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October 21, 2015
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WASH.
WHAT: A waterfront contemporary with two bedrooms and three bathrooms
HOW MUCH: $1,398,000
SIZE: 3,021 square feet
PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: $463
SETTING: Bainbridge Island is a city and an island separated from Seattle by Puget Sound. This beachfront house is on the eastern edge of the island in Rockaway Beach, a neighborhood named for the strip of flat, rocky waterfront running along the sound. The island has more than 1,400 acres of parks, one of which is about a half-mile from this house. Most shopping is in the peninsular communities of Suquamish and Poulsbo, about 15 miles away. Ferry rides to Seattle take about 35 minutes.
INDOORS: The brick-and-wood contemporary was built in 1967, with walls of glass overlooking the sound toward Mount Rainier, the Cascade Mountains and the Seattle skyline, including the Space Needle.
The floor plan is open, with living, dining and sitting rooms on the entry level, as well as a kitchen, all with floor-to-ceiling windows. Floors are tan cork; the trim and ceiling paneling are a pale maple, providing soft contrast with the white walls and the bright-blue water.
The kitchen’s granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances were installed in 2001. The custom flame maple cabinets are more than a half-inch thick. Next to the kitchen, there’s a sunny sitting room with a granite breakfast bar that opens to a beachside deck running along the back of the house.
The bedrooms, one downstairs and one upstairs, are part of suites with walk-in closets. The upstairs master suite has a pitched ceiling, skylights and a wall of glass overlooking the water. There’s also an upstairs family room with a vaulted ceiling and a propane fireplace. The fireplace surround is made of dark-green granite embedded with fossilized seashells. A glass door opens to a rock garden that was designed for meditation and follows the grade of the land. There are laundry rooms on both levels, solar panels on the roof, and a two-car garage.
OUTDOOR SPACE: The lot is a quarter acre, with 60 feet of waterfront on Rockaway Beach.
TAXES: Approximately $12,000 a year
CONTACT: Georg Syvertsen and Arthur Mortell, Coldwell Banker Bain, (206) 660-1340 / (206) 310-1471; movingtobainbridge.com
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REISTERSTOWN, MD.
WHAT: A contemporary with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, on about 23 acres
HOW MUCH: $1,494,700
SIZE: 2,255 square feet
PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: $663
SETTING: Reisterstown is a rural area in Baltimore County, within 25 miles of Baltimore and 60 miles of Washington. This property is surrounded by several thousand acres of conservation land and easements protected by the Valleys Planning Council. Riding horses and fox hunting are popular pastimes.
INDOORS: The house was built in 1992 and updated in 2008, blending Tidewater and other regional architectural styles. On a high rise adjacent to an enormous, old-growth poplar tree, the house has broad views of protected land sloping down to a stream called Piney Run.
The floor plan is airy and open, with pitched ceilings and picture windows. Much of the interior wood, including exposed ceiling beams, paneling and floors, was salvaged from an old barn in southern Maryland. In addition to a living room, dining room and kitchen, the first floor has a library and a wet bar. A large deck spans the north face of the house.
The master suite is on the first floor, down a long hallway from the common rooms. It has two dressing areas. The bedroom has a pitched ceiling with windows running nearly 30 feet from floor to ceiling, facing the big poplar tree.
The other two bedrooms are upstairs, both with views of Piney Run. Outbuildings include a three-car timber-frame garage, a shed and a chicken coop.
OUTDOOR SPACE: The 22.5-acre property is a mix of rolling fields and mature woods. A portion of the land is used for agriculture. There’s also a small vineyard, as well as raised vegetable beds and blackberries.
TAXES: Approximately $4,691 a year
CONTACT: Heidi Krauss, Krauss Real Property Brokerage, (410) 935-6881; heidikrauss.com
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LOS ANGELES
WHAT: A house with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms
HOW MUCH: $1,475,000
SIZE: 2,320 square feet
PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: $636
SETTING: This house is on a narrow one-way street in the hills of Silver Lake, near the northeastern edge of the city. The neighborhood is quasi-bohemian, a mix of midcentury housing, older bungalows and small apartments. Shopping is on and around nearby Sunset Junction, where one can buy single-origin coffee, handmade leather goods, vintage furniture and new vinyl. The neighborhood is built around a reservoir, which is ringed by a two-mile walking path.
INDOORS: The two-story bungalow was built in 1936 and updated within the last six months. The renovation was done by Karen Vidal of Design Vidal, a design-build firm in nearby Los Feliz.
Common rooms are upstairs, to take advantage of treetop views toward neighboring canyons. The living and dining area is open plan, with a pitched wood-beam ceiling, a brick fireplace and a wall of glass that opens to a porch. The porch has a light fixture made from a gourd, brought back from a trip to the Yucatán. A sunny alcove off the dining area serves as a small bar. Floors throughout are the original wood; the wall and ceiling paneling is original, too.
The kitchen, which measures about 300 square feet, has a banquette in one corner, as well as updated stainless-steel appliances and fabricated quartz surfaces. Large cement hexagonal tiles on the island and backsplash feature birds, a custom design by Design Vidal echoed in one of the bathrooms, where the theme is owls. Light fixtures are mostly vintage.
Two bedrooms are on the upper level. A sunny, loft-like mezzanine is used as an office; drywall was removed during renovations to expose the wood-beamed ceiling. The downstairs master suite measures about 1,000 square feet, with a walk-in closet filled with custom cabinetry, a laundry area and a bonus room with wood-paneled walls.
OUTDOOR SPACE: The master bedroom opens to a courtyard with built-in concrete benches, xeriscaping and a daybed, a find from the Yucatán that conveys with the house.
TAXES: Approximately $18,437 a year
CONTACT: Karen Lower, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, (323) 804-8043; 2299panorama.com