A Coastal-Urban Retreat

A Rehoboth Beach Vacation Home Borrows Contemporary Cues From City Life While Playing Up to Its Breezy Coastal Setting

Written by Kristen Hampshire
Photography by Robert Radifera
Styling by Charlotte Safavi

Beachy texture and seas of blue meet crisp lines and sophisticated finishes—touches that are elevated but not overly serious. This Rehoboth Beach home is equal parts urban loft and coastal contemporary, open for entertaining and located on a treelined street a short walk from the ocean.

To be sure, the aesthetic in this getaway is a departure from the owners’ historic Dupont Circle home in Washington D.C.

“One of our priorities was to do something completely different—to have a complete polar opposite experience from our D.C. space, something light, airy and modern,” says Dominick Cerminaro.

He and Jeremias Alvarez enlisted in Jamie Merida Interiors to navigate the design waters.

The property was a tear down/rebuild by Lewes-based Garrison Homes with RJH Architects of Malvern, Pennsylvania. The couple reeled in Merida and lead designer Leigh Mayhew before even entering the stud phase.

“It was early enough for us to really take our time in the co-creation process,” Alvarez says, relating how concurrent construction and interior design planning made way for a cohesive finish.

There’s an interplay between natural light flooding into floor-to-ceiling windows and the warmth of woven pieces. Every selection was highly intentional and driven by an end goal to establish a place that felt like “their own” and that others could embrace as home, too.

“Driving into Rehoboth, all of a sudden you feel relaxed—you exhale, and the environment puts you in a different mindset,” Alvarez says, noting frequent entertaining. So, design decisions also factored in weekend guests, open space for gathering, indoor-outdoor access and privacy with an ensuite for every bedroom.

“They wanted a lighter, brighter version of a townhouse that is open and designed for easy entertaining,” relates Merida, whose furnishings appoint rooms throughout the house.

Textural Expressions
With a grand entry in mind, 10-foot ceilings earn texture from Phillip Jeffries wallcovering while a deep-blue woven Parsons table is juxtaposed by geometric wood garden stools by Currey & Company. “The yin-yang of cool coastal is warmed by the raffia,” Merida points out.

Wall sculptures fashioned from laser-cut metal are bendable and can be “posed,” Merida explains of The Phillips Collection pieces that appear to float along the wall like sea anemones. Ample headroom throughout the home affords space for dramatic lighting sourced from Visual Comfort.

“The wide hallway and three windows surrounding the front door make a statement when you walk into the house, while the wallpaper makes it feel cozy,” Alvarez relates.

Light, Bright & Just Right
An ombré rug selection in shades of gray and blue informed the living room’s colorway—a space that “feels like Palm Springs,” Merida says, calling out a Hollywood Regency-style fireplace inset he designed using glazed tiles.

Walls and coffered ceilings are awash in Sherwin-Williams White Dove, with square trim detail and a contrasting ring-shaped fixture in matte black with bronze. “Darker light fixtures with metals dress up the space,” Mayhew says.

The same approach blends coastal and contemporary in the adjacent kitchen, where mostly white surfaces are offset by cerulean lower cabinetry. The island features classic furniture legs, introducing tradition while woven-backed chair stools reintroduce texture.

Alvarez says, “There is texturing throughout, from wallpaper and furnishings to lighting.”
Lighting was also a focus—both inviting in natural light and including calm, mood-setting fixtures with dimmers. “For us, lighting is important,” Alvarez says. “It’s also important to utilize the lighting fixtures as art themselves as statement pieces, so we invested strategically there.”

Alvarez points to a lamp mimicking scalloped shells. Bathrooms include sconces to “make it more elevated without being uncomfortable,” he says. “The fans in the bedrooms are wide and nautical.”

As for inviting the outdoors into the home, the couple can slide open the entire back of the home, which opens to an artistically appointed adult playground with a spa-plunge pool and plenty of lounge space.

There’s a lush linear feel and inspired elements like the sculpture of a diver sourced from The Phillips Collection.

Warm Front
Found spaces within the home reveal views and offer opportunities to curate areas like an upstairs landing, which contains a simple office with room to spare. A Chelsea House console by Merida with his Shelbourne garden seats and a mirror by Regina Andrew tie into the lower level’s basketweave look.

“When we work the raffia with color pieces, ceramics and case goods, the basketweave takes it to a different level,” Merida remarks.

Mayhew adds, “It warms everything up all over.”
Of their “quintessential respite spot,” Alvarez says, “It feels like home.” CS

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