I first saw this house on a yet another dreary cold day that made me pine for spring.  I loved the house’s bright colors of the yellow lap siding, red metal roof and dark green shutters. The house is a classic Victorian with a front porch, symmetrical windows around a center front door and the front gable with its decorative window.

The front door with side lights opened into the living room with its beautiful wood floor laid on a diagonal and the stair railing open on the living room side to extend the space. The kitchen and dining area were combined and French doors led to a room at the front of the house that the owners use as a master bedroom. A rear addition to the original house could be used as a sunroom or a family room. Another option would be to make the rear addition the master bedroom since the current location is on the street side of the house. That would create an “L” shaped open plan kitchen/dining/family room.

My favorite part of the house was the second floor. The bedrooms were sunny due to their having windows on two sides and the pitched ceilings added architectural interest. The decorative roof gable window was a dormer that opened into the second floor spacious bath for extra sunlight. The bedrooms accessed the deck that spanned most of the second floor length for a “bird’s eye” view of the back yard surrounded by mature trees.

For more information about this property, contact Doug Ashley with Doug Ashley Realtors at 410-810-0010 (o), 410-708-0480 (c) or doug@dougashleyrealtors.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.

On my trips to Chestertown I have noticed the newer townhome buildings on the waterfront so I thought it was time to feature an alternate choice to a detached home. This two-story unit with the amenities of a private beach, walking paths, outdoor pool with bath house that Chester River Landing offers might be the answer to a single detached house.

I liked how the one-car garage was set back from the front elevation so from one direction on the street you focused on the appealing gable front with its symmetrical arrangement of the front door and windows. There was an oval accent window in the stairwell and a front porch that spanned the full width of the house that completes the curb appeal.

The vista from the front door ended in views of windows at the sunroom wing at the rear which was my favorite room. Tall windows on two sides and a fireplace opposite one window wall would invite one to linger by the fire and watch the activity on the river. The open plan of the sunroom, dining area and kitchen with a deck for dining was the hub of the house. I liked how the third side of the kitchen had no upper cabinets and the sink was located here to visually connect the kitchen to the dining and sunroom areas.

The spacious master suite was located on the ground floor. The second floor bedrooms had the bonus room of the rear deck for an expansive “bird’s eye” view of the river.

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

Several readers have wanted to know my favorite architectural style. I love houses and have lived in a mid-century modern, bungalows, four-squares and my current farmhouse. If I had lived in the early twentieth century my dream team of designers would have been the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, the garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and the interior designer William Morris. Contemporary houses are also hard to resist so this house on the Chester River caught my eye.

The views of the broad expanse of the river from the house are unbroken by vistas of other houses for serene seclusion. The street view of the house shows an interesting  mix of contemporary forms faced with vertical battens that cast shadows on the walls for added texture. The kitchen, family and dining areas are open to each other and the exposed ceiling and roof rafters are painted white to reflect the light from the skylights above.

The “L” and island layout of the kitchen is my favorite layout. I also liked the light wood cabinets with off-white countertops, the stainless steel appliances and the tile backsplash. The master bedroom on the second floor at the end of the house has daylight from both the window on the end wall as well as the triple window in the dormer with views to the water. Knee-walls that blend into the sloped ceilings created  interesting interior architecture.  

For more information about this property, contact Mathew Hogan with The Hogans Agency, Inc. at 410-778-6858 (o) or matt@hogans.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. Her passion for Italian food, wine and culture led her to Piazza Italian Market where she is the Director of Special Events, including weekly wine tastings and quarterly wine dinners.

On my first visit to Chestertown I took the self-guided walking tour and spent a great deal of time admiring the grand houses of Water Street. This house caught my eye since it also happens to be one of my favorite architectural styles, American Four-Square.

I loved the symmetry of the front elevation with its center door with two windows on either side, five second floor windows aligned above and three third floor dormer windows protruding from the mansard roof. The white color scheme was simply accented by dark shutters and the greenery of the landscaping surrounding the house. The deep front porch that spanned the full length of the house was traditionally detailed and its elevation above the sidewalk and the shrubbery along the front created a private outdoor room to enjoy the street activity.

