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Houzz Tour: A Designer’s Own Coastal Cottage
A couple with a passion for sailing fix up a charming house on the Magothy River in Maryland
Interior designer Tracy Schlegel and her husband, Mike, share a passion for sailing. One of the first things they purchased together after marrying was a sailboat, and they spent their weekends sailing on Chesapeake Bay. “The boat served as our second home on the weekends, but it gets so hot and humid here that one Fourth of July weekend I found myself driving to 7-Eleven as often as I could just to get some air conditioning in the car,” Tracy says. At that point, Mike suggested they check out some cottage listings.
In a real estate twist of fate, the couple got stuck in a long line of traffic while headed to check out a house. Armed with a bunch of listings Mike had pulled, they decided to turn around and check out a different house on their list, a 1930s cottage on the Magothy River. Tracy knew it was the one from the moment they pulled into the driveway. “We could see the water and that the cottage was on a point, giving it water views on three sides,” she says. “And next we saw a family having a great time swimming in the water, and that the water was deep enough to dock our sailboat.” In spite of the home’s dark interiors, Mike also realized it was the one. “He said, ‘I’ll sell the sailboat if it means we can afford this house,’ ” Tracy recalls.
Sacrificing their beloved boat wasn’t necessary, because the couple used their design and DIY skills to transform the dark interiors into light and breezy spaces. “We did it all ourselves — my husband is an unbelievable carpenter and handyman,” Tracy says. She also enlisted her sister and design business partner, Kelcey Huff, to help with the design.
In a real estate twist of fate, the couple got stuck in a long line of traffic while headed to check out a house. Armed with a bunch of listings Mike had pulled, they decided to turn around and check out a different house on their list, a 1930s cottage on the Magothy River. Tracy knew it was the one from the moment they pulled into the driveway. “We could see the water and that the cottage was on a point, giving it water views on three sides,” she says. “And next we saw a family having a great time swimming in the water, and that the water was deep enough to dock our sailboat.” In spite of the home’s dark interiors, Mike also realized it was the one. “He said, ‘I’ll sell the sailboat if it means we can afford this house,’ ” Tracy recalls.
Sacrificing their beloved boat wasn’t necessary, because the couple used their design and DIY skills to transform the dark interiors into light and breezy spaces. “We did it all ourselves — my husband is an unbelievable carpenter and handyman,” Tracy says. She also enlisted her sister and design business partner, Kelcey Huff, to help with the design.
In addition to honoring the original house, reusing as much as possible helped the couple stick to a tight budget. Originally the cottage had 7-foot ceilings, so the couple raised them wherever possible. Then they added beadboard and faux beams to make the ceilings look as though they’d always been there.
The main entrance to the house opens right into the kitchen, and it used to open right into a fridge. Tracy and Mike moved the refrigerator across the room and installed the open shelves in the recess where the fridge had stood. They replaced the appliances but kept the original cabinets, sink and countertops. The couple also ripped up the kitchen’s linoleum floors and discovered the original oak floors intact beneath them.
They painted the cabinets a seafoam blue-green. “I love blue, but we really leaned more toward teals and seafoam blue-greens in the house,” Tracy says. While she wanted a coastal feel, she didn’t want to go over the top with nautical motifs or the typical color palettes.
Cabinet paint: Hannity Green, Benjamin Moore
The main entrance to the house opens right into the kitchen, and it used to open right into a fridge. Tracy and Mike moved the refrigerator across the room and installed the open shelves in the recess where the fridge had stood. They replaced the appliances but kept the original cabinets, sink and countertops. The couple also ripped up the kitchen’s linoleum floors and discovered the original oak floors intact beneath them.
They painted the cabinets a seafoam blue-green. “I love blue, but we really leaned more toward teals and seafoam blue-greens in the house,” Tracy says. While she wanted a coastal feel, she didn’t want to go over the top with nautical motifs or the typical color palettes.
Cabinet paint: Hannity Green, Benjamin Moore
“I had always wanted a harlequin checkerboard floor,” Tracy says. She painted the floor in the kitchen and dining room white, used chalk lines to get the pattern right, then taped it off and painted the black diamonds.
Speaking of paint, one of the first things the couple did was paint the espresso-colored wood paneling a crisp white. They loved the cottage texture of the paneling, but the color of the wood made the house very dark. “It took five coats to get it to white,” Tracy says. They were also able to vault the ceiling in here and added beadboard above the existing paneling to the ceiling. “This house is a testament to what new coats of paint can do,” Tracy says.
A pair of chandeliers composed of teal-colored wood beads brings color to the room. Rattan chairs add a coastal texture. “Because we went neutral with the walls, it was easy to add a lot of different textures,” Tracy says.
Chandeliers: Currey & Co.
Browse wicker chairs in the Houzz Shop
Speaking of paint, one of the first things the couple did was paint the espresso-colored wood paneling a crisp white. They loved the cottage texture of the paneling, but the color of the wood made the house very dark. “It took five coats to get it to white,” Tracy says. They were also able to vault the ceiling in here and added beadboard above the existing paneling to the ceiling. “This house is a testament to what new coats of paint can do,” Tracy says.
A pair of chandeliers composed of teal-colored wood beads brings color to the room. Rattan chairs add a coastal texture. “Because we went neutral with the walls, it was easy to add a lot of different textures,” Tracy says.
Chandeliers: Currey & Co.
Browse wicker chairs in the Houzz Shop
The house came with some charming built-ins, but they needed adjustments to maximize their functionality. A sideboard similar to this one was mounted to the dining room wall in an inconvenient spot. Mike took it down and reworked it into a built-in that hides the TV in the family room. Then he refashioned this one, which had been mounted to the wall above the floor, into a proper sideboard for some much-needed storage. He added a wood top for contrast. The couple painted the beadboard in the back of the cabinet the same seafoam blue-green used for the kitchen cabinets.
