One of the past House of the Week properties located on this very appealing block of Mill St. was a charming Colonial cottage and today’s feature is an equally charming Victorian. Its classic style is evident from the three-bay house’s front elevation with a full front porch, entry door at the side next to two windows with three windows aligned above on the second floor, fretwork at the porch’s columns and eave extension brackets at the second floor roof. The exterior color palette of light blue lap siding and yellow shutters with white trim is very pleasing.
I like how the entry door and sidewalk from the porch are located at the driveway side of the front elevation to maximize the porch’s seating area. The Town’s brick sidewalk extends to the front edge of the porch and the brick infills the off-site parking area to the white fence that marks the entry to the side yard. Hanging pots of colorful seasonal plants or flowers over the porch’s railing would be the finishing touch for this house’s great curb appeal.
The floor plan responds very well to the deep and narrow lot with a one room wide, four rooms deep layout. Past the fence, the brick paving continues along the driveway side of the house by a one-story shed roofed half screened, half open outdoor room that spans the full depth of the main level. The red brick and foliage along the brick wall of the adjacent house provides a colorful backdrop to the porch/terrace and the windows high above the ground provide privacy. This delightful outdoor area with its great back and forth flow from the side yard to porch to terrace creates a great party space! The hardscape ends at a verdant oasis shaded by trees and the landscape contains a colorful accessory structure that would be a perfect office or playhouse for young children.
The front door opens into a foyer with the side stairs leaving wall space for a small lunette table, decorative objects and art and behind the foyer is a powder room. From the foyer, the living room’s side wall is visible with a fireplace between built-in millwork detailed with centered open shelves below arched trim flanked by upper and lower cabinets. The living room is connected to the dining room by a wide cased opening to a vista of the dining room table and chairs to another fireplace beyond. The wainscot around the dining room is broken by the arched top corner cabinet, the pair of French doors to the screened porch and two single windows opposite each other. These windows and doors and the living room’s windows overlooking the front porch provide both direct and filtered light for the open plan living-dining rooms. Behind the dining room is the kitchen with an “L’ shaped arrangement of white cabinetry and stainless steel appliances with space for a breakfast table. At the rear of the house is the family room with the washer and dryer tucked under the another stair to the second floor and a French door to the side terrace.
The front stair landing at the second floor enlarges to a hall with doors to the primary suite and the adjacent room that leads to the two rear bedrooms. The primary bedroom has a closet next to the chimney for the living room fireplace below. The Owners cleverly added a fireplace surround to the chimney wall and all it needs is an artist to paint a firebox in perspective like I did to one of my former homes. The primary bath’s floor tile is the same as mine but alas, I lack a vintage claw foot tub this bath has. The white wainscot around the tub and toilet area adds texture and the soft blue walls are soothing.
The next room between the primary bedroom and the middle bedroom could be a sitting room or office. The middle bedroom and the rear bedroom share access to the second stair down to the family room. The rooms also share a bath that is cleverly tucked into the offset of the exterior walls. I especially liked the rear bedroom with its three windows, one of which overlooks the landscape below.
Wonderful property with a front porch, side screened porch and terrace to access the landscaped rear yard. Charming Victorian architecture, compact floor plan with many windows for sunlight and easy flow among the rooms and very convenient location off High Street close to the amenities of Chestertown’s Historic District!
For more information about this property, please contact Richard Keaveney at Cross Street Realtors, 410-778-3779 (o), 410-708-6470 (c), or [email protected]. For more pictures and pricing, visit www.csrealtors.com, “An Equal Housing Opportunity”.
Photography by Steven Buchanan, Buchanan Studios, 410-212-8753, www.buchanan-studios.com.
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.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.