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House of the Week: “The Thomas Cuff House”

June 30, 2020 by Jennifer Martella Leave a Comment

The “Thomas Cuff House”, circa mid 1700’s, has not only historic charm that was impeccably restored in 1987 to the highest standards but also two substantial additions/upgrades that give a new definition to “turnkey”. All the modern conveniences and comforts one seeks for today’s lifestyle are here-only one block off High Street in Chestertown. The deep site contains the main house and a verdant oasis with hardscape, mature trees for shade and colorful plantings between the main house and the two-car garage off the alley. Exterior stairs lead from the brick walk at the garage to the one bedroom loft apartment above.

Extensive archeological exploration including siding, roofing and stair remnants guided the restoration of the original house with its simple frame, two-story structure with a central doorway flanked on each side by 6/6 windows. Two similar windows are on the second story front and three on each gable, one on each floor. The door and window frames have a simple ovolo backhand molding. The original interior plan of the front four rooms on both floors remains with two rooms on each floor, each with a fireplace served by the large central chimney. Many of the original materials and finishes of the rooms on one side of the house had been lost to a fire but the other side’s rooms’ vertical beadboard paneling, exposed beaded corner posts and the simple moldings of the windows and the four-panel doors were saved.

The original rear addition was unstable and after stabilization it was expanded into a new addition that is invisible from the street and fits seamlessly to the original part of the house in its form, materials, similar windows, siding and color palette. The main floor contains an entrance/stair hall, powder room, galley kitchen, living room and sunroom. The original portion of the house contain the family room and dining rooms, with the original fireplaces and massive brick chimney.

A brick sidewalk leads from the front of the house to the side entrance hall with a graceful stairwell that rises three floors with wide landings and windows to filter sunlight down through each level. A wide wall opening leads to the exquisitely appointed living room with a soft yellow and white color palette of finishes and furnishings with its focal point of an early Federal style fireplace (rescued from a demolished late 18th century Delaware house), with built-in keystone arched millwork on either side. Jib doors lead to a screened/glassed-in porch that continues the living room’s color palette with the addition of red accents. Wrap-around windows and transoms create the perfect transition to the secluded fenced rear garden with hardscape for relaxing or outdoor dining.

The original rooms at the front of the second floor is now one room that is used as a spectacular office that is bisected by built-in millwork around the massive chimney with a fireplace on one side and windows on three sides for sunlight throughout the day. A guest bedroom, hall bath and storage are off the stairwell and the rear of the house is the master suite overlooking the garden below. Instead of serene yellow, the explosion of red on the walls of both the master bedroom and master bath was an unexpected and delightful surprise. The white cabinets and bath fixtures are center stage against the red walls but I especially liked the master bedroom’s interior architecture. Pitched side walls of red meet the flat ceiling plane of white. Peaked ceilings over the dormer windows were painted white instead of red that cleverly accentuated the dormer form and the portion of red wall above the window.

I love urban gardens that provide much needed privacy and this garden is an irresistible “outdoor room”. The high stained wood fence adds texture and privacy. Low brick walls not only support planting beds but also provide extra seating for large parties. The hardscape area next to the sunroom is sized for both relaxing and dining. The low curved brick wall that defines the end of the hardscape is a backdrop for the round table and chairs for al-fresco dining. A tall reddish crape myrtle’s branches spread out like a fan to partially hide the rear garage and the hardscape narrows to become a brick walkway to the entrance of the garage that has access to the alley and exterior wood stairs to access the loft apartment.

Impeccable “before and after” turnkey renovation that preserves the best of the past, beautiful interior design, water views from the front porch and a peaceful rear garden private oasis-Bravo to the owner for her vision!

For more information about this property, contact Coard Benson with Benson and Mangold Real Estate at 410-770-9255 (o), 410-310-4909 (c) or coard@bensondulingroup.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.coardbenson.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.

House of the Week: Homage to Voysey

June 23, 2020 by Jennifer Martella Leave a Comment

If I could have lived at the turn of the last century, I would have wanted a house designed by either of the two giants of the English Arts & Crafts Movement, Edwin Lutyens and Charles Francis Annesley Voysey. The latter architect was also known for his furniture and textile designs and his English residential architecture draws inspiration from the vernacular buildings of the English countryside. He was also one of the first designers to appreciate how significant the impact of industrial design would be.

