I first met the developer Gabrielle Koeppel when I featured her renovation of a house in the historic Hill District. I admired how she maintained the historic exteriors of that house and how she transformed the duplex into a spacious single family home. I learned that she began her career as a real estate attorney for the Rouse Company and became interested in development. Several years ago, she began a search for a house in Talbot County to become a second home for her young family that could be shared with another family. She discovered a property in Oxford that was permitted for demolition. Gabrielle began the house’s transformation and it now seamlessly fits into the historic streetscape of Oxford’s Factory Street.
The floor plan is zoned very well into private and public areas. The spacious entry separates the master suite with its loft area from the rest of the main floor. The entry also serves double duty with front and back doors and closets for a mini “mud room” for the family. The main living area is a true “great” room, with living, dining and kitchen in one space with windows on three sides for sun throughout the day. The wing in the rear contains a bonus room, powder room and screened porch overlooking the pool. The second floor contains a second master suite and a third bedroom.
I loved the great room with the hardwood floors and furniture groupings to define the spaces. Sofas flanking the fireplace with side chairs anchored by a large rug defined the sitting area. The table and chairs of the dining area was centered on a colorful painting between two large windows. Off to the side is an oversized chair and ottoman for a quiet reading area. The kitchen was my favorite part of the great room-its pitched ceiling with exposed collar beams, the trio of stepped windows over the sink, and the three bar stools in different bright colors gave the space great architectural character. The cook top on the island faced the great room so the cook could interact with family and friends in the sitting area.
The master suite wing also had pitched ceilings with exposed collar beams. Three high windows above the master bed four-poster gave light and privacy. Opposite the bed was a spacious sitting area with a beautiful armoire. The upstairs second master suite had its own distinctive character with three small windows cascading up the wall behind the bed to the flat portion of the pitched ceiling and two dormer windows with window seats.
Once again, the developer’s discriminating eye was evident throughout this very impressive transformation.
For more information about this property, contact Ray Stevens with Benson & Mangold Real Estate at 410-226-0111 (o), 410-310-6060 (c) or [email protected], “Equal Housing Opportunity”.
Developer: Gabrielle Koeppel Architecture: Neil Lang Contractor: Reed and Lambert
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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