Description

Welcome to Bryarly. This stately 5 bedroom colonial home, continuously kept in pristine condition since 1935, lies at the confluence of three of Washington’s great neighborhoods with easy access to our city’s major attractions and thoroughfares.

The home’s crisp exterior accented with pronounced shutters has an elegance equal to the flowering magnolia that is the envy of the neighborhood. The home was always meant for entertaining on a large scale. The gracious proportions of its public rooms; its lush rear lawn teeming with towering trees and awe-worthy boxwoods; and its large outdoor stone patio offer an easy flow for dozens or even hundreds of guests.

The home’s formal living room has been reborn into the inviting salon it was always meant to be. Folding doors and two steps down lead you into a spacious and elegant retreat with visually stunning crown moldings and a marble fireplace once a centerpiece of the Dumbarton House.

The beautiful library is a cocoon-like study shrouded in natural light from the glorious wall of paned windows that would do an Ivy-League reading room proud. There’s plenty of room for a sitting area at the fireplace, while comfortable sofas make for a peaceful place to grab a book from the floor to ceiling built-ins that make this stunning room a standout from every angle.

The kitchen is the center of the home. The current owners installed a custom built La Cornue stove which was brought from Paris to be a magnificent centerpiece of the room. The handsome heated tiled breakfast nook with its wall of French doors leading out into the gardens not only enhances the adjoining kitchen, but also creates function.

The dining room was expanded by Gerson Nordlinger, a prominent benefactor of the Washington Symphony Orchestra, who utilized this space and the gardens to regale patrons of Washington’s performing arts with lavish dinner parties and private performances of upcoming productions. The current owners commissioned a muted-toned paper of branches and flowers to cover the walls of the spectacular dining room, which lies at the intersection of the formal salon, kitchen, and library. A functional and beautiful chair rail forms a base for the redesign, though the handsomely proportioned crown molding and the built-in corner cabinets are original to the home.

Located at the top of the home’s wide, gracious stairway is the primary suite. The owners renovated this enormous bedroom, installing the eighteenth-century hand carved pine mantel and gas fireplace to make winter warmth a modern convenience with the click of a remote.

Two exceptionally large additional bedrooms run the course of the second floor, each a corner room with tree filled views that enjoy ample storage and gracious accommodations. These rooms’ inspiring dimensions provide a level of comfort the most discerning of residents can appreciate.

Do not be fooled by the steep staircase leading to the third level. Upon ascending you enter a remarkable attic conversion complete with an additional bedroom, full bathroom, storeroom and a pair remarkable cedar lined walk-in closets. This space is meaningfully versatile for an extensive menu of potential uses. But one thing is for absolute certain – you are NEVER running out of storage space in this closet rich home.

The lower level offers a den or office that can host movie night or double as extra sleeping space. The main laundry area is down here as well. Both spaces enjoy updated built-in shelving and storage.

The Great Lawn with its fountain and curved stone walls offers an elegant space for entertaining or has the potential to be reimagined into a glorious pool and entertainment extravaganza. Its flat turf offers plenty of space.

In every way, this home is as comfortable hosting a large reunion of old friends as it is of creating the intimacy of a treasured family wedding.