2009 Southern Home Awards | Best New Home

With its identically pitched gables and dormers, vertical siding, and elongated windows, the front of this stylish house resembles an unflinching sentry standing at attention.

The inspiration for the home’s winning design came from small structures that have lined the shores of the Chesapeake Bay for centuries.

Viewed from the back, the Grahams’ waterfront home is nearly transparent―open porches on the first floor catch breezes and large sheets of glass wrap the corners on the upper floors.

Homeowners Marilyn Lyons Graham and Corky Graham wanted to build a home that would please not only themselves, but also their children and grandchildren.

Architect Wayne Good first asked the homeowners to write a portrait of themselves and their lifestyle.

Modular, built-in shelving; an ample work surface; and clean-lined cabinets keep everything organized in the study.

Corky and Marilyn’s master sitting area, which occupies the second level of the tower, is linked to their bedroom by an enclosed bridge.

On the first level of the tower, a pavilion offers panoramic views of the South River and Chesapeake Bay.

Ten-foot-tall sheets of 1-inch-thick thermal glass form the corners of the tower.