This is my second visit to the rural crossroads community of Still Pond. Once again, I drove through its charming main street lined with houses dating from the early 19th century to the 1930’s in architectural styles ranging from Colonial Revival, Craftsman and Victorian, as well as vernacular forms such as American National Folk. My first visit inspired further research and I learned that not only is Still Pond an excellent example of the historical development of Kent County’s rural communities of the Upper Eastern Shore, but this small community was also the first in Maryland to give women the right to vote! Two main roads define the Historic District, Still Pond Rd and Old Still Pond Rd. Today’s feature is located on Still Pond Rd, whose streetscape is a row of houses on either side that back up to farmland.

This property’s 3-bay house in the American National Folk style has a detached two-car garage set back from the rear of the house. I loved the simplicity of the two story house with its full front porch and how the front elevation stacks up from the first floor’s entry door and two windows to two windows on the second floor and finally a single dormer window at the attic level. The turned columns that support the porch have simple filigreed fretwork at the top of each column and the monochromatic exterior palette of pale beige and white trim make the house seem larger than it is. 

The front entry’s full French door has an original transom that provided ventilation in the days before air conditioning. The door opens into the living-dining room that spans across the front of the house with direct sunlight from the two side windows and indirect sunlight from the porch windows. I coveted the colorful still life artwork just inside the front door that introduces other artwork throughout the house. A large  Oriental rug over beautiful pine floors anchors the dining table and the sofa against the wall and the wood armoire angled at the far corner of the room maximizes the floor area. Opposite the front door are the stairs to the second floor along the exterior wall. The kitchen is accessed both by a cased opening next to the stair and a wide cased opening at the rear of the living room for easy flow.

The spacious kitchen has pale blue walls, one detailed in shiplap, white cabinetry and appliances with a wood island as an accent over the pine floors. I like to minimize upper cabinets so it was refreshing to see open shelving here instead of closed upper cabinets. A French door leads to a one-story lean-to addition containing the mud room/laundry/pantry. This room also has an exterior door for easy clean up after an afternoon of gardening with the powder room conveniently tucked under the stairs. Wall openings at the rear of the kitchen lead to the sunroom/office/TV room with an exterior French door and windows that wrap around the three exterior walls for panoramic views of the landscape. 

The stairs to the second floor end at a hall with sunlight from the window in the side wall. Two of the bedrooms are located at the front and rear of the house with the third bedroom and the large bath in the middle. The middle bedroom is the primary bedroom with direct access to the bath. Two side windows, the light colored walls and the wood furnishings over the large two-toned floral rug and the neutral bed linens create a serene retreat. If I were a guest, I would claim the rear bedroom with its three windows and one side window overlooking the landscape. I loved the bedspread with its diagonal pattern of oversized fronds in three designs and the sleek Art Deco wood chests. The third bedroom at the front of the house is perfect for children with white framed bunk beds against light blue walls and a darker blue rug over white plank flooring. 

The property also contains an unusual feature in the covered porch at the rear of the detached two-car garage and behind the porch is a full kitchen ready for preparing meals for family and friends in this delightful outdoor room.

Charming American National Folk house with a full front porch to enjoy that second cup of coffee as the sun rises or relax in the covered porch behind the garage and enjoy meals as the sun sets. Compact plan, great flow among rooms,  9 ft. ceilings on the main floor, beautifully refinished original pine floors-hard to resist!

For more information about this property, contact Deborah May of Northrop Realty, a Long & Foster Company at 410-770-2910 (o), 410-599-1411 (c) or deborahmay@northroprealty.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.northroprealty.com/agents/deborahmay/. “Equal Housing Opportunity.”

Photography by Home Visit, www.homevisit.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.

When I first saw this house, I was reminded of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous quote about building a house on a hill-“It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other.” This house was built in 1981 and its advantage of time is that the three-bay house nestles into its ten acres of mature landscaping with a towering tree overhanging the rear corner of the house, other mature trees surrounding the pool area and a base of shrubbery and other plantings that seamlessly blends the house into its gently sloping site with lawns down to the Chesapeake Bay. 

The driveway ends at a parking area with a carport between a covered ramp and a walkway around the front of the house to steps up to a front deck with the ramp becoming a breezeway to the front deck. Wright would have approved of the front elevation’s low sloping roof meeting another higher roof covering the wrap-around porch at the front and the open plan kitchen-family-dining area. 

