That’s Entertaining: Clifton Home Offers Space and Amenities, Including a Pool

Imagine a house with the space and luxury amenities to host a Christmas party for 250 guests—with room left over to fit a live band. That’s the type of house Rob and Janet Wainer envisioned when they went house-hunting in 2005. And that’s what they got, when they bought 13308 Ivakota Farm Road in Clifton.

Rob, a chiropractor, and his wife Janet, a forensic underwriter, had lived in Clifton’s Little Rocky Run community with their two daughters for five years, when they decided it was time for a larger house with more land. Since they wanted to remain in the Robinson school district, they looked in Clifton.

The Wainers’ search included some of Clifton’s five-acre estate homes, but the couple was not enticed. “We didn’t want just a house, we also wanted a neighborhood,” says Rob. “This area [Balmoral Greens] has that. There’s serenity, there aren’t that many houses. But you do have neighbors that care and some activities. It is still a community.”

The 8,806 square-foot brick Colonial, built in 1998, has a curved main staircase that wraps around  a two-story foyer and rotunda. It offers a flowing layout of large rooms as well as ample outdoor space for hosting gatherings.

“The back of the house looks like a resort with a pool, like something you would see in the mansions in Newport [Rhode Island],” said Janet. The resort-style swimming pool includes a waterfall that spills into it. 

A deck off the den and kitchen includes plenty of space for lounging or enjoying an eight-person hot tub. “It’s especially great in the winter, sitting with a glass of champagne and watching the snow fall,” Janet mused. “There are so many stars out here.”

The back of the 2.5-acre property abuts a heavily wooded area, offering the family a lot of privacy. “It’s very peaceful, you don’t see anyone, and the nature is amazing,” Rob notes.

Since the couple bought the home in large part because it was “the perfect house for entertaining,”  they didn’t wait long to try it out. Their first year in the house the Wainers hosted a children’s Halloween party for about 45 kids and 100 parents.  On the home’s lower level (including a 29’ x 24’ rec room, an exercise room with sauna, a media area with surround sound, and more) Rob created a 20-foot “tunnel of terror” that was the hit of the Halloween celebration.

Because the six-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath house was already so large and well laid out, the Wainers didn’t make any structural changes after moving in. But they did change the décor, especially in the dining room. The couple hired faux painter Allan Forrest to create a Tuscan motif for their 21’ x 17’ dining room.

“We told him we were looking for Tuscany, and let him decide how to bring it to the room,” said Janet. Forrest painted a ceiling medallion for the chandelier and a maroon, hunter green, and gold Tuscan-influenced design along the sides of the room’s tray ceiling. He also created a large painting—on a mirror—of Rome, and finished it with a dark, ornate frame; it is the focal point of the dining room.

The Wainers spend a lot of time in their 23’ x 21’ den, which features a cathedral ceiling, a two-story, stone-front fireplace, and an antique jukebox that gets a lot of use. The den opens to a breakfast room and 19’ x 18’ gourmet kitchen where Janet, who was the owner of Clifton Wine Cellars from 2008-2010, loves to cook. (No surprise that Italian is a favorite.)

“This kitchen has everything, space for whatever you might need,” she noted. “But it is big. My mom once told me she got tired just walking around in it.”

As much as she enjoys her kitchen, Janet’s favorite place is the home’s yellow and white sunroom. “It’s my retreat room to get quiet in,” said Janet about the light-filled room with a cathedral ceiling and three walls of window that have been tinted to cut down on glare and fabric fading. “We read, we listen to music…there’s no TV,” Janet noted.

Rob and Janet are now looking for a home closer to Rob’s Arlington office and their children’s private school. They have listed their home for sale (at $1,299,900) with Lilian Jorgenson of Long & Foster Real Estate.   

Moving to a new place that is closer-in and probably smaller will be bittersweet, said Janet. “This house is big, you could get lost in it. But it is a great refuge, relaxing and cozy.”

“I’ll also miss those huge parties,” she added. “This has been the perfect house for entertaining.”