It’s not easy for a Manhattanite to trade the rapid pulse of the city for the gentle rhythm of the Eastern Shore. But that’s exactly what veteran interior designer Don Wooters did. After being away from his native Easton for 20 years, he returned for an extended visit. While home, former clients began requesting his services, and Wooters soon realized that the Shore potentially held just as much for him as the Big Apple.

Now all that was left was to select a homestead, which he and his partner, Clay Railey, dean of a college in Pennsylvania, found in a cozy, 2,200-square-foot contemporary house in Oxford, filled with light and plenty of room. The pair spent the next four years transforming it into their ideal residence, a space that integrates sophisticated aesthetics with the Shore’s natural beauty. “Our imaginations sold us on the place,” says Railey. “The floor plan wasn’t anything like it is now, but we could imagine how to make it happen.”

Out went the pine-paneled walls, built-in china hutches, and clunky woodstove; in went ebonized floors, a fireplace with black granite surround, and linen-white walls. “When I was in New York, I had
a tiny apartment that was painted in lacquered aubergine,” recalls Wooters, co-owner of Dwelling & Design, an Easton-based interior design boutique. “It was a night time place. But here I have so much light and space that I wanted everything to be white.”

The couple’s art collection was also a driving factor behind Wooters’ choice of wall color. “Clay and I are both enthusiastic about abstract artists, so we created a clean palette for our collection,” says Wooters. “We also put in a lot of key lighting above the paintings, which makes the art come alive. Most winter evenings, the only lights we use in the house are the ones above the paintings and the fireplace.”

Balancing the bold art in the living room are graceful, white Lee Jofa sofas that border the fireplace, which, come Christmastime, is draped with a simple strand of fresh greens. To break up the rectangular shapes that dominate the room, Wooters chose a circular, silver-leaf mirror from McLain Wiesand Custom Built Furniture in Baltimore to occupy the place of honor above the fireplace. The mirror permanently holds the reflection of the ponds and weeping willow trees that sweep over the surrounding grounds.

“Wherever you sit in the living room, you can see outside,” says Railey. “It’s just like you’re sitting in the middle of it all—like living in a glass house.”

To combat clutter in the diminutive kitchen, Wooters designed a wall of well-camouflaged white storage cabinets. He also created an island with a façade of faux, pear wood cabinets and false top, which hides the sink and appliances. To accommodate a dinner party for up to 10 friends, Wooters found a round, glass-top Peter Dudley table. “Seating at round tables is the best way to have conversation,” he says, “that way, everybody’s included.”

“I like the whole open space of the living room, dining room, and kitchen,” adds Railey. “It’s all very fluid and easy, and you’re never away from your guests.”

The living room and kitchen double as a hallway, dividing the guest bedroom wing from the master bedroom wing. It’s in the guestroom where Wooters introduced the whimsy of color to the house. Here apple-green walls, inspired by the Lee Jofa English linen print drapery, bring to life crisp, white linens and artwork ablaze in pastel colors. “I wanted a room where people could see an intense color that they wouldn’t have chosen in their home,” says Wooters. “I wanted to make it an experience.”

In the study, neutral tones once again gently dominate. The room’s icy hues and luxe textures were inspired by a floor-to-ceiling abstract landscape painting that covers the west wall. A Swedish day bed dressed in linen velvet graces the center of the space, where the pair relax for evening cocktails and Clay’s daily exercise of completing The New York Times crossword puzzle. Says Railey: “We can look out on the pond and across to the neighboring fields and pine forests. It’s such a beautiful view of the natural landscape. Between the artwork and the visual space outside, we have all the color in the world.”