7901 Ruxwood Road, Ruxton.
Hot House: Betty Cooke’s Shingle Carriage House/MCM Wing Tucked Away in Ruxton. 3 Beds/3 Baths. 3,388 Square Feet. Asking price: $900,000.
What: When artists Betty Cooke and Bill Steinmetz finally decamped from their charming Tyson and Read Street homes (where they kept a lamb named Mimsibou!), they headed up to an equally charming, if not slightly quirky house in Ruxton. The historic cedar-shake shingle carriage house was soon joined by a Mid-Century-Modern wing, which Betty and Bill designed for themselves.
The house is a mix of the old and the new – the carriage house’s original unpainted beadboard walls and huge floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows in the MCM wing. The wing also included a massive fireplace, and the windows overlook the 1.1-acre property, which is a green oasis.
The carriage house carries the weight for this property. The vintage kitchen, the three bedrooms, studio space, bathrooms, and large open areas. Much of the first floor still has its raw wood beadboard walls, as would a carriage house/barn of this vintage and if you look carefully, you will see a number of salvaged items in the architecture.
The house features loads of storage, from large walls of bookshelves for your art supplies or collections, to the hyphen/bridge between the two sections with its built-in bar, to copious amounts of cabinetry.
The bedrooms on the second floor retain much of the original building materials, from the shiplap walls to the beamed ceilings and barnwood walls. While the downstairs is filled with the colors you’d expect from two artists, the upstairs is mostly white, with a few pops of color.
Outside, there is a private driveway and parking area, a covered patio and two decks, with more than an acre of naturally-growing greenery and trees.
Where: This special house is just off Joppa Road between Bellona Avenue and Falls Road. The house is almost equidistant between the shops at Greenspring Station and Ruxton Crossing. It’s located on a very quiet street and is set back from the street. Because of the surrounding greenery, you can be sure the main sounds you will hear are the birds singing and the crickets chirping.
Final Appraisal: This is a house with an artistic history. Both Betty and Bill were artists, with Betty, who died last year at age 100, more well-known for her dynamic jewelry. If you are at all familiar with their shop, The Store, Ltd., you will certainly understand the aesthetic of this unique home. The listing for the house is here.
All photographs from the listing.
