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The Hoffman house makes you want to take your shoes off and stay for a while. It sort of sneaks up on you. Follow the long curved driveway. Pass the pond fringed with cattails and an inviting old-fashioned tree swing. Gaze at the meadow with its geese and handmade bluebird houses. Go beyond the pasture dotted with cherry and apple trees. As you round the bend, glance to your left through the covered bridge at the stone barn. Then, emerging before you, discover a magnificent stone and wood house tucked into the hillside, framed by evergreens and cosseted by the earth.
The Hoffman house, with its big stone fireplaces, soaring ceilings with weathered hemlock beams, and walls of windows that beckon the outside in, feels like it could have been here for years, even though it was just completed six months ago. Part mountain lodge, part nature preserve, and the coolest spa retreat you’ve ever seen all rolled into one, this house has a quality that sets it apart from others.
There’s something organic about the way the house feels not only at one with the natural contour of the land, but also with its family. It goes beyond the way old sycamore, poplar, pine, and oak trees were preserved throughout the 10.5-acre property while this house was being built. It goes beyond the state-of-the-art geothermal heat pump system, the storm water management system, and the bamboo floors in the wine cellar that were integrated into the design. It goes beyond the warm, mottled tones of earthy browns, mushroom grays, and iris purples that complement the architecture of the house rather than compete with it.
Combine the welcoming flicker of flames in the stone fireplace that greets you in the foyer, the soft patter of barefoot children running to show Mom the frog they caught, the tap dancing of raindrops on the tin roof in the owners’ bedroom, and the aroma of warm, homemade strawberry pie – and it hits you. The Hoffman house is a home, a place where a family really lives. As dramatic and spectacular as it is, details throughout the house are intimate and personal.
Monty Hoffman, 43, chief executive officer of PN Hoffman, one of Washington’s premiere building and development firms, and his wife Traci, 36, have built a home in Potomac where they and their children, Nate, 12, Tori, 11, and Taylor, 7, can make memories to treasure for years to come.
Teamwork
“I worked the structure and design and Traci had veto power. She worked the furnishings and interior design and I had veto power,” Monty says. Collaborating with Ralph Cunningham and Chris Morrison, who are both principals, and Devon Perkins, project architect, of Cunningham + Quill Architects PLLC, and Elizabeth Kittrell, owner of Kittrell Interiors, the Hoffmans and their team succeeded beautifully. The harmonious blend of rich woods, used for hickory floors, maple stairs, walnut railings, cherry cabinetry and hemlock beams, with 600 tons of locally quarried fieldstone mesmerizes.
And then there’s the glass. Dramatic walls of windows, clerestory windows, hallways with windows on both ends, and skylights create a sensational visual connection to the outdoors throughout the house. “We were trying to pull nature into the home,” Traci says.
The house was positioned for the view of the pond and meadow from the gourmet kitchen. This spacious area includes custom cabinetry by Monty’s cousin, Scott Good, owner of Salix Cabinetry Inc. It also features floor-to-ceiling windows on several walls, a cozy sitting area, and a dining area with a large fireplace. “While we were building, I envisioned the kids sitting at the table and seeing the geese and goslings before they go to school,” Traci says. “It’s all about the view for the kitchen. This is the hub of the house.”
A Unique Dining Room
While the kitchen may be the hub of the house, the dining room feels like its heart. “Matthew 7:12” is carved into the wooden mantle in large golden letters. “I could have spelled it out, but I didn’t want to. I wanted people to think about it,” Traci says. “It’s the Golden Rule and what I’m always chirping to my children, ‘Treat others the way you’d want to be treated.’ This is the foundation of how we are as a family,” Traci says.
The sturdy, custom-made dining room table creates a friendly, welcoming mood. “I wanted a table that looked like an old farm table, one that you can set a plate on and not worry about making a scratch. You can live on it,” Traci says. She also chose benches to flank each end of her table because they’re more casual than chairs.
