When I first saw the twilight view of this house from the water, I was hooked.  The folding wall of glass was fully stacked to one side and the living room of the house and deck became one space open to the panoramic views of the Chesapeake Bay. Next to the deck was a bay-shaped wing and above was a deck for the master suite beyond. I learned that this multi-angled house was a three year labor of love for the Owner who also designed the exterior and interior of the house.  

Once you pass through the solid mahogany front door to the entry hall with its alabaster pendant light fixture, the house opens up three-dimensionally to the second floor overlook and to the visual delights of the creative details including custom maple cabinetry and the coffee table that converts to a dining table height to seat eight.  

I absolutely loved the ingenious use of every available space for storage.  Under the staircase with its distinctive nautical design handrail is a coffee bar with shelves and drawers.  At the other end of the stair wall are recessed shelves with a sliding barn style glass door trimmed in wood for storage of cups and mugs. The corner of another wall becomes a cocktail bar with a sink, icemaker, base pull out drawers and glass fronted upper cabinets in a black finish. Next to the bar is an office area with upper and lower storage. 

One length of the kitchen has a dramatic focal point of the black stove hood reaching up to the underside of the high dormer window that pierces the sloped ceiling.  The custom cabinetry continues to the breakfast area with corner windows, built-in seating, open shelves below and another open shelving unit for cookbooks and serving pieces.  The other length of the kitchen is an “L” with a high backsplash wall that becomes the back of the built-in seating of the living room. It would be difficult to select a favorite detail but I loved the pantry wall with a full height center chalkboard flanked by sliding barn door style glass doors framed in wood rescued from a 1920 era farmhouse.  

The built-in seating area flows into the family room with its raised fireplace that extends slightly into the space and warm slate blue walls that complements the range of colors in the beautiful rug that anchors the sofa and two chairs opposite the bay-shaped rear wall. Two bedrooms and one bath complete the main floor.

The hall at the top of the stairs is open to below and has the same “nautical” pattern handrail as the staircase. Sliding barn style doors lead to the master suite between a gallery of art and the glass door to the second floor deck make this space much more than a hall. The rest of the second floor is the spacious master suite.  I loved the master bedroom with its sloped ceiling, restful sage green walls and white bed linens. The platform at the water side of the room has one step up to built-in upholstered seating under windows on either side of another center step to glass doors that open to the deck with its horizontal cable railing for unobstructed views of the Bay. 

Innovative design, top of the line materials, exquisite craftsmanship, great spatial variety both in plan and volume and the Chesapeake Bay as your back yard-Brava to the Owner for her creative vision and her team of artisans!

For more information about this property, contact Barbara Best with RE/MAX One at 410-224-4400 (o), 410-279-0071 (c), or bbest.realtor1@gmail.com,  “Equal Housing Opportunity”.House Exterior and Interior Design:  Dorien Smithson (Owner)

Contractor:  Aex Bezushko, assisted by local artisans

Now that the glorious fall weather enables us to enjoy our outdoor spaces, this waterfront property on a point of land with panoramic water views from a wrap-around deck caught my eye.  It is also appealing since there is a main house and a detached guest house that is accessed from separate driveways so each house has both proximity and privacy. The guest house is close to the water’s edge and the main house is set higher above the water.  The main house’s brick chimney and the brown of the siding of the house blend together and nestled in a clearing surrounded by the mature trees.

The dramatic great room at the point of the main house has a fireplace flanked by full height angled walls of sliding doors with transoms with angled headers that follow the underside of the pitched ceiling. The angled walls offer diagonal vistas to the landscape and the water beyond. Although there is a formal dining room, I would prefer to linger over dinner surrounded by windows in the bay shaped informal dining area with a triangular transom above the rear wall of triple windows. The large kitchen with a center island is open to the informal dining bay and has skylights for additional lighting.  Soffits over the upper cabinets become a backdrop for a cook’s collection of favorite molds, baking pans and utensils. 

I especially liked the master bedroom with its warm light blue walls, wood floors, modern furnishings  and its sliding doors to the screened porch. The family room at one end of the house has bright yellow walls, colorful upholstered furnishings, millwork with a TV, computer area and worktable under the triple windows to the woods and water view for a true multi-purpose room.

The guest house’s front door divides the great room into living and dining areas, each with sliding doors to its deck for views of the water. Most of the rooms have pitched ceilings and the interior finishes are primarily knotty pine giving the guest house the feel of a cozy cabin. 

Main house and guest house with one-level living, wrap-around deck and screened porch to enjoy the gardens and the wooded waterfront setting with easy access to the Chesapeake Bay-so much to offer!

For more information about this property contact Chris McClary with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-275-2118 (o), 410-708-2614 (c) or mcclary21@hotmail.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.

The Tudor period of early 16th century English history has always fascinated  me for its larger than life personalities, politics and architecture. The style of its residential architecture loosely resembles late Medieval English grand country manors to modest thatched -roofed cottages. Distinguishing characteristics include steeply pitched roofs, gables on the front elevations, overlapping gables, ornamental half-timbering infilled with stucco paired with brick facades and cast stone trim. All of these architectural details drew me to this charming Tudor style house on Washington Ave.  

The house’s current use is commercial but I was greatly relieved to see that the current occupants have carefully furnished the rooms with great care to preserve the original details. The stair to the second floor is open on the hall side and the stair treads and cap rail are stained wood and the balusters and stair risers are painted white.  French doors lead from the hall to the living room with its brick fireplace corbeled out to form a mantel with millwork on either side. The pale yellow walls and wood floors give warmth to the room and the office furnishings are unobtrusive so one could easily envision this space as a gracious living room. 

