Each year as my list of repairs or renovations needed for my 1900’s farmhouse grows longer, I think about what it would be like to live instead in a new townhome like this one. “The Village” development has a community pond with a fountain, paved walkways with benches along the way and a gazebo for relaxing outdoors. The front elevation of this unit’s building has great appeal with its wide center gable and side wings with wrap-around porches that contain only four units so the massing is not overwhelming. Parking is at the rear of the building so the front vista from inside each unit is of lawn and water.

I especially liked the space planning and the contemporary interior design of this unit. To break up the rectangular interior architecture, the front and rear doors are recessed into the space and the full-height rear kitchen wall creates an enclosure for the dining room beyond. Triple windows at the front and rear of the main floor and  triple and double windows on the second floor flood the spaces with light and the hardwood floors add warmth. One of my favorite Italian antique posters adds color and perspective to the side wall of the dining room.

I love the look of the sitting area with the bright red of the settee and ottoman  angled behind the white coffee table to expand the space. The two-tiered coffee table has wheels so it can be moved to accommodate larger parties. Patterned pillows and art add more color and the white upholstered chairs, bar stools and storage unit beneath the TV complete the sophisticated look. The kitchen is open to but separated from the sitting area by a breakfast bar for quick meals or for guests to sit and keep the cook company.

The master suite with its triple window, the sleek contemporary furnishings,  photographic art and the gray/black/white color scheme would be a serene retreat.  Two other bedrooms on the second floor give one options if a home office is need as this unit has.  There is also a basement for ample storage. It is no surprise that this unit is under contract so I will keep looking!

For more information about this property, contact Retha Arrabal with Doug Ashley Realtors at 410-810-0010, ext. 303 (o), 410-708-2172 (c) or rarrabal@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 Spy is pleased to announce that Simon Jacobsen will make a presentation of his firm’s work over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend on Saturday, January 19th, from 5:00 to 6:30 at the St. Michaels Inn in St. Michaels. Simon is the son of Hugh Newell Jacobsen and they formed Jacobsen Architecture in 2007.  Tickets can be purchased here.

Our Habitat Jenn Martella, summarized their work recently in the Spy and we have re-published it here: 

My second job as an architectural intern was with Gini L. Pettus & Associates in Atlanta. The focus of her practice was interior commercial architecture but we both enjoyed discussing residential architecture and soon discovered our mutual admiration for the work of Hugh Newell Jacobsen.

After I moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004, I was delighted to discover two of his houses from excursions with friends on the water. After visiting the firm’s website, I learned that Jacobsen had designed several houses in Talbot County and his Bachelor of Arts degree was from the University of Maryland. I like to think that on breaks from his studies he made sojourns to the Eastern Shore to enjoy the peaceful pre-Bay Bridge rural architecture and landscape.

What I admire about Jacobsen’s work is how he drew his inspiration from the distinctively American vernacular rural architecture-sheds, smokehouses, detached kitchens and barns. The essence of his iconic style were series of pavilions devoid of ornamentation that evoked Shaker architectural design. His contemporary interpretation of the “telescope” houses of the Eastern Shore, became, in his gifted hands, simple geometric plans with gable roofs and chimneys that rose through the steep roof planes to become sculptural elements. His unique style set him apart from his fellow second-generation Modernists peers.

He also designed houses ranging from Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ home on Martha’s Vineyard to the “1998 Life Dream House,” Life Magazine’s promotion of houses designed by famous architects whose plans were made available to the public.

His son Simon is the Founding Principal of Jacobsen Architecture and explains his firm’s design philosophy as “…our detailing is deliberately sparse and linear in order to enhance the spaces within and without … the site is the dominant factor. The quality of the light upon that particular area of earth is always unique and determines the path the architecture will take.” The firm’s houses on the Eastern Shore embody that design philosophy and my favorite of the Eastern Shore houses is the original Green Residence that as of 2017 has a new owner.

