April 21, 2009

The Stone House

One of the commenters on the post about the doors said that this picture holds the doors to her heart, and I do have to agree (although I never could have said it so poetically).
This house really struck me when we were walking the other day. It's one that I've always liked, partly because I have a fondness for stone houses, and partly because in a neighbourhood that's manicured to within an inch of its life, this house is a little shaggy around the edges.
I noticed when I was driving home from work the other day that the lot behind the stone house is for sale. So on the way home today, I went to check out the lot {wink, wink} and just happened to get a couple of shots of back of the stone house. Unfortunately, there was no angle from which I could get a good view of the entire rear without trees in the way. We've also had about two inches of rain in the past two days, so the lot was really part swamp... which may be why it's been on the market for ages.The house is symmetrical on the front, with the three palladian doors across the front terrace and one-story wings on either side of the main part of the house. The back of the house is much more organic and rambling than the front, but with the symmetry intact.
What do you think? Does the rest of the house live up to the front doors?

13 comments:

  1. it's perfect! The best of both worlds on front and back. But it's HUGE!! I can imagine getting lost in there: it's the the of house to have a crimson drawing room and a sapphire drawing room. The green guest suite and the toile guest suite. The stone really does it for me; takes a very formal design and makes it livable.

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  2. Love it - but that's just my thing. Symmetry to the street and rambling nonsense in the back. I hope someone loves it.

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  3. Meg,
    Love your header!
    It looks like the front got the makeover! Beautiful home though.

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  4. This makes me want to spend a day driving around in Baltimore looking at houses. The stone is beautiful, and I love both sides, although I think the back a wee bit more than the symetrical front. Wonderful!

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  5. My first thought when seeing the back was, wow! Even with what looks like garages under the first floor, the house is gigantic!

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  6. Yes! It's like a symmetrical, stone rambler.

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  7. You were right, the house has great bones.
    A rambling old, stone house!
    Do you think it use to have more acreage, such as the back lot for sale? Maybe it wouldn't look as gigantic if there were more property, the scale would have been balanced...

    I could make it work though :)

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  8. The back lot looks like it goes straight back from the house. I think the scale would be a lot better on the front side if the plantings were pruned back some.

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  9. I want to live in your world. :P

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  10. I REMEMBER THIS HOUSE FROM MY BALTIMORE DAYS...I LOVE IT.. BEAUTIFUL

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  11. love stone houses - live in one too - except mine could fit inside that old lady 4 x - no need for air conditioning in summer - remember that hanging drying rack from the nyt last summer - it is great - esp for the green ideas you mentioned - less dryer time

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  12. no, I like the front much better. this looks so messy - and like there is no yard???? no, the front is gorgeous - this looks like a mess to me. am I too critical?

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  13. I am a sucker for stone. I think in this world of exponential economic meltdown, the solidness of stone speaks to us on a primal level. It seems to say endurance, weathering difficult times with grace. I think the front is beautiful and like the poet wrote, the doors are soul embracing. Glad to see you are over the cold and back to your walk abouts.

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