Photography by Peake Visuals
THE PROJECT: A traditional, circa 2000 colonial that the couple purchased knowing it would require a decent amount of work. From its woefully average primary bath to its dysfunctional kitchen layout, to an awkward main level retrofitting project, the home would require a modern remodeling miracle to keep the owners at the same address.
THE PLACE: An idyllic waterfront location in Stevensville where a trip out to the Bay was mere minutes by boat. A setting so beautiful, the homeowners went for a number of years in the home with a just a few tweaks while they were busy working and raising their three kids.
EXECUTING THE PLAN: The homeowners chose Taylor Hart Design, an Annapolis-based custom interiors and home renovation firm to transform an, in essence, builder-grade house that had already undergone some less-than-advantageous previous owner upgrades into something better suited to their current lifestyle.
Photography by Peake Visuals
To stay and make improvements or to pull up stakes and start over? This common conundrum faced by many homeowners at one time or another, is at the heart of this month’s home feature upgrade.
He wanted to stay. Their waterfront location was ideal. She wanted to go. Their kids were grown and were leaving the nest. Plus, she had already been working around their home’s design snafus for years and could not imagine how any amount of remodeling could change an uninspiring and downright counterproductive floorplan into something that really worked for them.
Photography by Peake Visuals
Where to Start?
While the entire home needed a solid redressing, Laurie Hart, Founder and Principal of Taylor Hart Design, says there was one thing the homeowner insisted be resolved sooner rather than later: Their primary bedroom and en suite bath.
The re- imagining of this space would comprise the first phase of renovations…and that re-imagining would be substantial, to elevate what initially was very basic design right down to its one-piece glass shower surround. The room was also dark, and the commode actually had too much pride of place in the room, which resulted in a complete do-over attitude on part of the homeowners. Their wish list included more natural light, a view out to the water if possible, and a more thoughtful approach to the vibe, which, in the homeowner’s opinion, should be more holistic and relaxing.
Photography by Peake Visuals
The new version of this room has become more of an oasis for the homeowners with its opulent, free-standing soaking tub, luxurious Herringbone porcelain tile from Compass Tile, a gorgeous walk-in shower with a view to the water, and a fresh approach to the overall aesthetic by employing an arched doorframe to the shower entry, providing elevation that the space required. Luxe details such as an over-the-tub Talia glass bubble chandelier from Visual Comfort and a touch of color courtesy of a light blue Raphael style wallpaper by Sandberg results in the type of en suite experience the couple had wanted all along.
“We basically just reconfigured the entire layout,” Hart explains. “It’s absolutely nothing like it was before and they got so much more in the same space.”
Photography by Peake Visuals
Point of Entry
As Hart describes it, this home’s first impression was a lackluster one. “When you walked in the house, it was just walls with all these bank doors,” says Hart of the vintage doors the previous owner had retrofitted and installed on the main level.
“That’s all you saw. They had closed all the walls up. The living room and dining room walls were closed in with these bank doors, so you couldn’t see into them. Everything was painted a yellow color. So, we took all those walls back to actually the way it was originally built.”
While the homeowner described the main level as “livable” prior to its renaissance, the frustration Hart sensed coming from her told a different story.
“She hated the doors. They’re really dark and heavy,” says Hart, who recalls her client lamenting that she just wanted to see something beautiful when she walked down her staircase into the foyer, but that hadn’t been happening.
“The foyer was really important to her and then their kitchen, the way it was [originally] designed, they had so many windows in the kitchen—the previous owners, they just had windows everywhere,” Hart adds.
Knowing how traditional her clients were, Hart says her on-staff interiors expert, Deanna Gurri, leaned into a classic “black and tan” color story to pull the look of the main level together, which included a formal living room, family room, and a kitchen with an inspiring waterfront morning room.
The resulting renovation took the foreboding entry to a place of refinement and good taste. The opening of the walls, swapping out old-school staircase spindles for modern, black iron spindles, the addition of subtle hints of trim, and the laying of a sandy-colored hardwood floor throughout most of the main level, allows the eye to flow seamlessly from the entry and into its adjacent rooms.
Photography by Peake Visuals
Here to Stay
The kitchen, before it was addressed, was also a frustrating space for the homeowners. Too many windows in this room along one wall limited the amount of functional storage space it could provide. A smaller center island with a built-in sink and dishwasher feature became a focal point for family clutter, and the original mudroom was less than the epitome of functionality.
All that would change. Taking a page from the primary bath’s playbook, Hart replaced a series of windows along one wall with one, large arched style window, which now perfectly frames a cherished gazebo outside on the grounds. Custom cabinetry was added on either side and the counter below it would now provide a home for a sink and dishwasher, allowing a new larger island to take its place in the center of the room. A continuing scheme of black, tan, and white keeps the look crisp and continuous throughout. And a thoughtful re-envisioning of the kitchen’s square footage, allowed a mudroom upgrade to include coveted office space with a view for her, and a walk-in pantry was added to the floorplan, making clutter a mere pre-reno memory.
Photography by Peake Visuals
Finishing touches abound in these spaces including their dining room where their heirloom table now has the rarified surroundings to complement its vintage, including the stunning Regina Andrew Echo chandelier. And off the kitchen in the morning room, a special space was created for the couple where they could reflect and just appreciate the journey to create the home they ultimately wanted.
“We wanted to give them a place to sit and have coffee and eat, or if they didn’t want to have to go sit at the island, or go into the dining room,” explains Hart of the modern café table by Dovetail Furniture.
“So, we put a little bistro table with chairs in [the morning room]. And that was like a huge thing for them because now they sit in there every day together, which is a huge change from the way they were living before.”