The Greene Residence was built on the Wye East River close to the Chesapeake Bay. The client, a New York advertising executive, retained Hugh Newell Jacobsen in 1971 to design a year-around house. On one of his first visits to the site, the client sprinkled cedar seedlings along the shoreline that have matured into a tall grove to protect the house from the winter storms off the Bay and to frame and shade the exquisite house.

Like the older houses of the Tidewater, the Green house has white walls and steep roofs but the similarity ends there. Unlike historic Tidewater houses, this plan’s massing and functions are organized into pavilions defined by the function within. Some of the pavilions are linked by connections with walls of frameless panes of glass resting on brick sills for a striking solid/void juxtaposition of wall and glass. Other pavilions are slightly shifted from each other with just enough space for construction workers to accomplish their tasks. The lack of exterior soffits, gutters and trim is a careful and deliberate abstraction of traditional detailing.

Many of the pavilions have floor to ceiling glass panes at the main level to create an “outlook” to the landscape and water beyond. Above the large glass panes are two levels of multi-paned transoms. The bottom row is open to the main floor of the pavilion and the upper row becomes windows for the second floor. The lack of interior trim allows the wall and floor planes to seamlessly merge and the steep pitched roofs with dormers creates delightful spaces for the guest suites or the loft for the Owner’s artistic endeavors.

The Green house consists of six pavilions. There are two center pavilions with the front pavilion being the entrance hall and support functions. Behind the entry pavilion a short hall leads to the rear sitting room pavilion that faces the water. The rear corners of this dramatic room are floor to ceiling glass panels and the massive chimney rises through the pitched ceiling. At the front corners, glass walled connections on each side lead to two pavilions that are set on a diagonal to the entry and sitting room pavilions. The kitchen/breakfast and dining room pavilion is on the right and is slightly shifted from the garage pavilion by a solid connection. Off the kitchen pavilion, the long pool reaches out to the water and a fence hides the motor court of the garage pavilion. On the left, another sitting room pavilion and the master suite pavilion complete the composition. Terraces off the sitting rooms offer expansive views of the water.

Two guest suites were located on the second floor. One suite is accessed by a “U” shaped cantilevered stair that floats above the floor of the diagonal sitting room pavilion and the other suite is accessed by a spiral stair in the kitchen pavilion. Since the two suites are separated by the main sitting room pavilion, they have total privacy.

The interiors are white to better reflect the light from the varied sources and the firm’s signature “Eggcrate” bookcases are found in the diagonal sitting room. The Mid-Century Modern furnishings include the leather and polished chrome Le Corbusier sofas and the wood Scandinavian dining room table and chairs. It would be very difficult for this architect to choose a favorite detail but the vista from one of the glass-walled connections through the glass corner of the adjacent pavilion to the water beyond was breathtaking.

The Green Residence is a masterpiece of a gifted architect’s vision of domestic architecture in the early 20th century. The photographs that accompany this article were taken last year and belie the age of this iconic house.

Jacobsen Architecture was founded in 2007 by Hugh and Simon Jacobsen and is the recipient of over 140 awards in architecture, design and interiors. The firm’s work spans from much of the US, Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Besides many accolades and publications, the firm has been nominated for the AIA’s Gold Medal four times and is longest running recipient of Architectural Digest’s AD100, the magazine’s list of the top 100 design talents internationally. The Jacobsens are currently working on a new book to be published by Rizzoli titled “Jacobsen Architecture: 12 Houses by Hugh and Simon Jacobsen”.

If you are one of the lucky few on the Eastern Shore to own a Jacobsen house, please contact the Spy as we would welcome another opportunity to feature more of these unique American houses.

For further inspiration, visit the firm’s website . Photographs of the Green Residence courtesy of Sean Shananhan Photography, Sean@shanahanphotography.com, 703-582-9462. 

The Spy is pleased to announce that Simon Jacobsen will make a presentation of his firm’s work over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend on Saturday, January 19th, from 5:00 to 6:30 at the St. Michaels Inn in St. Michaels MD, 1228 S. Talbot Street. Click here for ticket sales.

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.