The dining room with its hand-hewn dropped beams and chandelier is ready for a dining table and chairs to replace the private office furnishings. The “L” shaped kitchen has space for a breakfast table and replacing the surface mounted fixture with recessed downlights would upgrade the space.  The original door with chamfered top corners has been preserved.

 I loved the upper hall with its double window at one wall that brings daylight into the space and the original six-panel door to one room. All of the offices could easily be converted to bedrooms, each with its own charm.  All of the rooms have high knee-walls that meet the sloped part of the ceiling on the underside of the roof joists to intersect the flat ceiling plane for charming interior architecture. Dormer double windows pierce through the sloped ceiling to bring daylight into the space. One office has a stuffed bear perfect for a child’s bedroom.

The property is screened from the side street by mature trees and the deep yard with its hardscaped terrace and walkway to the alley offer myriad possibilities for additional landscaping.  Kudos to the current occupants who have carefully preserved this Tudor gem. I hope someone buys this carefully preserved house to maintain the historic streetscape along Washington Avenue. 

For more information about this property, contact Courtney Chipouras with Select Lands and Homes at 410-810-3900 (o), 410-200-1224 (c) or courtney@mychesapeakehome.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.

My last house in Knoxville, TN, was an American Four-Square. I was captivated by this charming Four-Square on one of Chestertown’s highly sought after streets,  Mt. Vernon Ave., located between downtown and Washington College and convenient to the shopping centers on Washington St.

I loved the front elevation with its upper level shake siding and main level lap siding in contrasting neutral colors, the side open porch and the sunroom.  The porch has an oversized Craftsman style column that rests on the siding half wall and a beautiful stained Craftsman style front door.  Another porch at the driveway side leads to a stair down to a full basement and up to the main level.

The front door opens to the stairway and the living room that spans the rest of the house width with windows at each side for daylight. The house is beautifully furnished with Craftsman pieces including a settee with a mirror and coat hooks just inside the front door. Another pair of French doors leads to the sunroom with wrap-around windows. Wood floors, white walls and woodwork make this a cozy spot for reading.

A wide wall opening leads to the to the dining room with a pair of French doors at the rear wall leading to the deck overlooking the deep rear yard.  The wood table and Craftsman wood chairs define the dining space that is open to the kitchen. The galley kitchen walls are painted an accent color that highlights the white cabinets, dark countertops and stainless steel appliances.

I also loved the aqua green walls, wood floors and white trim of one bath with its vintage wall mounted white porcelain lavatory and wall mounted medicine cabinet. The second floor bedrooms enjoy bird’s eye views of the rear yard and the master bedroom has a private deck to expand the space.

Great architecture that has been meticulously maintained, furnishings that complement the Four-Square architectural style, a deep lot, fully fenced back yard, close to all the best amenities Chestertown has to offer-irresistible!

For more information about this property, contact Liddy Campbell with Cross Street Realtors at 410-778-3779 (o), 410-708-5433 (c) or liddy@csrealtors.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.

The Quaker Neck area has always been fertile ground for me in seeking Houses of the Week and this charming property on 9.75 acres with shoreline along Phillips Creek caught my eye. The house site is surrounded by mature trees to give the house total privacy and the farmhouse has been restored and renovated to give the rooms views of the water.

Both the front and the rear elevations are loaded with charm. The front massing is broken down into two wings, and a shed-roofed addition adds more living space.  The shed roof has skylights to filter light into the spaces that had originally been located on an exterior wall.  A shed dormer behind the addition on the main roof has three windows to bring sunlight and water views into the upper level bedrooms tucked under the roof. A gable roof marks the front door and a recessed porch with a pergola marks the entry to a room currently used as an office.  Great materials and textures of both shingle and metal roofing, creamy lap siding, red brick stoops and the massing create a very appealing composition.

The rear elevation has the same shed-roofed addition as the front but here the shed roof starts higher up the main roof for part of the addition to project beyond the rear wall with wrap-around windows at one corner and a screened porch at the end perpendicular to the house. Several sliding doors lead to the hardscaped area around the pool and a deck with a grille next to the screened porch is strategically placed for al-fresco dining. Double window dormers provide water views to the upper level bedrooms.

The family room with its sloped ceiling, wood floors and comfortable seating grouped around the fireplace is a cozy space for relaxing. Recessed shelving units placed at an angle at each end of the room contain books and media equipment. Another sitting room has a white wainscot and wall above painted a colorful accent color, white ceiling boards and exposed stained wood beams. The same ceiling treatment extends into the kitchen. The dining room has a sloped ceiling, a skylight and a row of four windows ganged together for views to the landscape.  I loved the colorful collection of ceramic plates and platters displayed in the hutch. The Peacock chairs around the wood table topped with striped candles in blue holders and the graceful chandelier made this dining room unique.

The spacious main level master suite includes a sitting room created by the shed roofed addition with sliding doors to the poolside deck. The “corner office” at the other end of the house has a wood wainscot and colorful trim accents.  The upper level bedrooms have interesting interior architecture due to the different knee-wall heights. My favorite room was the screened porch framed in white with a stained wood ceiling and wide screened panels for panoramic views of the site.

Charming farmhouse with plenty of privacy but close to Chestertown amenities!

For more information about this property, contact Richard “Clint” Evans with Cross Street Realtors at 410-778-3779 (o), 410-708-0630(c), or clint@csrealtors.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.