Walnut Point Farm is a 300 + acre property along the West Fork Langford Creek that blends the best of old and new.  The historic two-story farmhouse has been carefully restored and now has a new life as an elegant guest house. The large barn, various outbuildings, waterfowl ponds and an exquisite covered bridge with weathered siding and a red metal roof are also reminders of the property’s original agricultural use. The main house was built in 1990 and the exterior materials, color palette and architectural form pay homage to its rural vernacular- dark stained siding contrasts with rough hewn shake roofing and a series of gable wings are offset or perpendicular to the main wing. The compact footprint belies the 7,500 +/- sf of the house with a basement, lower level indoor pool and two levels above of living space. The rear of the house embraces its waterfront with a variety of indoor/outdoor spaces-the herringbone patterned brick terrace shaded by a roof grid of louvers flows seamlessly into the screened porch to open the full length of the main wing to water views.  Steeply pitched roof joists make these spaces airy and bright. The  “greenhouse”-style extension from the indoor pool area is an inviting place to sunbathe before or after a dip in the pool. Steps up to a private deck off the second floor master suite offer panoramic views of the water.

The main floor plan is organized very well into an “L” shape with the living, dining, kitchen and breakfast areas that flow from one to the other for continuous water views. The short side of the “L” contains the service area of garage, laundry/mud room, office and powder room. The front door opens to a spacious foyer that widens to form a gallery ending at the stairs. On the other side of the entry is the main floor master.  The artisan woodwork throughout the house is breathtakingly beautiful-the style and workmanship reminded me of the Greene and Greene Brothers, the early 20th century architects and craftsmen, with a touch of Art Nouveau in the sinuous design of the wainscot, custom doors and hints of Japanese design in the door and window mouldings. In the living room, the wood detailing includes full wall panels flanking the fireplace, the stair railing at the second floor overlook with the slightly bowed newel posts and the detailing of the wide opening to the foyer with side mouldings that taper down to the baseboard and topped with quarter moon trim and other moulding down the side.  I especially admired the inspired detail of the moulding slightly below the ceiling plane that was punctuated with brackets with half-moon mouldings. Throughout the house, the outstanding stained wood mouldings are very pleasing counterpoint to the warm white walls. 

The flat ceiling of the living room meets the two-story pitched ceiling of the dining room with its large transom sliding windows open to the brick terrace louvers.  Other dining options are the charming breakfast area open to the large kitchen with the fireplace on the side wall, corner window and three pairs of French doors to the screened porch with seating and dining areas.

The upper floor master suite has French doors at the corner of the bedroom to access the private roof deck.  Three windows are set at just the right height to sit and enjoy the ever-changing bird’s eye view of the over 100 feet of shoreline.  

The finest materials, exceptional craftsmanship, artisan woodwork, a floor plan whose organization works very well both horizontally and vertically for family life and entertaining, inspired interior architecture with vistas, overlooks, varying ceiling planes, 7 ft+/- pier with boathouse, indoor and outdoor pools, a peaceful rustic vernacular waterfront setting and, your own covered bridge-who could ask for anything more?

For more information about this property, contact Trey Rider with TTR Sotheby’s International Realty at 410-280-5600  (o),443-786-0235 (c) or [email protected]. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.treyrider.com or view the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFCrm7u8fio or take the Truplace Interactive Tour including floor plans of all levels, visit https://mls.TruPlace.com/property/406/84311/, “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.

This classic Tidewater one and half story Colonial style house in the Kinnairds Point development was built in 2005 from Southern Living magazine plans.  The house is centered in the middle of the two acre site so it is set back deep from the street for privacy.  The curved drive is lined with several Japanese maples and other mature trees as it passes the broad expanse of lawn enhanced by landscaping.  The center hall plan has a full front porch and a “hyphen” is set back from the main wing with its own exterior door and connects to the two-car garage to break down the massing.  Another free-standing three-garage provides additional parking.  The full brick foundation, white lap siding, dormer windows, entry door with sidelights and fanlight, accents of the red door and dark green shutters, elliptical arch over the hyphen’s entry door and the cupola with weathervane atop the attached garage’s gambrel roof gives this house great style.