The gracious entrance hall with its slight alcove at the front door widened to the dramatic side staircase connecting three floors. The transom above and the sidelights on each side of the front door let light into the interior. A wide cased opening led from the entry to the living room with its fireplace flanked by large windows. My favorite room was the dining room with its wide windows and window seat below flanked by built-in glass-fronted china cabinets and other period details like the wainscot that contributed to the house’s period charm.

For more information about this property ,contact Richard Budden with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 443-480-1181 (c) or rbudden@easternshoremdre.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. Her passion for Italian food, wine and culture led her to Piazza Italian Market where she is the Director of Special Events, including weekly wine tastings and quarterly wine dinners.

I am always happy to celebrate another architect’s work and to find a contemporary house as stunning as this one was especially pleasing. This house’s setting on a private peninsula above the Sassafras River at Turners Creek appealed to me with its picture postcard setting, broad views to the river and the surrounding wooded Kentmore Park community.

The house’s two-story massing is centered on one gable with other gable projections on both the front and rear that descend to one-story hipped roofs at each side. At the rear, a narrow wrap around porch enlarges at the corner to create a sitting and dining area with water views. A variety of windows, doors and decorative windows opens the house to the landscape.

The interior is a multi-level delight with the living and dining areas open to the second floor seating area above. My favorite design feature was the bold cut-out stair with projections to emphasize its structural elements and painted an accent color. Like the stair, the partial wall that separated the kitchen from the dining area stepped down in different heights and echoed the paint colors of the stair.

Since the kitchen and dining areas had a pitched ceiling, added a beam to define the two areas also created recessed task lighting for the kitchen. The kitchen, complete with the Michael Graves famous teakettle design, won high marks from this cook for its minimal overhead cabinets for open vistas to the two-story living room, the woods and the water beyond.

I loved the dramatic interior architecture of the living room with its recessed light trough that uplighted the rear wall upper window wall, sculptural stair, black accents on the columns and the fireplace shaft, the sensuous curvature of the seating in front of the fireplace and the backdrop of the water beyond is just waiting for that cover of Architectural Digest!

For more information about this property, contact Chris McClary with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-639-2118 (o), 410-708-2614 (c) or mcclary21@hotmail.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”. Architecture by Charles Harker

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. Her passion for Italian food, wine and culture led her to Piazza Italian Market where she is the Director of Special Events, including weekly wine tastings and quarterly wine dinners.

One of my friends who is an equestrienne considers Buckingham Farm to be one of the most picturesque horse farms on the Eastern Shore, if not in all of Maryland. Its reputation as a prominent Thoroughbred horse breeding operation with its many stakes-placed winners is well known in equine circles.

Buckingham Farm’s 152 acres contain a range of pastoral vistas from the fringe woodlands along over 3000 linear feet of shoreline on the Chester River to fenced pasture, hayfields and a freshwater pond. In addition to the main and caretaker residences, the site contains two stall barns, a dog barn and pool house.

The main residence was built in 1940 and is accessed from a drive lined with shade trees with views to the fenced pasture. I loved the house’s distinctive architectural style with its dominant feature being a fantastic two story bay window that pours light into the built-in seating opposite the breakfast/kitchen area. There is also a cozy wood paneled den with a fireplace and comfortable overstuffed chairs. The master bedroom is a tranquil retreat with its fireplace and wall of windows to the river views.

My ancestry includes three generations of train engineers so train stations are part of my DNA. I loved the original Pennsylvania Rail Line Train Station, circa 1898, that was relocated to Buckingham Farm in 1957 and rebuilt. It is now a quaint guest cottage for lucky guests.

I firmly believe a touch of whimsy is important in one’s life and the equine topiary in two of the fields made me smile. I could imagine dozing on one of the Adirondack chairs by the river and dreaming of galloping leafy horses…

For more information about this property, contact Richard “Clint” Evans with Cross Street Realtors at 410-778-3779 (o), 410-708-0630 (c) or rce5363@yahoo.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. Her passion for Italian food, wine and culture led her to Piazza Italian Market where she is the Director of Special Events, including weekly wine tastings and quarterly wine dinners.

