Paul and Cissy Marks? picture-perfect, five-level home rises on one of Baltimore?s seductive urban bluffs in historic Federal Hill. Flowering crepe myrtle shrubs and bountiful, cup-shaped saucer magnolias spill over from the neighbor?s tree, creating a scene at the front door that could have been painted on one of Cissy?s canvasses.
Voluminous windows provide passive solar heating throughout the 4,000-square-foot wood-and-brick structure generously welcoming natural light and the warmth of a Southern exposure these two prolific artists say is so critical for them that they would never live in a house without it.
“Southern exposure is the key to being happy,” said Paul Marks, the founding principal of the Marks-Thomas architectural firm and a painter, who with his wife, Cissy, a full-time painter, designed the home they describe as “warm modern.”
In a neighborhood of brick houses revered for what?s old, “we didn?t want it to stand out like a sore thumb,” Paul said. “We wanted it to fit in but also have a modern house,” Cissy readily agreed.
Inside, the couple?s fondness for Mexico and the brilliant colors of the Southwest plays out in their design choices in collectibles that keep the eye and spirit pleasantly busy turn by turn. “We like eclectic Mexican native crafts and handmade items,” Cissy noted, pointing out a collection of carved cat heads. “It doesn?t have to be expensive.”
The handcrafted orange-toned Mexican ceramic tile floor, which the couple loves for its beauty and practicality “stays cool in summer and warm in winter ? and ages well, with nicks and bumps and scratches developing its character.”
Natural pine-wood slat ceilings and neutral colors on the walls and trim complete the canvas. The master bath with deep orange wallpaper and detached shower tub is the playful exception to neutrality.
The second-level kitchen is a fluid, open design with views of side and back gardens, and the one remaining line of sight swath of the harbor?s water view across Key Highway. A favorite piece in the garden is a sculpture of a nymph that once graced the bow of an old wooden yacht kept in memory of Dan Davis, a close friend and saloon owner who died.
Their favorite space in the house is the bright two-story sitting room featuring Mexican native art and an abundance of Cissy?s still life paintings and Paul?s canvas renderings of scenes out of the pre-condo, old Baltimore industrial waterfront.
While they don?t do as much entertaining as they once did, there is, the couple says, “Tuesday paint nights with a round of painter friends over chocolate, wine and politics. And maybe we paint.”