The front door opens into a foyer with slate flooring with a vista to the living room’s rear wall’s grid of windows and doors for access to another deck with views to the Bay. The interior architecture created by the wood floors, walls of white vertical boards and the sloped ceiling that intersects the flat portion at the top of the rear wall’s transoms has great appeal. At the interior wall, a stovepipe wood stove in a recessed area lined with slate is a sculptural element. 

A wide cased opening infilled with French pocket doors leads to the open plan family-kitchen-dining area that spans the full depth of this wing. The truncated “C” shape/island kitchen arrangement at the front of the house is detailed with light wood cabinets, granite countertops and two rows of long tiles as a backsplash. A single glass door leads to the screened porch and pool area and another glass door diagonally across the space leads to the rear deck for views of the Bay. The space has abundant daylight throughout the day from the narrow transoms at  the peak of the sloped ceiling, the tall single window with a transom at the side wall and rear wall infilled with rows of operable windows and transoms for sunset views over the Bay. 

At the other end of the foyer is the spacious primary suite with its rear wall of windows that wrap around each corner interrupted by a bay window in the center for panoramic Bay views. The primary bath is detailed with earth toned tile flooring and wainscot topped with a black molded tile as an accent. The spacious shower with a built-in seat has a glass door for a vista to the upper tile wall of cream colored tile laid on a diagonal with inserts of tiled waterfowl accents. The remainder of the main floor contains another bedroom and bath.

The basement is finished with a wood slat ceiling and plank flooring. In addition to the open recreation area, there is also a sauna for after pool relaxation, another bedroom and full bath. 

Ten acre site on the Chesapeake Bay, timeless contemporary design and mature landscaping. The house has recently been updated with refinished hardwood floors and interior repainting so it is move-in ready for the next Owners to relax on the rear deck to enjoy sunsets over the Bay!

For more information about this property, contact Glenn Sutton at TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, 410-280-5600 (o), 410-507-4370 (c) of gsutton@ttrsir.com. For more photographs or pricing, visit  https://www.ttrsir.com/eng“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.

Stone houses have always had great appeal for me-perhaps it is because of my many years of admiring manor houses in PBS’s programs so the stone facades of this house nestled into its wooded setting on Mill Creek caught my eye. The earth tones of the stone pattern and texture of a mix of ashlar and larger random stones, the brown vertical siding and the lighter brown of the roofing shingles and the bright yellow-orange of the doors that picks up one of the stone colors is very appealing against its backdrop of leafy towering trees. The massing of the house’s wings, steep roof pitch and minimal trim clearly identify its contemporary style. 

The 1.58 acre site feels much larger for its being surrounded by woods that offer peace and quiet to focus upon the sights and sounds of nature. The outdoor rooms of screened porch, deck, firepit and the meditation labyrinth lined with stones are aligned along the creek. The large in-ground pool, barrel sauna and hot-tub are located near the pool on the opposite side of the house. The pier leads to a charming boathouse lined with benches for a waterside picnic, or to launch your kayak for a slow glide along the creek or simply to sit and savor the peace and quiet. 

The main entry’s pair of double doors opens to a vista of a deep apricot wall with a landscape painting above another piece of art, a  beautiful wood cantilevered “shelf” that is the work of the talented wood artist Vico von Voss. Walking toward the accent wall, the open plan living-family-kitchen-dining area soon becomes evident and the wood ceilings, exposed timber framing and wood handrail around the upper level that soars to the ceiling create a dramatic space. Two back to back corner fireplaces define the seating areas in the family room with its vistas through the screened porch and the dining room to the water. The living room has glass sliding doors at the side wall and another pair to the deck for diagonal views of the woods and water. In the other direction, the vista ends at the kitchen’s steep gable wall infilled with glass. 

The kitchen is a cook’s dream with its “U” shape, warm wood cabinets and  texture from the granite countertops below the subtle backsplash of thin horizontal rows of tile. I could easily imagine enjoying the views of the woods and water while working at the sink below a pair of operable windows or at the cooktop with its long picture window between single operable units. A wide cased opening leads to the dining room which feels like a sunroom with its three walls of full height windows or sliding doors. The end gable wall has an accent half-moon window centered above two panels of the doors. The mix of the gypsum board walls and the wood slat ceiling, wood floors and the wood contemporary furnishings create a setting for memorable meals. 

