Over the past year, as I drove down Tilghman Island Rd for appointments to tour properties that became Houses of the Week, one house caught my eye and I enjoyed watching the construction progress of this American Four-Square’s meticulous transformation. The house had once belonged to a prominent merchant whose two-story balloon frame house, built by a shipwright in 1904, had fallen into disrepair after many years. Clues of its roots in American Foursquare vernacular architecture still remained and its most notable detail was a radius wall at the top of the original staircase that became a fundamental design element, or architectural signature, throughout the house. The design was also inspired by the owner’s architectural schooling in Italy and extensive sojourns in the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Adirondacks. He now calls Tilghman home and appreciates its rich history and mix of watermen and residents.
The owner began the renovation of this Coastal Style Gem by keeping the exposed foundation of rusticated block for texture and expanding the house’s second floor over the existing front and rear one-story shed roofed spaces. To take advantage of the view of Harris Creek across the road, he added a new front porch with a deck above and a rear deck off the sunroom for enjoying the outdoors. The front porch has solid railings for seated privacy and the upper deck has solid corners with a railing in between to maximize the water views.
I loved the symmetry of the house’s front elevation with the porch stairs relocated to the center of the house leading up to the front door with a window at each side. Above, a French door and a window for each of the two bedrooms are centered over the front door and window below. The front elevation has great appeal from the texture of both the porch’s hipped roof, clad in a deep purple brown metal, and the Hardie shake panels.
The space planning works so well on both floors and I immediately coveted the stunning hardwood floors that I first thought were reclaimed wood but actually were “bull barn” planks of white, gray and light yellow in a distressed finish. The owner carefully worked out the pattern with the installer so the colors created a cohesive whole. I appreciated how the different areas of the open plan were defined by the dropped ceiling plane over the living room sitting area and the low elliptical arch between the sunroom and the kitchen. Mies’ dictum of “God is in the details” is certainly evident here but more surprises were to come.
To me, an “L” shaped kitchen layout with a center island is ideal and this exquisite kitchen is surrounded by white “L” of cabinets, gray veined quartz countertop and subway tile backsplash opposite the deep blue island. I was intrigued by the recessed pop-up column of electrical outlets that at the touch of a button rises above the counter ready for meal prep. A unique design feature in the kitchen is the beveled glass doors on upper cabinets on the gourmet gas range wall. The backs of the cabinets were removed opposite the high window at the side wall of the house for sunlight and views of the tree tops. The sunroom was originally intended to be part of the kitchen but now with the addition of built-in cabinets, beverage bar, bank of awing windows framing the view to the rear landscaping and high set windows on the southwest wall for additional light, this is a delightful space to relax before dinner and convenient for keeping an eye on the grille outside on the deck until dinner is done.
The living room’s side wall of built-in cabinetry was carefully thought out in plan and elevation and contains high windows above a countertop with recessed bookshelves between the fireplace. A raised hearth projects out from the built-in wall and its curved ends continue the radiused theme. The short hall off the living room passes by the powder room with its nautical inspired interiors. The striking flooring of alternating strips of teak and holly wood is below the elliptical ceiling with strips of wood to simulate a boat’s hull and the deep blue walls evoke the deep blue sea.
At the end of the hall is the first of two landings in the stairs to the second floor and the outside corners of the stair’s walls have radiused corners to beckon one upward. The accent window above the first landing on axis with the fireplace and the next step up becomes the second landing with recessed niches for display overseen by a colorful “fish net” sculpture. As I reached the top of the stairs, I stopped and turned around to savor the light from the skylight, the original curved wall with a niche recessed into the thick wall and the vista back to the multicolored fish.
The wide upper hall connects the two front bedroom suites with the rear bedroom. In between are the hall and primary baths and laundry center. I would easily claim the guest room with shared access to the front deck with water views. This room with its sweeping half-cathedral ceiling is generously sized for sleeping and sitting areas complete with a custom built-in fireplace, TV and shelf unit. The hall bathroom has a high free-standing soaking tub, and the primary bath has a steam jet and rain fall shower with pebbled stones in earth tones. The third bedroom is located at the rear above the sunroom, accented by mint green walls below the cathedral ceiling and a porthole window at the gable apex.
The owner told me he has christened his home “Infinity House” with the infinity symbol comprised of intertwining fish. What a fitting name for this stunning shingle style house by the water! I look forward to seeing this Coastal Gem’s interior design evolve over time.
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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