My Houzz: Classic East Coast Style in Maryland
Collected vintage finds, clean furnishings and European touches are highlights of a couple's bright and airy 1923 house
Rikki Snyder
October 14, 2015
Houzz Contributor. Professional photographer and stylist specializing in food, products, still life and interiors. Contributing home tour photographer and writer for Houzz.
Houzz Contributor. Professional photographer and stylist specializing in food, products,... More
Jeannette Fristoe and Larry Blake had a clear picture of their dream home — especially since they could stare at it from across the street. After admiring their neighbor’s home for several years when visiting, they were able to buy it from the neighbor after she retired and moved away. Since then, they’ve made some updates to turn it into their dream home, including knocking down a few walls to create an open-plan kitchen and adding an 18-by-20-foot room with a large stone fireplace and seven floor-to-ceiling windows to mirror an existing closed porch. They also painted the entire house in various shades of white and gray. The result is an airy, spacious layout that provides a comfortable place to entertain. “We love our home best when it is full of family and friends,” Fristoe says.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jeannette Fristoe and Larry Blake
Location: Bel Air, Maryland
Size: 2,300 square feet (214 square meters); four bedrooms, four bathrooms
Year built: 1923
“This white-shingled house with lots of gables and angles emphasized by a deep roof overhang is the bungalow-style home we always admired,” homeowner Jeannette Fristoe says. The home is built on a wooded lot, which gives it what she describes as “a cool and classical appearance. We both love the lawn and prefer the landscaping to be very casual and relaxed.” The home is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who lives here: Jeannette Fristoe and Larry Blake
Location: Bel Air, Maryland
Size: 2,300 square feet (214 square meters); four bedrooms, four bathrooms
Year built: 1923
“This white-shingled house with lots of gables and angles emphasized by a deep roof overhang is the bungalow-style home we always admired,” homeowner Jeannette Fristoe says. The home is built on a wooded lot, which gives it what she describes as “a cool and classical appearance. We both love the lawn and prefer the landscaping to be very casual and relaxed.” The home is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The enclosed porch is used mostly on rainy days and evenings. In the warmer months, the windows pop out and screens are put in to create a summer porch. “The coffee table was my mother’s. With the addition of several small chairs, it serves as a children’s dining table for our nephews and grandchildren,” Fristoe says. “The wicker chairs are from various yard sales and the sofa is from a friend who got tired of it.” The Scottie door stop was a gift and the vintage fan, pictured on the floor at bottom right, is one of four that Fristoe’s husband, Larry Blake, found on the street for garbage pickup.
Carpet: D’Bohemia in Havre de Grace, Maryland
Carpet: D’Bohemia in Havre de Grace, Maryland
A shelf holds Fristoe’s sheep collection, which she started years ago during a visit to Britain, where she fell in love with the fields dotted with sheep. Fristoe is also a knitter, so she has a great love of wool.
White hanging lamps: Ikea
White hanging lamps: Ikea
The stone fireplace is the living room focal point. Fristoe and Blake are also fond of the French doors that let this room open into the dining room. The cuckoo clock belonged to Blake’s aunt, who brought it back from a trip to Germany in the 1950s.
“My husband and nephew Joshua are outdoorsmen who have collected the skulls and shed antlers over the years,” Fristoe says of the pieces over the mantel. “The wooden bowls are a favorite, as the natural wood patina reminds me of simpler times.” The couple bought the coffee table in Europe. It can be raised and extended to serve as a dinner table for eight.
The couches are constantly being re-dressed in washable cotton slipcovers, a quick way to get a new look. “The camera collection began with my mother’s old camera and the clock collection started when I wanted to create a New Year’s Eve mantel display,” Fristoe says.
Sheep accent pillows: Ikea
The couches are constantly being re-dressed in washable cotton slipcovers, a quick way to get a new look. “The camera collection began with my mother’s old camera and the clock collection started when I wanted to create a New Year’s Eve mantel display,” Fristoe says.
Sheep accent pillows: Ikea
The spacious dining room allows for a variety of table configurations to accommodate large groups. The table is from Fristoe’s grandmother. The couple inherited the oil lamps on top of the china cabinet and the collection of silver in the back corner is from their parents.
On top of a refinished vintage sideboard sits a collection of soup tureens, including a few brought back from France.
Refinished white sideboard: Sandy Scott’s Antiques in Bel Air, Maryland
On top of a refinished vintage sideboard sits a collection of soup tureens, including a few brought back from France.
