Ready for their next chapter in life, an Annapolis couple builds a warm, modern-minimalist home in Glen Riddle
Written by Kristen Hampshire
Photography by Grant L. Gursky & Svetlana Leahy
Jackie and Jeff Torrelli had planned to build a custom ranch home in the resort area where they’d already owned a beach getaway for a number of years. But like a thousand grains of sand, that plan washed to the sea when they discovered an ideal property in Berlin’s Glen Riddle golf community close to its marina. The marshy coastal bay views and naturescape beyond it called for building up, not out.
“We can see the water from the front and back of the house—the sunsets are beautiful,” says Jackie, explaining why the couple “switched gears” to balconies and three stories of expansive windows to welcome in light and vistas.
Jackie and Jeff were living full-time in Annapolis with a second coastal outpost on the Eastern Shore for vacations and getaways. The vision for their next chapter at the beach was for a forever home.
The couple hired Kevin Rohe of Mills Creek Builders, and worked with his project designer Wendy Grachik.
To furnish and decorate the home from top to bottom, they entrusted interior decorator Heidi Slacum of Casual Designs Furniture. Finishes and furnishings were minimalist, modern and an intentional departure from a coastal-traditional palette of blues and sandy tones, notes Heidi.
Other asks included a super-sized closet, home gym, open floor plan and outdoor entertaining space.
Contemporary and Culinary
The gathering core of this home, as with most, is an open kitchen that flows into the living space but enjoys the separating cue of an architectural arc between the main living areas.
The couple went for matte black GE Monogram Café Select appliances from Appliance Distributors Unlimited (ADU), a choice that required a bit of worth-it patience for arrival.
The finish ties in with the black hardware and harmonizes with a subway tile backsplash that continues to an adjacent dry bar with ice maker. The tile is Roca’s Flow finish with textural movement in the color Dark Gray.
Cabinets are by Diamond Distinction in The Brightest White with Bryant narrow-rail shaker style doors.
The kitchen stools are as much a centerpiece as the generous rectangular island with its Cambria quartz countertop in the Swan Bridge pattern. The commercial-grade black vinyl seating is purposely not leather.
“Leather is an actual skin that absorbs oils, so you don’t want to put it on a piece where your skin’s oils or suntan lotion in the summer could mar the surface,” Heidi explains.
Walls that Speak
Powder rooms offer an avenue for panache and visual impact without interrupting other living spaces. Initially the main-level bathroom was painted and Jackie figured she’d add eye candy to the walls with artwork. But she opted instead for a geometric wallcovering in Saturn Metallic Copper and Black by Thibaut. A silver Prism Luxury Vessel Sink borrows shapes from the walls, while oversized sculptural pulls speak the same language while introducing juxtaposing yet symbiotic warm neutrals and modern angles into the space.
Meanwhile, Thibaut Volar Neutral wallcoverings at each stair landing add interest to an otherwise open, stark space. As for art, Jackie and Jeff sourced pieces by Uttermost, including prints titled “Meditation” and “Continue.”
Warming a Cool Aesthetic
Jackie and Jeff went into the project with a mind of creating a home base, not a beach home. This vision informed color selections, materials, furnishings and accessories. Mixed-metals, pops of black, washes of gray and white and simple-lined features are the results.
Walls throughout the home are painted primarily in Sherwin-Williams Light French Gray with crisp white millwork, cabinetry and custom-built storage, such as in the mud room entry at the garage level, where the gym is also located.
Heidi was charged with warming the cool aesthetic so spaces felt welcoming and purely livable, not gallery-esque.
To anchor the tone, Heidi chose a pony-hair rug that both she and Jackie had “crushed on” to set the stage. Unlike most rugs that look like an animal hide, this one features a sleek linear pattern in grays, tans and creams. “There’s a bit of tobacco, some caramels and bone all thrown together, all soft and light colors,” Heidi relates.
This would allow for pulling in warmer textures that marry with “greige.” The coffee table carried out the same goal of mixing a minimalist and comfortably warm vibe. Heidi points out that the dry ebony-finished oak veneer with natural grain and metal accents create a purposeful angular and rustic complement to the pony hair rug.
Right at Home
The home is designed for everyday living, which includes handpicking furnishings that will wear well over time. For instance, the Condo sofa by Elran of Canada is a “yummy, textured winter white” in a performance fabric with fibers that deter dirt and are durable for pets and heavy traffic.
The snow creek fabric print mimics a muted fawn’s coat with soft caramel and oyster tones “that don’t pull yellow,” Heidi says. “That is probably the most difficult line to walk while warming up a space when you are working with mostly cool colors. So, we walked the griege line and it worked.”
Enjoying every room in their new coastal home is exactly the Jackie and Jeff’s plan, with space to entertain family and guests while establishing a full-time lifestyle on the Eastern Shore.
Says Jackie, “One of the most rewarding aspects of this process was watching it all come together, from the foundation to the framing and every detail in the home.” CS
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