For this homeowner, juxtaposing the simple lines of contemporary styles with more primitive components is a design fusion she’s surrounded herself with for many years. And it is exactly what attracted her seven years ago to this traditional three-story home in the popular Poplar Hill neighborhood of Baltimore City.
“We were about to do a major nine-month renovation on our previous home located nearby,” she says. But then this property went on the market. “I was drawn to the architecture, especially the play between the contemporary [addition] and the more traditional stone work.”
The floor plan, too, was a key selling point for the homeowner and her husband, who enjoy spending lots of family time with their daughter and two sons. “One of the reasons I liked the layout was that it has the open family room to the kitchen, which all of the newer houses have but the older ones do not,” she explains.
Back in the 1990s, previous homeowners tacked on additional square footage to the existing structure, which was built in 1928, with a large family room and casual dining area, stuccoed on the exterior with an open feel on the inside. “This has addressed that issue because I can be in the kitchen cooking and still feel a part of what’s going on in the family room, which is where we spend a majority of our time.” The homeowner also enjoys the homeÍs circular flow. “There are no dead ends in this house,” she says.”It is all very open with lots of natural light.”
But even though the architecture and floor plan were ideal for the couple, the interior design was not. “It was done in a very minimalist style,” she says. “Every wall was painted white.” To boost their home’s color quotient and inject their personal tastes into the space, these homeowners teamed with designer Roselind Cronin, president of Sulin Interiors, Inc., based in Ellicott City, Maryland, who instantly took her cue from what first attracted the homeowners to the home-its breathtaking traditional architecture.
“For me, when I am working on a house, it’s really important to invite the architecture of the house to be the main player,” says Cronin. “So in the family room, for example, with the green stone wall, the stone absolutely has to be part of the design. My general direction when working on a project is to look at the architecture to see how I could strengthen it and make it look its best. That was the starting point for me here, especially because the house has so much character.”
Indeed, the focal point of the family room is the rugged stone and mortar wall that was part of the original home’s exterior footprint. “I just fell in love with it,” says the homeowner. “Everyone who comes to visit the house, especially for the first time, is just captivated by it.” She also enjoys the room’s relationship to nature. “The vista is gorgeous from this room,” she says. “ItÍs like you’re living outside because of all the windows.”
Cronin designed this kitchen shelving, reminiscent of modern art pieces.
The homeowner is also passionate about rugs and art, and has collected numerous Oriental and Persian pieces along with many original paintings, especially from local artists. So in many of the newly decorated rooms, Cronin appreciated being able to rely on some of the more predominant works as jumping-off points. “I like working with my clients and their needs in order to make it possible for them to inhabit the space with their own personalities,” says Cronin.
In the family room, for example, a southwest-style painting by local artist Anthea Smith served as inspiration. Cronin replaced the existing built-in unit with one made of ash and stained it with a finish the color of coffee with cream. “I designed it to be naturalistic and organic,” she says. “I did not want anything that was jarring.” The earthiness of the room is also echoed in the cozy sandstone-colored leather sectional as well as various accessories, including a complete collection of Munsing bowls the homeowners have added to over the years.
Cronin continued the earth-toned palette into the formal living room, which is adjacent to the family room but part of the original floor plan. Some of the homeowner’s favorite pieces adorn these walls, including a painting by Mary Beth Akre above the marble mantel and a series of six pieces by nationally known artist Sean Scully. “I wanted to keep it neutral so that the artwork and other collections would show up,” she says. “The idea was to keep it elegant but in a very low-key way. The lack of color also makes it more contemporary.”
Because the architecture of the living room is fairly symmetrical with the home’s original fireplace as the focal point, Cronin honored the proportions with reflective placement of upholstered furniture from Baker, accented with a coffee table and end table, made of quarter-sawn oak with walnut bases, she designed herself. (Furniture maker Tim Bram of Pasadena, Maryland-based Neocolonial Woodwork built the pieces, as well as the built-ins in the family room.) Antique Venetian glass lamps add a touch of elegance, while the large mirror with a rustic bronze frame offers that primitive feel the homeowner enjoys.
