A 1929 Shingle-style retreat on the Magothy River in Lake Shore, Maryland, received a modern update that included a 2,800-square-foot addition, sited beneath a dense tree canopy that offers shade in summer and sunlight in winter. The new volume contains an airy, two-story great room where sweeping water views are visible beyond window walls. 

“Our clients wished to complement their historic home while creating an addition with more relaxed spaces for guests and family gatherings,” explains project architect Amy Cooney, principal of Portland, Oregon-based Climate Architecture LLC.

In the great room (pictured), lounging and dining areas beckon beneath a vaulted and beamed bleached-poplar ceiling that brings warmth and intimacy to the expansive space—as do wide-plank French white oak floors. A wall of built-ins integrates storage and display space beside a comfortable sectional. Glass doors on the window wall open out to a wrap-around deck with cable railings that keep the view in focus.