HOME LIFE Real Estate News and Open House I Inside Homes and My Washington
,SWXW [MXL XLI 1SWX Matt and Ashley Bronczek bonded over a shared love of entertaining, and together they created the ideal home BY LAURA WAINMAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY TONY BROWN
HOME LIFE | INSIDE HOMES
he Bronczeks are no strangers to the Washington social scene. Their monikers,“Ashley” and “Matt,” are often splashed across invitations as chairmen or hosts of some of the glitziest affairs in town. Whether for the Washington Ballet, with whom Ashley has worked closely since moving to the District in 2004, or Meridian, Susan G. Komen or Teach for America, the philanthropic duo have more than played their part. But these days, with two children under the age of three, their focus is on entertaining on a smaller scale - think at-home birthday parties, baby showers and intimate dinners with friends. “I spent much of my first 10 years in this city being so social and focusing on others and my charity work, but now I am embracing being a mom and being present for my kids,” Ashley says. Even though her two little ones, Bridget (“Birdie”) and Brody, now dictate most of her schedule, her love for entertaining has not waned. “We both love to host and that was actually something we clicked on right away,” Matt says. The couple made sure to factor entertaining needs into their 2012 decision to buy the 1940s Tudor house they like to call their “forever home.” The Bronczeks, both native Californians, began and ended their search in the Spring Valley neighborhood, mainly because it had sentimental value to Ashley, whose grandparents, Ann and Lloyd Hand, live two blocks away. The parents of her first childhood friend still live three doors down. “The neighborhood holds special memories of summers spent with my grandparents and I love that my
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PREVIOUS PAGE (clockwise from top left): Matt Bronczek does not like anything on the walls, so the master bedroom is the one place devoid of hanging photographs or artwork; Two-year-old Bridget’s room highlights her nickname “Birdie” with bird cage stenciling; The Bronczeks retained the terracotta tiling in the kitchen as a nod to their California roots; The one room in the house Matt designed, the downstairs “man cave,” is being transformed into a children’s game room because it has easy access to the pool and the outdoors; (inset photo) The settee and chairs in the formal living room were a honeymoon purchase at the Paris flea market. THIS PAGE (clockwise from top left): The Bronczeks use their dining room more than most people as it is the focal point of their entertaining; Though neither of them play the piano, they hope that their children will learn; Ashley fell in love with this painting in Mexico because it reminded her of a wedding dress, but did not purchase it. On their first anniversary the couple returned to Mexico and Matt surprised her with the painting, which became all the more special since they had just learned they would be having a daughter; Ashley loves her canopy chair from Noir Furniture LA; The master bathroom has become a meeting point for the family as they all get ready in the mornings; This French shabby chic room is the couple’s favorite.
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kids are now going to grow up playing in the same big, wide streets that I did,” Ashley says. She fell in love with the interior of the house due to its layout and the fact that the flow of the rooms and open spaces would be conducive to entertaining. She didn’t have to sell Matt, who loved the “bones” of the house as well as the outdoor spaces, including a big lawn and a pool. They were happy enough with its basic structure that there was no need for gutting. They could focus instead on smaller renovations, such as updating all the bathrooms. The master bathroom was the largest project. After a tour, its clear that decorating with family heirlooms or pieces with sentimental value is important to the couple. Artwork is replaced by baby photos and family portraits; the chairs and a settee were purchased at the Paris flea market on their honeymoon; the dining room chandelier was another honeymoon purchase in Florence; the dining room table seating 14 was an antique passed down from Ashley’s grandparents, while the intricate cherry blossom mural in the dining room was painstakingly painted over a month-long period by Matt’s cousin, Nicolette Capuano. “I was careful not to over-decorate when we first moved in, as we knew we were in the stage of life where things would be changing quickly, particularly since we knew we wanted to start a family,”Ashley notes.“I didn’t want to outgrow things or not have room to add on as our family dynamic changed.” Though Matt and Ashley both admit that they currently spend a majority of their time in the family room off the kitchen because it is an easy place to monitor their children, they hope to quickly outgrow that space and utilize the other rooms aas well. Matt agreed, for example, to transform his downstairs “man cave” into a game room, though he retained the elegant sliding mahogany door that his company salvaged from the Old Executive Office Building. “This house affords us lots of space to grow into that will adapt as our family changes,” Ashley says. “I want it to be the fun house, the house where the kids all congregate and want to hang out, and I think that is exactly what we will have. I feel very rooted here.”
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