At first glance, the oceanfront setting of this 6,500-square-foot Bethany Beach vacation home seems like the obvious star of the show. But when designer Stephanie Gamble first stepped inside the early-2000s structure, the Atlantic was surprisingly difficult to see. The windows were small, the interiors compartmentalized and a series of columns and awkward angles broke up what should have been sweeping views of the sea. “You had to walk up to the windows and look out to realize there was an ocean there,” she recalls.

Even with these hurdles, Gamble knew that there was plenty of potential. The homeowners envisioned the property as a retreat where their adult children, extended family and friends could gather—a place that felt luxurious but relaxed, with spaces that encouraged conversation, shared meals and long weekends by the sea. Achieving that meant reimagining nearly every corner of this six-bedroom, three-bath, two powder-room home.

The transformation began by reworking the architecture itself. “If you remember late-’90s and early-2000s design, they loved angles,” Gamble says with a laugh. “But those aren’t great for the use of space.” Working with Dewson Construction Company, Gamble removed walls and reshaped awkward corridors, starting with the staircase in the entry that connects the home’s four levels. Previously, the staircase had been fully enclosed, blocking light and interrupting the sense of flow. Opening it up instantly changed the arrival experience, allowing daylight to filter through the home.

Even more transformative was what happened in the main living area. Gamble focused on taking away the columns in the great room—not an easy feat, as they were structural. The result was worth the effort: It opened the sightlines and—thanks to the replacement of tiny windows with huge expanses of glass—allowed for stunning ocean vistas. “The views are spectacular,” marvels the designer. “Why wouldn’t we capitalize on that?”

Setting the tone for the rest of the home, the great room’s palette is intentionally restrained. Muted neutrals dominate: Creamy whites, sandy tones and gentle grays with the softest touch of occasional blue allow the shifting hues of the ocean outside to provide much of the color. The furniture arrangement was pertinent, with Gamble ensuring that nearly every seat offered a sea view. “We wanted the eye to go straight out to the water,” she explains.

The coastal location also drove textile choices. Performance fabrics cover all the seating, ensuring everything from counter stools to the sofa can withstand sandy feet and wet swimsuits.

Natural wood touches come into play with white oak ceilings in the living area, a woven light fixture above the dining table and a butcher-block counter extension that adds both warmth and function.

While the great room naturally becomes the home’s main gathering place, the family room offers a quieter moment for retreat. The space is swathed in the same neutrals as the rest of the home, but a beach photograph by Olivo Barbieri adds a bold pop of color while serving as a nod to the setting. Arranged with deep seating and anchored by a television built into custom cabinetry, it is for movie nights and relaxed downtime—all while providing another set of stunning views. “This is where everyone piles in if they want to watch something together,” Gamble muses.

Upstairs, the primary suite continues the home’s calm, textural aesthetic. A rich walnut ceiling adds warmth overhead, while linen wallcovering lends a subtle tactile quality. The upholstered bed—swathed in a softly striped fabric—introduces a note of pattern while maintaining the tranquil atmosphere. A pair of swivel chairs positioned near the windows ensures the ocean view remains part of the experience, while a desk offers a place to catch up on work when the house is full of guests.

The adjoining bath was completely reconfigured during the renovation; its previous layout had been divided into smaller, inefficient spaces. “We reclaimed space from a closet to make the bathroom function much better,” Gamble says. Thanks to this and reworking the surrounding walls, she created a more generous retreat with a wet-room arrangement that houses both the soaking tub and the shower.

Occupying the same level, guest bedrooms were also designed with a relaxed sensibility. The homeowners wanted visitors to enjoy the same level of comfort they do, so each room features plush bedding, inviting textures and a palette that echoes the rest of the house.

At the very top of the house, a fairytale-like whimsy unfolds. Two bunk rooms—one paneled in an ocean hue, the other encompassed in an idyllic patterned wallpaper—introduce a playful energy. Built-in beds accommodate large groups—sleeping six in one room and seven in the other—while windows provide outlooks to the beach. The charm is so undeniable that the idea of sleeping there appeals just as much to adults as to children. “The bunk rooms are my favorites,” Gamble muses. “We took advantage of the house’s gabled rooflines, so the rooms are layered, fun and cozy.”