Spy Christmas House:  Granny Branch Farm

This is my second holiday card to Spy readers and I am delighted to feature Granny Branch Farm, the home of interior designer Jane Keller of Bountiful Interiors and her husband, Gordon Bjorkman. Prior to joining Bountiful Interiors, Jane was the owner and principal of Keller Interiors LLC in Church Hill. Jane has always worked in a creative field and began her career as a graphic designer. She then became a creative consultant who specialized in corporate branding and identity for many of the top Fortune 500 companies. Becoming Creative Director for the Bob Van Allen Studio gave her the direction of the textile design, product design and branding for the home furnishings collection of Waverly/Schumacher including hand-painted silk screen textiles for Mary McFadden’s couture collection. Her diverse background led her to interior design where she uses her creative talent in fashion, textiles and graphic design to create beautiful spaces.  Her home also includes many of her drawings, paintings and photography and her work is found in collections throughout the United States and Europe.

Jane grew up in Annapolis and called many historic houses home. When she and her husband decided to move from Annapolis to the Eastern Shore, they sought a historic house. Granny Branch Farm was love at first “site” for them and its quiet rural setting,  a short distance from 301, was a plus. The original brick building, circa 1735, is listed as “the James Marshall Farm” by the Maryland Historical Trust. There were also six outbuildings including a 19th century smokehouse and original creameries.

Jane put her creative energy to work and guided by her and her husband’s love of history, art and antiques, renovated and modernized their new home without compromising the original spatial layout. Some of their work included restoring the original fireplaces in both the living and dining rooms, opening up the kitchen ceiling to expose the  wood collar beams and adding new cabinets, countertops and appliances. The kitchen also has a Vermont wood stove next to a cozy seating area. The large kitchen island often contains one of Gordon’s Swedish smorgasbords.

Granny Branch Farm will be the Spy house of the Week in early January, so stay tuned for a detailed description of this beautiful historic house enhanced by Jane’s interior design.

Interior design by Jane Keller of Bountiful Interiors, 410-819-8666, 443-994-2934 (c), or jane@bountifuldecor.com

Many thanks to the sellers who invited me into their homes, the agents and their administrative assistants who shared their pictures with me and my fellow architects who shared their creative work in 2018.

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 can’t resist quirky cottages and this cottage nestled in the woods on the banks of a river has all the characteristics of craftsman cottages-hipped roof with dormers, deep eaves, white trim and wood shake siding that have weathered beautifully. Both the front porch and a screened porch with steps down to a waterside wood deck offer great options for enjoying being outdoors. I could imagine resting on the deck after a swim, fishing, boating on the river or simply dangling my legs over the edge of the deck to cool off after sunbathing. In short, the perfect weekend getaway.

The interior reminds me of a camp cottage-most of the finishes were wood with darker wood floors and lighter wood walls and ceilings for low maintenance. The focal point of the living room is the fireplace with a brick chimney that corbels up on each side and becomes a backdrop for the mantel with accents of a darker colored brick hearth and mantel trim. A French door leads to the screened porch for catching cooling breezes.

The kitchen/dining area also has the same chimney treatment but here a wood storage unit has been cleverly inserted in front of the chimney. In the kitchen the ceiling joists and decking are painted white and the white kitchen cabinets lightens the space. Two wide windows at the dining area open onto the river view. Next to the kitchen is a large family room with another dining area and seating around a wood stove and TV. The master bedroom on the main level is paneled in wood but the second bedrooms tucked under the roof have a wood wainscot painted white and painted drywall above. A small sitting area with a TV makes a great guest suite.

Given the wooded setting and the water below, my favorite room is the screened porch that spans across the rear of the house. The middle section extends out toward the water for more seating space. Steps lead down to the wood deck at the water’s edge that would be a great space for a party.

For more information about this property contact Mary Fielding with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 410-708-4852 (c) , or mfielding@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.

Chester River Landing has only 49 residences in its private community along the Chester River. Residents have access to a range of amenities including the private marina, kayak launch, outdoor swimming pool, piazzas and parks. This two-and a half-story unit has a front façade of brick that is traditionally detailed but the rear elevation is open to the river views with its wrap-around porches on the main and second floors.