The entry hall is open to the second floor and the vistas define the main areas of the house.  To the left is a parlor and to the right is the formal dining room.  The stair is open to the hall that leads to the family room and sunroom beyond.  The parlor is currently used as an office/music room. The large family room has a fireplace on the side wall with windows on either side and the rear wall has a large picture window with Plantation shutters in between French doors to the sunroom at the rear corner of the house. My favorite room was the spacious sunroom with its brick floor, wrap-around tall windows with transoms, a fireplace on the side wall and French doors leading to a covered deck that is also accessed by the kitchen and master suite.

The dramatic kitchen is open to the second floor hallway and the skylights in the pitched ceiling of the kitchen and the cable detailing of the handrail keeps the space light and airy. The kitchen is a cook’s dream with its “L” shape and island arrangement supplemented by another wall of cabinets opposite the island.  The island has a deep recess with ample knee space for barstools and the turned leg supports breaks down the large footprint of the island. White cabinets, granite countertops, tile flooring and backsplash in complementary colors, stainless steel appliances and period pendant lighting would inspire any cook.

The master suite is located at the other rear corner of the  house so it has windows on three sides and the large bedroom has a coffered ceiling over the sleeping area. The fireplace, TV, sitting area and the rear covered deck offer places for private relaxation and the master bath has a soaking tub under the rear windows, vessel lavatories and a shower with generous floor space for two.

The guest bedrooms on the second floor have high knee walls that can easily accommodate headboards, bookcases, etc. for easier layout of furnishings.  The 6/6 dormer windows and windows at the side gable walls bring in plenty of sunlight and one bedroom has its own stair to the main floor.

The views of the rear yard from the house show a serene mature landscape with steps leading down from the covered deck to a brick terrace ending at a waterfall pond with brick paths leading to a gazebo and to a potting shed.  Clearly a master gardener has been at work here. Classic architectural style, move-in ready floor plan with great flow, mature landscaping and a site in the Kinnairds Point Community that offers many amenities, including two community water access locations (one across from this house), beach,  pavilion, seating areas and a dock. 

For more information about this property, contact Doug Ashley with Doug Ashley Realtors at 410-810-0010 (o), 410-708-0408 (c )or  [email protected]. For more photographs or pricing visit  www.dougashleyrealtors.com,  “Equal Housing Opportunity”.  Photography by Janelle Stroop, Thru the Lens, 845-744-2758, or [email protected]

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.

 

If you are dreaming of owning a waterfront house on the Chester River, it could not get much better than this. The south facing end unit of this distinguished row of attached houses along Water Street overlooks Washington College’s Presidents Garden. Access to off-street parking behind the houses is from High Street and this house has its own fenced rear yard. Beyond the paved access drive, the spacious rear lawn gently slopes to the public brick sidewalk dotted with benches along the river’s edge.  

The row of houses share common architectural details such as the gambrel shaped roofs, dormer windows, front porches with hipped roofs, brick foundation and chimneys, light colored siding and articulated cornice boards. Slight variations in color of siding and roofs, number and arrangement of dormer windows, and shutters of one unit all combine to create a lively streetscape that would make one stroll past slowly to fully appreciate the appealing architecture.  

The door of this house opens from the front porch onto an entry area with a “L” shaped stair and a dropped beam that separates this area from the adjacent living room. Windows on three sides of the living room maintain sunlight throughout the day and views of the Presidents Garden below.  The corner fireplace sets up the comfortable arrangement of neutral colored sofas and chairs anchored by a multi-colored kilim over the hardwood floors. 

Next to the fireplace is a wide doorway with pocket doors to the dining room. I loved everything about this charming room-the corner fireplace, oval wood dining table and chairs so conducive for conversation, the pair of square windows over a wooden chest, the French door and pair of windows overlooking the rear covered porch’s river views and the built-in china cabinet. Next to the dining room is the galley kitchen connected to the sunroom/breakfast area with its row of windows for river views. A side door to the covered porch allows easy access for meals on the porch. 

When I first saw the photograph of the stairs shot from the second floor, it reminded me of the famous “zoom” shot from Hitchcock’s famous masterpiece “Vertigo”. This stair’s geometry is its own striking design element with stained risers, treads, and top rail with white balusters for contrast. There are two bedrooms and a bath on the second floor that this owner has furnished as a master suite. The front TV room with its off-white upholstered pieces over the multi-colored kilim with its zig-zag and diagonal pattern and sunlight filtering through the sheers over the front and side windows made this an irresistible space for relaxation.  The rear master bedroom is a serene retreat with a French door to its own screened porch for bird’s eye views of the water and corner windows for panoramic views of the Presidents Garden and urban landscape beyond.