They transformed the family room into a larger, more open, lighter and airier space. Before, there were no side windows (behind the sofa), and a glassed-in porch with half walls around it blocked views to the water off the back of the house. The area with the pitched ceiling marks where the glass porch used to be.
The couple took down the half walls and extended the family room all the way to the back of the house. They added glass doors along the back and a trio of double casement windows over the sofa.
The couple took down the half walls and extended the family room all the way to the back of the house. They added glass doors along the back and a trio of double casement windows over the sofa.
The extra-long dimension of the room required properly scaled furniture. Tracy used pieces of a sectional sofa to create an extra-long sofa. At 120 inches, it accommodates the whole family of four. The sofa faces the TV, which can be tucked away thanks to Mike’s handiwork. An extra-large coffee table suits the space. All the armchairs in the room swivel, so they can turn toward the water views, the fireplace, the TV or the conversation.
“I would have loved to have an L-shaped sectional in here, but there needed to be a good flow for traffic through this room,” Tracy says. “We use the doors to go out to the water, and we walk through it to get to the kitchen and dining room. So I added the extra-large ottoman that fits under the coffee table. We can wheel it up to the sofa to put our feet up.” This allows the sofa to function like a sectional with a chaise.
All the fabrics the sisters picked for the interiors are indoor-outdoor. “We can sit on anything in wet bathing suits and it’s fine,” Tracy says.
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“I would have loved to have an L-shaped sectional in here, but there needed to be a good flow for traffic through this room,” Tracy says. “We use the doors to go out to the water, and we walk through it to get to the kitchen and dining room. So I added the extra-large ottoman that fits under the coffee table. We can wheel it up to the sofa to put our feet up.” This allows the sofa to function like a sectional with a chaise.
All the fabrics the sisters picked for the interiors are indoor-outdoor. “We can sit on anything in wet bathing suits and it’s fine,” Tracy says.
Shop for an ottoman
The chairs in front of the fireplace also swivel. “The original fireplace is fantastic; it draws really well and we love to come down here in the winter,” Tracy says.
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Find a local fireplace contractor
The breezy screened-in porch was existing. Mike and Tracy stripped paint off the floor and refinished it to match the interiors, and they added a seafoam blue-green paint to the beadboard on the ceiling. Comfy white wicker furniture and a green-and-blue striped rug add a coastal feel, revved up by bright yellow accents.
Ceiling paint: Fresh Mint, Benjamin Moore
Ceiling paint: Fresh Mint, Benjamin Moore
The couple added a stone patio with an organic shape off the porch. “We wanted to stay true to the cottage feel in the landscape,” Tracy says. “And we’ve figured which plants, like hydrangeas, work well in the sandy soil and are easy to maintain.”
Four Adirondack chairs around a round cocktail table give the family of four a great spot to catch up and enjoy the view. There’s another seating area around a fire pit in the grass.
The first floor has two bedrooms and one full bathroom. This is Tracy and Mike’s bedroom. They didn’t change a lot in here, but one calm coastal alteration was painting the existing beadboard a pale blue. They also added some new casement windows along the side of the house. Three porthole-shaped mirrors over the bed add a nautical touch.
The dresser has a raffia texture and the mirror frame is made up of blue beads on wire.
Tracy anchored the headboard in the guest bedroom with a navy blue accent wall. “The metal bed frame has an antique look, and I liked the scrolled pattern of it,” she says.
The existing staircase was steep, so Mike fashioned a handrail from an oar and dock cleats. Tracy and her sister were able to create a runner from leftover family room carpeting.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
Before, the attic was one wide-open space with a tiny half bath. The couple divided it into two separate bedrooms with plenty of space for their kids to have their friends join them.
Mike crafted the bunk beds. They’re surrounded by beadboard, and he added boat portholes to provide a peek through from one kid’s room to the other.
He also built the wall to divide the two rooms, adding a custom door with the corner cut off to accommodate the angle of the roofline.
He also built the wall to divide the two rooms, adding a custom door with the corner cut off to accommodate the angle of the roofline.
The other bedroom has a full bed and a custom daybed sized for a twin mattress. Tracy uses the storage drawers below to hold extra linens. The shell mirror and raffia-wrapped table add coastal touches.
Outside, there’s a shower for those returning from a swim or sail. Having an outdoor shower is a big asset for a house that has only one full bathroom.
The property has a dock and a small sandy beach. It’s located about 3 miles up the Magothy River from Chesapeake Bay, which makes for wonderful sailing trips.
The jon boat has been passed down through the family, and Tracy had fun giving it a paint job as a project with her daughter. “She came up with the watermelon idea and picked the paint colors. Then we painted it together,” she says.
“This property has been a labor of love,” Tracy says. “It’s such a great escape for our family and so easy to maintain and live in.”
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“This property has been a labor of love,” Tracy says. “It’s such a great escape for our family and so easy to maintain and live in.”
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
House at a Glance
Who lives here: This is the vacation home of Tracy and Mike Schlegel and their two children
Location: Pasadena, Maryland
Size: 1,800 square feet (167 square meters); four bedrooms, 1½ bathrooms
Designers: Tracy Schlegel and Kelcey Huff of Waterlily Interiors
It’s easy to see how the couple were enchanted by the property the moment they laid eyes on it. Both of them wanted to honor the charm of the cottage. The only change they made to the exterior was adding windows and doors to let in more light.
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