Design with Jenn Martella: “Edgemar”

Several years ago, one of my friends suggested I become acquainted with the work of William Draper Brinckloe, who lived to Easton from 1911 until his death in 1933. He was also an author of two books, “The Small Home” and “The Volunteer Firemen”. In his book “The Small Home” he mentions that he is designing a small bungalow for his family which became known as “Dutch Cottage” that became his “City Home”. Today’s feature, which Brinckloe christened “Edgemar”, was his “Country Home” and he wrote an article “The Barn Rebuilt” about his design process. 

Prior to their move to Maryland, the Brinkloes lived in Delaware and after a visit to California, they were enchanted by the haciendas and old mission buildings they found throughout the state.  After living in Talbot County for thirteen years, the Brinkloes decided to sell their house on Peachblossom Creek and to retain 4.5 acres of the property and its old barns. They incorporated the barns into their  new 4,000 sf country home. 

Whenever I feature a house that was designed by another architect, I ask about their design concept since each project is unique. I was thrilled to discover an article by William Draper Brinckloe in which he describes his design process and  was illustrated by his floor plans. 

The Brinckloes reconfigured two barns perpendicular to each other, added a garage and unified the three buildings with low walls enclosing a south facing cloistered courtyard to create a harmonious whole. A new sunroom spanned across the former smaller barn with doors to the courtyard. The floor plan worked very well with easy flow among the main rooms and the outdoor rooms of the front courtyard and the side porch overlooking Peachblossom Creek. 

The house has endured many changes by later owners including closing off the door from the living room to the sunroom and the courtyard; removing the wall between the sunroom and the kitchen and dining room to create a great room and relocating the kitchen to the former garage. The last change was an addition of a main floor primary ensuite behind the kitchen.  

 

On the day of my visit, I first explored the courtyard with its hexagonal shaped paving stones that the Brinckloes found piled in a backyard. The walk to the courtyard were repurposed “ old flagstones form abandoned pavements and partly broken bits from the old stable”. The Brinckloes were way ahead of current LEED and Shop Local endeavors by their commitment to incorporate materials from as many local sources as possible. Among many finds were “huge hand wrought hinges, great wooden and iron locks, brass knockers, quaint brass and tin lanterns, delicate wrought iron thumb latches and shutter fasteners”. Their most treasured find was an old brass fog-bell that once tolled across the Chesapeake Bay to warn ships. 

 

As befitting a Spanish style house, the original exterior walls were stucco and the current Owner also chose a stucco finish for the majority of the interior walls. Past owners replaced the windows with insulated glazing units. I noted the shed dormer at the side of the house that sheltered the second floor’s “sleeping room” I had admired in the historic photograph and I looked forward to exploring it during my tour.

The rear elevation’s asymmetrical massing from the two gables of differing widths and the mix of window sizes and shapes creates a lively façade. The broad expanse of lawn slopes down to Peachblossom Creek.

I began my tour in the foyer that leads to the spacious living room with a fireplace on the opposite side wall.  The Brinckloes selected red, blue or green tile flooring for the first floor rooms and I especially liked this shade of green. Most of the rooms on the main floor have the same color of walls and ceiling but here the ceiling is painted white. The open glass doors beckoned me to the adjacent porch.

The corner porch has the reddish tiles the Brinckloes selected and the wood beams that they recycled from the barn. The original openings between the wide columns were infilled when this room became a conditioned space.

This room was the Brinckloes’ library and he designed a window seat under windows that infilled the rear walls for better views of the water. Later owners reduced the wall to wall windows with insulated units. (Adding a bay window projection for panoramic views of Peachblossom Creek would restore this exquisite room). I loved the circular chimney for the arched top fireplace that backed up to the fireplace in the adjacent living room and its stylish details of the ledge above the firebox and the sloped chimney walls above. This corner fireplace not only allows the heat to radiate into a larger portion of the room and reach more distant areas but it also frees up more wall space for windows and art.

The wide wall opening between the library and the porch connects the two spaces and provides a view of the landscaping for the library. I especially admired the fire screen. 

Past the library and the stair to the second floor is a huge great room that was created by removing the wall between the original sunroom and the former kitchen and dining room. The different flooring act like giant rugs to define each space’s function and the low pitched ceiling in the dining area adds spatial volume to the long room.

The spacious family room’s focal point is the stepped design of the arched top fireplace in a wide niche in the side wall. The wood plantation shutters on both  sides of the great room provide privacy when needed. 

