Text and styling by Charlotte Safavi
Sometimes, a small space can live as large as a big one. Such is the case with this pool house designed for an Illinois-based family’s vacation home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. “Our clients love coming to the Eastern Shore to enjoy the warm outdoors and their waterfront property,” says lead designer Amanda Friend, who worked on this cottage-inspired project with principal Jamie Merida of Bountiful Interiors. “We wanted a gathering place away from the main house where wet bathing suits and dripping popsicles would be welcomed,” says one of the homeowners. “A kitchen and bathroom that were easily accessible from the pool were also high on the wish list, as was air conditioning. That way, those needing the cool can still be with the crowd but out of the weather.”
Architect Jon Braithwaite of Atelier 11, who had done renovations on the main house, became involved in planning the 915-square-foot cottage-style pool house. “We picked a shaded area that would create the least environmental impact to the property,” he says. “The architecture also had to fit that of the existing house as well as the region.”
The cottage-style exterior features pale gray NuCedar shingles for low maintenance, with a bell-shaped cedar shake roof and a standing seam copper porch roof perfect for seeking shelter and listening to raindrops during a passing summer storm. Double French doors open into the main living space. “We did a painted tongue-in-groove beaded wood interior with a tall cathedral ceiling. It’s very open and airy,” says Jon.