Sliding glass doors lead to the spacious screened porch furnished for sitting and dining. I especially like the corner view of the water beyond the trees through the wide screened panels below the wood ceiling and the views of the treetops through the skylights. Next to the porch is a large deck at the rear corner of the house that connects to the sliding glass doors at the living room for a continuous flow among the rooms for easy entertaining. The rest of the main floor contains the laundry room, full bath and two bedrooms, one of which has a door off the family room so it could be an office.

The stairs to the second floor lead to a wide hall past the primary suite. Walking along the hall under the dramatic geometry created by the intersecting ceiling planes of wood is a spatial delight that ends at a sitting room with a large gable end wall infilled with glass. Below the low windowsill are cushions to savor the views of woods and water. Upholstered seating is arranged around the view and another TV. The primary suite is a serene retreat with its fireplace between closets, double windows overlooking the landscape below and a sloped ceiling with wood slats. Stairs off the second floor hall lead to the third floor’s office open to the primary suite below for a bird’s eye view of the woods. 

Great waterfront site along Mill Creek leading to the Sassafras River, wonderful variety of outdoor spaces from the screened porch, deck, in ground pool, barrel sauna, hot tub, fire pit, pier and boat house. The bench at the water’s edge and the meditation labyrinth offer quiet areas for contemplating nature. Great flow among the main level rooms and the bedrooms are zoned for privacy with guest rooms on the main floor and the primary suite on the second floor. The property also includes a two-car garage with an attached workshop. 

For more information about this property, contact John Burke with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-275-2118 (o), 443-206-3727 (c) or jburke57@gmail.com. For more pictures and pricing, visit https://gunthermcclary.com/, “Equal Housing Opportunity.”

Vicco von Voss, https://www.viccovonvoss.com/ ,410-708-4698

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.

Since I am an architect and history buff who only moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004, I am especially pleased to discover Kent County’s architectural treasures like today’s feature, also known by the sign at the entrance to the property as “WILMIL Farm”. On the day of my visit, I drove through the Still Pond National Historic District with its approximately seventy-five buildings dating from the early 1800’s through the 1930’s. Just past the historic Methodist church is this property’s driveway that passes between two of the ponds to arrive at the house on a slight elevation above the ground, beneath towering oaks (one from the famous Wye Oak Tree) and maples for shade. As I parked my car, I admired the pastoral view of towering willow trees across another pond with a row of ducks lined up on the shoreline as if they were beginning a race across the pond. 

As I drove closer to the house, it was easy to imagine the view of the original 200 acres that once surrounded this house’s eighteen acres that still has long views of farm fields that expand to meet the trees at the perimeter for an endless horizon. I was disappointed that the light rain kept the one fountain dry but I was soon distracted by the house’s walls of distinctive brick laid in a variation of Flemish bond, with three stretcher courses alternating between one end course. The two-story, three bay main wing once had a full front porch that had later been screened.  I prefer the smaller open porch with a pitched roof over the front door that allows sunlight directly into the front parlor. 

A one and a half story, four bay wing telescopes down and contains the kitchen and breakfast area.  I entered the house from the rear addition that the current owners had constructed with a rear gable roof intersecting the original roof’s ridge to contain a sunroom with wrap-around windows on two sides for views of the landscape, coat closet and powder room. The brick floor is low maintenance and is inset with a stone medallion that was the first chapter of this house’s fascinating story.  The Owners discovered this former mill stone abandoned in the fields. One step up leads to a wide cased opening to the den with seating grouped around the TV and a tall three-window unit overlooking one of the ponds and the landscape. 

Another wide opening offers a vista to the breakfast-kitchen area in the original story and a half wing.  The majestic cooking fireplace dominates the room with its two iron hooks and pots that once held the evening’s dinner. The arched headers and the inlaid panel of bricks in a herringbone pattern is unusual. The charming pottery low canister labeled “salt” sits in a recess as a reminder that 19th century cooks used to keep salt free from moisture. The beautiful pine floors and the exposed stained beams with white decking with strategically placed and inobtrusive spotlights keep the space bright. The kitchen cabinetry was designed to look like furniture, and I shared the Owners’ distaste of upper cabinets that enclose a space.  One corner cabinet with distinctive period hardware and another wall cabinet provide storage.  The slate blue cabinet color picks up the color in the oval rag rugs accented by the black soapstone countertops.

