When his parents asked him to decorate their newly acquired house near Annapolis, Maryland, interior designer Darryl Savage rose nobly to the occasion.

By Heather Lobdell

Native Washingtonians Julian and Nancy Savage were looking for a place where they could escape the pressure cooker of life in the nation's capital. And from the moment they walked into this private house perched high on the cliffs above the Severn River in Maryland, the couple knew that they had found the ideal spot.

"My mother fell in love with the house instantly," recalls son Darryl Savage, who also happens to be an interior designer and antiques dealer on Maryland's Eastern Shore. "She had already decided to buy the place when she called and asked me what we could do here and how quickly we could do it."

Darryl and his design partner, Anthony Awkard, worked their magic in a hurry. The house didn't have any big problems, most of the changes were cosmetic. The contemporary dwelling, with large windows looking onto the Severn, had been built in the 1950s, but it had been added onto and tweaked so many ties that it bore no resemblance to the humble rambler it had once been. The Savages were attracted to the open feeling of the house, it's single-level living (except for a loft-style den/office), and the 4,000 square feet of decks surrounding the structure, making the outdoor-living possibilities and views all the more accessible and exhilarating.

The only serious flaw was a raucous pink-and-teal color scheme. "It looked very Circus Maximus," Anthony recalls. "It wasn't the mood Julian and Nancy were looking for." But it wasn't anything that primer and paint couldn't dispose of almost instantly. "The house cried out for a calm, neutral palette," Darryl explains. "It needed a scheme that would focus attention on what was going on outside, not in. This place is all about the outdoors. The interiors are comfortable but intentionally simple, drawing the eye outward to the river."

Nancy and Julian wanted this weekend house to be strictly casual, in striking contrast to the dressed-up nature of their house in the city. They wanted everyone--including their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren-to feel free to put up their feet or slouch on a sofa or chair. "To make the house feel relaxed, we used natural materials and texture, lots of texture," Darryl explains. The great room, the hub of the house, illustrates this strategy perfectly. Creamy walls and honey-toned wood floors provide a clean backdrop for an L-shaped sofa covered in nubby chenille, a sandblasted oak table surrounded by shapely linen chairs; blond rattan armchairs, an old iron gate made into a coffee table, and crusty pieces of architectural salvage. Pattern is sparse, and even the room's four life-size stone statues that master fully define the soaring windows lend richness and mystery without diverting attention from the commanding views beyond.

The 18th-century statuary brings a broad smile to Darryl's face. "Anthony and I found then on a buying trip to France," he explains. "They were originally form the gardens of the Duke of Nancy. I thought they were wonderful, but when I heard "Nancy," I was determined to buy them for my mother." Rather than cleaning and restoring the statuary, Darryl and Anthony chose to leave them "a little bit cruddy." It just lends to the texture here," Darryl says. "It makes them less imposing."

The foyer and breakfast areas are also neutral, textural, and relaxed. The foyer's slate floor, limestone console, and taupe glazed walls lend natural appeal, and draw the eye gently toward the great room and beyond. The simple, sun soaked breakfast area, just two steps up from the great room, features chic, easy-care rattan and cream leather seating surrounding an octagonal tempered-glass table with a rattan base.

A staircase at one side of the breakfast area leads to a loft-style study that sits directly above and is open to the great room and foyer. With its maple-and-gold-ball desk (designed by Anthony) and three soft chenille armchairs, this is a place to get some work done, log onto the computer, or chat quietly. "It's also where the teenagers, including my daughter Julie, escape from the rest of us," Darryl says. "They come up here to read, play cards, or watch a video."

 The only truly colorful room in the house is Savages' vibrant master bedroom. "My mother insisted on yellow here, and that's exactly what we gave her," Darryl says. The palette is undeniably sunny, even when the weather turns gloomy. Twin beds with reversible yellow-and-white polished cotton duvets and pretty cherub shams repeat the colors of the striped cotton drapery panels. Thick shag carpet was another of Nancy's requests. "She saw it in France and just had to have it here," Darryl says. "It's very soft, very sumptuous underfoot, and it adds to the relaxed feeling."

The house illustrates at every turn that comfort and relaxation are right at home with elegance and classicism. And it would be hard to find a design team that combines the seemingly polar design goals quite so artfully. "Comfort doesn't have to be folksy or homespun," Darryl says. "It can be quite sophisticated. In terms of design, you really can have it all." Looking around this house, you'd have to say that Julian and Nancy Savage probably do.

The loft study, which opens to the great room, features chenille lounge chairs, a Deco-inspired coffee table, and vintage African mud cloth, including folded blankets and upholstery for a 1940s chair.