Now that my daffodils and Lenten roses are beginning to awaken from their winter slumber, I can finally anticipate being outdoors. This coastal design with its lovely color palette of yellow lap siding, white trim and light gray metal roof offers multiple opportunities for being outdoors with its main floor wrap-around deck, the brick terrace off the sunroom and the upper deck. For shade there is a porch at the front door and the upper deck creates another porch for part of the main floor deck. The guest house also has a front porch. The massing combination of the main two-story house’s telescoping down to a one-story addition at the rear and the front gable that projects from the house was very appealing. I was especially drawn to the twilight photograph that showed how most of the elevation that faces the water is primarily glass-many windows, skylights  and sliding doors bring light into the interiors.

The ground floor of the main house is zoned very well with two bedrooms and two baths on one side. On the other side, the “U” shaped kitchen connects  the dining and family rooms. Behind the family room is a sunroom for a clear vista from front to back. The sunroom with its deep yellow wall color, hardwood floors, wrap-around windows and space for both a seating area and another dining area make this a delightful space.  The wall between the sunroom and the family room is almost transparent with its pair of sliding doors and full-height windows at each side. The master bedroom with its pitched ceiling, sage green walls, hardwood floors with Oriental rugs, warm wood armoire and chest of drawers creates a serene retreat.

Since space planning is my forte, I especially liked the layout of the second floor.  The front corner is a second master suite with its own deck facing the water. The rest of the floor is open and the offset architecture creates interesting vistas from the main sitting room with a mini-bar and the cozy sitting area at the top of the stairs with an alcove for an office area. Windows on all three sides of this spacious  sitting room make this a sunny space. The side walls of the house has high windows facing the neighboring houses for privacy and longer windows or sliding doors for views at the front and rear.

The guest house has a sitting room with a Murphy bed and a sauna for relaxing after a day on the water or sunbathing on the decks.  The attic contains an artist’s studio for creative endeavors. A wonderful house for entertaining family and friends with the bonus of having the Bay as your neighbor!

For more information about this property contact  Lynn Hilfiker with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-639-2118 (o), 443-480-1163 (c)  or lynnhilfiker@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.

This custom built house was built in 1992 and its massing might have been inspired by historic houses that had a central wing with hyphens leading to side wings at each end. The symmetry of the story and a half central wing with the house’s color palette of blue lap siding and white trim was very pleasing. The left hyphen has a small decorative window that leads to the master suite and right hyphen is a solid wall that connects to the garage wing with an in-law/ guest suite above.

The floor plan works very well for everyday family use and for entertaining. The two-story entrance hall with the “L” shaped stair is open on one side to the dining room and on the other side to a room currently used as a billiard room. The dormer window above the front door brings daylight into the space. A short hall leads to the master suite and connects the billiard room to a rear sitting room that is a cozy space with sage green walls, white millwork and comfortable upholstered furnishings.  Double windows at each corner wall creates a sunny space. Behind the dining room is the spacious breakfast/kitchen area that has French doors leading to the large screened porch with expansive views to the landscaped rear yard. The kitchen layout get high marks for being my favorite “L” and island arrangement with its white cabinets, lightly veined granite and stainless steel appliances.

The kitchen/breakfast area connects also to the great room with its pitched ceiling with trimmed collar beams, brick fireplace flanked by tall windows with quarter-circle transoms and built-in millwork for books and the TV.  The furniture tones echo the light gray-green walls with accents of colorful pillows and the subtle pattern of the large rug that anchors the furnishings. The window-sized artwork of a water scene added perspective to one interior wall.  

The master suite is located on the main floor. The second floor bedrooms are tucked under the pitched ceilings with deep dormer windows and knee walls that create great spaces.  A secondary entrance opens to the laundry area and leads to a stair to the in-law suite above the garage. A wonderful family home with a great floor plan that has been lovingly maintained. Was it my imagination or was that Colonel Mustard in the Billiard Room with the candlestick as I closed the front door…?

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, “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.

Good things do come in small packages. This small house is located on an urban lot on one of Chestertown’s original streets and is packed with charm. The historic details of the roof eave brackets, the shuttlecocks and the symmetry of door and window arrangement in the front elevation are design elements of Chestertown’s 19th century architecture.  The white lap siding, green accents of the shutters and front door give it great appeal.

The rear elevation has a gable end and a shed roof extension at the main level that breaks the scale down to the landscape and adds character to the architecture. French doors lead to the rear yard that is a shady urban oasis. The brick terrace narrows to a path that leads to a gate in the wooden fence that surrounds the perimeter of the yard.  Trees and plantings break up the hardscape; chairs and a wooden picnic table with an umbrella beckon for relaxing or for sharing an al fresco meal.