Annapolis based architect Chip Bohl drew inspiration from Voysey’s work when he was retained by a Washington based couple who wanted a weekend and summer retreat on the Eastern Shore for themselves and their young son. Bohl had designed a kitchen for the wife’s cousin which the couple had greatly admired so they knew they had found their architect and began their search for the right property. They found a spectacular waterfront site with a less than spectacular 1925 house whose initial charm had been lost during a 1960’s neo-Colonial revival. The couple and Bohl then began a ten year collaboration to update the house, guest house and detached studio/ workshop as well as the design of a new caretaker’s cottage.

When I saw the side elevation of the main house, framed by mature landscaping, I was immediately reminded of Voysey’s style. The massing and materials of smooth stucco, dark window trim and 6/1 Craftsman style windows paid homage to Voysey. The house’s large rooms, high ceilings and period detailing were enhanced by adding larger windows and fixed glass panels to open up the house to the water views. The screened porch on the corner of the house was rebuilt with large expanses of bronze screening panels for minimal glare. The small windows and doors leading to the screened porch were replaced with tall French doors to maximize the view and to capture the summer breezes. A new terrace was added next to the screened porch to extend enjoyment of the outdoors.

The charming guest cottage was completely renovated. New large double hung windows and a terrace were added to enhance the views of the water. The interior was reconfigured to create a more open living-dining-kitchen space. Areas of the ceiling plane were raised to add volume to the rooms and the sculptured ceilings created by adding troughs and other cut-away elements hid the light sources from view. The result is soft, indirect, ambient lighting that highlights the forms of the ceiling and roof structure.

The details of the house and guest house are outstanding. The main house kitchen is simply exquisite- I loved the ingenious detail of the table that extends through the window and the sensuous stucco curvature of the stove hood. In the guest house bedroom, two free-standing closets (or cupboards as the English say) flank a window seat below a window with an arched header. Instead of surface mounted hardware to open the doors, a bookmatched design is carved into each wood door and the teardrop shape at the bottom is perfectly shaped for one’s hand to open the door. On the exterior, stained triangular wood brackets project underneath the deep eaves and are mounted to the window jambs. A similar treatment creates a canopy over the front door.

The decade of work on this property exhibits Bohl’s signature style of embracing ambiguity. The historic homes that dot the Eastern Shore were built over time in many phases as the needs or tastes of generations of homeowners evolved. Echoes of past historic styles or details are seen in his work for a particular project as he strives to replicate the rich character of the architecture and interior details from the past. Voysey would be very pleased.

Architect: Bohl Architects, www.bohlarchitects.com, 410.263.2200, Chip@BohlArchitects.com

House of the Week: Gambrel Glory

June 16, 2020 by Jennifer Martella Leave a Comment

In the days before the Bay Bridge, when the ferries transported vacationers to the Eastern Shore beaches to escape the urban heat of Baltimore, this building was a popular boarding house named ‘Price Cottage”. A vintage postcard from 1906 shows an open hipped roof front porch and columns with Victorian fretwork. The message read ” Very Nice Place” and it certainly retains its charm today. The upper floor of the huge three-bay barn behind the house was used as a dormitory for the female workers who worked during the summer season. In the early 1920’s the third floor of the house was raised to create more rooms. The “T” shaped house has a one-story shed roofed addition at the leg of the “T” and it is easy to imagine how a weary traveler would have been immediately charmed by the gambrel roofs and wrap-around porch to catch the summer breezes.

A few years before the opening of the Bay Bridge, “Price Cottage” ceased its operations and the property was listed for sale. The current owner’s parents bought the property that has been a welcoming place for family gatherings ever since. Part of the second floor became a one-bedroom apartment with its own private entry off an exterior spiral stair. The third floor interior was gutted and renovated to contain three bedrooms, one spacious bath with the original claw foot tub, laundry and an open space great room. The delightful interior architecture created by the steep pitch of the gambrel roof joists and dormer windows make these delightful spaces up in the treetops. This floor also has access to the exterior spiral stair for fire safety.

The main floor retains its original charm with the entrance hall and original wood staircase, parlor, dining room with a fireplace wood surround detailed with a center mirror flanked by oval mirrors on either side, and an updated eat-in kitchen with direct access to the wrap-around porch. Beautiful wood floors throughout, four-panel doors, period moldings and trim contribute to the house’s charm.

I loved how each of the bedrooms has their own wall color-pale pink, mint green, bright apricot (my favorite), deep salmon and the purple of one third floor gambrel shaped room. The spacious bath has both a claw foot tub and shower with bead board wainscot painted a bright periwinkle blue with period wallpaper above. As charming as the apricot bedroom is, I could easily linger in the screened porch to catch the summer breezes after an afternoon at the nearby beach on the Bay. The shed roof is open to the decking above and stained to contrast with the white porch supports. Matchstick blinds provide privacy if needed.