The open plan of the main floor is broken by the front door that divides the space into two sitting areas. The boundaries are defined by two columns at each side supporting an exposed beam above. One pair of full height columns defines a sitting area with comfortable seating arranged around the TV. The other pair of half-columns rest on bases that flow into the built-in bookcases below long windows flanking the fireplace. A high paneled wainscot with bright blue walls above, tall windows with transoms and beautiful variated hardwood floors tie the two areas together. The coffered ceilings further enliven the interior architecture.

The open floor plan works very well as the fireplace sitting room is also open to the kitchen and dining area with the same wall and window treatment. The focal point of the kitchen is the paneled stove hood with a mantel that displays colorful ceramics. From the kitchen window the cook can overlook the dining area with its wide windows to the river views and a French door accesses the wrap-around porch overlooking the river to quickly serve al-fresco meals.

The master suite and one guest suite are located on the second floor and another guest suite with two bedrooms connected by a “Jack and Jill” bath are tucked under the roof. The master suite has the same white wainscot with a deep taupe wall above, a fireplace opposite the bed and a cozy sitting area at the rear of the house with a French door to the porch for the perfect spot to sip a nightcap while stargazing.
The third floor is versatile since the elevator makes it accessible. The current owners use one bedroom as an office and the other bedroom as a studio.

I loved the office desk under the rear windows with the long views of the river below for a welcome break from computer work.
An open plan that flows well, sunlight from large windows on all sides, rich architectural detailing, an elevator, two floors of porches overlooking the river, a private deeded boat slip and low maintenance-hard to resist!

For more information about this property, contact Stacy Kendall with Cross Street Realtors at 410-778-3779 or stacy@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.

Recently I wrote an article about the work of the architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen, whose iconic residential design including the famous Green residence in Easton that was a series of linked pavilions. Several years ago the architect Peter Newlin of Chesapeake Architects designed another remarkable house that was a series of detached and linked pavilions.

All great architecture begins with a site and a client’s program for the functions and types of spaces they wish to be incorporated into the design. Newlin’s client purchased a small wooded point of land with a creek around the perimeter. They asked for peace and quiet where they could enjoy the creek views and share the site with the wildlife who also called it home. Like their boat with its functional, snug fitting cabinetry, the client wanted the interior to contain functional cabinetry to minimize furniture for storage.
Newlin’s masterful solution was to create five pavilions, linked together by overlapping their corners, like a string of pearls along the gently sloped ridge. The creek then becomes a design element visible from every pavilion and house and landscape are inseparable. North facing walkways tucked under the deep roof overhangs lead to the “Summerhouse” pavilion with its walls of full height screened panels open to the gentle morning sun and breezes.

I especially admired the massing of the pavilions with the hipped roofs, some with triangular dormer windows and others with shed dormers. I also appreciated that many of the window units had vented windows below the picture window above for natural ventilation and for clearer views of the surrounding woods and water.

I enjoyed the meandering approach to the house on the gravel drive that then became a winding brick path from the guest parking area and the family parking at the detached garage to the main pavilion. The color palette of the pavilions with their deep taupe siding and copper roofs originally treated to accelerate their oxidation blends seamlessly into the surrounding woods as if the pavilions were camouflaged.

The hierarchy of interior spaces ranges from the Guest Wing to the “Summerhouse”. The living area with its free-standing fireplace chimney and its soaring ceiling is the centerpiece of the plan and is open to the dining and kitchen areas with their morning sunlight. The dramatic stair tower goes down to the basement utility areas and up to the master suite above.

The master suite has built-ins that divide the sleeping area from the dressing area lined with a wall of closets. The built-ins also function as a headboard for the bed so the sunlight from the windows opposite the bed can penetrate the dressing area. A wonderful nook with a window seat provides a cozy spot for reading or for contemplating the views of nature from the large window.

