Steeped in elegance

After their marriage 10 years ago, Jeanine and Roger Shawgo, of Newport, Wash., knew they wanted to build a new life together. And that new life included a new home. In 1999, the couple decided to build a 2,500-square-foot house but couldn’t find a plan that would incorporate all the amenities they wanted. So Roger worked out a deal.

“He told me to pick out the plan I liked the best, without paying attention to the size, and he would do the same,” Jeanine Shawgo said. “And then we could compare.”

Interestingly, the pair each chose the same plan.

“That was it,” Shawgo said. “We knew we had our house.”

That perfect house turned out to be a large Victorian-style home, complete with wrap-around porch and turret, with more than 6,200 square feet of living space.

The couple, with the help of Roger’s brother, Wayne, built the house themselves.

“We dug the foundation, built walls and everything,” Shawgo said. “The only thing we didn’t do was install the radiant heating, the wiring and the kitchen cabinets.”

In addition to the large home, Roger Shawgo got a custom 10-car garage and a space to house the collection of Texaco memorabilia amassed during the 21 years he owned Shawgo Tires in Newport.

After construction was completed, Jeanine Shawgo’s mother wanted to bring eight friends over to show them the grand house.

“I decided to make it a party – a tea party – and my mother’s original eight friends grew to be 20 friends,” Shawgo said.

Hosting a tea was so much fun, Jeanine decided to go into business and that’s how Foxwood House became a tea room.

Now, she hosts events for groups of Red Hat Society Ladies, teens, families and anyone else who enjoys dining on fine china surrounded by Victorian elegance. Both she and her husband dress in period costumes and serve the guests.

Shawgo shops at the online auction giant eBay for authentic Victorian items and purchases them to give her new home an authentic interior. During the holidays she decorates 16 Christmas trees throughout the house.

Her favorite rooms are the back parlor and, naturally, the dining room.

“The parlor is so comfortable and so cozy,” she said. “It’s like stepping back in time.”

The dining room is filled with antique furniture and wrapped in elaborate wallpaper.

“There are 11 different patterns in the ceiling,” Jeanine Shawgo said.

Jeanine and Roger Shawgo recently started hosting outdoor weddings and plan to expand that part of the business.

“We’re so happy with everything. The house is wonderful,” she said. “For me, it’s like being a little girl playing house.”