Homeowners in St. Michaels wished to take better advantage of their nine-acre waterfront property, which occupies a scenic peninsula bordering Solitude and Edge Creeks. They tapped a design team that included Purple Cherry Architects, Jennifer Connoley Landscape Design and ThinkMakeBuild to conceive a 5,365-square-foot area for entertaining around an existing pool and pool house that had become dilapidated over time.

Architect Cathy Purple Cherry overhauled the pool house, reorganizing it to include a kitchen, mudroom, half-bath and storage. She embellished the structure with cupolas, skylights and trim; columns flank wide steps up to a new porch and wraparound ipe deck. “The main house has a Maryland farmhouse/coastal home aesthetic,” Purple Cherry explains. “The pool house had to be respectful of that language.”

Meanwhile, Connoley revised the shape of the pool, significantly enlarging and updating the surrounding patio. “The owner likes classic design, so I came up with a scalloped configuration that accommodates the lounge chairs and tables they wanted,” she recalls. “I used ivory travertine in a herringbone pattern, as the more typical random pattern felt too contemporary.” Steppers in the turf add visual interest.

Connoley’s plan also included buffer management, drainage infrastructure, shoreline stabilization plantings and fresh sod. She landscaped not only the pool house area but also the main house and guest cottage, preserving existing trees and enhancing them with native shrubs such as boxwood and hydrangea. A lush cutting garden features peonies, salvia and phlox.

Renovation Architect: Cathy Purple Cherry, AIA, LEED AP, CAS, Purple Cherry Architects, Annapolis, Maryland. Landscape Design: Jennifer Connoley Landscape Design, Easton, Maryland. Renovation Contracting: ThinkMakeBuild, Easton, Maryland. Photography: Jennifer Connoley.