What inspires you? Is it a quiet place to relax and catch up with friends online, a fashionable and functional kitchen to cook family meals, or an entertainment room to cheer on your favorite team during the Big Game? Whatever the case may be, the design of these spaces must be carefully and artfully planned. Great design goes beyond simply being beautiful. It becomes an expression of your personality. It’s a visual statement of who you are and what makes you happy. Above all else, design accommodates the essential needs of the homeowner both functionally and aesthetically.
Each year, Chesapeake Home + Living teams up with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) to award exceptional design, and we are proud to showcase this year’s residential winners. For gallery of past winners, please visit the Awards section of ChesapeakeHomeandLiving.com.
Photo by Kenneth M. Wyner Photography
GTM Architects
Residential Kitchen & Bath, First Place
Designer: Barbara S. Magistro, ASID, IIDA
gtmarchitects.com 240-333-2000
This project in Bethesda, Maryland was designed to solve several basic needs for the modern family who needed a larger, more functional kitchen and breakfast area, an expanded family room space, and updated bedrooms, as well as general reconfiguring of the existing floor plan to provide more usable spaces.
The existing home, although large, did not have the space and layout for entertaining more than a small party comfortably. The new design features a more open floor plan with a grand kitchen and breakfast room opening to the beautifully landscaped backyard. In addition, there is a new work area and a wet bar to help accommodate entertaining larger groups. The new kitchen features a custom designed vaulted beamed ceiling with ambient cove lighting, dormers for natural light, and top-of-the-line appliances.
Photo by Stephen Cherry Photography
CA Interiors, LLC
Residential, Second Place
Designer: Cynthia Armacost, Allied Member, ASID
cainteriorsllc.com 443-871-4572
The owners of this Fenwick Island, Delaware beach home wanted an escape from it all. Desiring a change of pace from the city life, they decided to establish a primary residence with adequate ocean views. The construction of this 5,000-square-foot four-level oceanfront home included the demolition of an existing 1950s hotel on the property before construction began, but the owners also wanted to keep remnants of the old hotel in their new home.
Before the hotel was demolished, the designer toured the property with the clients to determine which pieces to salvage and incorporate in the new home. Old ceramic tiles from the hotel’s bathrooms were used in a new buddy bath as a border on the tub/shower wall, while old sand fencing was re-used and painted in a bright color for twin headboards. Wood paneling was reused on the back of the gathering room built-ins and color washed in a toned down aqua color and a small drop leaf dining table was fabricated from old wood.
Photo by Craig Westerman
Millbrook Circle Interior Design
Residential Kitchen and Bath, Second Place
Designer: Liz Dickson, Student Member, ASID
millbrookcircle.com or 443-846-6046
The goal of this master bathroom in Ruxton, Maryland was to create a warm and relaxing space, and to replace the dated “his” and “her” vanities with units that would be cohesive, yet address different storage needs. Additionally, the husband, a geologist, wanted to keep the existing Alabaster tile on the walls of the shower and use only natural materials for the floor and whirlpool tub deck.
Using the tiled shower as a starting point, designer Liz Dickson selected a Crema Marfil marble with rich, warm, cream and brown tones to complement the existing alabaster. With continuity in mind, Crema Marfil was also selected for the vanity tops and a mocha glazed, canvas finish was specified for the vanities themselves.
By choosing a rich, neutral color for the walls, the designer ensured that the cream and brown tones in all the materials would appear dominant, unifying those elements and giving the room a warm, relaxed feel.
Photo by Morgan Howarth and Derek Jones
Fitzsimmons Design Associates
Show House, First Place
Gina Fitzsimmons, ASID
fitzsimmonsdesign.com or 410-269-1965
As part of the Baltimore Symphony Show House at the Ritz Carlton in Baltimore, Maryland, the goal of this project was to design a space that was traditional and classy, contemporary, yet comfortable—a space that would appeal to a variety of people.
The 2,400-square-foot condo did not have a family room, so the designer incorporated a television into the living room, as well as a reading space with good lighting, and an area suitable for both intimate and large parties.
To give the living room area a more dramatic look, the designer used Mystic Gold, a deep tone paint that is one of Benjamin Moore’s Historic Colors. Drapery panels that blended into the wall color were used as not to detract from the view of the water. Meanwhile, the driftwood table between the sofa and chaise reinforce the regional Chesapeake flavor of the room.
Photo courtesy Becker Morgan Group
Becker Morgan Group, Inc.
Residential, First Place
Designers: Louise Miller, ASID and Christopher L. Pattey, Assoc. AIA
beckermorgan.com or 410-546-9100
Color reigns supreme at this Eastern Shore waterfront home. Unlike surrounding homes, the owners, a retired couple, desired a modern solution trending away from the typical beach house décor. In order to achieve this goal, the design team paired upscale modern loft principles with a casual, coastal feel and a simple, uncluttered approach.
In the main living room, vivid hues pulled from the owners’ love of a southwestern palette were selected—warm reds and sunny yellows are paired with hues of a more natural feel and adapt to the couple’s vibrancy and eccentricity to a relaxing waterfront retreat.
The jewel tones, as well as the cool grays and greens of the surrounding landscape, are anchored by sustainable striated bamboo floors in a variety of colors throughout the home. A sculptural cascading glass “bobble” chandelier in the entry way references a modern interpretation of a jellyfish and reflects the beautiful pairing of eastern and western inspired color.
LCK Interiors
Historic, First Place
Designer: Laura Kimball, CID, ASID
lckinteriors.com or 410-262-7419
Built in 1928, the Arden House in Catonsville, Maryland was the home of Frederick May and Helen Railton Gittings, a socially prominent Maryland family entwined in politics and business. The home was designed by Baltimore architect William F. Stone Jr. in the Tudor revival style during the American Victorian era.
In redesigning the Grand Hall, which serves as the main entrance foyer, it was important that the new design maintain the integrity of the historic feel of the house. The back window wall on the Grand Staircase is covered in a large Jacobean-style floral printed wallpaper, a design pulled from the Tudor revival period. The decorative paper not only echoes the historic detailing, but creates the effect of lavish artwork on a heavily trafficked stair wall.
The renovation included the addition of a family room and master suite as well as new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning; plumbing, electrical, and structural upgrades; replacement of damaged plaster with drywall; and refinishing original wood surfaces. A few existing doorways were widened to create ease of traffic flow and a more open plan.
