A Realtor Transforms Her Childhood Home Into a New House

Projects

A Realtor Transforms Her Childhood Home Into a New House

Project: Tally Ho / Location: Timonium, Md. / Architect/Designer: Pascale de Fouchier Interiors / Location: Baltimore / Contractor: Pine construction / Photography: Jenn Verrier Photos / Styling: Kristi Hunter

The 1960s ranch that Alisa and Jason Goldsmith purchased in Timonium, Md., is no ordinary rancher. Alisa, a Baltimore-based real estate agent and former owner of The Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens, grew up there, and purchased it after her father passed away.

“My house was always the central hub for family and friends,” Alisa says. “It was where everyone naturally gathered and felt comfortable. That all had to do with my parents who created an environment that was incredibly welcoming, fun and inclusive. People felt taken care of the moment they walked in. It was a safe, happy space, and those are the feelings that really stayed with me.”

Alisa says she bought the house to recreate that same feeling for her own family. “There was something really special about the way the home brought people together, and I knew that if we could carry that forward while making it our own, it would be incredibly meaningful,” she adds.

But the 2,600-square-foot home was dated, with functional shortcomings. Storage was chronically inadequate throughout, the kitchen lacked organization, and there was no proper mudroom, which in a family home is a daily frustration. These weren’t aesthetic complaints; they were practical ones, and solving them drove a lot of the design thinking, the project statement says.

To right the home’s wrongs and bring it into the 21st century, the couple asked Pascale de Fouchier, a French-American architect, designer and principal of Baltimore-based Pascale de Fouchier Interiors, to transform the home into a modern, light-filled oasis with a “California cool” aesthetic.

The floorplan for the single-level home was originally very linear so Pascale de Fouchier renovated the existing volume and added two new wings. One side of the home serves as the primary suite with an office, primary bedroom and bathroom complete with wood panelling and a coffee station. The other side of the home has a self-contained mother-in-law suite, a dining room and living room, a man cave, bunk room and the kids bedrooms.

“The basement was also transformed into a multi-purpose social space designed for everything from movie nights to extended family gatherings,” Fouchier says. “Alisa and Jason are deeply into design and took an unusually hands-on approach to the build — I developed the complete design, and they managed construction themselves, executing all material and color recommendations to the letter. I was around the corner when needed.”

To address storage, the firm specified a program of custom built-ins throughout the home, designed to integrate seamlessly into the architecture. “The kitchen layout was reconceived to improve flow and organization,” Fouchier explains. “The mudroom was a particularly satisfying solve: rather than adding square footage, we reconfigured the garage access within the existing footprint to carve out a proper mudroom — finding the space that was already there. The two new wings also required rethinking circulation for the whole house, so we worked out a new access layout that makes the expanded home feel connected and intentional rather than simply additive.”

Fouchier expanded the house to 5,000 square feet and gave it a California-influenced vibe, with a white, wood and black vocabulary running throughout. But the firm was careful to keep the home feeling cohesive and intentional. Functionally, the priorities were multigenerational living, better flow and spaces that could flex between everyday family life and entertaining.

“The palette reflects the California brief: warm, natural, refined without being precious,” Fouchier says. “In the kitchen, custom flat-inset cabinetry from Cabinet Joint is paired with zellige tiles from Zia Tiles — their handmade variation and luminous glaze bring depth and warmth to a clean-lined space.”

Other notable design touches include a lilac marble sink, a Nordic stained glass pebble pendant and a bespoke mirror in the powder room. In the primary bedroom, Eskayel fabric covers the window seat cushion, adding a layer of artful texture, the firm says.

“Wallpaper in the foyer is meant to mimic wood paneling,” Fouchier says. “There are marble and porcelain slabs in the kitchen with white on the island and marble graining on the backsplash, Ateriers pendants, as well as black iron detailing on the island. A built-in banquet in the breakfast room boasts a forest green leather, Saarinen table and wood chairs from Copenhagen. The mudroom features black and white carrara tile inlay, black cabinetry and traditional lighting. The primary bathroom is a spa-inspired space with tumbled panelling, Zelliges clay tile, brass pulls and a coffee station.”