Precise lines. Open spaces. Powerful first impressions. These were the elements that Bill Beatson had in mind when he set out to redesign his contemporary Annapolis waterfront house.

For Beatson, owner of Beatson Companies, an Annapolis-based real estate development and investment company, choosing the home was a no-brainer. For him, its appeal went beyond its sprawling view of the Severn River and the Naval Academy; it had history. In the 1950s, it was the home site of renowned boat builder John Trumpy. And its location in the riverfront community of Ferry Farms, once the location of the ferry
that ran across the river into the Annapolis harbor, upped the charm factor even more. “I waited for years for the right house to come on the market in Ferry Farms,” says Beatson. “There were other houses that I looked at within the community, but when I walked into this house, I instantly knew it was where I wanted to live. I bought it that very same day.”

When Beatson bought the house in 2001, he called on Annapolis architect Wayne Good to redesign the interior as well as to create additional living spaces. Beatson worked closely with Good to create plans for an interior that perfectly suited his architectural style and taste for precision. General contractor Bert Winchester of Winchester Construction in Crownsville implemented the structural and decorative changes, which ranged from adding an indoor sunroom—complete with heated stone floors and fireplace—to creating a waterfront stone terrace and master bedroom terrace. Other renovations included adding stone countertops in the kitchen and applying a “new skin” of mustard yellow stucco to the exterior of the 7,580 square-foot, two-story house. It was an eighteen-month process. 

“After deciding to buy the house, it took me one hour to determine exactly what needed
to be done inside,” explains Beatson. “I told the team what I wanted, and they produced it. It’s so unusual to come away from a project and have the owner and the builder and the architect thrilled with the end product. That’s what made it fun.” 

Beatson decided to deviate from his typically preferred palette of cool colors and experiment with neutrals, which would ensure that the view commanded center stage. The interior was transformed into a serene haven by interior designer Michael Hall, co-owner of Swann-Hall Associates in Baltimore. Hall chose quiet, understated tones such as soft sage and buff walls, as well as golden earth-tone fabrics and rugs, which pop against the cypress floors. The nine-foot-tall windows keep the outdoors an ever-present element of the interior. “My favorite time of day to be in the house is sunset,” says Beatson. “On a clear day, the sun just glistens off of the Severn River and bathes the house in light.”

From the kitchen to the dining room to the living room to the library, the public spaces on the first floor meld seamlessly. Slender-legged Louis XVI side tables and the simplistically ornate neoclassical dining room table share space with heavier pieces such as the kitchen’s nine-foot wooden farm table, capped with a marble top, and the living room’s spacious glass-topped coffee table. The interior’s dominant element is the floor-to-ceiling see-through fireplace, which separates the living room from the dining room. The custom-made limestone mantels required six men to carry into the house. 

Throughout the space, art is ever-present. A moody landscape by a Brazilian painter hangs above the living room mantel. Beatson saw a nearly identical painting in a New York gallery and commissioned its artist to re-create the same image, using colors Beatson preferred. Landscapes in bold, saturated hues lend the dining room a splash of color, while a recessed niche, inset just below the living room’s twenty-one-foot-tall cathedral ceilings, showcases oversized Italian bowls and a bronze equine sculpture. He found the sculpture, appropriately enough, in Lexington, Ky., where he breeds and races thoroughbreds. 

While this collector claims not to play favorites among his pieces, it’s evident that he’s most attached to the Oscar-like art deco statue that centers a Louis XVI console near the main entrance. “I’ve come close to moving that statue,” says Beatson with a chuckle, “because after people take in the view, it’s often the second thing they notice. And I didn’t want a fourteen-inch statue to dominate the feeling of the space.”

Perhaps the most powerful architectural element in the house—and the most dramatic change—is the towered entry foyer. When Beatson bought the house, it had no entrance area, simply an unprotected doorway that opened directly into the living room. “The tower completed the house,” explains Good. “It was a simple move that gave the house a visual entrance and an idea that fell together quickly.”

In this space, Good chose Italian Renaissance-inspired paneling, which encircles the bulls-eye window above the head of the door, harmoniously coexisting with the two contemporary twelve-pane mahogany-trimmed windows. Together with the line of clerestory windows topping the wall, they create a flood of natural light. The ornate wrought-iron chandelier and marble-topped table were commissioned from Baltimore artist David Weisand. “I wanted a graceful means of entering the house,” says Beatson of the fifteen-foot-tall entrance. “The time required to build it was extensive because the detail was so hard to put together. People who come here and who appreciate good architecture just stand and admire that space.

“This house just gets better for me with every passing day,” he continues. “Time has confirmed my original conviction that it has the most spectacular view in the greater Annapolis area. It’s as spectacular for me today as it was from day one.”