House Hunt: Seasoned With Light

Amid the season of bright lights and short days, I find myself focused on two homes and their capacity for illumination.

Until someone pointed out the practice as an invitation to intruders, I left windows in my current house uncovered once I took possession of it. I was light-starved after years of renting a home in well-shaded Decatur, where the transit of the sun often got reduced to a dim glow by leaves and branches outside and blinds aplenty inside. And I never noticed until I found myself living in brighter environs.

With a front door bracketed on either side by a pair of windows and twin dormers on high, the facade of 1796 Ridgeway Ave. NW possesses a non-fearful symmetry. This three-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage in the Cape Cod style admits lots of light through those tall, skinny front windows. It has French doors, which open between a dining room and a deck that overlooks a sloping back yard.

For sunshine-poor times of year, like the one in which I'm writing, No. 1796 has an adequate number of integral light fixtures. The white cabinetry and gleaming steel appliances in the kitchen also brighten the interior here. The aforementioned back yard also includes a utility shed. Pet owners might be interested to know that the door between the rear deck and the laundry room comes with a small mammal flap.

Tall, narrow windows also adorn the exterior of 4519 Wieuca Road. This three-bedroom, 2½-bathroom townhome has an open foyer lit by windows upstairs and downstairs. This home likewise has French doors that open onto a deck.

Also like No. 1796, No. 4519 includes bathrooms illuminated by those pendant over-the-mirror fixtures whose elements are framed by fluted, bell-like glass. The white cabinetry here occupies the bathrooms. No. 4519 has hardwoods on its ground floor, carpeting upstairs and a concrete floor in the basement.

(Please note that all property details, including pricing, are confirmed as of press time but are also subject to change.)