Even the radiator covers throughout the home embody an artistic thoughtfulness. “The home came with radiator covers you would see in everybody’s house„the big box with a wire screen,” says Cronin. “I wanted these to be part of the room, more like furniture.” The new contemporary covers boast a geometric design and are topped with cream-colored limestone.It was the kitchen, however, that experienced the most dramatic transformation. The space needed updating and the homeowner was hoping for some additional space to flex her culinary muscles. She and her husband entertain often and host many of the holidays for family and friends. To achieve these goals, Cronin removed the walls to the existing butler’s pantry and incorporated that square footage into the main design. The homeowner was thrilled with the decision. “The kitchen feels so much bigger now,” she says, “plus it visually opened up the space so that now I see out of additional windows.”
For a modern feel, Cronin chose granite slab„called “green galaxy”-for the island countertop and contrasted it with an environmentally-friendly paper-based matte black selection from Richlite for the remaining countertops. “Originally we wanted to use non-shiny slate as a contrast to the granite,” explains Cronin, “but slate is very high maintenance, and it’s soft and scratches easily. Richlite is impermeable.”
Designer Roselind Cronin helped to transform from outdated and bland to modern and family-friendly.
Because the kitchen is positioned next to the family room, Cronin also wanted the kitchen to flow with that signature stone wall. She and custom-cabinetry maker Luke Stauffer, of LMS Woodcraft in Akron, Pennsylvania, used the color scheme from the stone and mortar to create a custom grayish-green stain for the cabinetry. Cronin also selected quarter-sawn oak as the material of choice. “It has a traditional look but with a more linear, contemporary feel,” she says.
The powder room, too, received a modern makeover. According to the homeowner, it was previously a very dark, unimpressive room. For a bit of the wow factor, Cronin replaced the ho-hum decor with a sleek cherry vanity, tempered glass vessel sink, and a sculptural chrome faucet with cherry handle-and the angled mirrors throw lots of light into the small space. “I just love unusual solutions to things,” says Cronin.
The couple also hoped to reflect the warmth within the home beyond its exterior walls, so they hired landscape architect Jonna Lazarus, of Lazarus Design Associates in Baltimore, to create a more welcoming landscape design. “The home was highly landscaped from the previous owner,” she recalls. “But it was very restrictive with an inaccessible front walkway that did not welcome you to the front door.” Landscape contractor Andreas Grothe of New World Gardens in Parkton, Maryland widened the existing walkway. “This made it much more inviting to enter the front door,” says the homeowner. “We even found old flagstone to maintain the integrity completely.”
Lazarus also relocated the front yard fence so that it still secured the swimming pool in the rear but did not obstruct the beauty of the home’s entry. She transplanted much of the existing plant material, including boxwoods, and introduced hydrangea and deciduous flowering shrubs for color, texture, and increased seasonal interest.
In an effort to balance the “heaviness” of the home’s facade, Lazarus opted for a lighter touch regarding landscape in hopes that the home itself would convey adequate street presence. “We carved away some of the ivy growing on the house so that it looked more maintained and did not cover up the gorgeous stone,” she says. “We also did some major pruning of the larger trees to open up the canopy and to feature some of the more mature ones.”
With a warm home both inside and out, these homeowners believe in surrounding themselves with what they love, whether it’s a piece of pottery thrown by a local artisan or the sentimental Rosa Bonheur painting inherited from generations before. With help from interior designer Roselind Cronin, this traditional house makes a contemporary statement, that mixes primitive and precious, simple and meaningful.
Kelli Rosen is a frequent contributor to ChesapeakeHome.
Contacts:
Lazarus Design Associates: 410-235-7737
LMS Woodcraft: 717-859-1909
Neocolonial Woodwork: 410-360-5179
New World Gardens: 410-357-4900
Sulin Interiors, Inc.: 410-418-9660
