Moss Hill

The final piece in an evolving masterplan of a 1961 mid-century house set in the woods, this 650-square-foot garage provided much needed flexible workspace; part car-park, part workshop, supporting activities like woodworking, bike repairs, art projects, exercise, and storage. This added space transformed this cherished home, allowing the owners to plan for aging in place.

Over time this wooded habitat has been shaped by the owners, melding a mid-Atlantic woodland environment with European and Japanese garden influences. Respecting the character of this matured setting, the new edifice riffs on the exacting modern language of the existing house, being sensitive to the scale and materiality of the low-slung structure while stitching into the sculpted landscape.

A simple modern box, with a design rigor evocative of the house, the garage’s massing has a “carve out” at one corner offering shelter over the entry, and access to “hidden” gardening tool closet, while visually eroding its presence. This inset is sheathed in a sustainable wood made of rice hulls and recycled plastic offering a warmth that contrasts the primary finish of white corrugated metal siding, selected to complement the tongue-and-groove siding of the original house, and for its low maintenance. A fully glazed garage door is visually welcoming and provides ample daylight for the activities within.  

The sitework required a surgical approach: retaining walls were rebuilt in concrete, terraces repaved in bluestone, walkways of river rock, new hardwood bridges and stairs, and reworked drainage systems synthesized house, garage, and landscape through a natural material palette. Replacing the old asphalt driveway with a light-colored stone chip surface softened the approach to the house, providing the entry experience an understated courtyard-like ambiance.

The resulting design yielded an addition at harmony with its place, and a new presence and visual appeal upon arrival.

Garage

AWARDS + PRESS

Baltimore Magazine Home and Design Award | 2024 • Bathroom

Amazing Architecture | 2023

Archello | 2023

ARCHITECTURE

BUILDING

CREDIT

The Baltimore Sun | Dream Home | 2015

Baltimore Magazine | A Natural Oasis | 2017

PHOTOGRAPHY

COMPLETED

TYPE

Place Architecture:Design

Kimball Building Company

Tom Holdsworth Photography

2025

Single-Family Residence

This 450-square-foot kitchen renovation revitalizes a mid-century home while preserving its original character. Designed within a limited budget and tight timeframe, the project enhances functionality by maximizing storage, refreshing worn finishes, and replacing outdated 50-year-old appliances.

The homeowners’ deep appreciation for the home’s original design and its era guided every decision. Maintaining a sense of mid-century authenticity was paramount. The metal cabinets, original to the house, were carefully restored, repainted and integrated into a bold new multi-color scheme; transforming what might have been replaced in most renovations into a defining feature that connects past and present.

At the heart of the renovation is an expanded island, crafted with custom cabinetry and wrapped in a striking black-and-white marbleized synthetic stone. This dramatic centerpiece enhances the visual appeal while providing additional workspace. A previously blank kitchen wall was reimagined as a full-height pantry that sits flush with the existing metal cabinets, significantly increasing storage without compromising the clean lines typical of mid-century design.

One of the project’s greatest challenges involved reconfiguring the space to accommodate modern ovens. The original brick oven niche could no longer fit contemporary models, prompting the team to re-envision the layout. An old cabinet, once housing an air-conditioning duct retrofitted in the late 1960s, was transformed to host the new 30” oven. A spiral duct was installed to improve air distribution and efficiency, allowing this update to integrate with the home’s open post-and-beam structure.

Overall, this renovation strikes a thoughtful balance between preservation and progress. It honors the home’s mid-century heritage while adapting it for modern living, ensuring the kitchen remains a functional, stylish and enduring centerpiece that reflects both the owners’ values and the home’s legacy.

Kitchen

CREDIT

ARCHITECTURE

BUILDING

MILLWORK

PHOTOGRAPHY

COMPLETED

TYPE

Place Architecture:Design

Greenleaf Construction

Cooper Custom Cabinets

Tom Holdsworth Photography

2024

Single-Family Residence

This 450-square-foot kitchen renovation revitalizes a mid-century home while preserving its original character. Designed within a limited budget and tight timeframe, the project enhances functionality by maximizing storage, refreshing worn finishes, and replacing outdated 50-year-old appliances.

The homeowners’ deep appreciation for the home’s original design and its era guided every decision. Maintaining a sense of mid-century authenticity was paramount. The metal cabinets, original to the house, were carefully restored, repainted and integrated into a bold new multi-color scheme; transforming what might have been replaced in most renovations into a defining feature that connects past and present.

At the heart of the renovation is an expanded island, crafted with custom cabinetry and wrapped in a striking black-and-white marbleized synthetic stone. This dramatic centerpiece enhances the visual appeal while providing additional workspace. A previously blank kitchen wall was reimagined as a full-height pantry that sits flush with the existing metal cabinets, significantly increasing storage without compromising the clean lines typical of mid-century design.

One of the project’s greatest challenges involved reconfiguring the space to accommodate modern ovens. The original brick oven niche could no longer fit contemporary models, prompting the team to re-envision the layout. An old cabinet, once housing an air-conditioning duct retrofitted in the late 1960s, was transformed to host the new 30” oven. A spiral duct was installed to improve air distribution and efficiency, allowing this update to integrate with the home’s open post-and-beam structure.

Overall, this renovation strikes a thoughtful balance between preservation and progress. It honors the home’s mid-century heritage while adapting it for modern living, ensuring the kitchen remains a functional, stylish and enduring centerpiece that reflects both the owners’ values and the home’s legacy.

Outdoor Shower

CREDIT

ARCHITECTURE

BUILDING

MILLWORK

PHOTOGRAPHY

COMPLETED

TYPE

Place Architecture:Design

Greenleaf Construction

Cooper Custom Cabinets

Tom Holdsworth Photography

2024

Single-Family Residence

The Moss Hill House, a whole house renovation, is a mid-20th century structure, using the enduring principles of design that, today, would be called “sustainability.” Built into the side of a hill, exposure to the elements is lessened, taking full advantage of the insulating capability of the earth, while still providing two full floors for living. Surrounded by trees, the glass walls bring the outside in and fill the house with natural light, evoking a tree-house affect.

This project is an excellent example of Place architecture:design’s ability to improve a family’s quality of life, while dealing with a structure that has an efficient footprint. All aspects of the house have been renovated. We began by redesigning the bathroom layouts; employing daylighting strategies; updating finishes with smart materials; and replacing mechanical systems with proficient technologies. Other alterations include a new balcony to replace the existing decaying structure, new kitchen countertops, appliances and fixtures and painting the original metal cabinets. The landscape was integrated into the project with a Pétanque court and plantings to continue the indoor/outdoor living experience.

Primary Bath + Guest Bath

The clean lines and refined material palette transforms the original space into an open, light-filled room, maximizing the it’s long narrow footprint. A large walk-in shower with over-sized planes of glass makes the room feel larger. Light-toned finishes, large format tiles, polished marble-circles, and other small-scale details provide textural contrast, while a quarter-sawn oak-veneered vanity adds warmth. Important sustainable features include in-floor radiant heat, reclaimed wood, dimming controls, and ample daylighting.

Landscaping + Bathrooms

PRESS

CREDIT

ARCHITECTURE

BUILDING

LANDSCAPING

PHOTOGRAPHY

COMPLETED

TYPE

Place Architecture:Design

Owings Brothers Contracting

BlackRock Landscaping

©Tom Holdsworth

©Geoffrey Hodgdon

©Vince Lupo

2016

Single-Family Residence