The lower floor of the barn could be renovated for a multi-car garage with room left over for a workshop. The former dormitory could have myriad uses limited only by your imagination-offices?-studio for any creative endeavor? This house with a history of happiness is ready for its next family to make it their home.

For more information about this property, contact Paula Reeder, GRI, Associate Broker, Long and Foster Real Estate at 410-643-2244 (o), 410-708-4947 (c) or paulareeder1@gmail.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.longandfoster.com/paulareeder “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

Planning Your Landscape Like a Pro (Part 2), by Meredith Watters

June 11, 2020 by Meredith Watters Leave a Comment

“Planning Your Landscape Like a Pro (Part 1)” described how to begin the process of creating your own home landscape design, how to measure, document, and print a sketch of your land plat. Now comes the fun part — making design decisions to create a beautiful, well thought out garden plan!

First, take a good, analytical look at your house. Consider design features you already have, such as arches, columns, materials (such as brick, stone, wood), or perhaps the color scheme.

No Landscape

Bad Landscape

Good Landscape

Consider these elements when putting together your overall design.

Form: mostly refers to the architecture, which can be seen as a sense of bulk, expanse, emptiness, height, breadth, straight/curvy, or geometric shapes. Questions you should ask:

–Do I need to add a sense of height (such as for ranch style architecture)? Include including vertical elements?

–Do I need to reduce height? Use weeping plants or distracting the eye with a great deal of interest on the ground plane.

Color: expressed through plant leaves, flowers, fruit, stems/bark, or even furniture, colors of stone, brick, paint, pottery.

–Use three colors max (not including green). Yellow or light green plants can make plants look sick; dark green is somber and heavy; bright blue can distract; warm colors (red, yellow, orange) advance toward you; cool colors (blue and pastels) recede; white is neutral.

–Choose your color palette by referring to a color wheel. On it, find the color you love and what works well with your house color, and then choose the complementary color on the opposite side of the wheel.

–Use brightly colored plants in limited quantities.

Texture: found in plant material (fine textures recede and coarse texture enlarges space and makes for a good accent). Also found in hardscape, which can be soft textures and therefore recedes, or bold (like the use of boulders), which are focal points.

Line: the easiest element to use. Lines draws the eye. Curvy lines show movement and relax the viewer, and slows the pace. Straight lines establish formality and purpose.

The following Design Elements will also provide a sense of order, structure, and unity for planning your landscape.

Simplicity: achieved through repetition, massing, line, materials, color. Limit the different types of plants or their colors. Limit the different kinds of surface or structural materials.

Balance: symmetrical creates formality, asymmetrical creates informality – what’s your preference?

Variety: too much is confusing, and monotone is too boring.

Dominance: be careful not to create too much dominance of one element such as too many accent pieces, repetition of over-powering types of plant shapes, color, etc. A special specimen or accent plant can provide strong interest, so be careful not to overuse it.

Scale/Proportion: a height-to-width proportion of 2:1 yields a nice personal scale, 3:1 is an excellent social or larger setting. If a house is two stories tall plus roof (30’high overall) and has a very dominant physical presence, I would suggest your landscaping beds should be at least 15’ deep(wide), i.e., out, from the house foundation. Within the 15’ setting, sidewalks or patios should be included in the landscaping when analyzing the scale/proportion. If you had only a 6’ wide plant bed along the tall house foundation, the house doesn’t feel “grounded or well-blended” into the landscape.

Repetition: accomplished through repeating curves, angles, shrubs, ground covers, color, hardscape material can all create unity.

A few more suggestions:

–Try using your garden hose to outline a new bed design. Put your patio furniture (tables and chairs) in the space where you think you want a new patio.

–The more the plant beds are covered with spreading ground covers, perennials, and shrubs, the fewer weeds because sunlight, critical to survival, is blocked.

–Don’t plant tall shrubs just 2’ away from the house foundation. Doing so will create problems for cleaning windows, painting the house, blocking crawl space air vents. Research the ultimate size of all your plant purchases. Just because they are 1’ high now, doesn’t mean that they won’t grow to 10’wide x 10’ tall.

–Pop the plants out of their container and see if it is root bound in the pot before purchasing. Roots growing in circles in the pot is a long-term problem for some woody shrubs, and especially trees.

