What started with man on a plane trip home to Baltimore, a legal pad, and quick floorplan sketch evolved to one day become a family dream home. Inspired by architecture he’d encountered while traveling, “that drawing ended up forming the basis for our overall plans,” remembers his wife. “However, we took years to refine, perfect, and finalize our plans prior to breaking ground.” It is with this meticulous care that their home—modeled after houses in the historic and charming Cotswold region of England—came to be. “They wanted their home to feel like somewhere they’d been on their travels,” recalls interior designer Inez Schapiro of Baltimore’s Jenkins Baer Associates. “They wanted nothing ostentatious—just an older looking, truly established home.”
A GROUP ENDEAVOR
From the onset, the project demanded a team of professionals. On board with Schapiro were architect Shellie Curry, builder Richard Livingston, and landscape pro Bob Jackson. “Each person brought his or her own expertise to the project and added great value to the process by participating from the very beginning,” notes the homeowner.
The first challenge for all was the oddly triangular lot, which dropped 10 feet from the front of the property to the back. The architect dealt with this by drafting plans for varying ceiling heights and step-downs from one room to the next. “It makes for a lot of variations within the interior that are quite nice,” says Curry, principal and owner of Baltimore’s Curry Architects. “It’s a much better way to work with the site rather than cutting into the land bringing in a lot of dirt as filler. It was a much gentler way of sitting the house on the lot.”
Curry situated the garage at the low point of the site, and positioned the entrance at the high point. A series of steps drop down within the house in such a graceful way that visitors wouldn’t notice at first glance. “When you walk through the front door and can see out to the backyard from the great room window, it’s an absolutely seamless environment,” explains Schapiro. “Everything took time and consideration to every detail to get it just right.”
ENGLISH INFLUENCE
When the time came to plan the home, of paramount importance was that the structure be built to look like a historic home in the Cotswolds that had been added to over time. In his research, Curry found the website for the zoning office that mandates the codes for building in the Cotswold district in the United Kingdom. He used the manual of zoning codes to dictate decisions he made for the blueprints. “It included everything,” says Curry. “The steeply sloped roofs, the chimney details and chimney pots, as well as the dormers are exact replications from the ‘kit of parts’ demanded from the manual.”
To give the appearance that the home was once one primary structure that had been built onto throughout the years, it was decided that the garage—made to look like an old carriage house—and main living space were to be constructed with stone walls and slate roofs. All flashings, gutters, and downspouts are made of copper. “In addition to providing longevity, the copper surfaces oxidize very quickly to look old instead of shiny,” explains Richard Livingston, president and owner of Richstone Custom Homes in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Next, the breezeway-like area between the home and garage was made to look like it was built as a “connector” space many years later, with stucco walls and a copper roof. In keeping with this building philosophy, the stone wall in the connector space was left exposed on the interior. “The actual stone shape and the stone layout is what I call a ‘rough linear’ appearance,” says Livingston. “There are horizontal rows of rough shaped stones that are semi-random.” When installed by Carroll Highlands Masonry, they were turned rough side out for a more organic look. “We also included arches in the stonework to signify places where old windows or doors would have been removed and filled in,” notes the homeowner. “There are even fossils in the stone, so the kids and I are always finding new things in our own walls.”
Designer Inez Schapiro in the classically elegant living room.
Adding to the authenticity of the “addition” are the cedar headers, on which Schapiro used a dark stain to recall old exterior doorways. The use of wooden beams is continued into the living room, where the ceiling is made to look like the underside of the second story’s floorboards. Underfoot throughout most of the house are hand-scraped hickory hardwood floors, waxed for an antique appearance. The kitchen floor is etched moonstone.
“We balanced the old appearance of the exterior by using some antique materials inside the house,” says Livingston. “The kitchen ceiling has three antique oak beams that were previously removed from a demolished building, as was the breakfast room fireplace mantel.”A HEALTHY FAMILY HOME
In addition to using repurposed beams and natural, sustainable materials like genuine slate and stone, an array of ‘green’ ideas were implemented throughout the house. “It was very interesting working with Richard because he was always pushing the envelope when it came to building materials,” Curry says of Livingston. “[He was always asking] ‘What do you think about this new technology?’ ‘This material?’ ” Various eco-friendly features include the use of Icynene® spray foam insulation, low-E glass windows filled with argon gas, and ultraviolet lights installed inside the ductwork to kill mold spores.
