Architecture and Chimneys in Bethesda, Maryland

Bethesda, Maryland is constantly gracing a top cities list. Whether it’s for education, income, or best place to live, Bethesda gets a fair share of attention for the quality of life held there. Bethesda also offers a lot of great houses to discovery. From stately colonials to charming bungalows, Bethesda has a plethora of beautiful houses.

At High’s Chimney, we’ve been happy to perform chimney service in Bethesda such as chimney cleaning, duct cleaning, and fireplace installation. Our work has allowed us to work on many beautiful and unique houses, though over the past year we got to experience two styles not often seen around Maryland: Arts and Crafts and French Countryside style homes.

Arts and Crafts
Arts and Crafts architecture was born out of the Arts and Crafts movement. While the name might sound childish, the Arts and Crafts movement was in essence a rebellion against industrialism. As the world became increasing mass marketed, the Arts and Crafts movement placed an emphasis on craftsmanship. In architecture, this lead to the creation of romantic of medieval decorative houses made by artisans.

In the United States, this tended to represent itself in decorative, distinctly European looking buildings. Defining an Arts and Crafts building is difficult as it has no predefined parameters of what makes an Arts and Crafts building. Perhaps the most telling feature of an Arts and Crafts home is in details. If you find yourself staring at a building saying “look at all the detail and decoration that went into that!”, you’re likely looking at an Arts and Crafts building.

Arts and Crafts style homes have an abundance of chimney options, though many use a decorative masonry chimney on the outside of the home.

French Countryside
While “French Countryside” isn’t an architectural style in its own right, it has great popularity in the United States. French Countryside homes, as the name implies, try to bring the old world charm of the French countryside to our busy way of life.

French Countryside homes are generally sprawling buildings built low to the ground, with steep pitched roofs. They’re often made from light colored bricks. The grounds are usually meticulously landscaped, with decorative trees and shrubs giving the impression of the country no matter the location. Inside, the homes tend to be bright. White walls and cabinets give the rooms plenty of light, but well placed natural woodwork helps offset the starkness of white to give the space a natural, almost summery feel.

French countryside homes also tend to have masonry chimneys on the outside of the home. Due to the sprawling nature of these homes, many have multiple fireplaces. What’s more old world than enjoying a glass of wine in front of the fire?