June 21, 2015

I’ll Take This: English-Style Cottage

This has always been one of my favourite houses in Baltimore. It’s about 10 minutes away from my house now, and sometimes I detour and drive by just to admire it.image

It is such a quirky house with porches and gardens. It’s sited on an island with the road completely surrounding it, so the only neighbours are across the street. It’s at the bottom of a huge hill and the whole area is lovely and shaded by massive trees.

One of the things I’ve loved most about this house is the old-fashioned sleeping porch, which you can in the first image. imageThese porches date from the days before air-conditioning, central or otherwise. This looks like a camp in the Adirondacks, but it’s really in Baltimore City. I can just imaging the breezes blowing down the hills and cooling the sleeper.

Another thing I love about the house is the variety of windows. There are some with leaded glass, others that are double hung and still more that open out to the gardens.image

The gardens at this house are extensive and of the rough-and-tumble variety, rather than the over-manicured type. imageimage

The interiors are interesting, and it looks like a family of well-travelled artists is in residence.image

I am still trying to figure out what the ladder is for. Any suggestions?image

There are interesting pieces throughout the house, like this one in a niche across from the stairs, image

and this one in the kitchen, which looks like the torso of a pregnant woman. image

It looks like they kept the original pantry cabinetry, which thrills me!image

The house has six bedrooms, and 4.5 baths. It’s got a secret garden with a fish pond, and over an acre and a half of land. Click here for details.

16 comments:

  1. Wonderful property! I think the ladder is used to for the chandelier maintainence

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  2. What a gem. Love the teddy bear asleep on the pillow on the sleeping porch.

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  3. I think the ladder is for the chandelier also. Only it hasn't been used in quite a while. That's a pretty dusty fixture.

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  4. So charming and reminds me of some of the historical homes here in Kansas City. I have sen several with the sleeping porches, now turned into sun rooms!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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    1. I love that they've kept it as a sleeping porch.

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  5. My "story" about these people is that they have at least four kids (basketball goal over garage). Ladder? Kid fun maybe? Doesn't look like it's engineered to clean the chandelier, though certainly tall enough--what would it lean against at the top? Surely not the swinging chandelier.
    The houses you show us are my very favorite thing you do. I like this one so much because the grounds do not look overly manicured (though I'm sure it takes a great deal of maintenance as is) and the house is unique on the inside, not especially trendy.

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    1. See comment below re: chandelier!

      Thanks for the nice comment.

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  6. From the owner of the house:
    The ladder is made of a single piece of pine, cut in half so that it folds up for storage. The pine is grooved so that the rungs fit inside when the ladder is closed. Alas, it is quite old and way too fragile to climb.

    25 years ago +/-, we put it there, "for right now", while we figured out where it should go. We're still figuring that out.

    Finally, as to the dusty chandelier, it is the scourge of all ladderless senior citizens everywhere.

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    1. Thanks for commenting on the mystery of the ladder. Your home is so warm and looks like it would be a lovely place to live.

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  7. what a sweet letter from owner + great sleeping porch. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  8. There are some real gems tucked away in the little enclaves of Bryn Mawr/Harriton Roads and Winding Way/Waycrest Lane (though they don't hold a candle to some of the downright spectacular piles on nearby St. George's and Poplar Hill) but more than a few uninspiring duds. Definitely a mixed bag.

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  9. That is a great house and I love their kitchen - so not trendy, so beautiful to look at.

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  10. I adore the sleeping porch - so charming, and the gardens…gorgeous!!

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