Moving into the two-story wing, I came to the spacious foyer detailed with the stairs to one side and vertical panels on the walls.  I admired the simple and elegant lines of Thomas Moser’s wood settee with curved arms, spindles and a cap. The wide cased opening opposite the stairs leads to the elegant parlor with its highest level of 18th century detailing with raised panel walls and raised panel window surrounds with the depth due to the thickness of the brick walls.  I admired the simple window treatment of valances and wide wood slat blinds and the corner fireplace.  

Adjoining the parlor is a splendid formal dining room with the original corner cabinet with glass fronts on the upper doors and the delightful detail of a shallow shelf between the upper and lower doors that slid out to accommodate a candle in the days before electric lighting. The parlor spans the full length of this wing with plenty of room for family celebrations.  At the end of the room, tucked under the stairs is another fireplace that the Owners discovered during renovations. What a delightful spot for bookcases to create a mini reading room by the fire!

Walking up the stairs you are aware they become slightly less wide per the style of the period. The second floor contains three bedrooms and a spacious bath in the center of the front wall. The wide wall is accented by an Oriental runner and beautiful wood furnishings. Each bedroom’s paint colors were carefully chosen from a selection of historical colors.  I especially admired the primary bedroom at the front corner with a corner fireplace. I also liked how the caramel wood wainscot is the perfect backdrop to admire the large clawfoot soaking tub in the spacious hall bath. Another bedroom over the kitchen-breakfast area below is reached both by a few steps from the second floor hall and the opposite side of the room by a stair that winds around the chimney. This room has wonderful interior architecture and volume from the intersecting gable roofs clad in wide white panels to reflect the light from the rear window in the gable and the vista from the railing that overlooks the den and sunroom below. What a great space for teen sleepovers, with a private access to the kitchen for snacks! 

If I were lucky to be a guest, I would head for the attic area over the main wing with its heavy timber truss, complete with original ax marks.  The room is furnished with a center bed and two other beds on each side wall creating a perfect layout for parents and young children.

At the rear of the house is a brick terrace for al-fresco meals next to the former farm outbuildings and the original silo.  One of the outbuildings now contains a large recreation room with space for a pool table and seating, a three-car garage with finished walls and a storage loft.  The smaller of the outbuildings contains a one-car garage, workshop/office and an outdoor room with screens on three sides for panoramic views of the willows I first admired over the pond and the surrounding pastoral landscape that must be spectacular at sunset.

I was very impressed by the Owners’ dedication to their five year meticulous renovation/restoration that began fifty-nine years ago and how they sought out local artisans such as the craftsmen of Deep Water Landing to design the sunroom’s chandelier. Bravo to them for their dedication to preserving the past of this gem and I hope the next owners continue that tradition of stewardship for the next fifty-nine years!

For more information about this property, contact Lona Sue Todd with Taylor Properties at 800-913-4326 (o), 410-310-0222 or Lstodd11@outlook.com.  For more photographs and pricing, visit https://www.realtorlona.com/ ,  “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

This important piece of Kent County History is featured in the book “Historic Houses of Kent County” (Bourne/Johnstone) published by the Historic Society of Kent County in 1998.

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.

Neighborhoods change over time as families undergo transitions of young couples who first raise their children, then become empty nesters or find themselves a surviving spouse beginning to assess their needs to age in place. Such a transition is happening on N. Queen St. in Chestertown, as I learned on my tour of today’s feature.  It is very unusual that currently there are three houses for sale on this delightful street and the House of the Week feature two weeks ago is under contract. What an abundance of charming houses for lucky buyers! Today’s  featured house faces the Town’s brick sidewalk that signifies no parking along this side of the street so cars do not block views from the houses’ front porches. Now that spring is here, I was impressed how some neighbors have added colorful plantings to the buffer between the sidewalk and the street. 

Before I went inside the house, I walked along the side concrete walk that is sloped for drainage. The second floor of the rear elevation overhangs the first floor to create a covered porch. A closet along one side houses  HVAC equipment  which makes it easy for service calls. As turned around to admire the beautiful garden I had seen in the MLS pictures, I realized this garden backs up to another yard and the clever grid of thin metal fencing marking the property line gives the illusion that this house’s rear yard is double its depth.  A hardscaped path leads from the porch and becomes a border enclosing a brick terrace.  I could easily imagine how pleasant it would be to relax in this spot to savor the bursts of colorful and fragrant plants in the privacy that the wood fences along the side property lines provide. Every garden should have touches of whimsy and nestled in the greenery is a metal cow and a ceramic rooster to make one smile.   

