The list price is the opening bid for an Online auction to be conducted by Alex Cooper Auctioneers in conjunction with Hubble Bisbee Christie’s International Real Estate beginning on Thurs., Oct. 5th and concluding on Tues., Oct. 10th at 11 AM. Pre-Auction Offers are strongly encouraged.

11915 Park Heights Avenue features a grand and exquisite luxury estate home nestled in the picturesque Greenspring Valley, gracefully connected by a bridge that traverses a babbling stream. Designed by the esteemed Architect Vince Greene, this majestic abode was masterfully crafted by JP Builders, with interiors meticulously curated by the renowned Jay Jenkins/Jenkins Baer, and lighting by the gifted Bob Jones. The verdant landscape surrounding this residence was artfully created by Bob Jackson.

Recently expanded and renovated, the home is impeccably maintained, boasting finishes crafted with the finest materials, including hand-scraped walnut floors that exude warmth and character. With six bedrooms, five full and four half baths, and a guest annex/private office complex, this home offers an array of luxuries fit for any lifestyle. Upon entering, guests are welcomed by a grand two-story marble foyer that flows gracefully through classic columns to the living room. The stair hall is adorned with open curved staircases and a wide portal that leads to a formal dining room with a natural stone floor and French doors that open to a charming deck.

The kitchen, a stunning addition, features natural stone floors, quartz counters, and top-of-the-line appliances that elevate the culinary experience. The great room is a haven of comfort, with a cast stone fireplace, coffered ceiling, and built-in surround sound, while the cozy den is perfect for intimate gatherings, with its fireplace, archway to the bar, and French doors that open to the enchanting pavilion. The main level also includes a home office with built-ins, two powder rooms, a laundry room, and an oversize 3-car garage.

The sumptuous primary suite on the second level is a sanctuary of relaxation, with its marble spa bath and two custom-fitted dressing rooms. Four additional bedrooms, one with a sitting room, three baths, and a second laundry room complete this level. The walk-out lower level features the sixth bedroom and bath, two exercise rooms, and a large bonus room. The attached three-level guest annex/private office complex offers many opportunities for use, while the large 2013 pavilion with its fireplace, dining, and seating areas is perfect for outdoor entertaining. The pavilion flows seamlessly to patios and gardens, including a covered porch off the kitchen with a cooking center, creating a harmonious connection between indoor and outdoor living. This estate is equipped with state-of-the-art systems, recent updates and renovations, tremendous open-air parking capacity, and professionally landscaped, partially wooded 5.53 acres adjacent to Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Located in the heart of Ruxton on one of the larger properties in the community, totaling 3.91 acres, Cedar Top presents a rare opportunity to own one of the original Ruxton homes! The driveway connects two existing homes, 1919 Ruxton Road and 1740 Circle Road, both on the same parcel of land (but with subdivision rights possible). The main house (1919 Ruxton Road) was designed by architect Arthur Jerome Hooper, enjoys 5,419 square feet and was built in 1896 as a summer home. The house was then expanded in the 1920s when it became a full-time residence. Most of the home’s original features remain, including claw foot bathtubs, a dumbwaiter, vintage light fixtures, transom windows, and bas relief sculptures above two of the nine fireplaces, all adding classic charm and character to this tremendous home.

A paneled entry door with leaded glass arched transom leads into the vaulted foyer, providing passage to a powder room, a double closet, and into the living room which features a wood burning fireplace, door to the terrace and access to the adjoining sunroom. This inviting space, awash in natural light, features a full-width bay, extensive built-in bookcases, fireplace and a two-stop elevator with mahogany paneling. Glazed doors lead into the enviable library, also enjoying a fireplace as well as two walls of floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases. The adjacent dining room includes a full-width bay with two windows and provides access to the spacious kitchen with stainless appliances, an island and open flow into the adjoining family room with a wood burning fireplace, built-in cabinetry and door to the screened porch.

The second level features a spacious primary bedroom suite with a fireplace and private bath. A second large bedroom suite also shares this level as well as two additional bedrooms, two baths and a large sleeping porch. Three more bedrooms can be found on the third level as well as a bath and an attic. A slate patio off the living room leads down into the surrounding gardens and grounds.

A lovely 1414 square foot guest cottage also shares the grounds featuring a living room, dining room, kitchen, powder room, three upper-level bedrooms and a bath. Stunning gardens adorn the property, including Maryland Champion trees, prize-winning daffodils and many other gorgeous varieties of flora and fauna. A large in-ground, 10-foot-deep swimming pool adds additional outdoor entertainment. Truly a one-of-a-kind property, with only two owners since 1896, Cedar Top at 1919 Ruxton Road offers a wonderful, rare opportunity to own a spectacular original Ruxton home!

