When the owners of an Annapolis home on the South River tasked designer Michelle Miller with decorating their interiors, they also asked her to outfit their outdoor living spaces in casual, easygoing style. She set out to complement the beautiful landscaping already in place with clean-lined, comfortable furniture that would make entertaining a breeze.
“We created little environments out there, just like we’d do inside,” Miller explains. Her furniture plan encompassed three gathering areas on a long terrace located under the rear deck of the house, overlooking the pool and the river beyond. On one end, a large, modular sectional provides plenty of seating; plush cushions in Holly Hunt outdoor fabric combine comfort and practicality. In the center, a long dining table boasts benches on either side to seat lots of kids. And on the far end, a pair of inviting lounge chairs with matching ottomans creates a perfect spot for two. Brown Jordan chaise longues around the pool invite sunbathers to linger. Custom pillows reflect the bright colors of perennials blooming on the grounds.
“My clients love the water and being outside,” Miller says. “When kids are in the pool, the adults can sit here and relax—they don’t have to be on the pool deck.”
Miller purposely kept the seating arrangements open so guests can navigate through the space without feeling blocked. “One of the things I try to avoid is overwhelming a space with too much furniture,” she says. “There’s a lot of beauty in simplicity.
INTERIOR DESIGN: MICHELLE MILLER, Michelle Miller Interiors, Baltimore, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMIE SENTZ.
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