The ‘green’ initiatives taken throughout the building process were more than just innovative ways to use new materials: indoor air quality was made a priority (executed through the installation of state-of-the art ventilation systems on each floor) to ensure the air was the best for the health of the entire family. “What I love about this house is that it’s all about the family that lives in it,” says Schapiro. “We were able to make space for everyone’s hobby…from the husband’s photography and the family’s love of cooking to the daughter’s art room to offices designated for both husband and wife.”
Adorning the walls of the home are various works of art created by the family, from still lifes and landscapes the children made to beautiful and expressive photographs from around the world taken by the husband. There is even a hobby room established on the second floor, which is home to various art supplies and photography equipment. “Someone always has a project in process at our house,” says the homeowner. “The room gets a lot of use. It is a great place to make a mess.”
When it came to selecting a color palette for the home, a tapestry from Schapiro’s collection provided inspiration. Its warm corals and oranges and soft greens and browns are woven throughout the home, achieving continuity among spaces as one flows into the next. “[The homeowner and I] laid out our rooms in bundles of fabrics and wood samples and just picked the most beautiful, historic tones,” remembers Schapiro. The carefully chosen hues ensure that visitors don’t recall particular colors, but rather the feeling that the rooms exude. The fresh colors chosen are gentle contrasts to antique-looking elements such as the rustic lighting fixtures in the living areas and olive green crackled subway tile in the kitchen.
Timeless window and ceiling treatments encapsulate the home’s quiet elegance, from the coffered living room ceiling to the wainscoted walls of the master suite.Schapiro had the wainscoting installed to brighten the room and visually elevate the ceiling, since the asymmetrical eaves, while adding architectural interest, had originally made the room seem weighed down. A coat of celadon paint in the bedroom brings the greens from the first floor upstairs. They continue into the master bath, with details like vintage-style fixtures, onyx countertops, and delicately printed wallpaper that make the demure master suite Schapiro’s favorite space in the house. “I love everything about the master bedroom, from the onyx in the master bath to the wall finishes and seating areas to the eaves and the chandelier in the sleeping area,” she says.
Warm coral and fresh green tones abound in the casual, yet refined, great room.
NATURAL ORDER
Another priority for the homeowners was that they have first floor access to the backyard, so it was important for Bob Jackson, president and owner of Bob Jackson Landscapes, Inc. in Owings Mills, to relate the exterior to the interior. “The plant material…was influenced by what’s found in the Cotswold region, and we used some perennials. It was also heavily influenced by Inez’s colors inside,” notes Jackson. “I used a variety of materials, including some very large trees like linden and hornbeam. …We incorporated hollies, redwoods, fothergilla, hydrangeas, different cherry laurels, and flowering shrubs.”
Jackson developed a master plan to site the home that included a patio, a barbeque, a pool, and a lanai-like structure. The lanai-like structure was yet another team effort, as Jackson came up with the concept and Curry Architects’ Nina Valenziano developed the detailed plans. “The landscape is very much like the homeowners,” Jackson says decidedly. “Family-focused, authentic, appreciative of good design and functionality. The effect is natural but orderly.” Livingston agrees that the home’s understated elegance is a direct reflection of the homeowners. “The house clearly is significant and bold, but the…spaces speak for themselves. There is tremendous value in bringing everyone together, and that’s reflected in the end result of this beautiful home.”
Annliese Scott is the Editorial Assistant for ChesapeakeHome.
Contacts:
Bob Jackson Landscapes, Inc.: bjl-inc.com or 410-356-1620
Curry Architects: curryarchitects.com or 410-528-6002
Jenkins Baer & Associates: jenkinsbaer.com or 410-727-4100
Richstone Custom Homes: richstonecustomhomes.com or 410-581-9809
Resources:
Carroll Highlands Masonry, Inc.: carrollhighlandsmasonry.com or 410-239-7780
Durkee Kitchens: durkeekitchens.net or 410-581-1307
Cooper Custom Cabinets Inc.: 410-360-5785
Greenspring Carpet Source: greenspringcarpetsource.com or 410-561-9200
Jones Lighting Specialists: joneslighting.com or 410-828-1010
Slaysman Forge: slaysmanforge.com or 410-325-8620