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Located on 3.75 magnificently landscaped acres of the Caves Valley Golf Club and adjacent to the 12th green, 3137 Blendon Road features an incredible four-bedroom custom luxury home.

An estate drive leads through a barrel-vaulted archway to a beautiful motor court with surrounding gardens, water fountain, and walkway. The foyer leads to the adjoining study, as well as to the breathtaking living/dining room with oak architectural details, a fireplace, built-in bookcases and a wall of windows.

The adjacent gourmet kitchen features granite counters, an attached breakfast area, and flows to the family room with a fireplace and beamed ceiling. The main level also features a home office, laundry room, and two-story guest suite with sitting room, bath, and second- level bedroom.

The second level boasts a luxurious primary bedroom suite with a fireplace, two custom-fitted dressing rooms, and a spa bath. Two additional en-suite bedrooms, one with a loft, and a laundry room complete this level.

The expansive lower level features a recreation room with a wet bar, a media room, game room with fireplace, full bath, and bonus room.

Custom features throughout the home include quarter-sawn oak floors on main level and second-floor hall, custom built-ins, audio, and lighting. The large hardwood deck as well as a raised back stone terrace look out at the beautifully manicured grounds.

With extraordinary attention to design, 3137 Blendon Road offers an exceptional luxury home in an ideal location.

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Superbly sited on one of Baltimore County’s most bucolic and sought-after lanes, at the confluence of Mantua Mill Road and Green Road, this exquisite stone 5-plus bedroom estate farm at 14111 Green Road is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to own one of the finest, most iconic equestrian farms in the region. Owning both banks of a long stretch of the Western Run and Deadman’s Run with picturesque swimming holds and storybook hideaways for picnics and fishing, Goose Green Farm enjoys breathtaking, gently rolling grounds with miles of protected open views and riding trails.

Designed circa 1948 by Charles Nes Jr., the manor house beautifully integrates updated elements with classic, elegant style. An oversized entry door opens into the foyer with a powder room and flows into the adjoining living spaces. A deep-cased portal leads to the living room with a woodburning fireplace and French doors to a covered porch, taking in the surrounding beauty. French doors from the foyer open into the den, which is accented by a stone wall and built-ins, also with access to the covered porch. The adjacent library features a woodburning fireplace, built-in bookcases, a concealed wet bar, and French doors to the adjoining sunroom. With heated floors and two walls of windows including French doors to the patio, this space is an ideal retreat to relax and enjoy the breathtaking scenery encircling the home. French doors open from the sunroom to the dining room, awash in natural light from a triple window. Swinging doors lead into the gourmet kitchen, updated by Cox Kitchens and featuring custom cabinetry, granite counters, professional grade appliances, a charming breakfast area accented by a stone wall, and access to the kitchen hall, mud room (with indoor dog kennel), and laundry room. A beautiful, spacious family room with two walls of custom built-in bookcases and a bath complete this level.

A private hall from the upstairs landing leads to the primary suite with a woodburning fireplace, built-ins, adjoining bath, dressing room, and French doors to an expansive IPE roof deck, taking in miles of rolling hills and pastures. An additional primary suite also enjoys an attached bath, dressing room, built-ins, and French doors to the deck. Three additional en suite bedrooms complete the second level. The lower level includes a recreation room with built-ins and a bar.

A drive-through lattice work porte-cochere flanked by breezeways leads to the Butler stone estate home as well as to the adjacent three-car garage boasting an upstairs apartment with a vaulted living room, kitchen area, bedroom, and bath.

Designed to match the main house, the nearby pool house (2016) sits to one end of the 50’ fenced-in pool. Guests can relax in the shade of the covered porch while others splash about or enjoy the beautiful indoor living spaces, including a large great room with fireplace and built-ins, a kitchen, exercise room, and a bath.

Slightly separated from the main house, a lovely 18^th century stone guest cottage enjoys a living room with vintage pine flooring and an oversized fireplace, a kitchen, laundry/mud room, three upper-level bedrooms and a bath as well as a nearby two-car garage and garden shed.

Spectacular panoramas surround the cottage including a wonderful view of the large riding ring, updated with EFT footing. The expansive farm complex just beyond includes three professional grade barns (2006 and 2008) with over 20 stalls, one with a silo observatory and all with tack rooms and wash stalls, an Amish built tractor palace/garage/workshop (2008), six run-in sheds, 83 acres with new, Centaur five-board fencing, and a sporting clay facility. The surrounding fields and meadows include extensive stretches along both banks of the Western Run and Deadman’s Run. Professionally designed gardens and grounds create landscapes begging to be captured on canvas by a master’s brush. Beautifully maintained and impeccably updated, this fabled 183-plus acre equestrian retreat is a rare opportunity to own one of the finest properties in Baltimore County!

