About 7407 Baltimore National Pike
On the wooded eastern lower slope of Catoctin Mountain, sits the Round House. On the approach, as the driveway bends upward, the home reveals itself as the hill crests and the trees part. The stout symmetry and the clean lines of mid-century modern through an '80s lens are warmed by the stone and cedar. It's the coherence of the home's intentional design and its perfect placement within its natural surround that makes it timeless and special.
Two ways in. Round houses and pedestal homes became fashionable not just for their aesthetic and efficiency, but for the practicality on hillside terrain or waterfront lots, as the wind-shielding, elevated living spaces, and smaller foundation footprint all lent themselves to areas typically difficult to build upon. This "Helix-Structured House" was one of Helikon Design's cherished models. With a second-level living space, one can enter the Round House through the front door, into the main family room, or up the outdoor steps to the wrap-around deck, where doors open to the second level.
On the second level, oak hardwoods join the open living space as living, dining and kitchen all enjoy a nearly 180-degree wooded vista by way of the floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the front acreage in what feels like the vibrant spectacle of CinemaScope. The poplar built-ins, the window surrounds, the 2023 kitchen remodel with the oak cabinets (that color is Festoon Aqua), the counters, the playful geometry of the cabinet tops triangulating with the roofline — all curatorial decisions finely tying the whole space together, all perfectly radiating from the centered helix staircase.
Behind the bookcase, the primary suite occupies maybe one-quarter of the second floor with its adjoining bathroom. The bed is centered between windows looking up the wooded Blue Ridge foothills.
Winding down the steps onto the ground level, one finds an open family room that enjoys its own floor-to-ceiling windows, though these are nicely shaded by the deck. The center stairs are flanked by a bedroom on each side. To the left is the second full bath (2025 remodel) and the utility/laundry room. Through the green front door is the driveway (2026), which leads to a two-car garage/workshop.
With the home's placement on the hill, ample wooded acreage buffers the front of the home from the presence of the main road. Behind the house, a trail leads to quiet wooded clearings and fairytale rock formations, plenty of spots for quiet reflection. As one returns from the back trail, coming down the hill and watching the cap of the roof peak through the tree canopy, the moment becomes a reminder of the calm seclusion of this wooded surround.
Kitchen: 2023
Ground Level Full Bath: 2023
Driveway: 2026
