Written by Kristen Hampshire | Photography by Krista Valliant Architectural & Design Photography
This bayfront residence blends layered design, natural texture and inviting spaces to foster comfort and lasting connections
Leslie and Rob Strittmatter thought they were settled. Their home on Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach was everything they had planned—thoughtfully designed, expertly finished and exactly where they expected to stay. “We loved that house. It was a jewel,” Leslie says. “Everything I had ever wanted was in it.”
But timing, and life, shifted. Rob retired and their long-term plan to spend more time at the beach began to take shape. Then, quite unexpectedly, an opportunity surfaced: a rare waterfront lot on Rehoboth Bay, just a few homes from the country club. It never officially hit the market.
“We got lucky,” Leslie says. “There’s so little waterfront left. When this came along, we knew this was it—the forever, forever house.”
Designed for Connection
The Strittmatters approached the project as an evolution. They wanted a space designed around family, gathering and the freedom to entertain effortlessly.
With four adult children, five bedrooms were essential, but the heart of the home centers on shared living. The kitchen, family room and Rob’s adjoining lounge—affectionately called “the basement,” though it sits fully above grade—function as interconnected spaces meant to keep conversation flowing.
“He wanted his own spot, but still connected,” Leslie says. “When we entertain, everyone is together without feeling on top of each other.”
That philosophy extends outdoors, where layered gathering zones surround a Carter Aquatics pool: a sun shelf lined with umbrellas, intimate seating areas and a fire pit positioned for evening conversation. Conway Bristow and Jerry Dougherty designed the landscape to feel less like a backyard and more like a sequence of outdoor rooms.
“When we had an open house for the neighborhood, we had more than 100 people here,” Leslie says. “The house just absorbed everyone. That’s exactly what we wanted.”
PERFECT PARTNERSHIP
The Strittmatters have utilized the interior design services of reIMAGINATION Design on four different occasions, which allows for a true understanding of philosophies, styles and aesthetic preferences.
Texture and Tone
Working alongside interior designers Lucille Cavan and Lauri Chastain—collaborators Leslie had partnered with previously—the interiors became an exercise in balance: layered but restrained, expressive yet calm.
“This is the fourth home we’ve done together,” says Lucille, CEO and principal designer at reIMAGINATION Design in Millsboro. “We understand each other. There’s a shared sensitivity that allows ideas to evolve naturally.”
Leslie describes her aesthetic as eclectic, unexpected and deeply tied to materials.
“I love pattern, color and texture,” she says. “But I didn’t want anything loud. I wanted it muted—a retreat.”
Natural materials anchor the palette: woven lighting, warm wood, organic textures and Thibaut fabrics in soft blue-gray tones with hints of coral throughout the home. Much of the furniture was reupholstered or repurposed, blending new pieces with those the couple already loved.
“It’s a mixture of history and newness,” Lucille says. “Nothing feels placed just for the sake of it.”
Art plays an equally important role. Paintings by Leslie’s late grandmother, an artist and interior designer, are displayed alongside commissioned works, ensuring that every wall tells a story.
“There’s nothing here that doesn’t mean something to us,” Leslie says.
Decisions That Define
If there’s a theme that defines the Strittmatter home, it is intentionality. Leslie selected nearly every finish herself, from hardware to tile to lighting, often spending hours refining choices that might go unnoticed at first glance but collectively shape the experience of the space.
“I picked every knob,” she says, laughing. “Hardware was the hardest decision.”
Custom cabinetry by Atlantic Millwork & Cabinetry introduces furniture-like elements into the kitchen, including walnut-accented details designed to echo the shape of nearby tilework. Each bathroom was uniquely composed with detailed mosaic installations that required months of meticulous craftsmanship by installers.
Even the pool’s waterfall was treated like an art installation. Each tile was hand-arranged over two days to create variation in tone and movement.
“We turned them over, rearranged them, studied every piece,” Leslie says. “It had to feel right.”
Lighting selections from Visual Comfort and Palecek were chosen to complement and never compete with the home’s expansive views of the bay. Many fixtures incorporate woven fibers, Capiz shell or beaded elements, reinforcing the tactile language of the interiors.
“We wanted warmth,” Lucille explains. “Lighting that felt organic and beautiful but didn’t take away from the landscape.”
A Sense of Place
Architecturally, the Strittmatters resisted trends that felt disconnected from Rehoboth’s character. While initially tempted by a more modern, glass-forward aesthetic, they ultimately leaned into a design reminiscent of Nantucket and the Hamptons that combines timeless forms with coastal familiarity.
“Rehoboth is a classic beach town,” Leslie relates. “We wanted the house to belong here.”
Round windows, custom mullion details and a carefully composed front elevation reinforce that connection, while the rear of the home opens fully to the water—a daily backdrop for boating, wildlife sightings and family visits.
Built by CRx, the approximately 4,500-square-foot home balances architectural presence with livability, on a scale designed to host grandchildren, holidays and spontaneous weekends.
For Leslie, the most rewarding moment came not during construction, but afterward, seeing the many individual decisions finally coming together.
“You’re choosing everything in isolation and hoping it works,” she says. “Lucille and Lauri helped make sure it all flowed. They kept it cohesive but still unexpected.”
Lucille sees the result as a house that feels both elevated and entirely at ease.
“It’s stylish, but completely livable,” she says. “It’s built for relaxed mornings, easy gatherings and time enjoying the view.” CS
