One of the criteria I use for selecting a House of the Week is the site because that is where great design begins; whether the site is along a shoreline, surrounded by woods, or in an urban or rural setting. When I saw the aerial of this site at the tip of a peninsula I was hooked. The entry drive first went through a grove of mature trees then followed the shoreline under the tree canopies with shrubbery and flowering plants that edged the drive. As you turned onto the motor court the house came into view. The two-and a half storied house was traditional in style with light slate blue siding, white trim and white shutters that stood out against the green of the surrounding trees.
At the tip of the peninsula was a spacious gazebo lined with benches for catching breezes off the Chesapeake Bay and on the other side was a deep-water dock. The first floor of the garage/cabana contained a guest suite with a porch overlooking the pool and the second floor contained a studio. It is no secret by now that this transplanted Southerner loves porches. Most of the elevations of the main house had porches on both floors for panoramic views of the Bay and multiple windows and bay windows also provided additional water views.
My favorite room was the large screened porch with areas for seating and dining that spanned the length of the adjacent family room. The family room was unfurnished but was easy to imagine grouping furniture around the fireplace. The wall of glass doors to the screened porch combined to make these rooms feel like one indoor/outdoor space. The kitchen and breakfast room were combined and the wide bay window at the breakfast area and the French door to one of the porches gave easy access to the outdoors. I could also easily imagine having dinner parties in the dining room with its triple window and French doors with sidelights to another porch for an aperitivo to linger over the sunset before dinner.
I love second floor spaces with dormer windows and this house had several rooms with dormer windows and sloped ceilings that created great interior architecture. One bedroom featured a wide window with a built-in seat below perfect for curling up with the family pet.
Spectacular peninsula site surrounded by panoramic views of the Bay, very appealing traditional architecture with several porches on both the main and second floors to maximize enjoyment of the outdoors-what more could you ask for?
For more information about this property, contact Lynn Hilfiker with Gunther McClary at 410-639-2118 (o), 443-480-1163 (c) or [email protected], “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.
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