The front door opens to an expanse of space with the living and dining areas in the front and the kitchen and laundry at the rear.  The living room has front and side windows and the focal point is a wood stove painted a colorful red. Beautiful hardwood floors and white kitchen cabinets maintain the spacious interior layout.  The French doors at the rear offer views to the yard and allow daylight to penetrate the space from both ends of the room. The window over the kitchen sink cabinet and the glass-fronted upper cabinets keep the compact kitchen light and airy.

Two bedrooms that are spacious master suites  and two baths make this rental easy to share. When I moved to the Shore fifteen years ago rental houses were scarce and I would have loved to find one as attractive as this one!

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.

Looks can be deceiving-when I first saw the front elevation of this house it appeared to be a small one-story cottage but the rear elevation that faces the water was completely different. One story became three-there is a walk-out lower level, a main floor and an upper level. A deck spans the length of the house at the main level and connects to a terrace with a retaining wall for “bird’s eye” views of the water. Wide two-story bay wings from the lower level projected from each side of the rear elevation and were wrapped with windows on both levels; skylights and a trellis at the recessed center bay also enhanced the architecture.

Daylight flooded the great room through the multiple sources of windows and skylights. The open plan began with one long bay window that defines the sitting area inglenook. The fireplace and views to the water created a cozy space that flows into the dining area and kitchen. A partial height wall on one side of the kitchen visually connected the kitchen to the dining and living areas and views to the water. French doors at the center bay and another French door at the dining area lead to the deck.

The overlook from the second floor stair landing down to the great room was my favorite view since the spaces are enclosed by the wall of windows with skylights above the center windows and a large picture window above the French doors to the deck. The side wall also had a large picture window above the dining area triple windows whose header follows the sloped ceiling that encloses the dramatic interior architecture.

The other bay window wing contains the master bedroom with skylights over the French doors to the deck. Since the master bedroom is at the rear corner of the house, side windows combine with the bay windows to give this room panoramic views of the water.

The lower floor contains a large space for a family room with a fireplace, fitness area and a guest bedroom suite. The terrace below the main floor deck above provides shade and views to the water. The other bedrooms are on the third floor. This house maximizes its rooms’ relationship to the water and becomes a great house to enjoy with family and guests.

For more information about this property, contact Ashton Kelley with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-275-2118 (o), 410-708-8144(c) or akelleyre@gmail.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”. Photography by Steve Buchanan Photography, 410-212-8753, 310-996-7295, steve@buchananphotography.com, www.buchananphotography.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.

This house began its architectural life with a couple who built the original section  in 1999 as a weekend retreat. The current owners quickly saw its potential as a permanent home and constructed an addition of over 3,500 sf. of living space that transformed the old and new into a permanent home.  I love the Colonial styles of American architecture and Dutch Colonial is one of my favorites. The gambrel roofs and dormers add charm-the dormers on this house have either double or triple windows for expansive views of the landscape.   

The center hall plan begins at the double French entry doors and ends at the rear single French door and offer vistas to the landscape.  I like how the front doors are in the middle of the front elevation and the triple window above in the largest of the dormers marks the entry behind a long front porch. The telescoped side wing, wide roof dormers and the porch break down the massing for great curb appeal. The rear elevation is equally pleasing with a two story shed roof breaking the gambrel roofs on either side. The terrace the full length of the house paved with interlocking stones is ready for a modern day Fred and Ginger to dance the night away.

The great room is the hub of the house with sitting and dining areas open to the large gourmet kitchen.  Scandinavian styled millwork and dining chairs blend with upholstered pieces for a contemporary look. The second floor master suite at one side of the house has French doors to the deck with stairs to the stone terrace below. The original house is now a guest suite with a sitting area and its own kitchen.

The aerial photograph shows how the house is a short walk through the woods to the Upper Chester River. Great design, privacy in almost three wooded acres- it is no wonder the current owners made it a permanent home.

For more information about this property, contact Doug Ashley with Doug Ashley Realtors at 410-810-0010 (o), 410-708-0408 (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.

In my orientation class when I was a freshman in architecture at UT Knoxville, the instructor pointed out that most people do not hire architects. Thankfully many people in our area do. Beginning this month, I will add new houses or renovations/additions designed by an architect to the weekly mix of Houses of the Week. This house, christened “Rive Du Temp” by its owner, was designed by Peter Newlin, FAIA, of Chesapeake Architects.

In her preliminary programming discussions with Peter, the Owner asked for a “thoroughly interesting house” with “an intimate experience of the weather and nature”.  She also expressed a fondness for curved walls. Peter listened intently and their collaboration resulted in a site plan and house design that is tres’ magnifique!

