Glass wall makes room with a view

By Marie Gullard | Special to The Baltimore Sun

September 13, 2008

The 3,000-square-foot house owned by Irene Hofmann was designed nearly 50 years ago by New York architect Henry Hebbeln. Here, Hofmann sits in her dining room with her dog, Madison. (Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam / September 3, 2008)

Irene Hofmann, executive director of the Contemporary Museum in downtown Baltimore, lives worlds away from traffic lights and city bustle. Her home in the Greenspring Valley of northern Baltimore County is nestled among great old trees on almost 2 acres of property that backs up to a 100-acre horse farm. But, as at the museum she runs, the emphasis is on contemporary.

"Technically, it would be called modern," Hofmann says. "I love this era of architecture - 1960s modern."

Hofmann's cedar shake house was designed in 1959 by New York architect Henry Hebbeln.

Hofmann, the house's second owner, proudly unrolls the original design elevations that became an interior vaguely reminiscent of the Jetsons' circular abode in space.

At 3,000 square feet, the home's defining quality is its openness beyond the front door. Flagstone steps, surrounded by pebbles and plants, segue from the foyer to a sunken living room rising two stories. Here, a northern wall is composed completely of glass sliders, revealing a view of trees and farmland. Post-and-beam construction, clean lines, built-in furniture and a series of floor-to ceiling windows all contribute to bringing the outside inside. The same is true of architectural embellishments such as Douglas fir paneling, a two-story interior brick chimney and floors made of 12-inch-square slate blocks.

The sprawling house has five bedrooms and five bathrooms spread over east and west wings off the living room, but the home, nonetheless, is cozy. It gives visitors a warm embrace from Mother Nature, which is so much a part of its interior.

"It's a wonder I can get up and go to work in the morning," Hofmann said.

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making the house her own

•The house was in such excellent condition when Irene Hofmann purchased it that her only task was to strip years of wax off the slate flooring throughout the main level. She also painted the walls white to get a museumlike backdrop for her art collection.

•Hofmann's furnishings complement the house's modern architecture. These furnishings include a few well-chosen Danish Modern furniture pieces, a George Nelson bubble lamp from the 1950s and what she calls a "Sputnik-like" ceiling lamp in her kitchen.

•Hofmann made use of the space in the large, open living room by hanging a fiberglass and titanium cloud sculpture from the cathedral ceiling.