Caitlyn is an artist, writer, architect and interior designer. She has an unapologetic love of old houses, dystopian fantasy novels, portraits of strangers, and aimlessly wandering through unknown cities.
Name: Emily and Alex Champagne Location: Hamilton; Baltimore, Maryland Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 15 months; Owned This young newlywed couple’s craftsman home radiates with endearing energy, even before stepping through the front door. Emily, an artist and educator, and Alex, a musician and co-founder of Scenic Route Records, have painted their home with small bits of themselves.
This home matches Annie and Rush perfectly: artful, clever, and gracious. Their style is evolving, with nods to Swedish minimalism, MCM, and Norman Rockwell.
Name: Anna Saffer and Clementine the cat Location: Mt. Vernon — Baltimore, Maryland Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting At only 450 square feet, it takes some flexibility to make this small space (an apartment carved from a historical Mt. Vernon townhouse) work. Somehow, Anna has managed to do that, despite several space challenges — like the kitchen being too small for the refrigerator.
Name: Caitlyn Cartlidge Location: Frederick, Maryland Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned This house was a dump when I bought it. Stained wall-to-wall carpet and garish high-gloss paint, zero appliances in the kitchen, missing most of its doorknobs, and with a barely usable bathroom whose walls matched the color of the anti-freeze in the pipes pretty well.
Name: Francina and Joe Baldi Location: Frederick, Maryland Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 34 years; Owned Built around 1900, Francina and Joe Baldi’s townhouse has no doubt been through many transformations over the years. The couple have been through a few renovations themselves, but they have been careful to preserve as many of the original features of the house as they could, from the second stair in the kitchen to the thoughtfully embellished door hardware.
Name: Alisa Rabinovich and Jared Thomson Location: Arlington, Virginia Size: 900 square feet Lived in: Seven months; Rented Alisa and Jared haven’t lived in their apartment very long, but nevertheless, the small space has years of history inside. Alisa, owner of Fleurs Boutique in Arlington, has collected art, textiles, antique furniture, and lots and lots of books from all over Europe and the United States.
Name: Sophia and Sebastian Black Location: Washington DC Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 28 years owned The Blacks have the type of house that engages even the passersby. Sophia and Sebastian built their house in the late eighties on a beautiful and coveted piece of land overlooking a valley; the house itself has as much artfulness as the spaces inside. [Even while I was there for this house tour, two pedestrians happened to stop and tell the homeowners how much they loved the house!