The finished design, Gamble says, reflects the essence of her approach to coastal interiors. “I love homes that feel comfortable but still refined,” she says. “Spaces where people can gather, enjoy the view and truly relax.”

Every morning, seven days a week, artist Trace Miller walks from his home in Towson to his studio. It’s a short stroll but the time is well spent. “It’s much better than driving,” he muses. “It gives me the opportunity to think about what I’m going to work on. The walk puts me in the right headspace.”

Inside his light-filled studio, Miller begins most paintings from a place of abstraction. His first marks tend to be expressive and exploratory, more concerned with movement than depiction. As he builds the surface, certain forms start to emerge—often the wintry trees that he has woven through his work for decades. “My paintings never cease to fall back on something narrative, whether it’s the trees or the figures walking through trees,” says the artist. “But I don’t look at my work as landscapes. They’re about the paint, the movement, the energy and the color.”

The arboreal thread emerged in the early 1980s, during a period when Miller lost both his father and older brother within two weeks of each other. The bare branches in the forests of his native rural Western Pennsylvania served as a metaphor. “During that time of year the trees appear lifeless and dead, only to come back to life once spring arrives,” he says. “I’ve created those paintings ever since. Sometimes the figures are my brother and dad walking into the forest into new surroundings, a new existence.”

Miller was drawn to art from an early age. “I wasn’t the best at school,” he recalls. “But I was the best at art.” That talent brought him to Philadelphia’s Tyler School of Art & Architecture at Temple University. During those undergraduate years, Miller studied abroad in Rome—an experience that was formative to his approach. “My work has changed quite a bit over the years, but how I look at art was very much influenced by that time,” he says. “There were no textbooks. We instead went to churches and museums and saw the original Renaissance works.”

Half a decade of adventure followed Miller’s graduation. He moved to New York City, bartending at a disco, and then became a flight attendant, which offered international travel opportunities. The job brought him to Baltimore, where he decided to revisit his passion. “If I was ever going to get serious about my work again, I needed to go to grad school,” he says. “So I applied to the Hoffberger School of Painting at Maryland Institute College of Art.” While there, he studied under renowned abstract expressionist Grace Hartigan, whom he credits as being one of the most influential artists on his career.

It was a turning point for Miller. “Ever since then I have been actively showing and maintaining a studio practice,” he says. In addition to working as an artist, he taught painting at Towson University for nearly 30 years.

Teaching allowed Miller to pass on the knowledge he gained from his own mentors. At Towson, he emphasized fundamentals—drawing, rendering and composition—before encouraging students to pursue personal imagery in their developing work. “You don’t just start with abstraction,” he says. “Technical skills are important to have no matter what work you do later in your career.”

In terms of his own evolution, Miller is experimenting with a different approach as of late, making mixed-media collages that he then draws and paints upon. Occasionally the collages remain independent works. Others become the foundation for larger canvases. “Not all of them translate,” he says. “Some stay small. Some push me to go bigger.”

But no matter how Miller’s work has grown and changed, one thing has remained the same—his use of oil paint. “There’s something that’s very earthy and the color feels pure,” he says of the medium. “It’s very seductive.” Oils allow him to use gestures and rhythm that acrylics don’t, giving the surface a physical presence he values. He points to artists such as Cy Twombly, Terry Winters and Joan Mitchell as influential figures in this evolution—not because of their style, but rather their similar way of allowing a painting to unfold. His own works occupy that same space between abstraction and suggestion, where the marks carry as much weight as the imagery they hint at.

Miller’s upcoming exhibition at Goya Contemporary in April highlights the ongoing direction of his studio practice. It is, he says, a spiritual journey that continues to guide his work. “I see the growth from one painting to the next,” he reflects. “And I just want to keep going in that direction.”

Trace Miller’s work will be on view at Goya Contemporary in Baltimore from April 9 to May 2, 2026. For more information on the artist, visit tracemillerart.com.

