Edgemont's Interiors

The ingeniously efficient layout of Edgemont’s interiors is quintessentially Jeffersonian. Also, this two-level structure appears to be a single-story home from the front, another Jeffersonian device. The main entry is on the upper floor and opens into a reception hall graced with a modillioned cornice and a Palladian archway installed during Milton Grigg’s restorations, as well as the original mantel. The walls are covered by a sweeping panorama of a hunting scene by Zuber & Cie.

Across from the archway is Grigg’s pedimented entry into the octagonal drawing room, the centerpiece of the house. This light-filled space is rimmed by an egg-and-dart cornice over an ornate swag motif and features an Adamesque mantel and other details added over the years. At the east end, French windows open onto a portico that looks out upon the terraced gardens and the river below. Flanking the octagonal salon are a master bedroom and a guestroom with molded cornices, wainscoting, mantels, and other details original to the house. Much early hardware survives as well. Also on this level are the master dressing room and a paneled library.

A narrow, hidden stairway—yet another design feature Jefferson favored—leads to the garden level below. At its center is the sun-drenched dining room, dominated by a wide stone fireplace outfitted with cranes and pothooks. Arched French windows open onto a patio and the terraced landscape beyond. To one side of the dining room is a kitchen with granite countertops and updated appliances, as well as a breakfast room with the remains of a stone fireplace. To the other side are a sitting room and an office. Timbered ceilings add to the rustic flavor of these charming and eminently convenient spaces.