The private community of Kennersley Farm is located on part of the original acreage of “Kennersley”, dating from the late 18th century and listed on the National Register of Historic Properties. As I drove down the original lane under a canopy of mature trees, I admired how well the community was developed to respect the historic house complex including a line of tenant houses along a hill above the road. At the end of the lane is this twenty-two acre waterfront property with a wood fence around the perimeter for privacy. The driveway curves around to the craftsman/contemporary style house, with its main wing elongated along the shoreline for maximum views and the garage wing at the front, perpendicular to the house.
The house was built in 2003 and the exterior materials of the light golden shake siding, earth toned architectural roofing shingles and crisp white trim have been very well maintained. Two of the houses I have called home were craftsman bungalows and some of my favorite craftsman details have been interpreted in this house’s contemporary detailing that adds great curb appeal. The entry story and a half wing has a full front porch with a steep gable centered in the roof above infilled with a trio of windows and transoms. I especially admired the detailing of how the shake siding flared out slightly at the mullion separating the windows and transoms and how the trim board went across and then turned down along the gable eave. I loved how the flared detail creates a shadow line on the wall-beautifully done! The front six-paneled door was paired with a full sidelight and another door at the side of the porch provides access to the laundry/mudroom.
On one side of the main wing is a one-story hyphen connection to the primary suite with its front gable repeating the same flared siding detail at the side of the dual windows and transoms but here the trim boards are horizontal until they end at the corner board. Another hyphen connects the main wing with the laundry/mudroom to the three-car garage. Above the garage doors is another gable set into the roof that echoes the main wing’s detailing with dual windows and transoms in the gable.
As I walked around the house, I was mesmerized by the view across the creek to an undeveloped wooded shoreline with only the sounds of nature for company. I looked back to the house and was delighted by the detailing of the side/rear corner with a four-unit window centered in the gable projecting from the main wing roof meeting a shed roof below with three roof windows inset into the roof over the kitchen windows below for a greenhouse effect. The side windows of the shed roof projection follow the sloped roofline. A one-story gable projection off the side wall with corner windows for panoramic views completes the corner massing. Sliding doors lead from the side wall to the deck.
The rear elevation is always the star of waterfront properties since it usually faces the water as this house does. The main wing has a gable projection from one side that is all contemporary with a brick chimney centered in the wall surrounded a grid of glass and mullions stretching from the horizontal band of shake siding to the underside of the roof’s eave. Pairs of full glass doors on either side of the gable projection lead to a waterside deck. Another gable wall at the primary suite has a four-unit window overlooking the water and a side full glass door to the deck. Truly a beautiful composition that blends contemporary and craftsman touches.
The front door opens into the spacious foyer with a vista through to the rear wall of glass around the brick fireplace. I loved the geometric rug that anchored the seating area created by two full size blue sofas with two tufted ottomans that double as a coffee table or extra seating. The interior architecture of the vaulted ceiling with trimmed collar beams and the side windows connected to the rear window wall offer pastoral views of the water and woods. Next to the living room is the kitchen with its dramatic trio of windows’ meeting the sloped roof windows above that create great views for the cook. The spacious “U” shaped kitchen layout then angles to create a breakfast bar accented by bright blue contemporary stools.
Next to the breakfast bar is a bar sink set into cabinetry with the corner windows above for views-a very pleasant spot for bartending during parties! The breakfast bar cabinetry and the post and beam structure above also defines the boundary of the adjacent dining room with a single glass door to the front porch and the sliding doors to the side deck. The remainder of the wing contains the laundry/mudroom and garage.
The hyphen between the living room and the primary suite is currently used as an office with views through the sliding doors to the deck. Pairs of glass doors separate this space from the living room so this space could become a TV room. The interior architecture of the primary bedroom takes advantage of its one-story architecture by having the side walls follow the gable roof line to add ceiling height for the transoms above the four-unit windows for abundant sunlight and views of the landscape and water. Double walk-in closets and a four piece primary bath with separate vanities complete this restful retreat.
At the top of the stairs to the second floor, the wall plane on axis with the living room’s fireplace has a triangular shaped overlook that juts out over the wall to the living room below. The second floor rooms’ interior architecture created by the gable walls piercing the sloped roofs, gables intersecting at corners, knee walls of varying heights, windows and skylights make delightful spaces for the second primary bedroom, two other bedrooms two baths and a loft/sitting/office area.
Unique waterfront setting with acreage for total privacy and a private airstrip for getaways, boat dock and pier to launch an afternoon on the water, sunsets over the creek with its backdrop of woods, great family house with primary suites on both floors, wonderful blend of craftsman and contemporary touches-who could ask for anything more?
For more information about this property, contact Deborah Callahan with Benson & Mangold Real Estate at 410- 643-3033 (o), 443-988-8094 (c), or [email protected]. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.bensonandmangold.com, “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.
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