I am envious of the third floor’s cozy nook off the stair landing for an office-mine is only on the second floor and this one has great ever-changing aerial views from its window for computer relief. Each of the spacious two bedrooms has unique interior architecture with the short knee walls meeting the steep slope of the gambrel roof shape.  The dormer windows at the front wall and the windows at the side wall create sunny retreats.

There is also a basement at the rear for storage with windows and an exterior door to the parking area.  This corner house’s floor plan works so well with the entry, stairs, kitchen and baths located along the common wall of the adjacent house for sound isolation and the living room and bedrooms located at the corners for unobstructed views, maximum sunlight and breezes. The porches and ground level fenced yard/parking area offer great opportunities to enjoy being outdoors and the river is your backyard boundary in the heart of the Historic District-who could ask for anything more?! Bravo to the owner for great interior design!

For more information about this property, contact Lisa Raffetto with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 410-708-0174 (c) or [email protected]. For more photographs and pricing visit www.lisaraffetto.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.

 

 

When I first saw this spacious cottage style house, it reminded me of a delightful vacation years ago in Nantucket.  I quickly fell under the spell of the wee village of Sconset and this house would fit seamlessly into that charming village’s streetscapes- all it needs is pink roses intertwined along the white picket fence. This property also includes a guest house, waterside pool, outbuilding and an open pavilion by the tennis court.  I discovered the owners’ passion for tennis was the inspiration for the name of their house. I am sports challenged but when I asked the listing agent about the name, she graciously explained that the “sweet spot” is the perfect spot on the tennis racket for the player to make contact with the ball. 

The site aerial shows a panoramic view of the Sassafras River and the house complex that sits on a slight knoll along 300 feet of shoreline.  The arbor over the picket fence frames the meandering stone walkway to the light blue front door. The front elevation is charming with offsets that create two end gables, 6/6 windows with light blue shutters, white lap siding  and a red brick chimney as an accent.  

The floor plan of the main house flows very well with the bedroom wing at one end, the main entry and living room in the middle and the laundry/mud room, kitchen, and dining at the other end. The waterside sunroom spans across the living and dining rooms and has a wall of windows that wrap around the corner for diagonal views of the water.  I love corner windows in rooms since they expand spaces and the kitchen, laundry/mud room and master bedroom all have corner windows to maximize views of the water. Wide wall openings connecting the living and dining rooms to the sunroom create an open plan that is the hub of the house. The focal point of the living room is the fireplace’s chimney of river rock, flanked by built-in millwork ready for books, collectibles and family photographs with wall space in between for a large screen TV.

Since this has been a beloved family compound for over fifty years, this is a unique opportunity to upgrade the finishes and materials to one’s taste and lifestyle.  The wood floors are in great shape and the kitchen already has a white ceramic farmhouse sink, light colored backsplash tile and period hardware for the cabinets. Paint is an easy way to upgrade a space and would transform the main rooms into light and airy spaces for relaxing in the evening as the sun sets over the water.  

The story and a half guest house is sited perpendicular to the water and its sunroom with a gambrel shaped ceiling, wrap around windows and the adjacent waterside deck would be the perfect gathering spot after a dip in the pool. The open plan living-dining-kitchen has a freestanding fireplace and the upper level bedrooms are tucked under the roofline for cozy retreats.  

This property is part of the Kentmore Park Community Association and offers a deep sandy beach with access to two docks, boat ramp and moorings, swimming and picnic areas for a modest voluntary annual fee.  

“The Sweet Spot” has been lovingly maintained over the years and is ready for the next owner to make it even sweeter. 

For more information about this property, please contact Jennifer Mobley at Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company, 410-778-0330 (o), 443-350-5917 (c), or [email protected], “Equal Housing Opportunity”. For more photographs and pricing visit www.jenseasternshorehomes.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.

Since the Spring Equinox occurs this week, I thought it would be appropriate to select a property that has outdoor rooms for extending the living spaces to enjoy nature’s harbingers of spring.  Meandering walks through the wooded site end at the pier with its panoramic water views. This contemporary house’s setting on popular Davis Creek blends beautifully into the surrounding woods with its color palette of shades of brown accented by the dramatic story and a half fireplace chimney of multi-colored stone.  The floor plan of this one-level house works very well with its simple geometry of one long wing with gable ends bisected by a shorter wing also with gable ends. A continuous waterside deck extends along the rear of the house connecting the glassed three-season room, dining room, great room and master suite.  

