This Maryland Home Perfectly Marries French Modern and Transitional Styles

“Margery and I worked together as a team,” says Seth Ballard, AIA, from Ballard-Mensua Architects. “Many architects don’t do much with interior design. However, we take the lead on everything and incorporate the expertise of an interior designer. We [know it’s critical] to involve the interior consultant in the built-in element decisions as well.”

“Our homes are truly custom,” adds Ballard. “They are one-of-a-kind, and we tailor them to our clients’ needs. We’re able to work in all styles and enjoy finding the right style for each client. More of our homes have an Arts and Crafts influence, as this one does, though it unfolds to the back with more modern details, featuring tall glass facades with a mix of timber, steel, glass and stone.”

THE GOALS

The homeowner, a leading commercial glass contractor, approached architect Ballard to design a residence on a challenging site with a 34-foot grade change backing onto wooded parkland.

The goal was to create a distinctive family home that merged modern design with Arts and Crafts sensibility—a nod to the homeowner’s love of contemporary architecture and his wife’s appreciation for the warm, timbered craftsmanship reminiscent of her South African roots.

The home’s lower level includes a game room and bar that opens to the backyard deck.

HOW IT CAME TOGETHER

Ballard notes that the front facade harmonizes with the more traditional homes along the cul-de-sac, while the rear opens into a strikingly modern composition that overlooks the landscape.

Built for fun and family life, the home is filled with playful features—from a built-in slide off the mudroom leading to a playroom with a climbing wall, to a pool bar with a hangar-style window that opens like a snack bar. Ballard’s team met infrastructure challenges with ingenuity, including a concrete superstructure that “floats” the swimming pool above the sloped site.

Inside, soaring ceilings, a catering kitchen and expansive dining and entertaining spaces encourage gatherings of all sizes. A sauna-equipped gym, kids’ en suite bedrooms and a primary suite with private balcony and laundry access round out the home’s thoughtful design. The third floor crowns it all with a cigar room and office—perfect for both retreat and recreation.

The great room is designed with family life in mind, as it blends functionality and durable materials and fabrics in every inch.

GREAT ROOM & DINING ROOM

Ballard and Wedderburn designed this space with family life in mind—a cozy space where the kids could happily wander in for a snack or play a board game with their parents. “When they all want to burn off some energy, they can rush off to the secret cabinet, which holds a hidden slide, connecting the main level to the lower-level playroom nearly 12 feet below,” says Wedderburn. Standout elements include a coffee table and tables from RH (rh.com), as well as an area rug from Surya (surya.com).

The dining room features an Oslo Open table, chairs and a chandelier from RH.

“The dining room feels like a vast, airy refuge with the screened porch spilling light into the room on one side and a soaring view down to the lower level on the other,” says Wedderburn. “Everywhere you look, the architecture whispers treehouse—light, suspended, alive—and we wanted to breathe that feeling even more fully into the space.” The design team chose warm, natural woods, lush greens and playful parrot artwork from Merritt Gallery (merrittgallery.com) to let the room sing with the wonder of being in the treetops. The team added an Oslo Open table, chairs and a chandelier from RH.

KITCHEN

The kitchen, featuring stunning craftsmanship by Metropolitan Woodworks (metropolitanwoodworks.com), is the home’s hub. Ballard’s team created a beautiful balance of historic cabinet style with a farmhouse flair and a more modern, open-plan design. “It’s flanked by a breakfast room with a custom-built-in table and a large family room with a stone fireplace and timber ceiling,” says Ballard.

The primary suite, complete with a bed and bench from West Elm, feels like it’s part of the forest canopy outside the window.

PRIMARY SUITE

“Harmony and flow between indoors and outdoors were the themes with this room,” says Wedderburn. “The windows in the owner’s suite overlook the woods, and it almost feels like you’re in a treehouse.” The design team focused on bringing the outdoors into the space by using a natural color palette that includes various tones of green, creating the illusion that the rooms extend out into the woods beyond. A cozy reading bench from Four Hands (fourhands.com) at the window allows the owners some relaxing downtime, gazing into the woods.

Wedderburn layered the room with gorgeous touches, including a bed and bench from West Elm (westelm.com), nightstands from Four Hands and a side table nestled near the window from Anthropologie (anthropologie.com). Art via Merritt Gallery also graces the room above the bed.

The spalike primary suite’s bath.

HOW THE HOME IS LIVING

When Wedderburn returned to the finished house, she discovered a scene that brought pure childhood magic to life. One bedroom boasted a vast, sprawling fort—blankets draped, sheets piled, pathways blocked so the only way in was to crawl into the kids’ giant secret world.

“I couldn’t even enter the room!” jokes Wedderburn, who says the homeowner recently noted, “The home has been great living for the kids. They’ve friends over all the time; they run around building forts indoors, play on the trampoline, climb the climbing wall in the playroom and constantly go down the slide.” The home has become a sanctuary of exceptional design and a launching pad for a state of play.