Designer Darryl Savage recasts his Annapolis home high above the Severn River into a stylish setting full of sparkle

King of Hearths
Written by Kristen Carr; Edited by Philip Herrera; Photograph by Celia Pearson
Town & Country, December 1998, page 89

Because the mantelpiece embellishes the hearth - the visual focus of any room - it should be considered as important as a fine piece of furniture. Enter Darryl Savage of Annapolis, Maryland. His studio, DHS Designs, sells beautifully hand carved limestone mantelpieces dating back to the 16th century and salvaged intact from manor houses in the Loire Valley. DHS imports the mantels in numbered pieces that can be reconstructed easily by a good stonemason - ask Savage or your interior decorator for a recommendation. The average waiting time is two to three weeks; prices range from $10,000 to $75,000. DHS Designs, 410.827.8167.

Gentleman's Quarters
Interior Design Magazine

Fittings and fixtures were original to the house. Black ebonized ash was used as an accent; maple veneer plywood paneling covers original blue ceramic tiles.

Darryl Savage and Anthony Awkard of DHS Designs had the dream client: a very well-read, well-traveled, sophisticated figment of their collective imagination. This dream client required a private retreat-gentleman's quarters-for his ablutions and, well, for dressing or moments of communion with literature. Savage and Awkard also had a pretty dreamy place with which to work: a 1920s Italianate mansion that had recently been purchased by a young couple who, in the process of it's restoration, volunteered the space as the show house venue.

 "The house had had several lives, but much of the original architecture detailing remained intact. The bones were great, " said Savage and Awkard. The 25-ft.-by-15-ft. sitting area and the 12-ft.-by-7-ft. bathroom opened off the master bedroom suite; a matched pair of rooms, off the other side of the bedroom, was devoted to the lady of the house's private needs.

Antique Garden Furniture Grows to Antique Stone Fireplaces
As featured in Architectural Digest, page 44

"I was in France looking for antique garden furniture," says Darryl Savage, owner of DHS Designs, "and met some people with access to antique stone fireplaces dating from the Loire Valley. I took pictures of the first one to Charlotte Moss, and she bought it." Savage who now has about 50 of the antique stone fireplaces at his warehouse in an old dairy barn near Annapolis, Maryland, calls them "just as sculptural as stone statuary," explaining that they have as much of the feeling of the master carver's hand involved."