Farmhouse Friday: Staying Faithful in Malvern

The owner of Bryn Ddeu-Faen wanted to stay true to the roots of the two houses on the site as they were combined into one spectacular residence. This turned out to be a job for the Mennonites, assisted by a first-rate team of craftspeople and designers.

34 Rabbit Run Rd., Malvern, Pa. 19355 | TREND images via BHHS Fox & Roach

34 Rabbit Run Rd., Malvern, Pa. 19355 | TREND images via BHHS Fox & Roach

There are more than two stones now along the driveway leading to the “Hill with Two Stones” (the English translation of this unique farmstead’s Welsh name, “Bryn Ddeu-Faen”).

Not to mention the thousands of them that went into constructing the late 1700s farmhouse and mid-1800s field master’s house that have now been combined into a single residence.

All those stones speak to this home’s deep Pennsylvania roots. And in the two-year renovation and expansion project that created this home, the owner made sure to graft the rootstock properly.

What you see here is the result of a splendid collaboration involving, among others, architect Peter Zimmerman, landscape architect Jonathan Alderson, cabinetmaker Bruce Ritter and skilled Mennonite craftsmen, along with ironworkers from Maryland and Delaware. Their end product is as authentically rustic a home as we’ve seen in quite a while, yet one that contains the amenities modern buyers expect.

Like a kitchen with granite countertops, a butcher-block island, a professional-quality range and a Sub-Zero refrigerator, and a master bathroom with a subway-tile-lined shower with frameless glass enclosure and rain shower head. (The rustic part here comes in the outside framing, consisting of wood planks of varying width.)

This home has space for just about anything you might conceive. There’s a formal living room with a fireplace and a lovely rustic dining room located in the new wing that connects the two houses. There’s an impressive, two-story-high great room with built-in cabinets and a wet bar tucked away behind barn doors. Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired stenciling graces the walls of both the great room and the adjacent kitchen.

The master bedroom has a high vaulted ceiling, and you’ll find high vaulted ceilings with exposed beams in at least one of the other bedrooms as well.

You’ll also find a game room and a wine cellar with its own dining table among the other amenities this home offers.

The outside of this home is as impressive as the inside. It sits on four beautifully landscaped acres accented by stones and split-rail fences with a view of Crum Creek. There’s a large covered front porch, a side deck and balcony, a rear terrace and a pool for outdoor enjoyment.

Its rustic setting belies the fact that it’s in the thick of Philly’s western suburbs: Paoli and Malvern are just up the road in one direction, Marple and Newtown Square in the other. The saving grace: Once you turn onto the long driveway that leads through the woods surrounding your home, all the suburban bustle melts away.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 5

BATHS: 4 full, 1 half

SQUARE FEET: 6,212

SALE PRICE: $2,700,000

34 Rabbit Run Rd., Malvern, Pa. 19355 [Lavinia Smerconish | BHHS Fox & Roach]