The key to great design is understanding how the homeowners live day to day. For Francesca and Jay Uberoi, it was all about cooking and entertaining. “They made it clear from the outset that the bar and the kitchen were the starting points,” architect Jonathan Rivera recalls. “She came to me with a picture of a cathedral-ceilinged room and said, ‘That’s what I want for my kitchen.’ From there, everything grew outward.”

Having seen Rivera’s work throughout Baltimore County, the couple, both doctors, approached him even before buying their two-plus-acre Lutherville-Timonium property. “They wanted me to consult on which lot in the neighborhood would work best,” the architect recalls. “We picked this one because we could orient the house parallel with the sunrise and the sunset.”

While the photo Francesca showed Rivera was for kitchen inspiration, it encapsulated what the Uberois wanted for the entire home: An abode that was at once expansive and intimate; a modern farmhouse style that could serve their family and frequent guests.

Working with JD Canatella of Arma-Gesch Building, Rivera’s goal was to create a home in which the exterior surroundings play a starring role. “We treated it almost like a waterfront property,” the architect says of the 7,400-square-foot home, which includes five bedrooms, four full and two half-baths and a 1,200 square-foot in-law suite. “It was about keeping the views open and unimpeded.”

He ensured this was the case from the moment guests arrive. “It was important to place the stairwell in the entry hall outside of the view, but at the same time make it inviting for everyone to go upstairs,” he says.

Designer Laura Hodges, who was brought on post-construction for finishes, furnishings and architectural detail, took cues from Rivera. “I added decorative molding and tapered balusters to the stairwell, but we didn’t want anything overly complicated,” she explains. “We wanted to respect the architecture and not distract from the kitchen and great room beyond.”

It’s in that living-and-dining space where the indoor-outdoor vibe completely takes hold. A triangular wall of windows rises to a peak of 22 feet, serving as an architectural centerpiece and bathing the room in light. Sliding glass panels stretch across the back wall, ensuring that the pool and yard remain a constant presence indoors.

White-painted cabinetry, as well as a quartz backsplash and countertops, are warmed up by white oak floors and beams, while the island showcases its wood base and partial butcher-block top as a spot for easy chopping. “You walk in and your eye rests naturally on the island,” Hodges says. “The wood makes the scale approachable, even with the ceiling soaring overhead.”

But the real star of the show is the deep green Lacanche range, which was one of Francesca’s other requests. “The British racing green finish spoke to the natural surroundings outside,” notes Hodges, “and the brass accents tied into the gold details we layered throughout the kitchen.”

Of course, a house designed for entertaining needs to offer up plenty of seating for a dinner party, which is exactly what Hodges provided with a rustic dining table that accommodates up to 10. In a deliberate move, she left the space without a chandelier, allowing the monolights on the ceiling to serve as the main illumination so the architecture would shine. “The view through that triangular window was too important,” she says. “The light fixtures didn’t need to compete.”

The living room extends seamlessly beyond, anchored by a limestone fireplace with firewood storage designed into the millwork. The cozy space encourages everyone to pile upon its oversize sectional for evenings spent relaxing by the fire.

Contrast comes in the den, which Rivera notes, was Jay’s one specific want. “The house was really about Fran’s vision, but the den was his requirement,” he says. Hodges painted the walls a deep blue, then designed an arched, built-in bookcase that softens the long, linear room. “The rest of the house is so light and airy that this space could go deeper,” she explains. “It shifts the mood in a wonderful way.”

The moody den also provided an opportunity to bring in the Uberois’ love of travel, where they could showcase objects collected from far-flung countries such as Vietnam, Greece and India, as well as places closer to home like Charleston and New Orleans. This nod can also be found in the dramatic entry powder room with its Indian-inspired block-print wallpaper. While upstairs in the primary bath, deep blue tile evokes the waters of Greece and Capri’s Blue Grotto. The custom reeded-front vanities in a warm brown stain and arched mirrors reinforce the motifs of curves and texture seen throughout the home. “We wanted the interiors to reflect those influences without feeling thematic,” Hodges notes.

For Rivera, the project’s success lies in suiting the couple’s casual lifestyle. “It’s functional, contemporary and understated,” he affirms. “It really lives well.”

Hodges agrees. “Even though it’s large, it feels welcoming,” she says. “You walk in and imagine yourself cooking at that range or gathering in the den. That’s what design should do—it should make you feel at home.”