A Romantic Parlor
The parlor is, by contrast, perhaps the most formal room chez Hoffman. “When Traci and I first started out, she lived in California. I sent her irises and the iris became her favorite flower. Hence, this room is purple and you see all the iris pictures,” Monty says.
“It’s All About Cuddling”
The owners’ bedroom with walls that are another subtle shade of iris, thick burgundy velvet draperies, a stone wall behind the king size bed, and a stone fireplace opposite is an intriguing blend of masculine and feminine features.
“This bedroom is all about cuddling and being close, but not just for Monty and me. We wanted a place where our kids liked being in our room at night reading or watching TV. That’s why we have these big chaise longues. They’re meant to put your feet up and just cuddle,” Traci says.
Or when the mood strikes, the Hoffmans can simply walk outside and take a dip in the pool, which is just steps from the French doors of their bedroom. Another bedroom door leads to an out-of-this-world bathroom suite.
Sybaritic Bathroom
The Hoffmans’ drop-dead gorgeous spa-style bathroom also brings a feeling of the outside in. Four dramatic stone pillars surround the double shower, which has a stone bench and rain showerheads. A wooden trellis above the shower echoes a trellis that connects the front of the house to the guesthouse, and another trellis that connects the back of the house to the pool house. A sunken tub with a bird’s eye view of the riding arena looks decadently inviting.
Stairway to Heaven
Another highlight in the Hoffman house is the main staircase, which is tucked to the side off the foyer. “I didn’t want a staircase when you first came in the door. I love a big, chunky staircase like the one in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ ” Traci says. The design of the staircase symbolizes the Hoffman family. “The three rails represent the three children, the two turns are us,” Monty says. The subtle “M” in the wrought iron is for Monty, the “T” for Traci, and the “H” for Hoffman.
“I Love You More … ”
Even the Hoffman family locker room, which holds five cubbyholes, one for each member of the family to store his or her shoes, jackets, and other paraphernalia is personalized. A message painted above the door says, “I love you more.”
Small birds hand-painted on the walls reflect one of Traci’s passions. She works with the North America Bluebird Society and Cornell University’s Bluebird Network. She has 30 birdhouses, many handmade by Don Hoffman, her father-in-law. The birdhouses dot the path along the creek that meanders for a quarter of a mile through their property, near the playhouse tucked in the trees, and throughout the meadow. So far this year, Traci has fledged 12 bluebirds, 17 tree swallows, five house wrens, and five Carolina chickadees.
Indoor Playground
When the Hoffmans aren’t outside enjoying nature they can play inside in an exciting entertainment complex that offers something for children of all ages. This lower level area includes a “sport court,” which is a basketball court complete with a climbing wall. This area is great for batting practice when Nate’s baseball team gets rained out. It also doubled as a disco for Taylor’s most recent birthday party.
The home gym rivals a professional gym with Nautilus equipment, a rubber floor and mirrors. A home media center with a cork ceiling to absorb sound holds large reclining brown leather chairs and a long sofa in case Tori or anyone else wants to stretch out while watching a flick. A game room with Fooz ball and ping-pong tables, and a TV provide another spot to chill out. And an art room offers a place to make puppet theatres and other creative projects.
An elegant wet bar includes an oval window with a lovely view of the riding arena. Monty and his father personally laid the brick in the wine cellar; grinding the edges and using acid wash to make the bricks look distressed and weathered. The bamboo floor that wouldn’t fully accept the black stain applied to it has the wonderful worn feeling of a floor in an old store.
Up-to-the-Minute Technology
While the home may feel like it’s been there for ages, it has all the latest advantages. The Hoffmans can monitor their children’s whereabouts with a state-of-the art security system, play different kinds of music in different parts of the home with their sound system, and turn off lights throughout the abode with the touch of a keypad. Basically, the Hoffmans’ is a smart and relaxed home.
The floor plan flows naturally. The garage, for instance, leads to the locker room, which leads to the children’s study, which leads to the kitchen. “It was all about flow and function,” Traci says. “You want to be able to take your shoes off and wander throughout. I don’t think my house is a high heel kind of place.”
Neither do we – mind if we stay for a while?
