Healthy Home Happy Life

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Restorative design that unclutters the soul and mind

Whatever it is that most of us holistically crave right now can be found in this thoughtfully executed creek-side home-build in St. Michaels. Little did its owners know when they broke ground, just how vital addressing our health-related needs and wellbeing would become. The owners did have a healthy head start, however, as they both practice medicine and their primary goal in building a home was to create the ideal restorative retreat—one they could travel to quickly from their busy professions and primary residence in the greater D.C. area. It was a somewhat serendipitous informal encounter that introduced the homeowners to the principal of Paquin Design/Build, Brent Paquin, on a chilly day more than two years ago, on a development site advantageously located in one of the cozy coves synonymous with Talbot County living.

Paquin struck up a conversation with the couple, who had fallen in love with the area after several excursions to towns near and around St. Michaels and decided someday they would build a weekend home there. To them the area had everything they were looking for: natural splendor, a life-reaffirming backdrop, and plenty of water to get out and do the kayaking and paddle boarding they love.

Paquin explained that the particular community they were looking at had only a couple of lots left for sale. The hopeful home builders sensed that they had, indeed, found just the place for their future restorative retreat and purchased a lot within a couple of months. The homeowners also felt they had found just the builder to deliver their wish list and the collaborative process began shortly after.

What Was on That Wish List?

As they say, knowing what you want is half the battle—and this couple knew exactly how they wished to live within the new space they were creating. The primary living level needed to be expansive so it could accomplish a lot, including a state-of-the-art, spa-like master bed and bath retreat, additional bedroom suites with restorative appeal for visits from their grown children, and a well-equipped home gym to satisfy the physical fitness advocates in them both.

Of course, they also desired an open-plan design that would incorporate a well-proportioned great room and an adjacent kitchen with a stylish and statement-making center island. The second level of the home should provide some breathing room, extra space for reading, lounging, screen time, and “me-time.” So that was added to the list.

Additionally, no true creek-side residence is complete without a comprehensive take on outdoor living. This home would have a spectacular plan to take advantage of the serenity of the cove and provide more than ample opportunity to get some outdoor exercise in, as well.

“The outdoor living space discussion was a high priority,” Paquin says. “All the homes in this community have a really nice Southern exposure in the summer months, so you’re getting a little sun and enjoying your outdoor space.”

Finally, but most vitally, how could they take advantage of the vistas afforded by this idyllic location? Paquin came up with the plan that would provide an answer to all the wish-list items and then some. 

Checking Off That List

From the moment you walk into the home you know the plan was well executed.

“We have a wonderful front-to-back vista. As soon as you walk in the house you can see the patio, and the tree-line, and the water’s edge,” says the homeowner.

As you walk toward that water view, accomplished through a series of French and accordion doors, the home’s open-plan living space glides along wide-plank engineered bamboo floors chosen for their dog-friendly durability. 

Soothing pale gray tones and classic white trim enhances the wonderfully warm natural light flooding into the room and the eye is drawn to the gourmet kitchen with its complementary tranquil naval blue and white cabinetry. 

“The homeowners wanted to keep the space modern and minimalistic,” says Dawn Crovo, Interior Design & Client Liaison for Paquin Design/Build of Grasonville. “We added elements to warm up the space by using a brushed gold finish on cabinet hardware and faucets in several of the rooms. The homeowners purchased classic, antique-style door hardware that added an unexpected touch of warmth to the space. On their range hood they opted for a brass strap detail to warm up the stainless steel and brass metal hood.”

The large center island topped with solid, subtle quartz is welcoming with its warm gold-toned fixture accents and its breakfast seating for five. There is also a separate eat-in area with a large, oval table and seating for six on upholstered chairs of naval blue distressed velvet. The view to the outside is soothing as it looks out over the patio; the view to the great room stunning with its modern, in-set gas fireplace and architecturally alluring built-ins on either side. The second level of the home functions as a de facto second family room; a flexible, chill-out space with vaulted ceilings, an 85-inch flat screen, expanded sectional sofa, and another spa-like bath with a large, freestanding soaking tub.

“So even though it’s mainly a one-level house, there’s lots of nooks and crannies for people to go and get some quiet time,” the homeowner says. 

Back downstairs, the all-important home gym is connected to the house through a huge, 700-pound sliding barn door that Paquin compares to a “work of art” in itself. Once inside, one is inspired by its auspicious placement.

“You can put a gym in lots of locations, but we knew we wanted to maintain the views of nature,” says the homeowner. “We have a very tall ceiling in there, a 13-foot ceiling, and it’s the kind of environment where we have a large TV on the wall, but you don’t need to turn it on because your eyes are already distracted by the natural beauty around you.”

With their workouts completed, the homeowners have a couple of options when it comes to cooling down and chilling out. They can choose to head to their simply tasteful master suite washed again in that soothing gray tone and alive with more natural views from the bedroom, or their spa-like bath with its sumptuous marble shower and large soaking tub. 

One of the homeowners is an avid swimmer, so chances are he’ll head out to the 55-foot-long lap pool with its attractive sheer descent water feature. Just this one sleek stunning feature provides all the statement-making panache of something you would encounter at a resort. 

“We wanted to have something that was expansive, inviting, and sophisticated, but that did not detract from the natural surroundings,” he says. 

After a collaborative consult with the Paquin team and the pool builder, the homeowner chose a porcelain stone patio apron material to complement the pool’s Tahitian blue tiles and South Pacific bluestone coping. (Typically used indoors for bathrooms, porcelain is now trending in outdoor applications because of its non-porous nature and extended lifespan.) 

House Most-Deceiving 

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this home’s exterior features is its unique combination of street-facing subtlety with the back of the home bringing the total wow aspect to the design. 

When it comes to curb appeal, visitors are met with a traditional vision of a modern farmhouse, all white and trimmed in black. It’s clean and uncluttered looking—the landscaping is pleasingly bucolic.

And then you either walk through the house or around the house are amazed to see how the home expands and evolves to its 4,000 square-foot floorplan.

“People are surprised,” the homeowner says. “People come over and say, ‘I wasn’t expecting this aesthetic on the inside.’”

Paquin says the exterior aspect of providing for elevation beyond the flood plain was his favorite part of the build.

“It has a transitional or traditional feel (from the front) but the back of the home wows you with a different style. It’s more modern so you can take advantage of more glass and sleeker roof lines that set the scene for the views.”

The homeowners quite appropriately have a list of favorite aspects, but point out that they had a future they envisioned for the home. 

“When we were out walking the property before we bought it, we envisioned these starry nights …we have such an expansive sky and we have no light pollution anywhere, so we couldn’t be more thrilled that [Paquin] was able to deliver on that vision,” the homeowner says.

“It’s a house that allows you to know you are in a special place.”