The wooded site sits on the bank of the Chester River and the river curves and turns both upriver and downriver to provide broad long views from the house.  The vista across the site is a serene view of woods and off to the right the top part of a silo is the only building in sight. The wooded landscape on either side of the house gives it privacy from its nearest neighbors.

The approach to the house is via a sand colored gravel drive and suddenly you notice the garage and house quietly hidden in the woods by its bark-colored siding. The gravel drive is edged in red brick adjacent to large stone pavers that delineate the walk to the house. After meandering through the landscape you reach a short brick retaining wall with steps down to the clearing at the house and the path continues to the steps at the front door. A previous house had burned and this house was built on top of the original rectangular footprint to maintain the close proximity to the water. The detached garage and the hyphen from the main house to the “summerhouse” disguise the original house’s simple geometry.

The airy summerhouse is a delight with its screened walls and curved ceiling.  The roof decking is painted light cream to reflect the light from the clerestory windows at the rear and to accentuate the bark-brown roof joists.  I could easily imagine dozing in a hammock in this marvelous space through the summer.

In homage to historic Maryland houses, the center hall plan separates one sitting room from the kitchen, dining area and another sitting room.  A rhythm of two rows of beautifully detailed wood columns with headers float below the exposed ceiling joists. The vista ends at French doors to the deck overlooking the water. On either side of the center hall, bowed walls of windows capture the broad views of the river bends, opening the entire rear wall to the water views.  

Another curved wall of cabinetry becomes a boundary to the kitchen area and a soffit above echoes that curvature. Instead of walls, the dining area between the two sitting rooms is defined by millwork on each side and on one side upper cabinets with glass fronts continue the transparency. The cross-axis of the house leads on one side to the hyphen and summerhouse and on the other side are stairs to the second floor bedroom suites.

At the top of the stair is a quarter circle overlook with views through the skylights above the sitting area below that would be the perfect space to inspire creative work. The focal point of the master bedroom is the exquisite wooden carved headboard whose sinuous intertwined form is tucked under low windows that overlook the sitting room below and are opposite skylights for daylight or moonlight to filter within.

The Owner’s collections of Native American pottery and other artifacts from her travels, art, accessories and furnishings articulate this house’s unique personality.  The free-standing chimney that separates one sitting room from the passage to the hyphen and the summerhouse is also slightly curved and is inscribed with lines from a poem by Lamartine: ”Le temps n’a pas de rive, L’homme n’a pas de port “ (Time has no riverbank-Man has no port). A fitting coda for a visit to this remarkable house by a gifted architect and a client with a sophisticated vision. The jury for the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the AIA agreed and awarded  “Rive du Temp” a Citation of Excellence in Architecture. The house was also featured on an episode of HGTV’s “Dream Builders , episode 1207.

Architecture by Peter Newlin of Chesapeake Architects,  410-778-4899, peter@chesarch.com, www.chesarch.com. Contractor: Patrick Jones, Allen/Jones Inc. Custom Lighting: Deep Landing Workshop, 410-778-4042, www.deeplandingworkshop.com and Woody Labat, Cabinetmaker Area Rug Designs: Marcy RamseyCustom Headboard:  Sculptor Don Carslon and Joshua Miller, Cabinetmaker  Photography: Tyler Campbell, 410-778-4938, tylercam@friend.ly.net

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.

“Green Acres” was a late sixties sitcom about a New York City attorney who pines for “farm living” and persuades his reluctant wife to give up their New York penthouse. If he had been a boater instead, I could imagine his pining for this “Pine Acres” property surrounded by 3-1/4 wooded acres and a dock on Lovely Cove which leads to the East Fork of Langford Creek. This cottage style house very close to the water make this property a tranquil weekend retreat. Outbuildings include a garage, workshop, storage and potting sheds for non-nautical weekend pursuits.

The house is perpendicular to the water to give panoramic views of the water from most rooms in the house. The symmetrical middle wing with two pairs of triple windows and two dormer windows above has two wings on either side. One wing has a bay window to the master bedroom and the other wing is a sunroom with wrap-around windows broken by the chimney. The color palette of pale yellow siding, light green metal roof, white windows and the massing is a very pleasing combination.  

The contemporary kitchen has corner windows above the sink and a table for informal meals.  The main sitting room is open to the sunroom for views of the water beyond to expand the living space. The interior design contains Oriental accents in the Shojii screen doors in the bath, the master bedroom headboard and other details.  The loft contains another bedroom with a window in the gable end and a dormer windows facing the water.

A serene waterfront setting and charming cottage architectural style-an appealing  weekend retreat. Now, if I can just get that “Green Acres” jingle out of my head…

For more information about this property ,contact Dick Barker with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 410-708-7594 (c),  “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.