I went back to the front porch and admired its details of fluted columns on high plinth blocks with decorative carvings and the gambrel shaped ceiling that is exposed to the rafters and decking for extra height. I loved the side view from the porch with its perspective through the other porches that are aligned the same distance from the street to the vanishing point. The porches extend to the edge of the Town’s brick sidewalk for a great way to catch up with one’s neighbors on their daily stroll. The houses have a variety of colors and this house’s slate blue siding with white trim has great appeal. 

This house had been renovated before the current owner moved in and as I walked through the front door her stylish interiors were perfectly attuned to the three-bay house’s size. The side entry door maximizes the space and two matching loveseats, a club chair and ottoman are grouped around the fireplace centered in the room next to a beautiful French style carved wood armoire to hide the TV. I admired the salvaged wood fireplace surround with a mirror accent above the mantle and how the owner had not totally stripped the paint finish. Sheers over the two front and one side windows filter sunlight into the room.  Between the cased opening to the adjacent dining room is a tall secretary and chair-the perfect spot for winter work by the fire.

Another fireplace is the focal point in the dining room with exposed brick that corbels up to the chimney to the ceiling. The agent explained this is not a working fireplace since the chimney was removed down to the second floor framing to open up the floor space on the second floor.  The color and massing of the brick chimney becomes a sculptural element and the Owner painted the stair risers that wrap around the fireplace alternating colors of the brick with fleur-de-lis accents. Single windows on each side wall add sunlight onto the wood table and chairs set perpendicular to the chimney that create ample room for circulation.  The other furnishings of a painted wood chest and a sideboard with glass fronts and diagonal muntins complete this “delectable” room’s design. 

Between the dining room and the kitchen is a short hall with a closet and another clever detail of a black grid inset with mirrors opposite the closet. The mirrors reflect the kitchen beyond as a prelude to the space.  The spacious kitchen could accommodate a breakfast table and chairs against the closet wall but I prefer the Owner’s choice of a tall armoire with doors above drawers for extra storage.  The “L” arrangement of the kitchen works well and the upper cabinets rise to the underside of the ceiling for a sleek look. The double windows over the sink provide an urban landscape view and the full French door provides a view to the rear garden.  Opposite the kitchen are the powder room and laundry room, very convenient after an afternoon tending the garden.

The stairs to the second floor end at a hall along the side of the house sunlit by several windows. Two spacious bedrooms are located at the front and rear of the house with adjacent baths and another smaller bedroom in between would be a perfect nursery.  I especially loved the rear bedroom with its gambrel partial roof shape, windows on three sides and restful tones of pink, rose and blue with the white iron bedframe disappearing into the wall. The adjacent bath has a long clawfoot tub for soaking and the black and white tiles expand the space. A medicine cabinet with a lower shelf and recessed shelves provide plenty of storage.

The front bedroom would make a better primary bedroom since there is a door to the hallway at the adjacent bath that can be closed for an en-suite arrangement. The bath has a large corner shower and a vintage porcelain enamel lavatory on chrome legs.  The bedroom has the advantage of two separate closets and winder stairs lead up to the attic with windows at the front and side walls.  One could add more closets for seasonal storage and still have room for an office area with a bird’s eye view of the rooftops and gardens of the Historic District. Additional storage is available in the rear of the attic.

Charming house on one of my favorite streets, peaceful verdant and colorful urban oasis garden with a long vista across the neighboring property, front and rear porches, sunny rooms from an abundance of windows, refinished wood floors from a  total renovation in 2006-all it needs is screening around the rear porch-Brava to the Owner for her stylish interiors!

For more information about this property, contact Beth Ostrander with Doug Ashley Realtors at 410-810-0010 (o), 410-778-4241 (c) or bethohomes@gmail.com .For more pictures and pricing, visit https://www.bethohomes.com/.  “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

Photography by Janelle Stroop, 410-310-6838, janelle@thruthelensphotos.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.

