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Close to major commuter routes yet miles away from busy city life is Mid-Atlantic Builders’ Woodmore North community in the Bowie/Mitchellville area. One-acre homesites surround the estate-style houses on cul-de-sacs and quiet streets backing to wooded settings.
The 4,642-square-foot Tara model, which offers 10-foot first floor ceilings and ceilings rising to nine feet on the second floor, features so much space that an extension would not seem needed. But add the morning room off the angular breakfast room and unique front-facing kitchen and one has a home with comfort, character and an extra place to lounge.
The morning room, pictured, is an ideal spot in the home to view outside scenery. “The morning room logically fits into the design,” says John Lavery, vice president of sales and marketing for Mid-Atlantic Builders. The Tara model draws a lot of traffic, he adds. This floor plan, which is timeless, is in the Executive and Signature Series of homes.
Dea Ping, senior designer at Builders Design along with senior designers Jessica Astran and Kelly McLane, outfitted this model in chocolate and raspberry tones creating an interior with impact and comfort. Leaning towards contemporary, clean lines in decor, Ping says the morning room’s furnishings project a calm, relaxing environment.
Dine in Serenity
The dining room sets the tone for the model – spacious, elegant, captivating. The custom double tray ceiling, bay window, classic moldings and its location in the floor plan – just behind the art niche in the foyer and facing the rear yard – make the dining room a place to entertain in style.
With its generous size and abundant daylight, the dining room is ideal as a formal gathering area. Ping wrapped the inviting room in raspberry wallpaper and gave the room its own character. In other first floor rooms, such as the library, she kept wall colors in the same color palette to continue the flow of the open design.
The popular Tara floor plan is “a very livable home, great for entertaining,” Lavery says. Streaming with sunlight, the model has open lines of site from room to room.
Behind the Arches
The formal settings converge inside the hardwood-floored and tile-accented foyer with tray ceiling. Double arches lead to the art niche separating the main hallways. One hall leads to the 48-inch-wide main staircase, powder room and library offering optional bay windows and built-ins. The other hall opens to the two-story family room with a balcony on the second floor and entryways to the morning room, breakfast room and kitchen.
Three-piece crown molding in the foyer and living and dining rooms, two-piece chair rail in the dining room and the optional Chef’s Gourmet Stainless Steel Appliance Package in the kitchen signify a special find. This appliance package includes two Whirlpool dishwashers and wall ovens, plus a six-burner Kitchen Aid range.
Builders Design kept most windows open without window treatments so visitors will get the full effect of the home’s architecture, as well as a clear view of the property outside, Ping says.
Life Upstairs
From the intimate balcony off the sitting room with optional fireplace and the angled bedroom design to the luxury bathroom with glass block shower, the owner’s suite is a tranquil retreat. A trend Lavery has seen in high-end homes is making the bathroom, especially the shower, extra special. “We made that environment very attractive,” he says. Mid-Atlantic Builders’ “signature spa bathroom” is an element the builder tries to incorporate as a standard feature or as an option in every home.
Ping used wallpaper imported from England from Osborne & Little’s Cheriwell 318 book, style W1623-03 for the bathroom. Located off the back staircase and hallway, which overlooks the family room, the owner’s suite is a great getaway everyday.
Down the wide hall off the main staircase are the guest suite with walk-in closet and full bathroom and two additional large bedrooms with a buddy bath.
What’s Downstairs
The lower level can be optionally finished with many rooms for entertaining, such as a game room with wet bar or a home theatre room with elevated seating. Additional space is often left for storage, while the bathroom can be finished with or without a tub.
Changing the Exterior
Mid-Atlantic Builders offers numerous elevations for each home at Woodmore North. The Tara model features elevation 2024, which is a Federal style with box bay windows and covered entryway. Optional brick along the sides, an optional detached or “carriage” two-car garage to supplement the standard attached two-car garage, and the option to incorporate a nanny or in-law’s suite above the detached garage round out some of the elevation changes available.
Builders Design Sales
In addition to providing interior design services to builders, Builders Design features a 10,000-square-foot Model Home Furniture Clearance Center where items returned from model homes are for sale to the public.
On the Horizon
Mid-Atlantic Builders’ new community, Meadow Creek in Upper Marlboro, is just opening offering two- to four-acre homesites. The community features its Signature Series of homes, including The Tara and the newest design, The Venecia. Mid-Atlantic Builders focuses on new designs, Lavery says, along with tried and true floor plans, such as The Tara.
