When Dean Zang, a commercial real estate broker, and his wife Amanda, a consultant, decided in late 2020 to update their circa-1980s waterfront getaway in Bozman, Maryland, they looked no further than David Ricks, the architect who had worked on their Arlington residence. “Our mandate was to use the home’s solid bones but go more contemporary,” recalls Dean, adding, “Also, water views are incredibly sought after, so we wanted to maximize them from every vantage.”

The couple assembled a team that included Ricks, interior designer Carrie Armstrong and builder Trip Carder for a renovation and refresh of the five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath, cottage-style abode on Leadenham Creek. Exterior work would include adding a covered entry, overhauling the pool scape and upgrading the windows and doors. The interiors would be enhanced with a new kitchen and bathrooms. The home’s 5,300-square-foot footprint would remain the same.

Ricks tackled the outdoor spaces first. The existing pool’s multi-level, wood deck was sinking due to a flawed foundation, so Ricks oversaw reinforcement of the structure. He substituted durable, low-maintenance Fiberon—better equipped to withstand the elements—for the wood, then replaced the pool with a new one. “The clients have two young boys and a Goldendoodle, so the outdoors was definitely a priority for them,” recalls Armstrong, who selected unfussy, modern furnishings poolside.

Inside, the mission was to unify the interiors while emphasizing the views. “The original finishes were random and had little relationship to a specific style,” says Ricks. “The main living area had 12-by-12-inch, ceramic-tile floors with dark grout. Cathedral ceilings had white rafters spanned by cherry-stained ceiling boards. The bedrooms were wall-to-wall carpet.”

All the flooring was replaced by light, engineered wood for durability, with surfaces—including the ceiling boards—painted in Benjamin Moore’s crisp-white Chantilly Lace. Jeld-Wen windows were chosen to endure exposure to high winds and salt air. “The all-white paint and light flooring made the home fresh and clean,” Armstrong comments. “It’s exactly what you want for an open layout because it directs your eye outside without distracting you.”

The design team repurposed some spaces and opened others to the water side of the house. The former dining room became a living room, with a quartet of armchairs and a cocktail table grouped around an existing stone fireplace. “It’s the perfect space for cocktail hour by the bay,” says Armstrong. The screened porch, once only accessible from the house via a pair of standard sliding-glass doors off the former dining room, has been dramatically opened to the interiors.

“One of the most effective design features for relating the main living area to the waterfront was removing the exterior wall between the screened porch and former dining room,” Ricks explains. “In its place, we installed a 21-foot-wide, retracting, glass-panel wall that creates an indoor-outdoor space.”

Armstrong used the porch’s rectilinear footprint to establish a dining zone and lounge area, which she furnished with indoor-outdoor pieces including a teak dining table and bench. “The bench has a low profile, so it doesn’t block the view and is versatile when seating a crowd,” the designer notes. “The porch is a perfect space for the family, whether dining al fresco or reading in the shade.”

Ricks designed the layout for the new kitchen, installed by Kitchen Creations. His plan flipped eating and work zones to make space for an island that would be a social hub near the kitchen, living room and screened porch, with its newly exposed views. The ceiling was vaulted to match those in the living areas.

Dean Zang selected finishes while Armstrong curated furniture and lighting. The room is now modern in style, with flat-fronted cabinets and white Silestone counters. A linear, black fixture illuminates the island, which features waterfall edges. Bold black is carried through to the adjacent eat-in area, whose crown jewel is a 60-inch, round dining table crafted out of spalted primavera wood. “The table makes a subtle statement, adding character without overpowering the space,” says Armstrong.

The rest of the interiors take cues from the kitchen’s aesthetic: contemporary with a neutral palette. In the family room, for example, a large, plush sectional in a gray-blue linen blend mixes with seating options including a pair of armless, woven-leather chairs. Natural woods, neutral fabrics and textured caning are the order of the day—nothing to distract from the outdoors.

“The art and accessories really emphasize the home’s waterfront locale,” Armstrong observes. “It was important to the Zangs that it feel like a bayfront house without being over-the-top nautical.” A commissioned Maggie O’Neill crab painting is a highlight in the center hall, accented by buoys in similar colors nearby. Oyster tongs hang above the family room’s fireplace, while vintage oars adorn a wall in the living room.

The owners are thrilled with the results of their redo. “We love it,” avers Dean Zang. “It’s a tranquil and clean space to decompress from city life and work.”