Shoreline Splendor

A MARYLAND HOME RECEIVES A FLOOR-TO-CEILING RENEWAL AND PAYS HOMAGE TO TREASURED ARCHITECTURAL ACCENTS.

When you picture architecture

characteristic of the Maryland shore, you might imagine quaint cottages covered in cedar-shake siding, ocean-inspired paint colors and weathervanes featuring sea creatures. While that is certainly classic and charming, there are waterside homes that choose to take a different path and stand out from the rest.

In Easton, Maryland, you might be surprised to see a Midcentury Modern masterpiece flanking the shore of the Tred Avon River. Once beloved by its original owners, who moved into the home in 1958, in recent years the 2,660-square-foot home had been woefully neglected. But with those views and the bones in place, the new owners couldn’t pass it up. That’s when Gregory Wiedemann, AIA Principal of Wiedemann Architects, and his team stepped in to bring this storied home back to life.

“Perhaps most noteworthy was the fact that the client had the vision to salvage and restore the home, otherwise destined for demolition.”

—Gregory Wiedemann

RENOVATED WITH REVERENCE

Through his firm, Wiedemann has been renovating historic homes and building new custom homes for over three decades. He says, “We are known for sympathetic additions and renovations of older homes. We seek to respect the character of the original architecture while providing for the modern needs of our clients.”

Wiedemann certainly paid a lot of respect to this Maryland home, now measuring 3,454 square feet including the carport (which now also includes a pool house). He worked along with AIA Associate Barbara Sweeney and interior designer Shaun Jackson; from design to completion, the project took one year. Many of the original elements still stand today alongside the renovations.

The footprint of this home has remained virtually unchanged.

On the interior, “only minor changes were made to the east end to provide a powder room and laundry,” Wiedemann says. In the central space, an indoor pool was removed, and the kitchen was fully renovated. The western wall of the living space was moved, as Wiedemann explains, “one bay to the east to provide a more generous area for the master suite on the west end.”

The foyer now contains sleek bookshelves that solidify the horizontal lines seen throughout the home. The existing bathrooms and kitchen were renovated in their original locations. And the floor, which was acutely out of level, was rebuilt with new hardwood flooring.

Echoes of the original home are still visible in many of the spaces. Wiedemann explains, “The footprint of the home remained unchanged, and the exterior was restored. The bathrooms on the east end were maintained with upgraded finishes. The three secondary bedrooms were kept, and the built-in cabinets and beds were refreshed.”

A SUPERIOR EXTERIOR

The exterior of this home looked hopelessly dilapidated when Wiedemann first laid eyes on it. The paint was chipped, the surfaces were dingy and the carport was very close to collapsing. Wiedemann’s team lovingly painted the red brick, which was repointed with recessed horizontal joints to emphasize the horizontality of the home.

In addition to replacing the roof and exterior trim, Wiedemann says, “the aluminum windows and doors were reglazed and reconditioned. The exterior panels were replaced with enameled infill panels in original locations.”

Built in 1958, the home had fallen into a deep state of disrepair in recent years.

The carport was restored top-to-bottom, and a new pool and terrace were installed as well. Although these are valuable additions to this home, the true soul of this property lies in its dreamy waterfront views. Wiedemann reflects: “The home acknowledges that low-lying landscape of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, while being an outstanding example of midcentury residential architecture.”

“The home acknowledges that low-lying landscape of the Eastern Shore of Maryland while being an outstanding example of midcentury residential architecture.” —Gregory Wiedemann

NATURE IS ALL AROUND THIS HOME. ON THE 5-ACRE PROPERTY, THE GRAND OLD-GROWTH TREES WERE KEPT, WHILE NEW NATIVE TREES WERE ADDED TO BOOST PRIVACY. THERE WERE ALSO ECO-FRIENDLY UPGRADES DURING THE RENOVATION, LIKE INSULATED GLAZING, BETTER INSULATION, HIGH-EFFICIENCY ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AND AN HVAC SYSTEM WITH A GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP.

(RIGHT) THE WOOD BEAMS THAT PRESIDE OVER THE LIVING ROOM ARE ORIGINAL TO THE HOME BUT WERE STAINED FOR A FRESHER LOOK. THE WINDOWS AND DOORS WERE REGLAZED WITH INSULATED GLASS, WHILE THE PREVIOUS LAYOUT WAS MAINTAINED.

(LEFT) THE EXTERIOR OF THIS HOME REPRESENTS THE ELEMENTS THAT WIEDEMANN LOVES THE MOST ABOUT MCM DESIGN: “THE SIMPLE POST-AND-BEAM STRUCTURE WITH AN ICONIC LOW-PITCHED GABLED ROOF IN SERVICE OF CLEAN HORIZONTAL LINES THAT INTEGRATE THE HOME WITH NATURE.”

A BUBBLE CHANDELIER EMBODIES MIDCENTURY WIT AND CHARM AMID MODERN DAY MATERIALS AND FEATURES, LIKE CARRARA MARBLE AND STREAMLINED CUSTOM CABINETRY.

THE RENOVATION GUIDE • SUMMER 2019

(BOTTOM) SERVING AS AN IDEAL SPOT TO TUCK AWAY AND READ FOR AN AFTERNOON, THE HALLWAY NOW DOUBLES AS A LIBRARY. THE OPEN SHELVING, PROVIDED BY WARREN’S WOOD WORKS INC., IS AMERICAN WALNUT, MIRRORING THE PANELS AND HORIZONTAL LINES IN THE REST OF THE HOME.

(LEFT) THE GUEST BATH HAS BEEN FRESHENED UP WITH BRAND NEW TILE AND LUSTROUS CONTEMPORARY FIXTURES.

QUITE A BIT OF RENOVATING WAS DONE TO ACHIEVE THIS LUXE, EXPANSIVE BATH, WHICH CONNECTS TO THE MASTER SUITE. WIEDEMANN SHARES THAT THE ENTIRE WEST END OF THE HOME WAS COMPLETELY RECONFIGURED TO ACCOMMODATE THIS CHANGE.

(ABOVE) THE ORIGINAL WOOD BEAMS INSIDE THE HOME CONTINUE TO THE OUTSIDE—THEY WERE SANDED AND REFINISHED DURING REMODELING.

(OPPOSITE) THIS SCENE LOOKS LIKE A MIDCENTURY DREAM COME TRUE. THE HOME HAD AN INDOOR POOL, BUT IT WAS REMOVED DURING RENOVATIONS. THERE NOW IS A GORGEOUS OUTDOOR POOL, WITH A CHANGING ROOM THAT WAS ONCE A STORAGE ROOM AND A TERRACE THAT’S PERFECT FOR TAKING IN VIEWS OF THE RIVER.

ONE NOTABLE THING ABOUT THIS HOME IS THAT ALL THE ROOMS CONNECT WITH ONE ANOTHER. “THE KITCHEN AND LIVING AREAS WERE ORIGINALLY OPEN TO EACH OTHER, AND WE WANTED TO MAINTAIN THAT ASPECT OF THE ORIGINAL LAYOUT,” WIEDEMANN SAYS.