Hot House: 4 Grenadier Court, Owings Mills, MD 21117
Noted modernist home designed by Charles Richter, circa 1969, in painted brick with new cool metal, energy-saving roof. Recent and total award-winning renovation by Washington, D.C. architect David Jameson. Four bedrooms, 3 full and 2 half baths over 6,614 sq. ft. Open-plan design features two connecting main floor pavilions and large lower-level family room. Custom millwork and cabinetry throughout. Interior skylight, floor-to-ceiling glass and full-length deck overlooking woods. Custom gourmet kitchen with two oversize islands, Sub Zero refrigerators, Miele in-wall coffee machine and appliances. Pan burner fireplace in living room, Murano glass chandelier in dining room. Large, main floor master suite overlooks woods. Ultra modern master bath. Downstairs has hotel-style bar, seamless poured resin Bolidt floor, chalkboard ceiling. Also fourth bedroom, all with wooded views. Central air, security system, sound system. 3.75 private acres: $2,400,000
What: A Modernist statement for sure, with an impressive renovation which brings it dazzlingly into this century. This house was designed and built for Sue Miller, a popular Baltimore real estate agent who entertained with gusto. Miller was from Texas, where A-list front doors are triple-wide and made of solid oak. That’s the door she wanted, and (against all advice from her architect) that’s the door she got. The current owners promised Sue Miller that they would keep the door, and they did, God love ’em. What they did with the rest of the house is pure design gold. All the interior walls were removed and replaced with sleek, freestanding walnut-clad wall units. New wide plank walnut floors, together with extensive cabinetry and countertops in white brushed Corian create a mix of materials which unites the whole — an organic connection between the interior and exterior, honoring the original vision of Charles Richter. In 1969, the house was one of 20 chosen each year by the editors of the Architectural Record, (the architect’s bible), for exceptional quality of design. The 2010 renovation has won at least seven awards in its own right. It has been done with intelligence, imagination, a palpable sense of fun — and no expense spared. Systems and materials are uniformly state-of-the-art. The real magic of this house is felt from the inside looking out. A drive-by won’t begin to give you a sense of it. Pick up the phone.
Where: 4 Grenadier Court is on a street of expensive, contemporary homes set on large wooded lots. It leads off of Baronet Road which leads of off Caves Road, on the northern border of the Greenspring Valley. Closest private schools are Garrison Forrest and McDonogh School, closest shopping is Reisterstown Road and the exclusive shops at Stevenson Village.
Why: The New York hotel style bar downstairs.
Why Not: Chalkboard ceiling (downstairs) may over-stimulate family graffiti “artist.”
NB: Don’t make any promises about keeping the door…
