury end of the market.

Peery and Smalley’s description of the home as having been created with “uncommon intention” feels particularly applicable here. The turret was not simply drawn onto an elevation for visual effect; its interior was given a purpose.

Then There Is the Jungle Room

For all of Ivy Knoll’s polished formality, no room reveals its personality more clearly than the Jungle Room.

Located just off the kitchen, the space is enveloped in a hand-painted tropical mural that stretches across the surfaces, creating an environment intentionally removed from the restrained palette found elsewhere in the residence.

At its center is a custom octagonal bar.

The effect is less like a conventional residential wet bar and more like entering a private cocktail lounge hidden inside a country estate.

But the room’s theatricality is only part of its appeal.

Its circulation was designed specifically for entertaining. Guests arriving from the rear of the property can move directly into the Jungle Room without passing through the more private areas of the house.

That means a pool gathering or large evening event can remain largely contained between the outdoor spaces, bar and adjacent entertaining areas.

The listing singles it out as the room that “speaks more directly to the spirit of Ivy Knoll” than any other—and it is easy to see why. In a house otherwise defined by classical lines and carefully controlled elegance, the Jungle Room provides the surprise.

The Pool Turns the Backyard Into a Private Resort

Outside, Ivy Knoll becomes considerably more relaxed.

A heated saltwater swimming pool and spa form the centerpiece of the rear grounds, surrounded by bullnose travertine that gives the poolscape a polished, resort-like finish.

Fire bowls introduce drama around the water, while a fire-pit table creates another gathering area for cooler evenings. Integrated water spouts animate the pool itself.

The various elements are managed through a single integrated system, simplifying the operation of an outdoor environment with multiple water and fire features.

Nearby, a putting green extends the recreational program beyond the pool. LED-lit cups allow play to continue after sunset, tying the amenity into the estate’s broader emphasis on nighttime lighting.

The heated screened porch provides the transition back into the house.

An accordion-style door can open the porch broadly toward the interiors, minimizing the boundary between indoor and outdoor living while screens provide protection when needed.

Peery and Smalley describe the property as a place where architecture and landscape work “in concert,” and the pool area makes that relationship particularly clear: the grounds were designed as living spaces rather than scenery viewed through a window.

Nearly 17 Acres Leave Room for an Equestrian Future

Beyond the landscaped areas immediately surrounding the house, the property changes character again.

Forested land frames Ivy Knoll on all sides, contributing both privacy and a more substantial sense of place. At 16.86 acres, the estate has enough land to feel genuinely removed from neighboring properties.

The acreage also creates possibilities that the existing improvements have not exhausted.

According to the listing, there is ample space to add equestrian facilities should a future owner want them. Any such additions would naturally depend on applicable zoning, permitting and site requirements, but the amount of land gives buyers options that smaller luxury properties cannot offer.

This potential adds another dimension to Ivy Knoll.

In its current form, it functions as a highly finished country estate with resort-style recreation. A future owner could choose to preserve that arrangement—or develop the grounds further around horses and other outdoor pursuits.

The house, in other words, is complete without making the land feel fully spoken for.

An Unusually Personal Take on the Richmond Country Estate

Ivy Knoll was built only seven years ago, but it avoids many of the characteristics associated with large speculative luxury construction.

The custom stonework, curved piano room, concealed pantry, Italian marble fireplace and elaborate landscape lighting all suggest a residence shaped around specific ideas rather than a generic checklist.

And then there is the Jungle Room.

That one space prevents the house from becoming too serious. It introduces humor and escapism into an otherwise disciplined architectural environment, while its direct access from the rear grounds makes it genuinely useful during large gatherings.

Readers can view the complete photography, current availability and additional property information through the Zillow listing here.

Peery and Smalley’s marketing makes an ambitious claim that “there is no comparable property in the Richmond region.” Whether a buyer agrees will depend on what they value, but the combination is certainly unusual: nearly 17 acres, a recently built custom residence, resort-style grounds and interiors willing to move from Italian marble to a hand-painted tropical bar without apology.

At $7.95 million, Ivy Knoll is not trying to be merely another grand Virginia country house.

It is formal when it wants to be, playful when it doesn’t—and distinctly its own.

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Property Overview

Ivy Knoll is located at 13259 Greenwood Church Road in Ashland, Virginia 23005.

The estate is offered at $7,950,000 and encompasses approximately 8,967 square feet with five bedrooms and six bathrooms. Built in 2019, the residence occupies approximately 16.86 acres in the Hanover County countryside.

Highlights include a tree-lined private drive, Italian fountain, extensive architectural and landscape lighting, Italian marble fireplace, professional-grade kitchen, hidden pantry with library ladder, turret piano room, hand-painted Jungle Room with custom octagonal bar, heated screened porch, saltwater pool and spa, fire bowls, fire-pit table, water features and an illuminated putting green.

The listing also notes that the acreage provides space for potential future equestrian facilities, subject to applicable requirements.

Listing Representation

Ivy Knoll is represented by Laura Peery and Elizabeth Smalley of The Steele Group.

The listing team can provide additional information about the estate, its acreage and improvements, and arrange private showings for qualified prospective buyers.

Laura Peery
The Steele Group
Phone: (804) 921-0236

Elizabeth Smalley
The Steele Group
Phone: (540) 878-0776

The Steele Group
Office: (804) 282-3136