After many years vacationing in various towns and cities along the Chesapeake Bay, a busy New Jersey-based couple decided it was finally time to purchase a waterfront home for themselves and their three teenage boys. While that decision was easy, their real estate search was not. “We loved the St. Michaels region and the many quaint towns,” the husband says of their desired location. “But everything we liked had an issue. When we saw this property in Royal Oak, it had a really nice westerly view. No other homes we saw had such great vistas.”

With the nine-acre property settled upon, the couple needed a team that could bring their vision of a casual family getaway and future retirement spot to life. “We wanted a place where people could put their feet up,” says the wife. “It also had to look nice
but be comfortable.”

The owners had purchased a set of architectural plans, but “they were not great in terms of flow, and we needed help with that,” the husband explains. Enter designer Laura Butler of Butler Interior Design and builder Robert Gearhart of Focus Construction. Having worked together many times over the years, the two had an ongoing professional relationship, making a perfect pairing. Solidago Landscapes was brought on to shape the grounds.

For the design team, the secluded location set along the banks of the Choptank River was the cherry on top of an already exciting project. “It’s one of my favorite sites we’ve worked on,” Butler says. “It’s tucked away down this tree-covered driveway and then the water views open up. Each time we drove to the site, I fell in love with it more.”

To synthesize with that setting, the owners had a vision of what they wanted. “The directive was to nod to the farmhouse look,” says Butler. “But we wanted to make sure that it would stand the test of time and not be date-stamped.” Her clients also emphasized that the house not be overly large or too formal to ensure it was a place to gather both inside and, more importantly, outside.

“Laura came in and made a number of suggestions,” the husband says of the now-complete, 4,500-square-foot, four-bedroom home. Updating the plans, she reconfigured the staircase, transformed the original loft design above the garage into a hangout space and added a covered patio in the backyard where the owners could enjoy the seasons and scenery—rain or shine. “We have coffee out there,” the wife says. “We see the fishermen come by in the morning and watch the boats go by in the afternoon.”

The layout itself leans towards open-concept spaces, but not so open that there is no feeling of separation between rooms. Guests are greeted by a texture-filled foyer with a sisal rug, wood console and accessories in a mix of materials, establishing the casual look that echoes throughout the interiors. “It needed to be very relaxed,” Butler says. “They have dogs. They have teenage boys. That meant oversized, deep seating everywhere, and durable fabrics and smart flooring choices were important.” In the living room, shades of sand and slate nod to the river that can be seen through floor-to-ceiling windows. Continuing on through the adjacent dining room, one discovers a rustic dining table balanced by a sleek iron lantern above, creating an elegant but approachable scene.

Perhaps an even better example of how Butler reinterpreted the modern farmhouse style was her color, material and hardware choices in the kitchen, where a slate-blue island takes center stage. “The clients brought us this idea of doing a deeper, grayer blue on the island rather than the beachier blues you often see in this style of home,” she says.

Butler also shied away from the high-contrast elements often associated with the look. While keeping the typical black-frame windows, she chose metallic hardware instead of black knobs. “Using metal on the cabinets lightens and brightens the room,” she says. “I think if we’d repeated the black on all the knobs, it would have read much more farmhouse. That subtle detail makes a difference.”

Per the homeowners’ request, the bedrooms aren’t huge, but are gracious in spirit. The first-floor primary suite opens to its own private patio, lending it an airy feel. Upstairs are three bedrooms for the boys and guests. On the same level, a spacious gym-office hybrid—well-used by the husband and their college-age son—continues the main living space’s masculine-leaning color scheme with deep blues, warm wood and touches of leather. The most popular gathering spot—besides the much-loved back patio, of course—is the loft above the garage. While it may have been assumed that the teenagers would get the most use out of it, “We congregate up there more than we thought we would,” confesses the wife.

Reflecting on the project’s success, Butler muses, “This was such an opportunity to work with people who trust us to do what we do, and you can see that in the result—it’s fresh, welcoming and very calming.”

That sense of calm is no doubt a major part of the appeal. Adds the wife, “Even though you have neighbors, you feel like you’re very secluded when you’re there.”