A Home for All Seasons

A Maryland family builds a Craftsman house to store a lifetime of memories

Joe Greaney, the oldest of Seven children, grew up in a substantial stone house in Wellesley, Mass., that had multiple fireplaces and looked like a castle. His wife, Nancy, moved often with her family on government business. The Greaneys' dream was to give their children, Bridgette, 14, and Joey, 13, a home that was a solid anchor.

"I wanted them to have a place so that when they think of Christmas or Thanksgiving, they remember home, and they don't think of 10 different places. When they come home from camp or college, it's here," Joe says.

In 1997, the Greaneys purchased 10 park-like acres of land that overlook Muddy Branch in Darnestown. They studied home design magazines and cut out photos of styles that resonated with them. Both gravitated toward simple American designs with clean lines.

"My original idea for the house was wood, stone, metal and glass," says Joe, 48, an aspiring mystery writer.

One day, while driving through the nearby countryside, about a mile from the property they'd purchased, an Arts and Crafts-style home with cedar siding caught Joe's eye. He stopped, curious to know who was building it, and discovered that the architect, Jim Rill of Rill & Decker Architects in Bethesda, was building it for himself. Joe and Nancy hired Rill, as well as Conrad Zink of Zink Construction, and the welcoming family home the Greaneys had envisioned became a reality a little more than a year later.

"It feels like a treehouse in the summer and a ski chalet when a fire is roaring at Thanksgiving," Nancy says. Rich woods used for paneling, exposed timbers and flooring create warmth throughout the house.

"The wood for the heart pine floors came from the beams of a factory built in the mid-1800s in Boone, North Carolina," Joe says. "These floors are full of resin; that's what turns them red."

Carderock stone from a local quarry provides a strong architectural element. Metal railings and soaring windows create an open, airy feel, with lots of natural light streaming in. Barbara Hawthorn of Barbara Hawthorn Interiors collaborated with the Greaneys to choose the palette, furnishings and much of the art, resulting in a space shot through with vibrant color and style.

The Greaneys change some of their furnishings depending on the season. "H.L. Mencken used to change his rugs," Joe says. "In the 1800s, a lot of people did that. They'd take away the heavy woolen rugs of winter."

When the temperature drops, the Greaneys replace the lightly shaded soft sisals, dhurries and runners throughout their home -- in their living and dining rooms, entry alcove and breakfast nook, in particular -- with dark blue and cranberry antique Oriental rugs. They also remove French blue linen and silk summer slipcovers to reveal a dark blue velvety sofa beneath. The colorful flowers they keep in their massive stone fireplace throughout the summer yield to thick wooden logs after Halloween. A wool throw tossed over the sofa adds a touch of coziness. Even the burlap draperies in the owners' bedroom get an extra layer for winter. Hawthorn designed a tweed trim with brown woven leather buttons that can be attached as a band along the edges for a seasonal accent.

Nancy, 48, a partner in a Rockville publishing company, especially likes the home's light and the flow. "Jim Rill has a good eye," she says. "He took advantage of sunlight without baking our house. And the open floor plan gives a sense of spaciousness. One space leads naturally into the next." The kitchen area can easily accommodate a lot of people without feeling crowded. Family and guests have several options when choosing where to eat: in the breakfast nook, at the counter or dining room table, or on the screened porch.

The latter happens to be Nancy's favorite space in the 4,400-square-foot house. "I use the screened porch almost every day from April till early November," she says. "I sit out there with a cup of coffee and read the paper. It feels like a room, not an outdoor porch. You don't feel like you're in metropolitan Washington. You feel like you could be in Montana."

Trish Donnally is editor in chief of Washington Spaces. Her first book, "The New Traditional," co-authored with Darryl Carter, was recently published by Clarkson Potter. She can be reached at tdonnally@washingtonspaces.com.