When prospective buyers drove up to this property, their two-year old exclaimed with glee “why, it’s a teeny house”! It was love at first sight for all and of course they christened their new home “Teeny House”. The house was a small hunting cottage so the couple hired an architect to create a weekend/summer cottage for them. The architect kept the lodge feeling and created a cottage loaded with charm. The sloped entry hall that extends from the front door to rear windows overlooking the water connects the two story wing of living room and bedroom with other bedrooms above to the one-story wing of the dining, kitchen and den areas.
The hall is lit by skylights and separates the living room from the dining room. The living room has a wood stove between pairs of double windows with bookcases below. The rear wall facing the water is all glass for maximum views to Caulk Cove through French doors, full glass sidelights and transoms above. The French doors lead to a porch covered by second floor deck. The wood ceiling is a continuous plane from the living room to the porch ceiling to connect the indoors and outdoors. Accent walls of wood, light from the hall skylights, upholstered furnishings and quirky accent pieces like the twig rocker and vistas to the French doors and windows of the dining room make this a light and cozy space.
The dining room extends beyond the rear wall of the house so it has windows on three sides and a chamfered ceiling creates a great space for lingering over meals. The French doors to the side patio and the island with bar stools separates the dining area from the spacious kitchen with its white cabinets, quartz counters, tiled backsplash, stainless steel counters and wood floors. Behind the kitchen is a cozy den for watching TV.
The front elevation’s distinctive triangular bay window detail of three stacked ventilated window units on either side of the triangle’s point is the focal point of two bedrooms, one on each floor. The windows are full height and with the double window unit at the side wall brings more light into the spaces. Each bedroom has a closet and a cabinet door above for seasonal storage. One bedroom has soft sage green walls and the other has butter yellow walls with white bed linens and wood furnishings to complete the restful look. My favorite bedroom was the master bedroom at the rear of the house. Pitched ceilings, butter yellow walls, a wall of French doors with full glass sidelights leading to the covered deck and side windows create a serene space.
The 12 acre site includes a the three-car garage has space for a workshop on the ground floor and the upper floor is currently furnished as an open plan guest suite containing sleeping areas, sitting areas and a kitchenette. There are myriad outdoor opportunities to enjoy the water views and sunsets from the covered decks at the living room, master bedroom, deck next to the kitchen with a umbrella covered table and chairs for al fresco dining, stone paved terrace with a glider and two chairs and the stone terrace next to the living room deck with a high top table and chairs.
I can well imagine how delighted that two-year old was when he explored his house for the first time since I fell under the spell of this charming cottage too. Where else can you relax on a bench and contemplate nature in the company of a giant frog?
For more information about this property, contact Tom Crouch with Benson and Mangold Real Estate at 410-745-0720 (o), 410-310-8916 (c) or [email protected], “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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