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About This Design
Interior Design: Paul Miller
Thirteen years ago, I crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on my first trip to Rehoboth Beach, knowing that my client of seven years at the time was embarking on a new journey, as well. We had worked together in their Virginia home, but this vacation house was new. More than a decade later, my client reached out with another new project. She told me they had found the perfect house for vacations now and retirement in the future. It ticked off all the boxes: an established Rehoboth neighborhood with big, shady trees; a roomy owner suite on the main level; plenty of room for the next generation to visit; and its own boat launch to make yachting from the canal easy-breezy.
My mantra for this project was to take the groundwork laid in my client’s last vacation home and build on it with more elevated additions, vibrant colors and playful details. Helpfully, the new home has an intuitive, welcoming layout and any number of luxury features. Having worked together for twenty-plus years, my client provided me a great deal of freedom to craft this transformation. The outcome is all that I could want: she and her family love the design.
“I came up to our beach house last night and, oh my gosh, I am absolutely blown away! Every time I look around, I notice some amazing new detail I hadn’t noticed before. I’m so grateful for your creative vision & flawless execution! I will really enjoy the next few days here in paradise!”
These are the texts that feed a designer’s soul.
The heart of the house is the family room and kitchen area, where existing, but reupholstered seating and new elements come together comfortably. Inspired by the array of tones in my drapery fabric selection, I chose deep, grounding spruce for the matched loveseats, joyful tangerine for the ottomans, and a zesty citron for the swivel chairs.
The bamboo-backed built-ins hold a mix of new and old treasures, including careworn and loved books from my client’s Virginia home, family photos, and sculptural elements that I selected to further tell their story.
Other new additions to this space include a sleek, walnut end table between the swivel chairs and an equally clean-lined pair of chairs with walnut frames at the hearth. The casual, sophisticated chair fabric, designed for easy cleanup, was repeated on island stools in the adjacent kitchen. A lamp in bracing aqua with brass fittings heightens the joyful color in the space.
The kitchen, beautifully remodeled by the previous owner, needed only fresh paint, new light fixtures, counter stools, and accents to meld it with the rest of the design.
A pair of immaculate, vintage Henredon consoles in burled veneer, discovered in the last stretch of the project, add convenient storage at the dining room entry from the family room, as well as a note of warm, retro glamour.
The reclaimed wood dining table and bistro-style chairs, carried forward from our earlier beach house design, find new context in this house, with cheerful botanical drapery, a tweedy rug in spruce green, and gorgeous linen-textured wallpaper in tangerine. The dramatic wainscoting in this space called for an elegant light fixture, which features seeded glass raindrops and warm metallic chain and piping.
Just outside of the dining room, the foyer staircase provides a perfectly-scaled nook for the reclaimed wood console we used in the living room of the previous home. A column of crisp, cheerful art grounds the landing.
In the home office, custom drapery in a lively, Matisse-like print offers a melange of bold colors, encompassing the tones of an existing chair, a third, recovered pill ottoman and a new rug. The spool-legged mahogany desk stands out crisply against the wainscoting. The upper walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s breezy, graceful Tapestry Beige.
In the owner suite, I chose colors and new furnishings judiciously to shift the context of a paneled bed frame and old-world bedside tables. The custom drapery, a must to block out the sharp, reflective light off the canal, marries shades of green, blue and brown, inviting in a leather ottoman that had lived in the office at the previous house. The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Lewiville Green with the slightly deeper Misted Fern on the bed wall.
Octagonal brass bedside lamps, minimalist floor lamps in rattan and brass, and a darkly finished ash wood dresser give posh, boutique hotel style, while new reading chairs in an approachable blue chenille and a striped wool rug keep the space casual and inviting.
In the second floor family room, wallpaper that evokes pennant streamers sets the tone for a playful and happy space. An all-too-sumptuous sectional was reimagined in a fluffy sea glass textile that feels like the dreamiest robe you ever wore. New toss pillows, ottoman and a hearthside chair introduce coppery red tones and lighthearted patterns. A wood mirror with a playful silhouette warms up an industrial-inspired console from the previous home, while a locally-sourced salvaged metal cat looks on guilelessly.
We added a glass-top table and repainted porch chairs to make a gaming area for two - or the perfect setting for an impromptu remote work meeting. Art was thoughtfully curated to tell the family’s story. Four boats in the water represent each of the family members, while a boy and a girl exploring in the sand capture the innocent wonder of beach life when the children were younger.
No retreat is complete without a screened porch. I selected weather-ready upholstery and accent tables in teak and brass that will patina beautifully with the seasons. A pair of flamingos from the previous house keep a watchful eye on the canal.
Each trip over the sweeping Chesapeake Bay Bridge to craft this design brought this house one step closer to becoming a home. Knowing that my clients will feel excitement and peace settle over them every time they make that crossing in part because of my vision is a source of pride and joy.
Photos: Matthew Lofton
