Fox News Anchor Bret Baier and his wife Amy pay homage to elegant family living.
By Christopher Boutlier
Photos by Joseph Allen
Bret, Paul, and Amy Baier
The prospect of sitting down for an interview with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier, anchor for the network’s “Special Report,” is often enough to put even the most seasoned Washington hands on guard. But when the setting is his family’s new upper Northwest home with Bret’s wife, Amy, and their 2-year-old son Paul on the scene, there’s a decidedly different feel to the encounter. The newsman is far more likely to serve you a drink from the living room “pub,” as Bret styles the well-appointed bar in the first floor sitting room, and save the tough questions for the likes of President Obama (whom he recently interviewed).
A well-placed decanter looks perfectly at home on an elegant marble tabletop
The house, which they all moved into a year ago, has been designed with an eye to tradition and updated with tasteful contemporary accents and finishes that obscure the fact that construction began barely two years ago. The revelation that Amy, who has a great talent
for interior design but never trained formally, directed the creation of the interior space, makes its impeccable detail all the more impressive. The overall look is, in many respects, quintessentially American – comfortable, understated, and effortlessly stylish. And it’s worlds away from the couple’s first home, an oh-so modern condo in a vibrant corner of Georgetown.
Understated country elements play off the most refined accents in this light, airy kitchen
The change in scenery suits them, and the space afforded by the 7,500- square-foot home will no doubt be welcome after the arrival of a new baby on the way. The Baiers could not have created a more idyllic setting for family life, with an atmosphere reminiscent of the stately homes found in classic American films. Tracey and Hepburn and the rambunctious kids that co-starred with them, would fit right in.
Even though Amy once worked at Calvin Klein in New York City, she found inspiration for her home’s décor in the highend boutiques of the father of American fashion, Ralph Lauren. The formal entryway sets the tone for the rest of the house. It’s dramatic in its simplicity – gleaming white walls punctuated with columns and a brilliant crystal chandelier. But before the overall effect veers too far toward minimalism, a spectacular hall table with a gleaming black granite top and carved gilt legs adds a well-placed dramatic punch.
The office desk lamp has nothing on the crystal chandelier turned task lighting over this lovely writing desk
The dining room, which may be the most formal room in the house, also playfully mixes the serious and the simple. It features rich faux crocodile walls and a stunning mahogany table made surprisingly light and breezy by an offsetting sisal rug and gauzy cream window shears. The sitting rooms mix the trademark Lauren color palette of browns, golds, navy, and white in a manner that evokes the country estate of some fabled equestrian, yet there are modern touches that blends the rooms with their city setting as well.
The kitchen, along with its charming adjoining sunroom, mix farmhouse chic elements such as white cabinetry and floral wallpaper with a strikingly modern oval table and elegant, curved back chairs upholstered in cream fabric. The master bedroom and bath also strike a magnificent balance between tradition and today, utilizing another famed Lauren motif – black, white, and cream– in a mix of oversized paisley, stripes and, most exquisitely, in a stunning black crystal chandelier over the upholstered sleigh bed.
With its American elegance, the Baiers’ residence is perfect for a cocktail party, a lazy Sunday brunch, or a day home alone with the kids. It is so tasteful and comfortable that you just might forget to start your conversation in the “Baier Bar” with the stipulation that everything’s off the record. Administration honchos and congressional solons accept invitations at their peril.
Black and white color schemes often hit stark, modern, graphic notes, but here they blend seamlessly with an effect that is both unexpected and comfortable
Floral wallpaper and classic cabinetry add a quaint element to an otherwise immaculate, polished space
Despite ornate elements, the columns, crystal, and gilt carved table legs are perfectly proportioned to the foyer, which greets guests by hinting at the elegance to be found within
Nothing says study like a well-appointed library and framed artifacts, like this impressive bronze bas-relief hung mid-shelf
The rich elements of this beautiful room do not overwhelm because the muted palette provides a modern, simple effect
