Congratulations, you're homeowners!" Jay Moore's father announced to the couple.

Jay and Martha Moore had walked through the house at 323 Oak Lane just days before, when it wasn't officially on the market. They were hooked as soon as they saw the front turret, the leaded glass window and the curved staircase with twisted wrought iron railings. The house had character and it was located in a family-friendly neighborhood.

Because they were leaving town for the weekend, Jay Moore gave his father a blank check, told him the amount he was willing to spend to buy the house and asked his father to negotiate the sale. So, in 1988, the young couple moved into their house in the Hampton Gardens neighborhood in Richmond's West End.

The house, built in 1928, was designed by Carl M. Lindner, an architect who worked on Monument Avenue and the West End in the 1920s and 1930s. It was one of the properties built in Hampton Gardens and reflects Norman-style architecture with Old English elements. The distinctive turret in front carries into the attic and provides an entryway into the house. The Moores are only the second family to own the house.

The curved front door with diamond-shaped panels was crafted by Baltimore shipwrights who were able to design the door to fit the complex curves of the entryway. "If the door ever breaks, we'll have to sell the house," Jay Moore said. It would be an almost impossible task to find a carpenter who would be willing or able to replicate it.

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The roof is covered with variegated green Vermont slate that has a life of about 80 years. Since the Moores bought the house when it was 75 years old, they knew they were living on borrowed time especially when they started hearing pieces of slate slide off the roof in the middle of the night.

Once day, their young daughter filled her red wagon with pieces of slate she had collected around the yard. She proudly showed them to her father and said, "Look, I can snap them in two."

Soon after, the Moores started looking for someone to replace the slate roof. Several contractors took a look and said "no thanks" because of a steep roofline. Eventually, though, they got the job done.

Inside, Martha Moore has brought each room to life with paint, wall coverings and furniture that reflect her interests and personality. "I'm a 'spring' and I've always liked bright colors," she said.

The den walls are papered in a pattern of wide alternating lime-green stripes. Comfortable upholstered furniture in shades of blue anchor the relaxed room. Huge triple windows flood the room with natural light and offer a view of the terrace and garden in back.

This bright area was part of an extension added in 1998 to accommodate the growing family. Architect Terry Cox created a seamless addition to expand the house that was originally just one room deep. Now it's 5,600-square-feet, with four bedrooms, 3-and-a-half baths, a full basement and two offices.

The modern kitchen features fresh French blue painted walls, crisp white cabinets and black granite countertops. Sunny Goode, owner of Sunny's Goode Time Paints, added a faux finish to the walls and whitewashed the kitchen floor.

Then she painted the entryway in a diagonal pattern to resemble the bluestone walkways outside, which lead to Martha Moore's herb garden.

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The owners' love of flowers and gardens is reflected in the over-scaled "Tree of Life" patterned wallpaper they selected for the dining room. The ceiling gently curves above the picture molding and is painted a soft shade of pink.

The mahogany dining table that belonged to Martha Moore's grandmother, Mildred Clarke Fleming, is more than 100 years old and has hosted many family gatherings. An 18th-century Hepplewhite sideboard is inlaid with satinwood and kingwood.

A carved limestone mantel is the focal point in the formal living room. Above the fireplace is a portrait of the Moores' youngest daughter, painted by Barbara Sullivan, and the girl's blue dress was the inspiration for arched niches, painted blue inside, that flank the fireplace. They hold a cherished collection of white and blue milk glass handed down by Martha Moore's mother and grandmother.

An impressionist landscape painting in the living room, "Spring in Normandy," influenced the blues used to decorate the room, including the "Igloo Blue" color on the ceiling. The painting originally belonged to Jay Moore's parents and was painted by Norwegian artist Frits Thaulow about 1900.

Thaulow (1847-1906) was a brother-in-law to artist Paul Gaugin and a close friend of Claude Monet. His work shows the influence of the French impressionists of his time.

Jay Moore's cozy office, painted a deep indigo blue, is dominated by a portrait of three generations of Moore men. An antique wing chair, covered in blue and white resist fabric, and a wooden desk furnish the retreat that is connected to the living room on one side and a door to the terrace on the other.

Martha Moore has her office at the front of the house, with a window that overlooks a winterberry tree whose bright red berries attract birds. The curved wall of the turret forms part of her office space and is accented with a small stained glass window. This area was originally used as the kitchen.

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Lush beds of roses, peonies and perennials punctuate garden areas outside. Martha Moore is a self-described "boxwood fiend" who loves the English style of gardening. Large white crape myrtle bushes obtained from Berkeley Plantation define one side of the brick and bluestone patio.

They're underplanted with blue scillia and when everything is blooming, they provide a stunning blue-and-white display. Landscape architect Sally Wittkofski created the overall design of these gardens, which feature George Tabor azaleas, hydrangeas, hellebores, poets' laurel, daffodils, Chinese elm and magnolia.

Every man's home is his castle, but the Moores' home boasts a domelike turret at the front door when the family welcomes guests during Historic Garden Week in Virginia.