Just like scoping out the perfect shot, professional photographers Joseph and Anne Sachs allowed themselves time to find exactly what they wanted in a home. Having rented for many years in Baltimore's Roland Park neighborhood, they were seeking something with similar ambience.
"We wanted something with character," said Anne Sachs, co-owner, along with her husband, of Artful Weddings by Sachs Photography. "A classic-style house, with hardwood floors, high ceilings and a fireplace."
What they eventually found was a three-story red brick Georgian-style townhouse on Newland Road in the southeast corner of the city's Guilford neighborhood. Built in 1919, the home features slate roofing, white wood trim, a screened front patio porch and a third floor with dormers. Its spacious interior measures 25 feet wide by 35 feet long, under 10-foot-high ceilings.
"We walked into this house and realized we didn't want to see any others," Anne Sachs recalled of a house she calls "very open [and] livable."
So in August 2002, the couple got the five-bedroom, three-bath home in move-in condition for $167,000. Over the past five years, they have spent another $20,000 on improvements that included installing central air conditioning, re-screening the front porch, re-bricking outside areas and painting. Another task involved refinishing thin-planked white pine flooring that is bordered by mahogany inlays.
A brick walkway leads to the home's entrance. The front door, capped with a leaded-glass Palladian window, opens onto the living room with its unimpeded view to the rear of the home.
Halfway back, a center staircase is seen through columns that were at one time a solid wall. The absence of clutter and the artful placement of furniture, wall hangings and plants give the living room a minimalist feel.
White walls, along with a whitewashed brick fireplace, add to effect. Built-in bookcases flank the fireplace; a framed photo still life hangs above the wood mantelpiece. An oriental rug in shades of deep red and blue sets the tone for a sofa and chair, generously stuffed and upholstered in brown-toned microfiber.
"I wanted [a way] to define the living room from the dining room," Anne Sachs said of the soft taupe color on the dining room walls, accentuated by chair rails and white ceiling molding.
Photographs of brides and children create a gallery atmosphere in the dining room, which also serves as a reception area for clients. An antique armoire, Asian in influence and built of elm, dominates the room.
A 4-by-6-foot opening on the dining room's north wall looks through to the bright kitchen.
A pristine vision in white, the room features large windows overlooking the 35-foot by 40-foot, bricked-in back garden and garage, which is used as a studio. Schoolhouse lamps hang from the kitchen ceiling, their milk-glass shades blending with white appliances and a built-in, floor-to-ceiling glass-door china closet.
The Sachses have turned one of the second floor's three bedrooms into an office and another into "our cozy little den," as Anne Sachs puts it, complete with colorful wooden masks from Indonesia gracing the walls. They kept the largest bedroom for themselves.
Two rooms on the third floor, tucked under a raked roof with dormers, serve as production space, storage and a small working area for the Sachses' office assistant.
"There's really no need for a bigger house," Anne Sachs said. "The things we want here we can do ourselves, [and] we love the neighborhood."
Have you found your dream home? Tell us about it. Write to Dream Home, Real Estate Editor, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278, or e-mail us at real.estate@baltsun.com. Find our Dream Home archive at baltimoresun.com/dreamhome. Keyword: COLUMN