Re-planting Azaleas in Severn Grove

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Property owner Tina fondly recalls countless summers in her childhood traveling from her Prince George’s County home to a special little spot, a quaint cottage on Saltworks Creek that her great grandparents owned. It started out as just a few small rooms and a dock; a place to put a line in the water and tether a boat. There were many quick jaunts out to the Severn River from here, many sunny days on the sparkling water, and many memories made.  

Like watercolors that vary in intensity from pale to striking, flashes of spring azalea blooms and summers gone by have served as inspiration for Tina, and her husband Mike, over the years until the time came for them to become the new stewards of that special cottage and the land surrounding it at the water’s edge.

Critical Area, Critical Decisions

“[The cottage] was my great grandfather’s, then my grandparents, and then my parents’ home that they came to over the summer,” says Tina of the community retreat that dates back to the 1930s and was primarily frequented by D.C. weekenders in those days. 

This responsibility would carry with it some tough decisions, as the present-day condition of the cottage was, in their architect’s opinion, unsalvageable, due to its age and positioning on a very steep hill. The homeowners were already thinking the structure would need to come down. What would happen to Tina’s parents’ lovely azalea bushes? While the couple saw this as a practical matter, they would soon come to realize the greater complexities that building its replacement would entail. 

With that in mind, the project was assigned to the firm of Purple Cherry Architects of Annapolis. Highly knowledgeable in the unique concerns and constraints of development in Maryland’s Critical Area, the project presented the design team of Cathy Purple Cherry, Alan Cook, and Carla Edmonds with a slate of particular challenges.

The new home that they would conceive would not only require meeting the needs of a homeowner’s must-have list, but it would necessitate painstaking assessment of existing and extremely complicated land management issues, including a 30-foot differential in elevation, significant property sloping, and ongoing erosion control. 

As Purple Cherry tells it, one needs a thorough review of the devised site plan to truly appreciate the gravity and complexity of what it took to build this home into a sloping hillside and with the land’s existing, and perhaps future, constraints in mind. 

“The site constraints are what actually created the floorplan,” says Purple Cherry, who further explained how the home would need to work from a structural standpoint if it were to be successfully integrated into the hillside.

Primarily the home’s main level needed to be large enough to support what would be required of its lower level, and of course, provide a sturdy foundation for what would be built above. Purple Cherry brought in Annapolis-based Bay Engineering for their expertise in this area, and Bayview Builders was tapped to construct the design. 

To accomplish the new build, the old cottage would have to come down and a replacement bulk head and pier would need to be installed before any construction could begin on the necessary retaining walls and home. Purple Cherry recalls that the production of and the perception made by all the weighty work concerned the couple greatly. 

“It was important to them. They knew they were going into a neighborhood where most of the homes were smaller in nature. They did not want to come in with any grandeur, or do anything that was offensive to anyone else,” Purple Cherry explains. 

But when all was said and done and the grounds were cleared, something serendipitous happened. What needed to be taken away turned out to be a good thing, as some of the homes in their close-knit community that did not have water views before the demolition due to the cottage and some obscuring trees, now had a much clearer sightline to the water. 

Best & Brightest

While anyone on the project would attest it was, at times, a laborious process of troubleshooting, re-assessing, and addressing set-backs, the reward for the homeowners is quite clear. 

The result is a 4,870-square-foot home with a clean, coastal feel, airy and bright with an abundance of natural light, and one that is perfectly positioned for quality of life on the water. 

The well-conceived and executed floor plan is evident from the moment you walk in as you’re immediately greeted with the sparkle of sunny water shimmers, a by-product of a lovely day and exacting placement of a series of sliding glass doors along one entire wall of the main level’s open-plan living space. 

“The siting of this house is deliberately oriented to that view,” Purple Cherry says. 

You also feel how comfortable the home is upon entry with its soothing palette of neutral colors that pull in and juxtapose the earth and water tones emanating from the outside.

With the expert advice of one of Purple Cherry’s in-house interior designers, Annie Kersey, the couple chose two large, but cozy pearl-toned sofas from Vanguard Furniture’s East Lake collection to set the standard for style in the main living area. The sofas are accented with spindle-shaped ottomans that provided a causal, nautical flair to the grouping, along with a sumptuous architectural cocktail table from Modern History. A fireplace with a Mother of Pearl shell mosaic tile surround centers the entry wall and is framed with built-in cabinetry and windows above them on either side. 

This area is roomy and is accommodating for adults, as well as kids—the couple has three grown daughters and three grandchildren—a must-have relayed to Kersey when they discussed how the space would be used. Underneath it all, the couple chose an ivory area rug from Coventry Cord. 

This area effortlessly flows to the all-white, custom open-plan kitchen and dining area along dark-stained white oak floors. Several savvy and stylish choices made this room just as convenient and functional as it is beautiful. The family, which spans multi-generations, will all find a seat at the Faulkner dining table from Vanguard Furniture, accented with the manufacturer’s Bailey arm and Newton side chairs. A Visual Comfort Camille Medium Linear chandelier shines overhead. 

Two particular options selected for the kitchen are also a testament to good taste and smart entertaining. A deep, three-foot wide galley sink with a variety of accessories like cutting board and strainer inserts, are efficient essentials for the homeowners. A sleek, rectangular stainless steel prep sink from Signature Hardware does double-duty as an on-counter wine cooler and is conveniently located just across from the wine fridge. 

Personal Touches

Any new home design wouldn’t be complete without the homeowners calling an audible or two. For this couple, the practicality of their pantry space off the kitchen was one decision Tina needed to re-think. What was originally slated to provide utility with basic shelving, was upgraded after she read an email newsletter sent by the Purple Cherry Architect design team that was full of great ideas on how to conceive an ideal and attractive pantry space. Tina was so inspired she sketched out her own design for that space.

Now the pantry has a room of its own that is charming with a sunny window, custom cabinetry, and storage solutions including a “smart” drawer that provides charging stations for the family’s electronics. When not in use, this space is cleverly concealed behind a stealth pocket door. 

The star attraction of this main level living space, however, is its seamless transition to the huge outdoor covered deck that runs along nearly the entire creek-side of the home. This superb entertaining space is outfitted with disappearing screen inserts for when the weather turns buggy. The overlook to the creek and gorgeous new landscaping complete a soothing outdoor vibe. 

Just this floor alone is worth the price of admission in this amazing home, but there’s so much more. From its functional approach to three-level living, to its thoughtful placement of each of its four bedrooms to maximize views, to its outstanding material choices—the primary bath suite is a clinic on the auspicious use of space and how to bring the glam when it comes to  creating impact with tile—this LEED Gold Certification dwelling captures the heart-felt theme of family that the couple was hoping to create in their new home all along. 

And just outside, beneath that stellar covered deck, what do we spy but another homage to family taking pride of place at the water’s edge? It’s a row of Tina’s parents’ heirloom azalea bushes planted and ready for next spring’s seasonal debut.