330 Alexandria Pike Warrenton, VA 20186

There are houses you admire and houses you simply don't want to leave. 330 Alexandria Pike has that effect. It draws you in, room by room and before long you've forgotten that you're in the heart of Warrenton. Set amid extraordinary gardens on 0.7 acres, this wonderful old Italianate home feels like a world of its own, yet Old Town and Main Street are an easy walk from the front door. A circular gravel motor court brings you to a house surrounded by mature trees and gardens that have been created and layered over many years. Paths wind through boxwood, overflowing perennial borders, sculpture and collected architectural pieces. There is something unexpected around nearly every corner. Tucked into the garden is an eight-sided former ice house that could become the most magical dining pavilion. With a table, a candlelit chandelier and the doors open to the garden, it would be a wonderful place for a dinner party. Inside, you immediately understand that this isn't an ordinary house. It's the home of a noted collector who's spent a lifetime bringing together art, antiques and objects. The result is layered, colorful and unapologetically maximalist and somehow feels exactly right in Virginia Hunt Country. Some furnishings, window treatments and other pieces may also be available, giving the next owner an opportunity to keep some of what makes the house feel the way it does today. The double-height foyer is dramatic and leads into a series of rooms with tall ceilings, wood floors and beautiful architectural details. There's a library with built-ins, a dark and cozy study and a grand living room with a fireplace. Then there's the dining room with its Juliet balcony. It's unexpected and fantastic and feels like you've been transported somewhere else entirely. The bright green kitchen is fun and functional and the sun porch gives you another place to sit and look out at the gardens. Upstairs are four bedrooms as the house is currently arranged, including the primary suite and a large guest suite with its own spacious bath. There's also a full bath on the main level, which gives you the option of turning the library or another room into a first-floor bedroom or primary suite. Even the dogs have their own clever setup. Dog doors lead to specially designed ramps and secure grassy areas outside, created by an owner well known in the world of champion dogs. What's so unusual about 330 Alexandria Pike is the combination. You have 0.7 acres of remarkable gardens, the feeling and privacy of a country house and all the character that comes with a home that's evolved over generations. And then you can walk out the front door and be on Main Street in Old Town Warrenton. It's colorful, collected, a little unexpected and completely its own. Most of all, it's a happy house that transports you somewhere else without ever leaving town.