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FEET FIRST: My wife and I have a very eclectic, hodgepodge type style. I’m pretty handy and really not scared to jump into things. A lot of it is repurposing things and tinkering with weird old stuff to make it look cool.

BREAK THE BANK: Overall, the finished counter top is about $70 worth of pennies. Some of the pennies I had accumulated in jars and things over the years, but I did need to go to the bank for more. After some weird looks upon requesting $25 worth of pennies, I finally told the people working there that I was using them for my counter. I went back a couple different times to get more pennies and they would recognize me as the “guy with the penny counter,” and I would update them on how it was going and show pictures.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS: The original counter was just one of those average laminate nothing counters, and it was pretty ugly, so I just used it as the base.

IN THE MAKING: I worked from the back, laying down lines of super glue and placing each penny down as I slowly worked forward. When I would get to corners or edges that were only able to fit half the width of a penny, I would use metal snips and snip the pennies to fit for a clean look.

SHINE ON: Once I had all the pennies down, I took ketchup and spread it over the entire surface because the acid in ketchup cleans copper. I let it sit for 15-30 minutes before rubbing it all off, which made the pennies nice and shiny.

FINISHING TOUCH: I used black grout in between the pennies and then a polyester resin that locks everything down so you don’t get stains or crumbs in the grout and makes sure the surface is hard and level.

POP OF COLOR: I added the blue ceramic tiles to the room because they have kind of an arabesque lantern design that I thought paired nicely with the pattern of the pennies. I like the way the copper plays off the blue. They’re sort of like complementary colors, so it makes it really eye-catching and colorful.

COIN IT: The image hanging is a close-up macro shot of a penny that is rusting. I shoot old coins, and I did a series of close-ups of coins that were beaten up and looked scarred and scratched. I chose to hang it there to kind of tie everything together.

Sometimes, the kitchen tells you when it’s time to remodel. For the Sturgill family, who moved into their Westminster home 15 years ago and raised three kids (who have since flown the nest) there, the kitchen all but screamed  it.

“The floors were worn, the cabinets started breaking,” says Tracie Sturgill. “I said to my husband, ‘When the third thing breaks, we’re redoing the kitchen.’ And then the fourth thing broke,” she recalls with a laugh.

Perched on a stool along the 10-foot-long island that grounds the newly remodeled space, Sturgill says the biggest change—besides aesthetics—has been functionality.

“I just wanted to be able to flow and use the space that we had,” Sturgill says. “We were not using the prior space well.” Before the remodel, a desk area between the front door and the kitchen had become a “dumping ground,” while the too-small dining room adjacent to the kitchen sat unused. Tearing down walls opened up the space for entertaining, and repurposing a 13-by-13-foot section of the attached three-car garage allowed for the addition of a walk-in pantry and a spacious laundry room.

 Since the family was looking for more than a cosmetic update, they turned to professionals to help them maximize the space during each stage of the remodel—from laying out the new floorplan to custom cabinetry and woodworking. With the help of Melissa Clark at Bluehouse Architecture, Tracie and husband Lee—well-known in the area as the owner of 54-year-old accounting firm Sturgill & Associates—transformed three distinct rooms into an open space that flows naturally into the rest of their home. 

Sliding barn doors—custom made with reclaimed materials—give the family the ability to close off the bedrooms and basement from the living area, helping to define the space while hosting guests. “I love the barn doors,” says Sturgill, who picked out the planks of wood used to build them at The Barnyard Boys, a salvage yard in Pennsylvania. “I think they are a piece of art.” 

The kitchen cabinetry—painted matte black with a rub-through for a rustic touch—is the handiwork of Laverne Herr of Elite Wood Classics. “I always knew I was going to use Laverne,” says Sturgill. “I never even considered another option.”

After completing the architectural plans, Sturgill spent the first three months of 2016 meeting with Herr to review the custom details—from paint colors and the rub-through technique to trim work and cabinet layout. “It’s quite the process. He really wants to see you and get to know you,” she recalls. 

Sturgill says the process gave her valuable insight when selecting features—especially when it came to distinguishing gimmicks from good design. “He was good at listening to my ideas, but he did say ‘no’ to a couple of things,” she says. Instead of a mixer lift (an increasingly popular feature that that raises the appliance from within a bottom cabinet to counter height), Herr suggested a countertop utility cabinet, which provides space to store several of the most-used kitchen appliances out of sight without any fancy hardware that tends to wear out. 