Chestertown has something for everyone seeking houses. If you are a Historic Preservationist who is drawn to the urban size lots in the Historic District, last week’s feature on N. Queen St. is for you. If you prefer to be downtown but want a larger lot, the area east of Washington Ave. is for you and today’s feature has great appeal. The location is in the highly desirable neighborhood of Byford Heights near Washington College and the amenities of downtown Chestertown. The two-story Colonial is located on a corner lot giving it the bonus of more privacy and sunlight. The Owner has greatly enhanced the property with landscaping that is colorful now that spring is here. The front yard’s expanse of lawn is accented by low shrubbery and flowers along the side yard and bordering the front walkway.

The rear yard has shade from several towering trees with more plantings of colorful flowers and shade loving hostas. Obviously, the garden shed is well used by this Owner who takes care of over sixty-five species of perennials and over thirty-five shrubs! I especially liked how the edges of the plantings meander naturally around the perimeter defined by a small or larger rounded stones for texture. The stump from a tree in the middle of the back yard is now the “foundation” for a decorative multi-story whimsical bird house, created by local craftsman Dave Slama, that is the centerpiece of the garden.

The sidewalk ends at brick steps to the front porch protected by a pitched roof with an arched pediment supported by fluted columns. Another arched pediment infills the wall between bottom of the roof and the top of the door. Instead of side railings, charming white benches provide seating. The three-bay house has a center entry door surrounded by single 6/6 windows with black shutter cocks at both stories. The front porch details and the exterior palette of light gray Hardie-plank low-maintenance siding, seafoam shutters, white trim and charcoal architectural shingles combine to create a graceful and welcoming entrance.

The center hall plan has a very efficient layout with the stairs to one side of the entry foyer with wide cased openings at the walls to the dining and living rooms. The front and side windows make the living room sunny throughout the day. The living room has a triple unit custom millwork that spans the rear wall and provides attractive storage space for books and collectibles as well as space for a large screen TV. On either side of the fireplace are a single window and a glass paned door to the screened porch built onto on the side of the house. The screened porch’s painted wood floors, slat ceiling, column spacing and horizontal framing that create large openings for views of the landscape create a delightful outdoor room. Steps down from a screened door in the front of the porch lead to the landscape.

The dining room also has two exterior windows for sunlight and the table and chairs are centered on the side window on axis with the cased opening to the living room. The built-in corner cabinet provides storage of special pieces and the hutch on the interior wall provides additional storage. Behind the dining room is the kitchen at the original rear corner of the house. An extensive 2004 renovation removed part of the exterior wall for the addition of an extra room with a sloped roof and wrap-around windows on two sides that would be a great sunroom overlooking the rear garden. Now an office, I imagine the room’s view of the garden would offer a peaceful respite from work.

The kitchen has white cabinets, dark solid surface countertops and backsplash, both of which have a white outline along the top edge as an accent and dual undermount sinks. The white appliances blend into the cabinets and make the spacious kitchen seem even larger and it can accommodate a wood table for breakfast or an island for extra work space. Two base cabinets below the wide cased opening define the boundary between kitchen and office and provide extra storage. At the sunroom side, another pair of base cabinets behind the kitchen units has a wood countertop for serving. Both sets of base cabinets have glass fronts to display serving pieces. The extra depth of the back to back cabinetry created space for a closet to contain the stack W/D unit. A clever shallow shelf unit is inset into the closet wall at the kitchen side and above the door at the office side, two cabinet doors access more storage.

I would use the office as a sunroom and I could well imagine setting up a bar on the countertop for relaxing with friends before dinner. At the side wall of the office is a mud room with an exterior French door leading to steps down to the landscape. The remainder of the main floor contains a bedroom behind the living room and a full bath off the stair hall. The bedroom’s corner windows provide peaceful diagonal views of the gardens. The light gray walls, white bed linens, wood antiques and window treatments offer a quiet retreat for a guest.

The upper floor contains the rest of the bedrooms and baths. I loved the primary bedroom for many reasons, first of which was the bold red color and the floral window treatments. Two closets flank the front window creating a nook for reading by the warmth of the radiator unit and another window at the corner adds more sunlight. I have written before of my preference for a radiator heating system, which when coupled with low velocity AC, is perfect for my level of comfort. Another bedroom also has corner windows and light lavender walls, white bed linens and a lovely antique highboy with mirror.