–When deciding on how many plants to use, try to use groupings of 3, 5, or 7. Consider staggering them in a zig-zag fashion, instead of planting in a row. After all, if one dies years later, what are you going to do with an empty hole?

Of course, there are many other environmental considerations to make, such as water drainage, presence of pesky rabbits or deer, soil quality, etc. Look for previous Spy articles that I wrote about soil quality (Spy Gardening: Let’s Talk Dirt) and how to prune plants (Spy Gardening: Winter’s False Start (to Springtime)).

If you have any questions, please call me to discuss your situation.

Meredith Watters, Watterscape Designs, received her Masters in Landscape Architecture in 1985. In her consulting and design of residential landscapes, she maintains a strong focus on ecologically sensitive and creative outdoor solutions.

House of the Week: Contemporary “Into the Woods”

June 9, 2020 by Jennifer Martella Leave a Comment

Nestled in a clearing with a large front lawn, surrounded by nine acres of woods along the banks of Southeast Creek, this house has the vernacular forms of the rural landscape with its simple gable massing resembling a large barn but the light blue siding and red standing seam roof hint of a contemporary flair. The site enhanced with extensive native landscaping is a haven for nature lovers to enjoy being outdoors with two decks, the row of Adirondack chairs at the top of the creek bank or the enticing hammock between two trees.

The front elevation has a short shed roofed extension from the main wing that contains the entry and the mudroom/laundry. The vista from the front door to the rear wall of windows of the great room passes between the master suite and the kitchen. The one-story gourmet kitchen is also open to the two-story great room that spans the full rear of the house with its post and beam construction and a bay extension that extends the living area. Two decks, one shared by both the living room and master suite and the other at the rear of the house beckon one outdoors.

I loved the interior design and was not surprised to find that one of the owners is a photographer who clearly has a keen eye for color and composition. The warm tone of the deep apricot accent wall at the rear gable extension with its stacked window arrangement of triple window, triple transom and single transom is a dramatic focal point. The window seat adds extra seating for parties and has open shelves below for storage and the seat extends to the side wall with closed cabinets below. The walls with multiple windows, French doors, transoms and the ceiling that soars to the underside of the roof decking articulated by the shapes of the intersecting gable roofs creates wonderful interior architecture. The ceiling’s stained wood slats and hardwood floors add warmth and the accent of the black stovepipe of the free-standing fireplace that also rises to the underside of the ceiling becomes a piece of sculpture. The dining room at the corner of the great room has windows on both sides and its interior wall is open to the kitchen.

The main floor master suite has access to the side deck off the great room and the warm butter yellow walls, the beautiful quilt and wood furnishings create a peaceful retreat. The stairs lead to an enlarged landing on the second floor sized for a TV area overlooking the great room below. I loved the neutral upholstered furnishings with accent pillows and the deft touch of hanging the colorful still life on the short knee wall. The bedrooms on this floor have knee walls on one side and pitched ceilings to the full height wall for displays of art.

Great contemporary style rooted in rural vernacular forms, wonderful interior volumes, nine acres of privacy with woods and water, full and partially finished basement for storage and a two-car detached garage with workshop space-the perfect rural retreat!

For more information about this property, contact Sarah Dean with Cross Street Realtors at 410-778-3779 (o),410-708-2528 (c) or sarah@csrealtors.com.com. . For more photographs and pricing visit, https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=SiF7NdmGimT~ “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

House of the Week: Cannon-ball Shotgun

June 2, 2020 by Jennifer Martella Leave a Comment

One of the six houses I have called home was an American Four-Square so this house immediately caught my attention. The three-bay two-story house has a classic and appealing color palette of white siding, black shutters and red brick foundation piers infilled with white vents. Five wood steps with gray treads and white risers lead down to meet the Town’s brick sidewalk and give the front porch seated privacy from the street for relaxing with family or friends. A stacked stone wall below the porch adds texture and a backdrop for the plantings and curved planting area for low shrubs and rose bushes for color. The front porch’s cushioned rattan furnishings make it a very comfortable outdoor room for six.

The front door opens in front of the “L” shaped stair that creates an entry alcove for the two-panel half glass entry door with a transom. The interior cross walls had been removed to create an open vista through the house from the front to the rear walls like the “shotgun” floor plan feature. The ceiling beams and the partial height wall between the living and kitchen remain and define the living, kitchen and dining areas. The side wall of the living room has built-in storage, a window seat below the side window and a gas fireplace surrounded by a brick chimney. The fireplace mantel extends over the firebox to the former log storage niche and creates a ledge for the owner’s delightful collection of ceramics, miniature pillows and other collectibles. The deep raised hearth adds additional seating and the bead board clad partial height wall adds more texture.