The finishes are outstanding from the custom recessed lighting in the coffered ceilings, the beautiful inlaid wood floors and the sleek cabinetry. The recessed lighting between the exposed ceiling joists was designed by Newlin and fabricated by Deep Landing Workshop. The pendant lighting was also designed by Deep Landing Workshop.

A gifted architect, sophisticated client, incredible architecture, stunning interiors, outstanding craftmanship in the construction and the detailing all combined to make this house truly remarkable.

For more information about this property, contact Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company agents Richard Budden at 410-778-0330 (o), 443-480-1181 (c) or rbudden@easternshoremdre.com, or Mary Carlisle at 410-778-0330 (o), 410-703-3820 (c) or m.carlisle@cbchesapeake.com “Equal Housing Opportunity”.
Architecture by Peter Newlin of Chesapeake Architects, 410-778-4899, peter@chesarch.com, www.chesarch.com. Custom lighting by Deep Landing Workshop, 410-778-4042, www.deeplandingworkshop.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.

I can’t resist the charm of cottages, especially bungalows, so this cute cottage surrounded by trees and its proximity to Quaker Neck Landing caught my eye.  The front elevation with its French door flanked by double windows and the wide shed dormer above with four windows, the blue siding and white trim was very charming.  The pitched roof had a lower slope over the front which had originally been a porch.

The interior design was equally appealing with hardwood floors and exposed wood decking and beams at the ceiling that had been painted white to better reflect the light. The former porch had been split into two rooms, once of which was the entry and living room. Comfortable upholstered furnishings, bookcases, a wood stove and a beautiful antique corner cabinet created a cozy space in which to linger.  The other was my favorite room, an even cozier nook with two chairs for reading by the double window and two lovely antique pieces for additional charm.

The kitchen with its “L” shape and peninsula counter was a bright and open space in which to work.  I liked the Owner’s collection of baskets and kitchenware above the upper cabinets, especially the large fish shaped grill rack which was a great piece of sculpture.  Off the kitchen was a mud room under another shed roof and a French door to the side yard with its outdoor shower.

The master bedroom with its light blue walls, pencil post wood bed with a white coverlet and blue & white duvet, pegs on white trim around the walls for hanging hats and baskets Shaker style, created a serene retreat. The matchstick blinds at the window allowed sunlight to filter in during the day. The other bedrooms were tucked under the sloped ceiling of the roof for great interior architecture.  

A cottage loaded with charm and close to Quaker Neck Landing-simply irresistible!

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

Last month I wrote an article in the Talbot Spy about a “Bee House” built on the grounds of the Inn at Perry Cabin. The “Bee House” provided year-round shelter for the bees that ate pollen and nectar from plants and pollinated flowers from the cutting garden to support the Inn’s restaurant and Spa. The architect Peter Newlin told me about a “bird house” he had designed for an ornithologist so naturally I was intrigued. The ornithologist had purchased a site and built a small one-room cabin as her get-away, nestled in a wooded area with conifers, mature deciduous trees, native plants, a creek and marsh that attracted birds and other wildlife.

Peter’s client asked for a three-story addition so she could better observe the birds since different species seek different heights for feeding or nesting areas. The conifers on the property provided shelter, nest sites, and food for birds who prefer high spaces. The wild grasses and weeds provided cover for ground-nesting birds and their seeds provided abundant food for many other types of birds. Trees that bore fruit in autumn such as dogwoods and berry plants provided food for migratory birds and allowed non-migratory birds to “fatten up” to face the food challenges in winter. The oaks and other trees provided food for jays, titmice, woodpeckers as well as nesting habitats for many other species.

The design challenge was how to join a three-story vertical addition to a one-story  small cabin without overwhelming the cabin’s scale and to insert the addition as carefully as possible for minimum invasion of the wildlife’s habitat.  Peter rose to the challenge with his masterful addition. A path of pavers meandered through the opening beneath the trees from the parking area to the house.  The hipped roof of the original cabin inspired the shed roof of the wrap-around porch whose depth varies around the rectangular footprint to create a variety of spaces inside and out. Breaking the tower massing up by stepping it back as it passed through the roof behind and above the one-story original cabin, recladding the entire house and new roofing met the challenge. Many windows became “outlooks” for endless birdwatching. Old and new were blended seamlessly.

