One of the seven houses I have called home was an American Four Square so this house immediately caught my eye. What I like best about this architectural style is its compact floor plan due to its boxy shape (nearly a cube with two full stories) with minimal hallways, hipped roofs over both a full front porch and attic with dormer windows. This house also incorporates Craftsman details of the porch’s half columns resting on a solid half wall instead of an open railing, the accent window on the second floor above the front door and hipped roofs over both the bay window projecting from the side of the house and the stoop to the side entry door. Tying all this charming geometry together is the shake siding that adds texture to the facades and the white color palette of both the siding and trim accented by the red entry doors. The property lines at the rear and one side of the house disappear into the surrounding woods and the white massing of the house stands out against this pastoral landscape.
The front door opens to the stair with pilasters and an arched soffit defines the living room area with comfortable seating arranged around the wood stove and windows on the two exterior walls for sunlight. Opposite the living room is the dining room with a variety of windows including the front double hung single window, the side bay window that projects from the exterior wall and a small accent window. The spacious room has a flexible layout-here the table and chairs are placed on axis with the front window but I could easily imagine my circular oak table tucked into the bay with a hutch or other storage unit on the other walls.
This cook loved the black and white color palette of the galley kitchen with the white Craftsman styled cabinets, period style hardware, black solid surface countertops with an inspired backsplash of pressed tin for texture, ample storage from the open shelving and a pantry, white appliances, island with bar stools and the period style five-panel door. Off the kitchen is a cozy sitting area furnished with a rattan seating group with views of the landscape through the sliding glass doors. This could also be a cozy breakfast area or the space could be expanded into the back yard for a family room.
The staircase receives daylight from both the half-French entry door and the accent window above the nook at the second floor and a period style pendant light hangs above the stairs. The two front bedrooms have windows near the corners of the exterior walls for diagonal views of the landscape. I admired how the tall filigreed black gate now has a second life as a very creative headboard for the primary bedroom. Between the windows is a cozy reading space with a wooden rocking chair and floor lamp. The other corner bedroom has a white theme with its iron bed, painted chest of drawers and side chair. If I were a guest, I would choose the smallest of the bedrooms at the rear of the house with its pale sage green walls that are so restful. The room’s furnishings of the candlestick style bedside table, wood chest of drawers and wooden trunk at the foot of the bed would be all I need for a weekend in this country setting.
This house is as charming as I remembered and the full front porch with its sunset views would be another living room during the warm months of the year along with the slate terrace at the rear of the house that is ready for your outdoor grille and picnic table. Great architectural style, beautiful hardwood floors, period details, upgraded kitchen and baths- all this in sought-after Royal Oak and close to highway 329 for easy access to either St. Michaels or Easton.
For more information about this property, contact Melanie Hopkins with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate at 410-822-9000 (o) ,410-310-2893 (c) or [email protected]. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.coldwellbanker.com/MelanieHopkins ,“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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