Urban chic? Contemporary sleek? Cottage neat? You name it, we've seen it.
Throughout 2008, Desirable Spaces took a peek inside homes for sale in the Baltimore region. We looked at waterfront estates, city rowhouses, rural farmhouses and urban condos, to name a few.
Each of the houses we featured weekly was special in its own way. Some so special that we wanted to move in ourselves. Alas, that was not to be. Still, many of them remain for sale, so we can dream. Here are 10 of our favorites.
1038 WHITEHALL COVE, ANNAPOLIS
Favorite feature: Crawl space. The homeowner dug out the space beneath the contemporary house to create a bright lower level with a fireplace and bedroom. A basement has never had it so good.
Size: 4 bedrooms, 4 baths; 6,000 square feet
List price: $1,998,000
Update: Still on the market
105 CHARLCOTE ROAD, GUILFORD
Favorite feature: Windows. The house, designed by noted architect Laurence Hall Fowler, has 113 windows. We wouldn't want to clean them, but the light-drenched rooms might almost make it worthwhile.
Size: 7 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths; 6,468 square feet
List price: $1,495,000
Update: Off the market, expected back in spring
3026 SHEPPERD ROAD, MONKTON
Favorite feature: Indoor pool. With four skylights and a temperature kept year-round in the 80s, the pool area in this home inspires visions of a tropical paradise. It even has a waterfall.
Size: 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms; 4,675 square feet
List price: $869,907
Update: Sold
1613 ALICEANNA ST., FELLS POINT
Favorite feature: Urban design. The four-level townhouse is sleek urban contemporary, down to the floating steel staircase, floor-to-ceiling windows and Brazilian hardwood floors. The city views top it all off.
Size: 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths; 3,300 square feet
List price: $1,075,000
Update: Off the market
1202 MALVERN AVE., RUXTON
Favorite feature: Landscaping. This 2-acre gardener's delight was lovingly tended by the homeowner, who used his travels to Europe as inspiration for the plantings. An added bonus is a stream that runs alongside the house.
Size: 6 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths
List price: Reduced to $1,300,000
Update: Still on the market
701 W. LAKE AVE., NORTH ROLAND PARK
Favorite feature: Antique staircase. According to legend, the stairs, around which the house was built, were moved from the Mount Vernon townhouse of Jerome Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon.
Size: 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths; 2,500 square feet
List price: $859,000
Update: On the market; price reduced to $799,000
11921 Farside Road, Ellicott City
Favorite feature: Kitchen. Designed to be the hub of home, the kitchen has custom wood-grained cabinets, a mirrored backsplash and large windows - and an eagle-eye view of what's going on in nearby rooms.
Size: 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms; 5,038 square feet
List price: $1,879,000
Update: Off the market; expected back in spring
708 S. Port St., Canton
Favorite feature: Metallic accents. This former garage kept its acid-washed concrete floors and added industrial-chic design elements, such as a floating staircase and exposed ductwork. A very cool place where anyone would want to hang out.
Size: 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms; about 4,600 square feet
List price: $1,375,000
Update: Off the market
11369 HEATHERTOE LANE, COLUMBIA
Favorite feature: Great room. And we mean great, big open space that somehow incorporates the living, dining and kitchen areas. This house, built on Columbia's largest residential lot, even has a loft-library that overlooks the great room.
Size: 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 powder rooms; more than 6,500 square feet.
List price: $1,500,000
Update: Off the market. Expected to return to the market at $1.25 million later this month
07 KENSINGTON ROAD, TEN HILLS
Favorite feature: Views. Sunny family and sitting room look out to a landscaped and wooded half-acre lot.
Size: 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms; more than 3,000 square feet
List price: $449,000
Update: Sold
submit a home
To submit a candidate for Desirable Spaces, send photos and a description of the property to Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, real estate editor, The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278. Online listings may be sent to homes@baltsun.com.