Location in a highly desirable downtown neighborhood, corner lot for privacy and additional sunlight, mature trees, an underground irrigation system for the amazing sixty-five perennials and thirty-five shrubs that dot the landscape, appealing Colonial architecture, compact floor plan with a main floor bedroom and bath, and an office that wants to be a sunroom overlooking the gardens-all this plus an attic and basement for storage. Brava to the Owner for enhancing her neighborhood with her landscaping and gardens!

For more information about this property, contact Paula Reeder at Keller Williams/Select Realtors, 410-972-4000 (o), 410-708-4947 (c) or PaulaReeder1@gmail.com. For more photographs and pricing visit Paula’s app- https://app.kw.com/KWCATJZT, “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.

As the painted wood sign in the living room says “The Olde Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast” may have inspired this new farmhouse built in 2004 on two parcels of land with a total of 4.5 acres of privacy.  The long driveway winds through woods and curves around to the one-story garage wing. Pavers lead from the driveway to the main wing’s two stories with a two-story gable projection defining the front door at the first floor and a nook at the stair hall on the second floor.  The front elevation is further articulated by a wrap-around porch that begins at the main floor’s living room and continues around to end at the one-story garage wing.

 Rattan furnishings with cushions are arranged around the porch for relaxing with family and friends to enjoy the view. The exterior color palette of beige shiplap style siding with accents of darker scalloped shingles infilling the gable of the two-story bay projection stands out against its green backdrop of trees. The roofing is darker to contrast with the siding and the darker trim color of the windows and doors is a refreshing choice instead of the usual white.

The front door opens into a spacious foyer formed by the angled bay walls opposite the stairs to the second floor between the living room and the dining room. The living room has double windows overlooking the front porch with a single window at the side wall for views of the landscape and the sectional sofa is arranged around a large screen TV for family movie nights.  The artwork on the walls proclaim this is a family house that “… loves until the cows come home”-a great motto for happy families. 

Opposite the living room is the dining room with both a front double window and a side window overlooking the wrap-around porch. The dining room is totally open to the stairs which become a sculptural element with the open railing and pickets at the lower run transitioning to paneled walls at the upper run and the wall under the lower run.  The wall panels are light gray with white trim and this detail continues to the underside of the stairs.  I would be tempted to replace the panels at the end with doors to access the area underneath for storage of serving pieces for the dining room.  

From the dining room, there is a clear vista to the family room that begins the open plan family room- breakfast area-kitchen. The family room’s rear wall has a pair of French doors with tall sidelights for access to the deck and the above-ground pool. The side wall is detailed with a wood burning fireplace centered between two single windows with arched transoms. The breakfast area’s angled bay walls echoes the entry foyer in plan and here each angled wall has a single window to flood the space with sunlit panoramic views of the landscape. 

The spacious kitchen has a “U” shape with a peninsula next to the breakfast area with the end of the base cabinets detailed with open curved shelves for display. I liked the contrast of the darker gray base cabinets with the white upper cabinets and how some upper cabinets had glass fronts and open shelves below.  The stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and easy care tile flooring complete the very stylish look.  

Beyond the cased opening in the kitchen is a hall with the powder room and another stair to the attic area over the two car garage. One bay of the two-car garage is finished as an exercise room but it could easily revert to a two-car arrangement. Doors at both the front and rear ends of the stair hall lead to another foyer that becomes a great mud room for unloading totes and backpacks. 

All of the bedrooms and full baths are located on the second floor. The stair opens into a hall with an alcove formed by the bay walls of the breakfast room below.  This space would be a great location for built-in seating and a tabletop for board games. The primary suite has a pitched ceiling and two side and one double-window at the rear wall for sunlight and views of the landscape.  The dark blue walls are a background for the light colored furnishings and the pink bed linens and window treatments are a prelude to the large bath.  White wainscot below light pink walls enclose the bath and I coveted the free-standing soaking tub surrounded by the angled walls above the breakfast room. What a serene space for relaxation!

Large lot for privacy in a wooded setting, appealing farmhouse architecture with outdoor rooms of a meandering wrap-around front porch and rear terrace with above-ground pool;  great flow among the main floor rooms including an open plan family-breakfast-kitchen area-great family home!  

For more information about this property, contact Peter Heller with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 410-708-3301 (c) or pheller@cbchesapeake.com.  For more photographs and pricing visit www.hellertheseller.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”. 

Photography by Patty Hill, www.pattyhillphotography.com, (410) 441-4719

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.