Home & Design
Porch - Interior Design Services
Porch - Interior Design Services

Critzos furnished an outdoor pavilion on the South River with a stone-topped cocktail table and an indoor/outdoor rug on the limestone floor.

Ask the Pros: Interior Design

Advice on designing the perfect home by the bay

Ask the Pros: Interior Design How do you design a waterfront house to evoke its setting without it becoming overdone or trite?

The best rule of thumb for any design—including those on the waterfront—is to stay classic.  Keep the major pieces you select simple and straightforward; you can always add touches and reminders of the moment through decorative elements. For example, change up accessories and pillows to reflect your current flair or preference.

I have designed many waterfront homes over the years and have found that people make the mistake of being afraid to cover even one inch of their windows. Water views can be framed by window treatments, and in fact, they will actually warm and enhance them. It’s like looking at a beautiful green lawn for years and years until it becomes monotonous. Even a water view can become like that, eventually.

—Arlene Critzos, Interior Concepts, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland


 

You may also like:

Modern Art
Architect Robert Gurney designs a free-flowing, minimalist home in Bethesda that celebrates its natural surroundings
Picture of Elegance
Custom furnishings and luxurious finishes impart a sense of grandeur to a Great Falls home
Extreme Ceilings
Decorative painter Tania Seabock creates an intricate mosaic ceiling in McLean comprised of 55,000 faux tiles
HOME&DESIGN, published bi-monthly by Homestyles Media Inc., is the premier magazine of architecture and fine interiors for the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia region.

The company also publishes an annual H&D Sourcebook of ideas and resources for homeowners and professionals alike. H&D Chesapeake Views is published bi-annually and showcases fine home design and luxury living in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

The H&D Portfolio of 100 Top Designers spotlights the superior work of selected architects, interior designers and landscape architects in major regions of the US.

Stay Connected with HOME & DESIGN Newsletter

Copyright © 2025 Home & Design. All rights reserved. | Back to top
magnifier