Residential interiors done well are living canvases that create beauty in our lives. No matter the style, the best interiors are unique, inventive spaces developed for people with specific functional needs and visual preferences. As such, good interior design is as much “what it looks like” as “how it works.” And the best design is timeless—aesthetics that never go out of style combined with a functional plan that knows how to evolve. “Things” contribute to décor, but it’s how those things are arranged that makes for good design. Each year the Maryland Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) recognizes exceptional design, that alchemy of bringing the elements of décor together so they are more than just pretty. ChesapeakeHome is proud to feature this year’s residential winners, the best of the best. For a full gallery of commercial and student winners as well as additional views of the residences featured here, please visit the Awards Department of ChesapeakeHome.com.
Photo courtesy Johnson Berman Photography by Erik Kvalsvil
Johnson Berman
Historic Residential, 1st Place
Designer: Henry Johnson, Allied Member ASID
Photos by Erik Kvalsvik
Constructed in 1922, this home crowns the highest bluff overlooking the Severn River, outside Annapolis, Maryland. Originally a copy of an early Maryland Colonial estate, the house had been greatly altered for institutional use during the 1940s and 1950s and needed extensive renovations to make it functional again for residential use. The renovation project involved all aspects of interior décor and architecture including a full complement of molding profiles some reclaimed from the interiors with other hand crafted details devised from 18th and early 19th century sources. The furniture, colors, fabrics, curtains, and carpets balance a more traditional Colonial style with the homeowner’s collected furnishings from South East Asia and the Far East. Important original architectural features that survived were carefully restored. The bathroom suite for the husband was constructed from imported hand-milled teak evoking the Greek Revival style. The balancing suite was finished in an elegant Classical Style with Art Deco influences—the bath furnishings are finished in platinum leaf commissioned specifically for the lady of the house.
Photo by Anne Gummerson
Designline
Residential, 1st Place
Designer: Teresa Buchanan, ASID
Photos by Anne Gummerson
Purchased post-construction, this two bedroom waterfront condo had a great location but needed a personality to match. Interior designer Teresa Buchanan worked with her clients to develop extensive cabinetry and millwork and improved lighting throughout. Additionally some light renovating provided better views from the interior, improved functionality, and granted easier access to the guest bedroom.
The décor is traditional and reflects the wife’s Swedish heritage while incorporating 21st century technology and a sense of place at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
To provide modern technology in a traditional setting, Buchanan concealed wiring and equipment with such architectural and decorative details as a coffered ceiling, a folding art screen, and built-in cabinetry.
Photo by Craig Westerman
Mill Brook Circle Interior Design
Kitchen Design, Honorable Mention
Designer: Liz Dickson
Photos by Craig Westerman
Often interior design takes the shape of a full-scale renovation. Such was the case when the owners of a 1940s ranch house sought to open up the kitchen to the rest of the house and the outdoors. To transform the space, interior designer Liz Dickson first removed the wall between the kitchen and a rarely used formal living room allowing natural light to pervade the once cramped and choppy spaces.
New floor plan accomplished, the designer turned to creating a new layout for the kitchen that included relocating the refrigerator to the opposite wall, adding a cooking island to define the kitchen and living areas, and a large bar and a pull-out pantry to anchor each end of the kitchen.
The kitchen’s sophisticated style includes shaker cabinets in a canvas color, green granite countertops and a sea glass tile back splash in tones of green, tan, and blue. The new open living space is unified with hardwood floors and coordinating window treatments and furnishings.
Dennis Hockman is Editor of Chesapeakehome
