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Houzz Tour: Mercer House
The majestic Potomac river winds its way through several states, eventually passing through Virginia where it widens as Dogue Creek joins in. There on the banks you'll find Mercer House, a stunningly beautiful stone and shingle house that looks as if it may have been in that very spot for decades. Those passing by on the river may be surprised to find it was built in 2002 under the specifications of Robert Brown and Todd Davis of Brown-Davis Interiors, Inc. The firm was responsible for both the interior and exterior architectural designs of this home, which belongs to Robert Brown's sister Wendy and her husband Charlie.
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"The entire design and focus of the house was intended to take advantage of the views," says Todd. When the property was purchased there was an original house from the 1950s that was dismantled. "Our intention was to create a house that could have been built 100 years ago," Todd says. "Our inspiration came from our visits to North East Harbor Maine when we visited the renowned writer and hostess, Susan Mary Alsop."
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Alsop's friends included Brooke Astor, the Pierponts and other notables. "With Susan Mary we would attend parties, teas and dinners which gave us the opportunity to visit these Gilded Age summer homes," Todd says. "We wanted to bring a bit of this Northeast Harbor Maine flavor to Mount Vernon, Virginia.
"This was also the time we were redesigning the interiors at the British Embassy Residence in Washington DC, and we were very much inspired by the work of Sir Edwyn Lutyen."
"This was also the time we were redesigning the interiors at the British Embassy Residence in Washington DC, and we were very much inspired by the work of Sir Edwyn Lutyen."
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The flooring in the foyer is designed of limestone with inlaid marble.
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The entire house was designed to take maximum advantage of the sweeping vista of the Potomac River. The cove lighting makes the home feel warm and beautiful on even the coldest days. The table visible in this picture is French Empire.
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| "We created a completely symmetrical Drawing Room with fireplaces on both ends, matching round windows and an oversized bay with floor to ceiling windows," Todd says. |
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"The custom furnishings are arranged in three seating areas." To avoid having just a blank wall on either side of the room, Rob and Todd designed a beautiful round window for that space instead.
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Rob and Todd designed all the molding in the home, including the crown molding, columns, and windows.
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This Venetian glass mirror is antique and dates back to the late 1800s.
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| The upholstered furnishings are custom designed by Brown Davis, as are the railings on the upper walkway and staircase. Antiques were combined with more contemporary shaped upholstered sofas and chairs. Brown Davis designed the custom scroll bench/coffee table. |
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Antiques were combined with more contemporary shaped upholstered sofas and chairs. The "Boy on the Horse" painting is a family piece from the 19th century.
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| The dining room was decorated in bright colors derived from a set of antique china. Antiques and paintings were carefully chosen, and the chairs were custom designed by Brown Davis Interiors. |
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Rob found this china—inspiration for the colors in the dining room—at an auction in New Orleans. It dates back to the late 1800s and has several unusual serving pieces. The corner cabinets were specifically designed to showcase this wonderful china.
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The gorgeous chandelier in the dining room is an antique from the Baltic region.
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Here's a close-up view of the china in a table setting in the dining room. Note the matching container filled with roses.
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| The master bedroom has amazing river views, too. |
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This is the view from the bay sitting area.
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And an evening view taken during the "blue hour." The quiet area at the water side of the master dedroom was designed to take advantage of the stunning views.
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| The guest dedroom was designed to be bright and cheery. In the foreground is an embassy chair designed by Brown Davis. |
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Todd designed the breakfast room to feel casual and playful, with colorful balloon shades and fun fabrics.
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| I asked if this project posed any particular challenges.
"The major issue was working within the flood plane set back from the river," Todd says. "The pool had to be closer to the house than we originally desired. This issue required some special design work to keep the pool space from feeling crowded." |
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| This view is looking from the lower level family room across the pool to the dock. The location of this home is special as the land incorporating the views is protected park and will never be developed. |
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| Dogue Creek and the Potomac River join at this point. This creates wide vistas making the views really beautiful from the home. |
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The front of the house was designed to fit nicely with other homes in the neighborhood. The benches are designed in the style of Sir Edwyn Lutyen.
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This is Wellie, short for Wellington. He highly approved of this project, especially since it's located on the river, a great swimming hole for those hot dog days of summer.
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Meet Robert Brown and Todd Davis of Brown-Davis Interiors, Inc. (Here, Robert is standing and Todd is seated.) They can also be found on their Facebook page.
The beautiful pictures you've seen here were taken by photographer Kenneth M. Winer.
The beautiful pictures you've seen here were taken by photographer Kenneth M. Winer.
Ideabook updated on Nov. 16, 2010.
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This house is very close to where I live. I believe I have seen it from the outside once while boating on the Potomac. It is lovely. There are a lot more great houses in that area, all different styles and the gardens are spectacular! I toured a few of the gardens just this past spring.
Judy