I loved the gourmet kitchen’s personality-hardwood floors, white cabinets, warm butcher block countertops accented by the island with bar stools on one side and the range with base cabinets that wrapped around the wood free-standing chopping block. The soffits that matched the height of the dropped beams are accented by the owner’s colorful scalloped edged ceramics and artwork. Stainless steel appliances and built-ins with open shelves for cookbooks and collectibles complete this eclectic and very appealing space that would inspire any cook. The exquisite Amish antique wood dining table that the owner discovered became the focal point for the dining area and is anchored by the Oriental rug. The large American flag that is a wall hanging fills the side wall and the wide rear windows with transoms overlook the rear yard.

The original stained wood stair and balustrade leads to the second floor and creates a cozy spot by the front window for a home office complete with a wall of built-in millwork. The three bedrooms and two baths’ long windows add sunlight throughout the day. One bath has been fitted with period fixtures including a pedestal sink and the tile flooring laid on the diagonal stretches the space.

Wood fencing surrounds the rear yard that has a mix of hardscape and low maintenance ground cover for relaxing outdoors. Great location between Water and Queen streets with a view of the Chester River, mix of historic details and open plan living, open and covered outdoor rooms for relaxing, a full basement for storage with both exterior and interior access- even the charming furnishings are negotiable!

For more information about this property, please contact Tracy Stone of Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 443-480-0610 (c), or tstone@cbchesapeake.com , For more photographs and pricing, visit www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/md/chestertown/102-cannon-st/pid_35929664/ , “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

House of the Week: “Walnut Point Farm”

May 26, 2020 by Jennifer Martella Leave a Comment

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 trey@treyrider.com. 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”.

House of the Week: Southern Living Charm

May 19, 2020 by Jennifer Martella Leave a Comment

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 doug@dougashleyrealtors.com. For more photographs or pricing visit www.dougashleyrealtors.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”. Photography by Janelle Stroop, Thru the Lens, 845-744-2758, or Janelle@Thruthelensphotos.com

House of the Week: Urban Living

May 12, 2020 by Jennifer Martella Leave a Comment

Chestertown’s Historic District’s range of architectural styles is so appealing and I have found myself returning once again to the charm of Kent Street. This street was the northernmost boundary of a plat of Chestertown, circa 1706, illustrated in my primary reference book, “Chestertown, Maryland: An Inventory of Historic Sites” published by the Town. S. Kent Street has a special charm since the houses are detached but similar in scale to attached townhouses which gives the pedestrian scale of the streetscape great appeal.

This house is a classic three bay Colonial style with two dormer windows centered above the second floor windows. The light colored lap siding, white trim, corner boards, cornice articulated with eave joist extensions, window boxes under the first floor windows and the transom above the front door give the house curb appeal. A brick sidewalk at one side of the house beckons one to discover the delightful fenced back yard with its mix of hardscape and planting areas.

Once inside, the extent of an extensive and tasteful renovation is evident from the spacious open plan extending the full depth of the house from the front living room, through the dining area to the kitchen. The flooring defines the function; hardwood for the living and dining areas and tile for the kitchen that leads to the rear covered porch. I liked how the front windows have window coverings for only the lower portion of the double-hung windows so one has privacy from the street without blocking the sunlight. A stained wood beam separates the entry and stairs from the sitting area and the stairs are beautifully detailed with stained treads, balustrade and white risers. Some of the original four-panel doors are painted, some are stained but all have stained trim at the header for an accent. The dining area is also defined on each side by stained pine paneling whose pattern contrasts nicely with the wood flooring.

The galley kitchen is wide enough for an island and a single French door to the side brick walkway and a wall of French doors at the rear to the porch and yard makes this a sunny space. The second floor has two bedrooms and one bath. One bedroom has painted hardwood floors and chair rail while the other bedroom has carpet and both bedrooms have windows on two walls for sunlight throughout the day. The third floor has another bedroom with carpet and another bath tucked under the roofline and the bedroom’s front dormer windows have bird’s eye views of the urban landscape. The southeast facing dormer windows make this space sunny and bright and it would also be a great office or studio.

Charming urban house on a quiet street yet close to downtown amenities with preserved original historic details enhanced with a full-scale renovation-the perfect combination!

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. For more pictures and pricing, visit www.selectlandandhomes.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

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