The Eastern Shore of Maryland is not often associated with contemporary architectural achievement. Most who know the region are often just passing through, anticipating a beach vacation or, upon return, depressed about said outing’s ending. It might appear as a blur of farm stands and chicken houses before hitting Ocean City—but look closer and more flavors emerge: There are quiet country churches and plenty of marsh lands to explore. Perhaps the area’s creative potential was best put to use by artist Anne Truitt, who was shaped by her childhood in the town of Easton.
Closer to where the Bay Bridge lands after spanning the Chesapeake, Colleen Healey of Colleen Healey Architecture and Kate Ballou of Hendrick Interiors have picked up a similar minimal aesthetic when renovating a 1980s home in Wye River for clients Josh Soven and Renata Hesse and their two children. (Paul Rudolph’s Tuttle Residence, now for sale for $5 million, is not far away in nearby Rock Hall.) Soven and Hesse are both lawyers in Washington, D.C., and collect vintage Danish midcentury modern furniture. The couple previously renovated a D.C. rowhouse with Ballou and architect Lauren Wegel.
The task at Wye River was practical and conceptual: How to rework a bland, 5,000-square-foot residence into a tasteful retreat without moving any walls or plumbing? The results show there is hope out there for every McMansion in America.
Read more about the Maryland residence on aninteriormag.com.
