For years, a Maryland couple gathered inspiration for the abode they dreamed of building one day. From their outings to Potomac’s Glenstone museum and trips to the West Coast, certain themes started to emerge: open space, large windows, natural light and a strong connection to nature. In other words, the pair sought a total departure from the buttoned-up suburban manse they then called home. “Our vision was for the house to be calm and tranquil,” reveals the wife. “We are becoming more and more minimalistic as we age.

”Her husband, a real-estate investor who spends his free time creating artwork of all forms, certainly itched to shake up the status quo. “I’d always done primarily watercolors and a lot of very traditional, representational landscapes and portraits,” he shares. “I wanted, both in a house and in my art, to get outside my comfort zone, try new things and take a more modern direction.

”After inheriting a property in Bethesda’s Bradley Hills neighborhood from his parents, the couple assembled an expert team that included architect Mark Kaufman, landscape architect Joseph Richardson and Sandy Spring Builders to bring their dream to life. “They wanted something contemporary,” Kaufman relates, “with privacy from the street and a lot of transparency in the back.”

Read the full feature in Home and Garden - The Architecture Issue

Explore the project Contemporary Limestone House