Spy House of the Week: Beach Blanket Bingo

As I write this, it is sunny and ninety-two degrees outside-even my cats have forsaken the screened porch on the shady side of the house. On this last weekend of summer, I wish I were spending today at a beach house and this cozy two-bedroom cottage one block from the Bay caught my eye. A gabled front porch, upper deck and rear deck expanded the living space and the blue siding and white trim were the perfect color palette for a beach house.

The living, dining and kitchen areas were one open plan that spanned the front of the house and I appreciated how the front door was shielded from a view of the kitchen upon entry by the wall at the refrigerator. The hardwood floors, crisp white kitchen cabinets and windows on three sides of the room created a light and clean look.

Of course, every beach house needs a mud room/ laundry to shake off sand, discard wet clothes and towels and store beach toys for another day. I liked how this spacious mud room/laundry was at the exterior corner so light from French door and a window made this a room a pleasant space for getting ready for a trip to the beach or cleaning up. There were hooks for towels, a bin for beach toys and a bench with storage for crocs or walking shoes. The stair to the second floor opened off this room for easy access upstairs.

One bedroom was located downstairs and the other was upstairs for privacy. The main floor bedroom had direct access to the rear deck and the loft bedroom had its own private deck. Skylights in the roof deck and windows at each side gable wall of the loft created a cozy retreat.

This very appealing renovation led to the cottage’s being sold in just over two months. The only thing I would add would be a gas fireplace in the living area to make this charming cottage a great winter weekend retreat too!

For more information about this property, contact Michele Palmer with Doug Ashley Realtors, LLC at 410-810-0010 (o), 410-920-9435 (c) or [email protected], “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.

Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.