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By Dylan Roche | Photography by Adam Macchia
There’s a reason the farmhouse style has enjoyed so much popularity over the years, according to architect J. Everett Schram. “A lot of people gravitate toward it because it feels charming and has character and history in the design, but it’s not super ornate and detailed and formal like a traditional house sometimes is.”
This made the architectural style a good fit for homeowner Kate Kozera, who knew she wanted something with that sense of balance. “I have a very traditional-modern feel to my taste. It’s classic, but it’s not super classic,” says Kozera, who also did all the interior decorating for the house, mixing and matching antiques with contemporary touches for a light, bright atmosphere. She did not want a tired décor that looked like it had been dragged out of history.
Not that “historical” was ever considered a bad word as they made plans for the house. Schram knew they wanted to create something that looked as if it had always existed on the plot of land without being outdated. It was one of the reasons he discouraged Kozera from the low-country cottage style so often seen in the Carolinas in favor of a Dutch colonial, which is more often seen on Maryland farms.
With his training in both classical and modern architecture, Schram was a good fit for the project. “I come with both mindsets in play. For me, I say, ‘Let’s take the language that’s truly historic and would truly anchor it to being in Maryland. But then let’s break some of these rules,’” he says. “‘Let’s play with the roof forms. Let’s simplify the molding. Let’s clean it up and make it a little more contemporary while still feeling classically traditional.’”
One of those big changes to the exterior was altering the proportions of the gambrel. Schram explains that the form of the traditional gambrel is shaped by three distinct parts: a little skirt at the bottom, a dramatic slant on the sides, and a less slanted top. “We changed the proportions and made the skirt much bigger and more dramatic, and we made the upper portion of the roof less large,” he says.
Creating this roof was one of the more noteworthy parts of the project for Jerry Duerbeck of Duerbeck Construction. “We built it on the ground, picked it up with a crane, and set it up top,” he says, explaining that this plan made the most sense, given Schram’s design. “We just found that was the easier way to do it rather than worry about getting everything up there.”
Although the house looks impressive upon approach, Schram notes that it’s not an overwhelmingly large house. At its center, it’s only one room deep, but the in-law suite off to one side and the fully equipped apartment-style pool house on the lower level make it seem much bigger than its 2,400 square feet.
Kozera’s vision for merging tradition with modernity is on full display in the primary living space at the heart of the home. With the dining room off to one side and a sitting/entertaining den to the other, the room is full of furniture, artwork, and décor she inherited or collected over the years. As she puts it, “I didn’t really buy anything.”
An antique buffet backs up to a contemporary sofa without looking out of place. The custom built-in shelves that Duerbeck’s team assembled on site are filled with artwork as well as decoys that Kozera’s father collected.
This ambiance continues in the kitchen, which is neither strictly traditional nor overly modern. The rustic wood ceiling beams and brickwork walls stand in charming juxtaposition with the contemporary light fixtures hanging over the island. Then, in the powder room, which Kozera describes as her favorite room in the house, the camel wallpaper delivers a bold element of surprise without feeling out of place. “I found that wallpaper before we even purchased the property, and I had to put it somewhere,” she says. “Your powder room is a place all your guests see, so why not have fun with it?”
Even throughout the bedrooms and the in-law suite, no part of this gambrel-roofed farmhouse looks like an old-fashioned property. However, thanks to its affectionate homages to tradition, it achieves Schram’s goal of looking like something that has been there a long time, something timeless and nonspecific to any particular period: a home whose fun twist on tradition leaves an impression.
ARCHITECT: J.E. Schram Architect, LLC, Baltimore, Maryland. CUSTOM BUILDER: Duerbeck Construction, Kingsville, Maryland. INTERIOR DESIGNER: Kate Kozera (homeowner). KITCHEN DESIGN: Mill Valley Kitchens, J.E. Schram Architect, LLC. CABINETRY: Mill Valley Kitchens, Duerbeck Construction
Appliances – La Cornue CornuFé
Windows & Doors – Forbes Design Center
© Annapolis Home Magazine
Vol. 15, No. 5 2024