Bringing Outside In

Bracebridge Hall, Earlville, is surrounded by beautiful bays and luscious landscape. Balongue Design were brought in to apply a vibrant colour palette that complemented the house’s architecture and views

Photographs by Halkin Mason Photography

The color palette chosen for the traditional house as a whole, embraces vivid versions of blue and greens to complement open vistas of sky and trees

Earlville, Maryland, with its beautiful bays and luscious rural landscape, is the wonderful setting for a home that was a project for the team at Balongue Design.

It was the historic building’s beautiful rural setting, coupled with fantastic views of the Chesapeake Bay, with unique historic details and façade, which heavily influenced the design. The interior renovation focused on highlighting the stunning views to the exterior but also on ‘remaining true to the structure’s history,’ the design team explains.

As a direct result, the colour palette embraces vivid variations of blue and green to complement open vistas of sky and trees just outside the home. Inside, gorgeous open spaces and balconies match seamlessly with the views.

There are ample places within the space to stop and contemplate those views too. Ground floor loggias and patios provide perfect private sanctuaries for moments of repose. And just to make outdoor living flow as smoothly as that found indoors, all of the spaces - inside or out - connect seamlessly for easy entertaining. It’s a similar story with the living spaces and courtyards in the home, which are all ideal spots for relaxation and unwinding.

A mural of a landscape has been painted on to the walls of the dining room which homes a long wooden table and dining chairs upholstered in blue velvet

One of the most impressive spaces in the project, the Great Hall, is truly a lesson in how to effortlessly combine a mix of different periods, styles, elements and art, delighting all who step inside it and providing an element of surprise. Colorful accents juxtaposed onto classic furnishings bring in a fresh and lively spirit to the interior spaces. This element of relaxation matched with stylistic power was very much the inspiration and brief for the project, the team at Balongue Design explains.

The sun-lit sitting area is home to a glittering chandelier which hangs over a glass coffee table and a selection of soft furnishings

Traditional-style portrait artworks line the blue-painted walls of the grand staircase which curves down toward the marble floor of the Great Hall

However, such a sense of calm and ease was occasionally hard won. Throughout the work on the project, there were challenges to be overcome, with many arising due to issues with the site itself and the conditions. For example, elements that are often inherent in much historic renovation work - unexpected water leaks and structural issues - presented themselves throughout the renovation of the home. The designers and their team made strategic decisions in this case, to parge walls and implement historically accurate details such as faux pilasters and beams to mask the required drainpipes, structural supports and new mechanical ductwork. And yet, to the observer’s eye, all the results appear to have been period and historically sympathetic to the home.

Yet the designer’s main challenge - and ultimately favourite part - of the project was the development of “a vibrant palette that allowed the structure and views to come alive and stand out as the main attraction,” they say. Understandably, as a result, the client was justifiably thrilled with the finished home and is thankful for the thoughtful preservation of, and opportunity now to relax in, their ‘new’ sanctuary.