I was drawn to the breakfront at the end of the dining area with its collection of Mackenzie-Childs ceramics. I have a few pieces and I was delighted to learn from the owner that she literally wrote the book “Celebrating Mackenzie-Childs” about these talented artisans who are based in Aurora, NY, once the hub of other artisans including Stickley. Mackenzie-Childs is known for their iconic ceramics and home décor including its signature black and white courtly check pattern.  

Behind the kitchen is a bar area convenient to the great room and the courtyard with an antique copper sink and undercounter refrigerator. The paneled wall conceals a sliding “secret door” to the adjacent main floor primary bedroom. 

I prefer an eclectic interior design look, so I appreciated the beautiful Welsh dresser whose open shelves display more of the owner’s Mackenzie-Childs’ ceramics. The wood piece is a welcome counterpoint to the built-in cabinetry.

The current owner renovated the large kitchen with a “U” layout  that provides ample room for the custom island of concrete inlaid with a Chesapeake Bay fossil. The island’s size and overhangs accommodates bar stools and its center location is perfect for daily use or weekend entertaining. The two windows provide panoramic views of the landscape and keep the kitchen sunny all day. The large imported Italian ceramic tile flooring pays homage to the Brinckloes’ original flooring material. 

Behind the kitchen and bar area is the main floor primary ensuite. The double bed shows how the spacious room could easily accommodate any bed size. Both the walls and the tray ceiling’s geometry are light blue to create a serene retreat with views of the lawn to the water from the canopy bed. 

The primary bath walls and ceiling continue the primary bedroom’s light blue color scheme. The jacuzzi tub is perfectly placed under the skylight for star gazing and the arched top windows with plantation shutters provide views of the landscape.  

The second floor original plan contained the Brinckloes’ bedrooms, baths, a sleeping porch across from the family bedrooms and guest bedrooms at the other end of the “L” shaped layout. The exposed beams and decking add extra height to the spaces and painting the beams white accentuates the rhythm of the beams’ spacing. From the landing, the arched top window and the lower stair landing offers a long view of the lawn and Peachblossom Creek.

My fave room on the second floor was this sleeping porch that is now separated into two equal spaces. Since the wall is constructed of 2 x 4’s and paneling, it would be easy to liberate this charming room for teen slumber parties!

The current owners removed the interior walls of the two adjacent guest bedrooms to create a large multipurpose room that now spans from the front to the rear of the house. The space offers myriad uses- playroom, studio, second floor sitting room, home theater, etc. The high knee walls add character to the spatial volume and the wide and long arched top windows at each gable wall keep the space sunny throughout the day.  

The aerial view of the 4.5 acre property shows how well the house was originally sited to balance the enclosure of mature trees to assure privacy with views of Peachblossom Creek. Site amenities include the dock and the highly coveted boathouse, (the latter being no longer allowed) and the natural shoreline. Lush landscaping includes both an oak tree and boxwoods that are 100 years old, flowering magnolias, hydrangeas and open lawn space for play for children of all ages and family pets. William Draper Brinckloe’s original vision and his period details and materials including original heart pine floors survived as subsequent owners added modern amenities to the historic framework. 

I don’t know if the Brinckloes were gourmet cooks but the updated kitchen would please this cook with its Miele steam oven, cooktop with a barbeque grille and two Fischer Paykal dishwashers for easy clean up after entertaining. The property also includes a detached two-bay garage with a John Deere lawnmower and a storage shed with electricity. 

Having written about the Brinckloes’ “City House”, I was delighted to feature their “Country House” that has been lovingly maintained and appreciated by its current Owner who considers herself a steward of this important part of Talbot County’s architectural heritage.  This admirer of Brinckloe will continue to find other houses designed by one of Talbot County’s best early 20th century architects, so stay tuned!

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For more information about this property, contact Cliff Meredith, Broker, with Meredith Fine Properties at 410-822-6272 (o), 410-924-0082 (c), or [email protected] . For more photographs and pricing, visit www.MeredithFineProperties.com ,“Equal Housing Opportunity.” 

Photography by Atlantic Exposure LLC, www.atlanticexposure.com. 

Historic photographs and quotes are from “The Barn Rebuilt”, an article by William Draper Brinckloe for Country Living Magazine, November 1926   

“Celebrating Mackenzie- Childs” by Jo Anne P. Welsh, Schiffer Publishing  

Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.