Peek Inside Julia Child’s Former Washington, DC Home for Sale
Get ready to turn up the heat on the boeuf bourguignon, because Julia Child’s Washington, DC home is officially on the market with Jonathan Taylor and Maxwell Rabin of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty. And in the classic style of the “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” author, the kitchen is a dream for anyone who loves to cook… or just enjoy a good meal.
Child, who starred in the iconic cooking show “The French Chef”, moved into the butter yellow house in Georgetown in 1948, and created many of the recipes for her famous tome in the kitchen. But the home also has a fascinating history from its pre-Julia years. Built shortly after the Civil War in 1870 by Edgar Moore, a leading figure in the Black community, the house is an important piece of the African-American influence in the area during the Reconstruction era. Now, the home is owned by Rory Veevers-Carter, who has chronicled the renovation process on an Instagram page titled Jewel on Olive, named for the street it sits on.
Today, the 3,275-square-foot house, which has three beds and three-and-a-half baths, is restored to perfection. The multi-level home truly blends a contemporary perspective with a respect for history. Filled with natural light and boasting exposed bricks and beams, it welcomes guests on the entry level, where there’s a spacious living room, office, foyer, working fireplace and powder room. A floating staircase leading downstairs brings you to the kitchen and dining room, which is designed around the intersection of congregating and cooking. It features everything from stainless steel Viking appliances and an eight-burner cooktop stove to double stacked ovens and a wooden hearth. (There’s also a temperature-controlled wine fridge, which one can assume Child would love.) It leads out to a spacious, private patio.
On the upper level, you’ll find the comfortable bedrooms, including the luxe primary bedroom, where there’s a walk-in closet with custom, built-in shelving and an en suite bathroom with a soaking tub and stand-up shower in white marble. On the lower level, don’t miss the custom Hammam tiled in pink marble.
One fun feature we spotted on the Instagram page is the “window to history,” located in the kitchen. The nook features some classic items associated with Child, including a cheese grater, flour sifter, a copy of her legendary cookbook tome and a framed photograph of the beloved French Chef.
Clearly, the renovation process has been a significant one. The Jewel on Olive account features over four years of photos of the massive overhaul, which started on January, 1, 2018. While Child passed away in 2004, her memory (and love of food) lives on in kitchens like these, and in every cup of French onion soup that’s enjoyed. Plus, anyone who’s a big fan of the supreme chef will have the opportunity to soak up the upcoming HBO Max series, “Julia”, starring “Happy Valley” actress Sarah Lancashire as Child and David Hyde Pierce as her husband Paul.