Delaware Country Estate
Cribs
By Liza Alwes |
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Jodi Vince grew up in an ultra-modern home in rural New Jersey. "It had a hundred windows," she says. "People called it the White Castle."
As an adult, she designed a home whose driving force is, in Jodi's words, "comfort and coziness." Of course, being married to builder Chris Vince of CM Vince Properties and CV Real Properties provided some flexibility.
Photo: Christopher Atwood
Their house in Delaware is a slice of country straight out of Martha Stewart Living. Its spacious seventeen rooms (not counting four and a half bathrooms) are painted in warm earth tones. The entire house is well lit by rows upon rows of recessed lights, roasting fireplaces, and ornate chandeliers. The sea-foam blue master bedroom, simply furnished with an enormous four-poster bed, looks out over the meadows of a horse farm. In warm weather, the Vinces and their children and friends enjoy the same view from the wraparound porch.
When the Vinces set out to design and build their dream house, they were looking for a vintage feel.
"We wanted to build a new house, but for it to look like an old house," said Jodi.
Photo: Christopher Atwood
The house does have a comforting, relaxed farmhouse feel, for all its luxury. The spacious kitchen, accented in marble and chrome, shares an enormous stone and brick wall and a see-through fireplace with the living room.
The living room's highlight is an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. The windows on one side and the fireplace on the other, combined with Dora the Explorer smiling placidly out of a widescreen television, create an atmosphere that demands lazy weekend afternoons.
Photo: Christopher Atwood
The basement, on the other hand, demands late nights and off-color jokes. Aside from the lime green exercise room, the basement is all about the party. A gorgeous, well-stocked bar made of wood reclaimed from old barns is the centerpiece. The room also features a poker table and leather couches. On more nights than not, the basement is frequented by the Vinces' many friends. It also contains a quiet guest room centered upon a beautiful wooden-frame bed and, of course, exclusive access to the bar after everyone else has gone to bed. "When guests come," Jodi says, "it's kind of like their own little vacation."
Originally Published: November 1, 2009
