On the Market: Postmodern Colonial in Chadds Ford
No, this isn't a style mashup — it holds true to traditional Colonial style. But it offers a very distinctive angle on that tradition. Several angles, in fact.
Behind this syncopated facade at 116 Ashford Dr., Chadds Ford, PA 19317 is an elegant center-hall Colonial. The difference is, it’s not laid out like one — it offers interesting angles (45- and 60-degree ones, primarily) on the traditional form. / Photographs by Colin Burkhardt, CdB Photography, via Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty
I must confess that I do a double take whenever I hear talk of a Colonial in Chadds Ford. The community at the heart of Andrew Wyeth country has long struck me as a place where one finds mainly contemporary and modern houses that are designed to blend in with and take advantage of the woodsy Brandywine River watershed.
And yet they exist. But — as this Chadds Ford postmodern Colonial house for sale indicates — they, too, march to the beat of their own drummer.
Why “postmodern”? It’s certainly not because it speaks a non-traditional design language. As these photos should make clear, this quarter-century-old home in the Ashford subdivision hews to the traditions of Colonial design.
Where it goes off the rails is in how it arranges the various elements. That much should be clear just by looking at its front elevation, above. Where’s the center hall?
Foyer and dining room
There isn’t one, that’s where. Enter the house and the first thing you encounter is a foyer where the main staircase sits at a 45-degree angle to the rooms around it.
Dining room
Flanking it are two open combined spaces that would be separate in a traditional Colonial.
Music room
The one to the left of the foyer combines a music room and the formal dining room. This has the potential to make your dinner parties more interesting by offering your guests live music.
Living room
Living room
The one to the right contains an extra-large living room with a marble fireplace and built-in bookshelves, both in keeping with tradition.
Florida room
A Florida room lies just off the living room, facing the backyard.
Kitchen
The foyer also leads to the kitchen, which lies in between the staircase and the Florida room.
Kitchen
You could make a breakfast room out of the latter, but since the kitchen has bar seating at its island, do you really need to?
Primary bedroom
The upper two floors contain all five bedrooms. Most have angled ceilings since they lie beneath this house’s multiple gables. The primary bedroom has a high vaulted ceiling, a bay window and a walk-in closet.
Primary bathroom
Its bathroom features plenty of marble tile on its floor, its wainscoting and its shower stall along with double vanities and a clawfoot soaking tub. One of the bedrooms currently serves as a home office, and there’s an au pair/in-law/guest suite on the top floor.
Basement media room
Underneath all this is a finished basement built for entertaining.
Basement game room and bar
The open space stretches from a tile-floored media room on one end to a game room and wet bar with two wine fridges on the other.
Basement rec room
In between these two spaces is a fireplace, and you will also find a gym in the basement.
Backyard fire pit and pool
And you will find a pool and a fire pit in the backyard off the Florida room. The backyard also has a built-in irrigation system. Also, most of the systems of this house and its roof have been recently upgraded.
The Ashford subdivision where you will find this Chadds Ford postmodern Colonial house for sale also sits between two well-known Brandywine country attractions — Longwood Gardens to the northwest and the Mendenhall Inn to the south. Also a short distance to the west is Kennett Square, the mushroom capital of the world and home to several great restaurants. And the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, home to many Wyeth works, is just a little further away to the east.
All that makes this house a convenient and attractive option for those who appreciate tradition yet want a bit of originality to go along with it. Brandywine country offers a good bit of that.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 5
BATHS: 3 full, 2 half
SQUARE FEET: 4,392
SALE PRICE: $910,000
116 Ashford Dr., Chadds Ford, PA 19317 [Michael Kelczewski | Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty]
