The Stone Cottage, an architecturally significant structure, is a Country-French inspired home near Cumberland, Maryland

Cumberland, Maryland

Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...

, designed and built by Kelly L. Moran

Kelly L. Moran

Kelly L. Moran is an American artist, author, and builder. The Washington Times newspaper wrote "she is also one heck of a designer." She has a degree in Fine Arts from Frostburg State University graduating in 1982 and continually trains at the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Baltimore, Maryland,...

. Built using white limestone, a traditional material commonly found in France and not native to the Eastern United States, a slate roof and post & beam construction gives this home the appearance of an old medieval structure when in fact it was completed in 2006. The exterior of the Stone Cottage uses a technique called "Slush & Brush" that was employed thousands of years ago, using a wood paddle instead of a trowel and not raking back the joints. The Stone Cottage is only 1800 square feet (167.2 m²) and features an open plan Great Room where the kitchen, dining area and living room are located. The open plan design allows for a family to experience 'connected space' instead of being in separate rooms in a much larger home.

Moran is an advocate of smaller "cozy house" design. Quoted in the Washington Post AT HOME Magazine, Moran talks of smaller homes being a current trend in the US residential building market.

The Stone Cottage has been featured in the Washington Post AT HOME Magazine summer 2007 issue, Cottages & Bungalows Magazine summer 2007 issue, Maryland Life Magazine May/June 2007 issue, and Timber Homes Illustrated Magazine Winter 2007/2008 issue. The Stone Cottage has also been featured in both the Fall/winter 2009 and Spring/Summer 2010 COUNTRY FRENCH Magazine, one of Meredith Publishings Specials. See pages 122 - 129 "Continental Cottage" photographer Gordon Beall and produced by Colleen Scully. It is a private residence.