When they decided to build a home two decades ago, Alfred and Marilyn Biegel had a few requirements in mind.

"We wanted an open great room, so that it is open for entertaining and gives you space," said Al Biegel, a retired Army colonel.

"We'd lived overseas and I liked so many of the old European chalets, so I wanted a pitched roof," Marilyn Biegel said.

They wanted lots of built-ins and convenient, expansive storage for the china, glassware and books they'd accumulated.

Their contemporary home, tucked into a hillside on Columbia's largest residential lot, has a cathedral ceiling that soars more than two stories high over a living room, dining area and kitchen that flow together. A bank of cabinets between the kitchen and dining area serves as a permeable room boundary, offering a long buffet and hidden storage. A loft-style library overlooks the great room and dining area.

Big windows and four decks provide views of the landscaped property that includes a 50-foot-long in-ground pool, a recently resurfaced tennis court and meditation-butterfly garden.

About the house : The cedar-sided house has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and two powder rooms.

A master bedroom suite, with a gas fireplace, two walk-in closets, sauna, steam shower, whirlpool tub and connecting laundry room, is on the main floor. The lower level includes three more bedrooms, a family room with built-in shelving and an entertainment center, a studio and a potting room.

Most floors and trim are oak. Two fireplaces are gas, and one is wood-burning; a wood stove warms the great room. There are four wisteria-covered arbors, one providing a shady front entrance from the circular driveway.

Address: 11369 Heathertoe Lane, Columbia 21044

Asking price : $1.5 million

Taxes: $12,921

Size: The house is about 6,500 square feet and sits on nearly 4.44 acres.

Features: Improvements in recent years include a new roof, updated bathrooms and two new hot water heaters. The couple also added a large screen porch off the breakfast room and extended a deck by it. The kitchen has upgraded appliances, white solid-surface counters and white-painted cherry cabinetry. Heating and cooling are zoned.

Listing agent: Courtney Odum-Duncan, Odum Real Estate Group, Re/Max 100, Columbia, 410-715-3238.

To submit a candidate for Desirable Spaces, send photos and a description of the property to Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, Real Estate editor, The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278. Questions may be sent to homes@baltsun.com