Another great tip? Only using the trendy cupped drawer pulls on the top row of drawers, and a more traditional, open handle design on the bottom. “If we had used them on all the drawers, you’d have to go down to reach from below, making it more awkward to pull them open. That was an awesome tip,” Sturgill says. 

Katie Heyman, a designer with Owings Brothers Contracting, brought the many elements of the remodel together into a cohesive design. Painting the surrounding walls in soft gray and beige tones helped balance the darkness of the cabinets. A white ceramic backsplash, a refreshed version of the now-ubiquitous subway tiles with a hand-crafted look and less noticeable grouting, helps to reflect the light—a critical component in a design where one window was removed and another shortened to increase cabinet space. 

With the help of Bill Russell, the on-site project manager for Owings Brothers Contracting, construction was completed in three months over the late summer and early fall of 2016—just in time for the Sturgill family to host Thanksgiving.

“Every holiday this whole [island] just gets loaded up,” says Sturgill, gliding her hand across the countertop. “Before, I was like, ‘We’ll meet you for dinner out.’ But now I actually say, ‘You want to meet at my house?’ It brings pride back to our home, and we feel good about having people come over again.”

Printed and punny mugs have taken over the shelves of our favorite boutiques and gift shops. If these don’t make you want to purge your overcrowded kitchen cabinet, nothing will.

Clockwise from top left: Where the Wild Things Are mug ($9.99) at The Sound Garden. Ban.do BFF mug ($14) at Brightside Boutique. “Too Legit to Quit” coffee mug ($18) at Becket Hitch. Jac Vanek Personally Victimized mug ($19) at Brightside Boutique. Seltzer Goods cacti mug ($16) at Brightside Boutique. “Just Add Coffee” mug ($14) at Brightside Boutique. Rainbow mug ($9.99) at The Sound Garden. Laura Zindel raven mug ($45) at Mud and Metal.

Back to the Future: I would say my home aesthetic is European modern.

Separation Anxiety: The kitchen was divided into two halves, with the eating area on one side and everything else on the other. We wanted to open up the space because there wasn’t enough storage or counter space.

Let There Be Light: This architectural style typically has long, rectangular windows, so we knocked out the whole wall so that the windows ran the full length of the wall. It makes it feel like an indoor/outdoor type of room and seem even bigger than it is.

Euro Trip: We realized we wanted to use a European cabinet company because of the materials they use and the way that they finish everything. We’ve used an architect named Janet Bloomberg of Kube Architecture in D.C. for a couple of different things over the years, and she suggested the Italian company Pedini.

Hidden Objects: One of the Pedini principals, whose name is Roy Wellman, helped design the space. He sized them so you wouldn’t know what was behind each cabinet. My refrigerator, trashcan, and dishwasher are in lacquer so you don’t know what function is behind each.

Orange Is The New Black: The orange chairs by SohoConcept are counter length. We wanted to add a splash of color, and the stools were the way we chose to bring that in.

Galley Chic: The kitchen has a professional feel while still being residential. I like the fact that it’s not laid out the way most kitchens I’ve been in have been laid out. But it’s also incredibly functional.

Sunny-Side Up: This room is located on the south side of my house, and it’s just the sunniest and nicest room in the house. We all just want to be in the kitchen all the time because it is so cheerful and beautiful.

When John and Mary Wynne Eisenberg moved to Stoneleigh 14 years ago, they fell in love with the charm of the neighborhood and their 1931 home. But those warm feelings never extended to the home’s narrow galley kitchen. In fact, Mary Wynne quips that “some of my worst memories” are of trying to cook for her 10-person book club with one oven in the cramped space.

But the challenge they face is not an uncommon one in Baltimore, where thousands of homes like theirs were built in the 1920s and early ’30s, but with tiny kitchens more reminiscent of the 1890s. But a simple redesign was not the solution—the space itself was the problem.

“We knew we wanted a better kitchen but the question was, how do we do that?” says John Eisenberg. There was simply not enough space to merely remodel the old kitchen and end up with anything functionally better. “Obviously, it was going to take some out-of-the-box thinking.”

A friend in real estate connected the couple with architect Peter Twohy, who understood that the Eisenbergs wanted a bigger space both for cooking and entertaining. “The kitchen was designed in the ’30s for that lifestyle,” says Twohy, referring to the fact that the very basic kitchens of the era were about function, not form—they were really just for food preparation, sometimes by servants, and not entertaining. “The goal was to keep the charm of the home but add a modern kitchen.”