Refinished white sideboard: Sandy Scott’s Antiques in Bel Air, Maryland
Fristoe and Blake replaced the tin cabinets in the kitchen with wooden ones and covered the dishwasher and refrigerator with cabinet fronts to match. They also tore out six layers of linoleum from the floor to expose the hardwood underneath, put wainscoting on the walls and ceiling and put in a large farm sink.
Fristoe displays brown glass apothecary jars above the sink. The bone-handle fish knives and forks in the shadow boxes are finds from the Cotswolds, and the collection of trays consists of pieces that others discarded.
Fristoe displays brown glass apothecary jars above the sink. The bone-handle fish knives and forks in the shadow boxes are finds from the Cotswolds, and the collection of trays consists of pieces that others discarded.
The couple’s favorite part of the kitchen is the AGA Cooker they had installed during the renovation. “This cooker is made in England. We have four ovens, all heated at a different temp, plus a warming oven and a warming plate,” Fristoe says. “The picture of the cows in the pasture is a reminder of our growing up on farms. The blue clock/timer is a valued gift from our nephew Adam.”
Green jars: Ikea; oven mitt and oven pad: Marimekko, gift from friends visiting from Finland
Green jars: Ikea; oven mitt and oven pad: Marimekko, gift from friends visiting from Finland
The one drawback of the AGA cooker is how hot it makes the kitchen during the summer. Fristoe and Blake turn that stove off and use their butler’s pantry with its antique Chambers stove as their summer kitchen. This room also serves as a catchall for market baskets, aprons, straw hats and winter coats.
The homeowners created the striped pattern on the staircase by alternating flat and high-gloss finishes of the same paint color. The collection of silver pieces on the black chest sit on a tray from Blake’s mother. The vignette also includes monogrammed napkin rings from France and Hotel Silver coffee pots from Williams-Sonoma.
In the downstairs bathroom, the homeowners replaced the bathtub with a walk-in shower. They also added a new porcelain sink to an old dresser repurposed as a vanity. The trash can is an antique wooden bucket and the old piano bench was painted for use as a vanity seat.
Fristoe’s favorite thing in the downstairs bedroom is her grandmother’s bed. “It is a bright, airy room with a rose arbor that my husband built across the windows,” Fristoe says. “In the spring, the New Dawn climbing rose gives us a beautiful show every morning.”
The room that connects the kitchen and the newly added family room was originally an office and library. “We opened two walls, joining this room to the kitchen on one side, and on the other side we built the 18-by-20-foot room, giving us a good-size open space,” Fristoe says. “We painted the old chandelier black. The metal plate covers [seen in the mirror reflection] are from Ekster Antiques in Hamilton, Virginia.”
The clock is one from Blake’s cuckoo clock collection, and the collection of bags includes a pigeon carrier bag found in Honfleur, France; an old suitcase Fristoe found in Krakow, Poland; and an old doctor’s bag that’s used to hold the home’s first aid kit.
The clock is one from Blake’s cuckoo clock collection, and the collection of bags includes a pigeon carrier bag found in Honfleur, France; an old suitcase Fristoe found in Krakow, Poland; and an old doctor’s bag that’s used to hold the home’s first aid kit.
“This is our nephew Adam’s bedroom, where he keeps his cowboy hat and boots, both of which are gifts from his friends in Texas,” Fristoe says. The four-poster rope beds are from her childhood home.
On the opposite side of the room is a chest Fristoe bought from a friend, Carol Lindes, in Bethany Beach, Delaware. On the dresser are two of Adam’s favorite Lego projects, a Mini Cooper and a Volkswagen bus.
Everything in this bathroom is original to the house, including the built-in linen cupboard and medicine cabinet. The frames display crocheted pieces done by the couple’s mothers.
The smallest room upstairs has become a relaxing place to unwind. “We chose to use it as a sitting-reading room between the other bedrooms,” Fristoe says. “The desk is from my grandmother’s kitchen; the mannequin I found when a retail store was closing.”
“This room is our nephew Joshua’s bedroom,” Fristoe says. “The photos on the wall are of him and his brother Adam. The bed was from an antiques shop many years ago and the teddy bear was a special gift from my friend Shirley.”
“This bedroom is like sleeping in a tree house,” Fristoe says of the fourth bedroom. “You look out onto a beautiful oak tree. We love the sound of the acorns dropping onto the slate roof.”
