March 3, 2012
America’s Best Home?
Top Ten Real Estate Deals (US NATIONAL EDITION) -- March 3rd, 2012
Did it ever occur to you that people keep changing houses because the last one didn’t really fit the way they actually live and they’re hoping the next one will come closer?
Well, the next one may have a few additional features that help, but it misses too and still leaves you feeling hollow after the newness wears off. It’s a never-ending search. Why is that?
Maybe it’s time to come to a halt, think … and stop chasing your tail.
Convention has told us that the heart of the home, the kitchen, should be shoved to the back of the house away from the living areas. It has also told us that houses must have separate dining rooms … even if you only use it once a year, or never! And of course there’s the living room that we even forget to look into on our way to the front door or the family room!
Get the point? When was the last time following convention made you so happy your soul sang? Exactly!
Maybe by now you’ve figured out what makes this magical home America’s Best. This couple approached the design of their home based on how we actually live and how the family unit and their guests feel most comfortable.
They also understood the peace and harmony that comes from living within a structure that uses materials taken from nature with colors from the earth and textures begging to be caressed.
It’s impossible to see the interior of this home and not picture living there; of having your family around you; each enjoying their individual pursuits, one by the fire, another on the sofa with their legs hooked over the arm and both chatting intermittently while you put the finishing touches on dinner.
The walls are stone, the wood barrel ceiling is high overhead and the reclaimed barn wood is warm under your bare feet. Purposeful design and earthly elegance at its absolute best!
Located on the Philadelphia Main Line, this property is exceptionally private with protected unobstructed views over hundreds of acres of permanent conservation land.
Voted “Best Residence in America” by Custom Home Magazine!
A private offering, it is not listed in MLS. Steve DiFrancesco, CEO of Hunter, Reed and Company in Philadelphia, is the listing broker handling the sale of the property.
— Janette Brown