Add to Del.icio.us
Digg this Article
Add to Mixx
Stepping into the foyer of the Woodley House is a bit like boarding the SS Normandie. You sense that you’re embarking on a luxurious journey. In fact, with the artdeco styling, art, and fine furnishings, it feels like you’re time traveling back to the elegant 1930s, an era the homeowners adore.
Years ago, when they were both students at Princeton, the couple used to go waltzing and swing dancing. “We like the same things and share a fascination with the era,” says the wife of this charming couple.
Fast forward to the 21st century. When their two sons (who are only a year apart) headed to college, the couple went from having a house full of 40 teenagers on weekends to quieter quarters. Naturally, they reevaluated their lifestyle and home in Fairfax Station, VA.
Each is a gourmet cook and they enjoy large-scale entertaining, so instead of downsizing, the couple expanded – dramatically.
They’d remodeled their basement in 1997 for their sons’ bar mitzvahs, and wanted to keep the memories of those celebrations alive, so they preserved the lower level. But everything else eventually came down – except for two chimneys.
“We never expected to knock the house down. We were trying to build as green as we could. But we were wiring for high tech and we wanted higher ceilings,” and one thing led to another, the wife says. Of course, they called Interior Designer Kelsie Hornby, principal of Elegant Designs Inc. in Williamsburg, VA, because they had successfully collaborated on three previous projects.
Gourmet Feasts
“I could not have built this house without Kelsie. We have worked together for more than 20 years. Her ability to know what I like and being able to guide me was invaluable. The project was a success because we were a team. And we loved the construction crew [Monarc Construction Inc.],” the wife says. “Kelsie kept us from getting overwhelmed, because it was such a huge project. We relied on her consistency and unflappability for the better part of three years.”
The house was designed for people of all sizes, but especially for the wife, who is 4 feet 11 inches, to feel comfortable. So, when David Facey of Stuart Kitchens designed the kosher kitchen, instead of having separate dairy and meat dishes stored in overhead cabinets, space was provided in easy-to-reach drawers. Lighted boxes were installed where overhead cabinets might have been. And because both homeowners enjoy cooking, they each have an island, prep sink, stove, and refrigerator. Facey also designed a “kitchen within a kitchen” in one corner that includes a small dishwasher, refrigerator, and microwave.
The couple often serves feasts in their grand dining room. The handsome, expandable dining table can seat 14, but by reconfiguring the table and bringing in more tables, as many as 70 can be served in that space.
“We didn’t want to do a chandelier, because you’re kind of locked in place when you do a chandelier,” says Hornby, who designed stained glass panels that are lighted from above and remind you of the dining room on a cruise ship. An elegant alcove near the window holds a smaller table that’s lovely for more intimate dining.
Rooms for Living
The two-story library features a balcony and game table. “The library is centered on the Scrabble table. They’re big Scrabble players,” Hornby says.
“We’ve always been living-room people; there’s no family room in this house,” the wife says. “We gave a lot of attention to the way we live. It’s very Virginian to have two living rooms,” the husband adds. They entertain often in the larger living room, but linger in the smaller parlor, too. “My wife spends a lot of time saying goodbye, so we needed a place near the door,” he notes. The parlor, with four striking walnut chairs crafted in Beirut in the ’30s and an armoire custom made in Italy, is an exquisite place to bid farewell. And because the gentleman of the house plays accordion, a music niche was built near a window in this room for him, too.
Elegant Settings
The colors, particularly the salmons and blacks, in the larger living room were inspired by a rare collection of “pochoir” fashion plates, including many that French illustrator George Barbier made between 1910 and 1933. The lady of the house began collecting them when she was in college and proudly displays the stylish illustrations in this room.
Highlights in the media room include two c. 1940 slipper chairs that spiral like sculptures. The sconces in this room are from The Strand Palace hotel foyer in London. Motorized curtains, vintage film posters, and a built-in bar and refrigerator make it a comfortable place to watch Fred and Ginger dance across the screen in Flying Down to Rio.
Hollywood Glamour
The owners’ bedroom conjures Hollywood with its crescent-shaped windows that overlook five acres of property, an art-deco armoire that conceals a flatscreen TV, satin bedding, and sequined pillows. The bedroom, 10 feet above ground, is surrounded by woods, so by day the view is a sweep of nature.
“At nighttime, you enter the 1920s,” the wife says, adding that closing the motorized draperies changes the mood of the room completely. Hornby had luxurious chaise longues made to mirror each other on opposite sides of the room. “I feel like Katharine Hepburn when I enter this room,” the wife says.
She especially likes knowing hers is a smart house, wired by American Automation & Communications Inc. She can extinguish every light in the house with the push of a single button by her bedside.
“Our bed suite has spoiled me so I can’t go to any hotel,” she says.
Sybaritic Bath
“Bathrooms are my thing,” the wife says. “A bathroom makes a house.” Hers are especially luxurious, with wonderful details such as thick terrycloth bath sheets for guests as well as her family, beautiful soaps and lotions, and delicious scents.
“A house should smell wonderful. Start with the bathroom,” says the wife, who enjoys burning Yankee candles and watching TV while bathing in her circular Jason tub, which includes air bubbles and chromatherapy features.
“Finding a tub for a short person is a challenge. You could slide forward and drown,” says the wife, only half kidding. She especially enjoys having a shower head positioned to fit right over her head, too, another luxury for a petite person.
A Carrara marble tile heated chaise was custom made of bended wood to fit the wife’s figure. “We saw four on a cruise ship,” the husband says. It’s relaxing to sit on the chaise before or after a bath. The anteroom of the bath includes a tiny sink with instant hot water for tea, a small refrigerator for water, and other accoutrements.
Staircase to heaven
The staircases of the house are gorgeous, but discreetly tucked into the design. The dramatic back staircase was inspired by one the couple saw on a cruise ship.
They have their bedroom on the first floor and three guest bedrooms upstairs, so they can live on one level as they waltz into their golden years and pamper their guests (who often come from far away) with privacy.
“We like loving people through food and loving people through comfort,” the wife says. And they do so with an élan that evokes a beautiful bygone era.