The couple bought the iron bed frame from a decorator’s show house many years ago. “The rocking chair was always in my grandmother’s kitchen in front of the fireplace,” Fristoe says. “The wooden bench my husband made from very old wood, and the picture over the bed was the print on our wedding invitation.”
The couple bought the iron bed frame from a decorator’s show house many years ago. “The rocking chair was always in my grandmother’s kitchen in front of the fireplace,” Fristoe says. “The wooden bench my husband made from very old wood, and the picture over the bed was the print on our wedding invitation.”
Hanging on the wall above a vintage dresser are shadow box frames that display some of Fristoe’s mother’s little treasures, such as a sewing thimble, bone hair pins and samples of tatting.
Rug: T.J. Maxx; clock: Blake’s grandmother’s
Rug: T.J. Maxx; clock: Blake’s grandmother’s
Hanging in the bathroom is a print from a pub in Scotland. The shaving brushes are from Steyr, Austria, and the decoys are part of Blake’s collection of carved decoys.
“This is the room we added on when we moved in,” Fristoe says.“Our favorite part of this room are all the large windows, which integrate the outside view with the inside of this room.” Blake keeps a fire burning in the fireplace three seasons of the year to provide a warm and cozy space where the couple spend most of their time.
The vintage photographs of meadows full of sheep and cows reflect the couple’s love of their youth on family farms. “We found some of the prints in little antique shops during a trip along the East Coast to Vermont,” Fristoe says.
The vintage photographs of meadows full of sheep and cows reflect the couple’s love of their youth on family farms. “We found some of the prints in little antique shops during a trip along the East Coast to Vermont,” Fristoe says.
The wooden shoes from Ekster Antiques on the hearth are just the right size to hold long fireplace matches. The vintage table and wooden chest were passed down from family members.
See more of this home
More: Lush Landscaping Creates an Idyllic, Personalized Garden
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Small Homes | Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes |Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World| Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
See more of this home
More: Lush Landscaping Creates an Idyllic, Personalized Garden
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Small Homes | Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes |Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World| Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Related Stories
Bathroom Design
6 Beautiful Master Bathrooms With Double-Vanity Setups
By Janet Paik
Geometric tile, a claw-foot tub and shiplap walls are some of the standout details in these renovated master bathrooms
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Soothing Blues and Whites in a Virginia New Build
By Sarah Lyon
Clean coastal-inspired style, statement wallpaper and custom woodwork mark the home of a decorator and a contractor
Full Story
Transitional Homes
New Layout and Function for a Chicago Family Home
By Julie Sheer
The challenges of a 110-year-old foursquare are met with thoughtful updates that add comfort and preserve character
Full Story
Transitional Homes
Color, Heirlooms and Artwork Refresh a Kansas City Home
By Julie Sheer
See how this 1922 Colonial Revival house got a bright update
Full Story
Christmas
Sweet Christmas Charm in a Renovated 1949 Home in California
By Janet Paik
Splashes of cheery sunshine yellow and shiplap walls are a backdrop to holiday decor in this decorator’s forever home
Full Story
Holidays
Tour 7 Homes With Fresh and Cheery Holiday Decor
By Janet Paik
Festive place settings, garlands and trees personalize these warm and inviting homes for the Christmas season
Full Story
Trending Now
5 Reader-Favorite Home Tours From 2019
By Janet Paik
See the bright and personalized design details that feature in the most popular homes from our My Houzz series
Full Story
Transitional Homes
New Tudor-Inspired Family Home in Chicago
By Julie Sheer
See how a couple worked with their builder to mix traditional and modern elements for a comfortable and chic home
Full Story
Small Homes
Stylish 800-Square-Foot Home Brimming With Personality
By Julie Sheer
See how the head of merchandising at Palecek transformed his rental apartment with paint, lighting and decor
Full Story
Houzz Call
Homeowners, Share Your Home With Us!
By Janet Paik
We want to hear about your recent remodel or update. You and your home could be featured on Houzz
Full Story
Can I live there??
Absolutely beautiful . After reading thru the accompanying article I would love to see your Grandmother's home, especially the kitchen. Wishing you many years of happiness. P.S. My husband and I are retired military and moved often. I guess it's in our blood because we continue to move every couple of years. My only regret is over time all of my collections have been dispersed . I am normally glad to be rid of the clutter but after seeing your wonderful collections, and the way they are displayed , I wish I had hung onto at least some.....