Vamp Jenn’s Crypts: Welcome to RavenWolf Manor

Imagine living in a Victorian house that’s more than 130 years old. Well, that fantasy is a reality for Lawyer B Douglas II and his husband who are the owners of RavenWolf Manor in Navasota, TX. The property is a majestic 19^th-century structure that brims with beauty and enchantment. Be prepared to take a step back in time and into a spellbinding realm.

Since settling into RavenWolf Manor, Lawyer has taken his interior design savvy and admiration of the Victorian era to create a home that is a rare gem. Every room is decorated with the utmost care and every detail tells a story. He gives the public a closer look on social media where he posts pictures and video footage of the manor, and he’s also begun to host events, inviting guests into his residence.

On this edition of Vamp Jenn’s Crypts, Lawyer B Douglas II has permitted us special access inside his home, sharing his personal treasure trove of photographs and beguiling details about his historic property.

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Q: Your residence is magnificent and quite special. Can you share a bit about how this beautiful Victorian property became your home? And how did you decide upon the name, RavenWolf Manor?

A: From the earliest age I can remember, I dreamt of living in a Victorian home. As I grew older, it started to feel as if it was merely a dream so any home I lived in, even if it was built in the 2000’s, I would decorate the inside in a dark Victorian style. Although it looked right, the outside and its structure just didn’t match my fantasy. Now that I live in an actual Victorian manor, I realize that it isn’t just about furniture placement and décor.  There is an energy, a quiet vibration that stems from its soul and emanates throughout the entire home. It is an amazing feeling living in a home that is older than any living relative. The scent that the home naturally emits from its over 100-year-old bones is best described as that of an old forgotten library filled with leather bound books. There is a sweet and aged scent that permeates through its walls that makes even the dust smell woodsy. 

In 2022, I told my husband that I had to find a way to come to terms with the fact that my dream wouldn’t be a reality. In October, he handed me a birthday card with a letter from a bank showing how much we would be able to spend on a house. 

We looked in Houston and just couldn’t find anything that suited us. After seeing a few homes in the area, we expanded our search and fell in love with a Victorian lady built in 1890 in the small Texas railroad town of Navasota. While it was hard leaving the big city after living there for over 35 years, all things considered, I realized that I needed to move away physically from the city I loved in order to heal emotionally from several tragic events that I endured in 2019. 

After moving here, I soon realized how important it was to have a Victorian home in a small sleepy town. Being surrounded by the simple life in Navasota, the tranquility of the town goes perfectly with living in a Victorian manor.

Because this was also going to be a new business venture for me, I knew that the home needed a name. I wanted a name that sounded magical, mysterious. I have always loved ravens and used a raven as the logo of the oddities and curiosities shop I owned. Outside of the home sat two grinning griffin sentinels keeping guard over the house. I wondered what animal I could combine with a raven to make a griffin. I thought about the huge black taxidermied black wolf that I own and that’s how the name RavenWolf was born.

Q: How would you describe your aesthetic, and what have been your sources of inspiration?

A: Dark, romantic, Victorian. I never feel comfortable in a room that is too feminine or overly masculine so in my home, I love combining the two. I am a maximalist and used to be an interior designer. I enjoy telling stories through my decor. It is important to me that my home feels like an immersive experience. I want guests to feel as if they have stepped away from reality and entered a gothic romance novel as one of the main characters. The longer my guests are in my home,  the more I want the story to unfurl. I want to stimulate as many senses as I can through strategically placed items, mood lighting, opulent decor, magnificent patterns, deep colors, rich textures, and the whispers coming from the house itself. 

Q: What’s your approach to decorating? Do you prefer to DIY, get help from family and friends, or hire professionals? Do you plan ahead or just wing it?

A: The goal was for my home to always feel like the perfect autumn evening. I adore when places feel elegantly haunted. I love seeing people who are fun and playful in their homes and decorate with Halloween items year around. While I love the idea of Every Day is Halloween, I personally never decorate with Halloween decorations, graphic prints or signs that say, “haunted house” or “Dead and Breakfast.” I feel that those items can minimize the unique experience I’m trying to give my guests. RavenWolf Manor already has a haunted history so putting up plastic skeletons, resin skulls, Ouija boards or lenticular changing portraits would make the house feel playful and whimsical with a childlike quality that is in complete opposition with the authentic experience at RavenWolf Manor. It feels satisfying to me that when a guest sees a human skull in my home, it is real bone.

I love a gothic look but feel it is best achieved with natural dark stained wood rather than painting everything black. While I love the color, I use the color as garnish rather than the full meal, I tackle everything with vision and imagination. I prefer DIY and I never buy anything new. I taught myself how to paint, sew, decorate, make drapery treatments, redesign, upcycle and make art. I am fortunate enough to have a husband that knows how to work with plumbing, electricity, woodworking, etc. I’m basically the aesthetics and he is the nuts and bolts. We haven’t had to use a professional for anything that we have done thus far. 

With each of my guest rooms, I didn’t want them to look like they were decorated by a fan so you will see no pictures of ravens or Poe in my Edgar Allen Poe room. That room needed to feel as if the protagonist wrote the poem “The Raven” in that bedroom. In my Bram Stoker’s Dracula bedroom, there are no pictures of vampires, framed bats or paint to look like blood. It needed to look as if that could have been the room in Dracula’s castle that he offered Jonathan Harker. In my Oscar Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Gray bedroom, it needed to feel as if that was Dorian Gray’s personal bedroom where his portrait lived.

Q: Your home is filled with so many eye-catching pieces. What is your favorite decorative piece, and why?

A: I get that question often and as soon as something comes to mind, 13 other things follow it. I think that I would have to say that my favorite is my taxidermy collection, especially my full mounts. They add a level of beauty and unease like nothing else can. A close second is my collection of human bones, skulls and full Odd Fellows skeleton. You can say that I feel protective over anything that was once alive and is now being used as decor. 

Q: You’ve hosted events in your home and have plans to turn it into a bed and breakfast. What has the experience been like so far? What type of future events would you like to offer? And what are your hopes for RavenWolf Manor as a BnB?

A: I have had tours, themed tea parties and even had my wedding here. In the future, we will be offering Murder Mystery dinners as well as other events. I hope you will stay tuned! 

All of this has been a dream come true. Being able to provide guests with experiences that they have only dreamed of or seen in movies is incredibly fulfilling. 

We hope to have our bed and breakfast portion of RavenWolf open by Summer 2024. 

Q: Do you have future plans in store for your home decor? Any projects that you’re really excited to tackle? 

A: Now that the interior is complete, our next big project is the exterior of the manor. While I’m not looking forward to such a daunting and immense task, I am truly looking forward to seeing the outside in the colors that we have planned.

 Q: Before we part, are there any home decor tips you’d like to share with readers?

A: Our homes should be an extension of who we are. They should reflect us deeper than mirrors. Tell your story through decor. The “You” could be who you are, who you wish to be, or even the person you fantasize about being. Decorate with purpose and intention. Decorating should be like writing music: the notes you put down should go well with the previous and flow into the next. If someone saw a picture of your home, make them want to know you as much as your home. 

Where to Stalk

Lawyer B. Douglas II/@pthearse Instagram

RavenWolf Manor Instagram

TikTok