The shorter gable wing contains the great room, bedrooms and a bonus room at the loft level. The bonus room overlooks both the great room below and views of the water through the great room’s transom windows. The ceiling of the great room soars to the underside of the collar beams and flanking the fireplace are triple windows with two stacked levels of transoms whose jambs and headers follow the pitch of the sloped ceiling.  Skylights and side windows also fill this space with sunlight that filters through the trees.  

A wide wall opening leads to the dining room with its double window and half French door to the deck. The master suite has its own one-story wing and the master bedroom has a low pitched ceiling and a window and French door to the deck. The brown color palette is echoed in the master bath’s tiled shower surround with decorative tile inserts, tile floor and warm mocha wall.  A storage tower unit separates the two lavatories with framed mirrors above. The base cabinet and countertop in front of the storage unit is offset so the counter can be fully used.

The three-season room exterior wall is a series of sliding doors to the deck for a great entertaining area. With a hot tub, bar with stools and other seating this space is ready for warm weather enjoyment. One end of the deck has a table and benches for al-fresco dining with an outdoor fireplace to ward off the nighttime chill. 

Wooded, waterfront site, great one-level living and wonderful three-season room and deck for relaxing with family and friends to watch spring unfold! 

For more information about this property contact  Lynn Hilfiker with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-639-2118 (o), 443-480-1163 (c)  or [email protected]. For more photographs and pricing visit www.rockhallrealestate.com , “Equal Housing Opportunity”. Photography by Stephen Buchanan, www.buchananphotography.com, 410-212-8753.  

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.

 

I am always drawn to Kent Street for its proximity to the amenities of Chestertown’s shopping district, waterfront and Washington College. The charming houses on the south side of Kent are compact urban dwellings dating from the early 20th century.  This house’s  pale siding and white trim with eave brackets onto the cornice board and window boxes at the front ground floor windows has a traditional style that belies the artistic interior design found within. 

Opposite the front door is the stairway to the second floor which optimizes the floor space on both floors. The open plan living room, dining room and kitchen is cleverly separated into these three areas by partial wing walls with framed interior “windows” for daylight to penetrate through the spaces and to illuminate the beautiful pine flooring throughout the first floor. The living room has a fireplace and built-ins on one side of the room and the dining room has both a triple window on one side and a single window on the other side for daylight. 

I immediately recognized the designs of the Aurora, NY, based MacKenzie Childs, as I have dessert plates and glasses from that talented firm founded in 1983.  The owners of this house have used some of MacKenzie Childs’ signature black and white checkerboard and diamond patterns, colorful floral window treatments, hand painted furnishings, rugs and accessories to give this house great charm and personality. There are so many clever interior design ideas but the oval clock face dining tabletop and the living room settee’s upholstery are two of my favorites. 

 I also loved the kitchen with the sleek honey colored cabinets and the black and white checkerboard door pattern that complimented the stainless steel appliances.  The island that separates the kitchen from the dining area has three of MacKenzie Childs’ ceramic serving pieces on the countertop. Instead of one door to the rear covered porch and access to the fenced rear yard there are two French doors for symmetry that divides the kitchen into prep, cooking and serving areas and creates a lovely vista from the living and dining areas. 

The master suite at the rear of the house is a serene retreat overlooking the landscape and hardscape below.  The ceiling follows the angles of the roof joists adding height to the space and the side window, rear triple window with transoms and skylights fill the space with sunlight. The light blue walls and painted bedframe, brightly colored floral bedspread and shams, painted nightstands, colorful lamp bases and the curvaceous settee in front of the wide window is visually delightful. The hall that connects the upstairs rooms becomes a gallery with a high three-unit window for daylight, an accent rug over the pine floors and walls of art.

The rear elevation with its wood shake siding, hipped roof over the porch and the symmetry of the doors and windows looks out onto an urban oasis with a serpentine hardscape of brick and stone under the shade of a mature tree and the fenced perimeter for privacy.  Bravo to the owner for renovating this house while preserving its historic details and for their stylish interior design!

 

For more information about this property contact Marshall Owings with Benson and Mangold at 410-643-3033 (o), 410-708-5382 (c) or [email protected]. For more photographs and pricing visit www.marshallowings.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.