I absolutely loved the space planning. The first floor contained the original cabin that became a guest suite with its own door to the outdoors. The front door under a deep porch opened to a vista of the three-story spiral stair centered on the wood stove beyond.  Then your eye was drawn to the sitting room with posts around the center to delineate the comfortable upholstered seating around the wood stove and floor to ceiling bookcases. Surrounding the sitting area was the dining area and other seating in front of tall windows and French doors to access the outdoor seating under the deep protecting roof overhang. A galley kitchen completed the first floor plan.

I was amazed to learn from Peter that his client had applied seven coats of shoe polish to stain the slab-on-grade concrete floors! After this treatment, the large panel sizes defined by the wide joints in the flooring resembled flagstone and the earthen brown color was so appropriate for this wooded setting. The exposed stained wood decking ceiling, comfortable seating around the wood stove, French doors and tall windows that provided large areas for bird watching created a delightful space.

The bedroom on the middle level also had a stained wood decking ceiling. Wrap-around windows and a French door by the bed accessed a deck for listening to nocturnal birds. A bath and two large closets completed this floor. My favorite room was the third floor whose ceiling was pitched on all four sides to better reflect the sunlight throughout the day. Tall, large windows with vented units below and picture windows above wrapped around each corner.  Between the windows were full height bookcases. A wonderful space for a study but the interior architecture and the “bird’s eye” views of the landscape could be a distraction.

The house design was ahead of its time by incorporating many energy saving features.  The insulated slab-on-grade acts as a heat sink and the spiral stair provides natural ventilation by drawing the cool air off the forest floor and exhausting warm air through a dormer window at the third floor roof.

After visiting the property, I was inspired to rethink my own landscape design to attract more birds who hopefully would visit daily for my delight not to mention for my two cats’ entertainment!

As an architect, it is always a pleasure to feature an outstanding house designed by another architect.  It is no surprise that “Aerie” won a “Citation of Merit” from the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Here we are almost thirty years later celebrating this unique house.

Architecture by Peter Newlin of Chesapeake Architects,  410-778-4899, peter@chesarch.com, www.chesarch.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.

The massing, varied roof planes and color palette drew me to this house that reminded me of a European country cottage. The story-and a half look with the recessed front porch, shed dormers, two turreted rooms, the smooth creamy facade, light olive trim and shutters with the light brown roofing created a beautiful composition. The rear of the house was dominated by the sunroom with walls of windows for expansive water views. Directly behind the sunroom was a large family room with a fireplace and the adjacent spacious dining room would be the perfect spot for Thanksgiving dinner. Doors from the sunroom, dining room and kitchen created an easy flow between indoors and outdoors.

I loved the geometry of the kitchen with its angled walls and ceiling planes with stained beams at each segment of the turret’s bays. The warm hardwood floors, white cabinets, the stove hood, blue tile counters and backsplash gave it a French country look. The other turreted room was the master bath with its angled ceilings of wood. The sunroom with its views to the river was the hub of the house and with plenty of space for sitting and dining areas one could easily linger there for relaxing after boating on the river or a tennis match.

The second floor bedrooms were tucked under the shed dormers that created delightful interior architecture. The bedrooms’ interior design had a combination of paneling and drywall with stained or painted finishes and the double window dormers in each bedroom created a cozy nook with views to the water. One of the bedrooms had twin beds with headboards in a ship’s wheel design for young sailors. As appealing as the guest bedrooms were, if I were a guest, I would claim the cozy detached guesthouse for my stay.

Wonderful architecture, great floor plan and the river beyond the lovely landscaping-as the French would say, “formidable!”

For more information about this property, contact Pat Kern with Gunther McClary Real Estate at 410-275-2118 (o), 443-480-0299 (c) or cdkplk@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.