Having worked in urban design for part of my architectural career, I was pleased to find another mixed-use building on High Street. I love corner lots since the opportunity for increased daylight, ventilation and privacy from adjacent buildings is especially important for the second floor apartments.

This building’ imposing red brick façade with slate blue shutters and large windows has features of the American Four-Square and Greek Revival details with its low pitched hipped roof culminating in a cupola and the emphasized cornice line with its wide band of trim.

The side street has leafy tall trees for delightful views from the second floor apartments. The side yard with a mix of roses and shrubs separated from the public sidewalk by a white picket fence is an inviting urban vista and garden for the tenants.

This building is fully leased with two first floor offices and two one-bedroom apartments above. The light filled apartments with wood floors have different floor plans. My favorite room was the corner living-dining area of one apartment. A great example of mixed-use and a model for small town revitalization.

For more information about this property, contact Miles Norris with Select Land & Homes at 410-810-3900 (o) 410-708-5423 (c) or mnorrisselect@gmail.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. Her passion for Italian food, wine and culture led her to Piazza Italian Market where she is the Director of Special Events, including weekly wine tastings and quarterly wine dinners.

One of the criteria I use in selecting a house of the week is unique design features and this house with its octagon tower caught my eye. The 10 acre waterfront property includes the 6 bedroom house, salt-water swimming pool, playground and three-car garage. The house’s architecture with its dormers, gables, the octagon and the exterior color palette with its light yellow siding and dark shutters were very appealing.

My favorite room was the octagon that is the “hinge” between the two wings of the house and contains a solarium on both floors. Its first floor is a sitting area adjoining the kitchen and its second floor is a sitting room with low bookcases under the windows, comfortable seating and a telescope for Neal deGrasse Tyson fans of all ages to ponder the night sky. The wood flooring is cleverly laid out in a radial pattern with diagonal accent strips at each corner of the octagon segments that terminate at a 6 point “star” at the center of the floor. Above a cupola pierces the wood pitched ceiling and is wrapped with windows for more daylight and moonlight to penetrate the space.

There were several other design features that makes this house so special. The entry opened up to a two story stairwell with its dramatic curved staircase, the cozy sunroom with its large windows, wood floors and rattan furniture, the bay window in the sitting room and the floor to ceiling bow window wall in the dining room all contribute to the beauty of the interior architecture. The blue and yellow color scheme throughout the house’s finishes and furnishings create a warm and inviting look.

For more information about this property, contact Richard Keveaney with Cross Street Realtors at 410-778-3779 (o), 410-708-6470 (c) or rdkeaveney@gmail.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. Her passion for Italian food, wine and culture led her to Piazza Italian Market where she is the Director of Special Events, including weekly wine tastings and quarterly wine dinners.

This brick one-story home is surrounded by perennial gardens and has a wonderful cottage-like feel with its cozy rooms and delightfully eclectic interiors. I liked the recessed fireplace nook in the sitting room with its slightly raised hearth and the mantel with its corbeled brick supports. The opposite wall has built-ins for books and collectibles.

Other artisan details include the chamfered corner details of the garage doors that repeat in the shape of the doorway and interior wall opening that separate the eat-in kitchen from the adjoining sitting room. The shed dormer at the rear of the house creates charming interior architecture for the bedrooms on the second floor.

I especially liked the sunroom with its many windows and views of the well-tended and colorful garden. The gazebo with its swing and the terrace with tables and umbrellas offer shade to enjoy the garden’s beauty.

The most intriguing space was the enchanting studio shed in the midst of the garden. Its pitched ceiling was decorated with political quotations and social commentary, slogans, etc. French doors on two sides open up this space to the garden.

For more information about this property, please contact Richard Budden with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company at: (c) 443-480-1181 (h) 410-778-0561 or email: rbudden@easternshoremdre.com. More photos and info at: Eastern Shore of Maryland Real Estate.com. “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

The 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. Her passion for Italian food, wine and culture led her to Piazza Italian Market where she is the Director of Special Events, including weekly wine tastings and quarterly wine dinners.