The house is built into a hill and falls away at the back. Early on, plans looked at stealing space at the back of the house from a disused garage that sat below the grade of the main level. A previous owner had already borrowed room from the garage to build a closet and had oddly placed a full bathroom directly off the dining room. By the time Twohy arrived at the project, the Eisenbergs were only able to store yard equipment and lawn furniture in what was left of the garage, so sacrificing it entirely was not a hard decision.

The redesign took the roof off the garage, reclaimed its foundation, and used some of the existing walls to define a new, two-story addition to contain both the kitchen and a master suite on the floor above. The only thing that remained of the awkwardly placed closet and bathroom were two arched doorways, which were kept for architectural interest and to create a pleasant flow from the kitchen to the dining room.

Twohy recruited Dave Rackl of Rackl-Christopher Associates and contractor Dale German II of D2 Contractors to build the addition.

“Dave and Peter asked us a lot of questions about how we cook, where we stand when we cook—the stuff you do day in and day out that you don’t think about,” says John.

Without question, the new structure needed to be respectful of the original home, as well as the aesthetic of the neighborhood. “I also wanted something light,” says Mary Wynne. “We’re from Texas, and living here we miss that light, bright look. We knew we wanted a lot of windows and for it to be an airy space.”

John, a sportswriter at
The Sun for many years who is now an author and columnist at baltimoreravens.com, had his own unique request: The island had to be large enough that he could read the newspaper—the real, paper newspaper—open and lying flat.

The completed kitchen is about 500 square feet with a work area close to the dining room and an eating and entertaining area situated in front of a large bay window. French doors bring in more light and open to a new, large deck. Twohy and Rackl worked together on the layout of the room.

“I started, as I always do, with the position of the refrigerator,” says Twohy, “trying to make sure it’s close enough to the work triangle, but doesn’t interfere with the cook if someone else wants to get into it.”

The sink was placed under narrow windows, selected to match the window shape used in the original house. The remaining wall could then be used for storage. A walk-in pantry was not in keeping with the age of the house and there was no room for it. Instead, Rackl crafted a wall of cabinets for storage that have a low crown to feel more proportional, like a piece of art.

“We didn’t want it to look like a room with a whole bunch of cabinets,” says Rackl. “We wanted everything to have the feel of furniture, like you see on the [kitchen] island, where there’s a turned leg.”

The island is honed from cherry and topped with a dark Brazilian soapstone countertop. A horse sculpture Mary Wynne picked up at a decorator show house separates the sitting area of the island from the meal prep area and pays homage to John’s many books on horseracing. Mary Wynne selected dark countertops, like the “Black Pearl” granite used on the kitchen perimeter, to balance the light, the white cabinetry, and the warm glow of the oak floors.

Wesley Finnerty, co-owner of Antique Exchange, helped the Eisenbergs select interior touches like the blue wall paint, a shade deeper and richer than the blue of the adjacent dining room, and the bright coral window treatments made from a Thibaut fabric. “I wanted it to pop and be happy, and that fabric was bright and happy without being juvenile,” Finnerty explains.

The large room begged for some form of ceiling treatment, and it was contractor Dale German II who suggested beams. Recessed lighting keeps the view to the backyard uninterrupted and draws attention to the singular chandelier delineating the dining space. Here, Finnerty chose a large round table with a dark, hand-rubbed finish for that Old-World look.

“I love a round table, as it promotes conversation and can make just one or two people comfortable, but can also seat up to eight people,” Mary Wynne says.

The eating area blends well into the working kitchen, but by dimming the lights, it can easily transition into a refined but casual dinner destination. “We just hosted a bridal shower and the house worked so well,” says Mary Wynne. “People sat [in the kitchen], in the dining room. It was warm enough that we opened the French doors, and people could sit outside—it just flows so well.”

The opportunity to design a kitchen from scratch gave the Eisenbergs a chance to include little touches to suit their lifestyle. The couple can now watch football games when they cook. At the touch of a remote-control button, a flat-screen television drops down from the wall of pantry cabinetry. There is a drawer especially designed for spices next to the range, and a refrigerator drawer in the island for beers.

Finally, a pretty powder room was placed in space reclaimed from the old kitchen. But for the most part, the former galley kitchen was revitalized into something more appropriate to its 1930s proportions—a hallway.

After about nine months of construction and carryout food, the Eisenbergs were able to start using their new kitchen. They hosted a Thanksgiving party and report that the kitchen quickly became a popular gathering place. Especially in the winter, the sunsets through the bay window and leaf-less trees are spectacular.

“We don’t leave here,” laughs Mary Wynne. “We don’t even go out to dinner as much.”