A David Jameson house that’s already made for a buyer

“For 20 years now, I have people call the studio and say, ‘We’re not really the type of people who have the temperament to go through a multiyear design and build process. Do you have anything for sale?’ And the answer for 20 years has been no,” Jameson said. “So the idea was simple. There’s been a desire from people in the area to have something that’s already built, ready to go. This is an interesting opportunity. Why not do it?”

A Jameson-designed house is appealing in many ways. It has a look — what Jameson terms “habitable art.” It has sustainability — from its footprint to its eco-friendly green roof. It has craftsmanship — a mix of cutting-edge technology married to high-quality artisanship.

But perhaps most of all it has livability. Jameson doesn’t only ask prospective homeowners what they want in a house. He interviews their children and the person who does the laundry to learn how they will live in the house. He cares as much about the laundry room functioning well as the main living spaces.

For this house, he has taken 20 years of listening to clients and incorporated it into his design. The result is a house that lives well.

He’s also prescient. Even though the house was designed long before the coronavirus outbreak, it is well suited to pandemic living. It has an open layout but one that provides separate spaces for homework, Zoom calls and yoga practice.

A criticism of modern homes is that they are cold and sterile. Not this one. With its color palette of rich bronze and earthy clay, the house exudes warmth. Because of how the bronze cladding and English clay tiles will weather over time, Jameson says the look of the house will improve with age.

Much of what you would expect in a Jameson-designed house is here. It is in some ways similar to a Savile Row bespoke suit. Like an expertly tailored garment that wouldn’t fit as well without the precise seams and darts beneath the lining, this house has robotically built framing made at Baltimore-based Blueprint Robotics, what Jameson describes as “the most beautiful lumber and the straightest lumber you have ever seen.” The meticulous craftsmanship isn’t something you necessarily notice. But in a modern home — with no crown molding or baseboards to hide not-quite-even walls — the lack of flaws stands out.

That perfection is nicely matched with imperfection. Jameson doesn’t try to hide blemishes in the materials he uses. Instead, he celebrates them. Streaks run along the hot rolled steel panels in the living area. Worm holes create interesting patterns in the wide-plank white oak flooring. Rather than leave the shiny finish on the Fior de Bosco marble countertops in the kitchen, he removed the polish to create what he calls a “sueded” look. These imperfections create a uniqueness that can’t be duplicated.

It also keeps the house from becoming too precious. This home may be constructed like a Savile Row suit, but it wears like a comfortable pair of jeans.

The top level and the lower level are part of what set this house apart. Jameson claims the house is the highest single-family residential property in the city, with expansive views of Maryland and Virginia. The upper level indoor-outdoor space has a kitchen for easy entertaining. The adjacent room would be ideal for a yoga or meditation studio. The lower level could technically be described as a garage, and if you had eight cars you needed to park, you could easily fit them inside. But with its 12-foot ceilings and lighting designed by the same woman who designed the lighting for the Apple stores, the “garage” could also be a stunning space for entertaining.

Jameson said he enjoyed working on this house so much that he plans to do another project like this one.

“I am totally bitten by the bug,” Jameson said. “I’ll just be honest. It’s fun to do. I think having fun, especially in this time of the world, is a key ingredient to life. I’m still a kid. I get paid to play in a sandbox.”

The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom, 12,200-square-foot house is listed at just under $13 million.