It was a snowy day in February about ten years ago when they first saw the small cottage in Lewes, not exactly ideal conditions for beach-house buying. But, says owner Jeff West, “We bought it the next morning.”

The Chevy Chase designer, who does visual merchandising/buying for the Kellogg Collection stores, and partner Hank Cox had never even been to the Delaware shore town. They had just headed down that winter weekend “to see what it was all about.” What it was about for these beach lovers was finding and fixing up the perfect little retreat, which they discovered just a block back from the canal and a quick drive to downtown and the ocean.

The house’s faux stone exterior and dated insides “needed a lot of work,” says West, but the pair lived in the 1,500-square-foot weekend getaway for nine years before renovating. Finally, in spring of 2004, they began the major reworking. West called it the “while we’re at it” renovation, you know, might as well do this while we’re doing that. They refinished the floors throughout, remodeled the kitchen, and added a second bath, media room, and office (mostly for Hank, who runs two Delaware travel websites). They also put in new wiring, windows, and ceilings. In short, they created a getaway that isn’t your typical beach house. “We wanted a second home, something casual without being beachy kitsch,” says West, who drew from his skills as a designer to drive the new look.

The overall effect is a mix of Gustavian, with its Nordic/Swedish influences of soft colors and lightness of feel, and touches of English, classic Federal, and Cape Cod, with antiques sprinkled throughout. The most obvious effect when you walk in is the soothing, natural palette—creamy yet warm walls (linen white in the dining room, a shade lighter everywhere else) along with natural fabrics in “watery” colors of pale blues and neutrals. West’s goal was “casual and light all year-round.” The homey feel keeps them coming back pretty much every weekend, even during the cold.

The personal touches that made it “home” began in the living room, where they spend most of their time. They warmed the space, literally and figuratively, with a custom-designed fireplace, framed by an antique mantle that had been sitting in their closet back in Maryland for a decade. After West stripped and repainted the pine frame, his builder surrounded it with slate. “It felt a bit more rustic than a shiny marble, which was too formal.” The other custom touch in the downstairs is the wall of bookshelves, which West sketched out on a notepad and faxed over to the carpenter.

The dining room carries on the classic feel, mixing an antique English pedestal table with wheelback dining chairs in the style of Thomas Sheraton. The chairs’ Swedish cream glaze finish contrasts nicely with the deep mahogany table. “Every once in a while,” West says, “I like to punctuate with something dark to ground it so the room doesn’t fade away.” The touch that keeps the room from being “stodgy,” he says, is the linen chair covers in a pale blue zebra print.

But their favorite detail is the hand-crafted chandelier, covered entirely in miniature seashells.

West’s approach to the kitchen, adjacent to the dining room, was to give it a classic Nantucket feel—clean lines, with a creamy glazed finish for the cabinets, set off by the continuation of the dark hardwood floors. The occasional nod to nautical appears in a reproduction ship’s clock over the sink. The “gotta have” kitchen accessory is a “pot filler”—a faucet that swivels out over the stove to top off those large soup pots.

Even when getting ready for the holidays (the house was on Lewes’ annual Christmas house tour last year), the two found a way to stay within their classic look, albeit with witty touches. Using fresh citrus and boxwood greens creates a fresh approach to traditional seasonal decorating. West even created boxwood shades for the usually naked chandelier to carry the theme through. Whimsical centerpieces, using mermaids perched in salt for sand, take the fun up a notch.

Even the evergreen boxwood gardens outside are dressed up for the holidays.

How do you spice up the rather nondescript pond out back? Fill it with cranberries—not only do they float, but they last pretty much the whole season!  And the giant wreath isn’t a wreath at all but a careful trimming of the ivy growing up the garage wall, a holiday espalier topped off with a giant ribbon. Lights sparkle through the liriope.

The pair doesn’t mind the three-hour trek from Chevy Chase to Lewes most Friday nights. They’re happy to stroll into their little bungalow, the exterior a buttery-yellow stucco with copper and white accents, and settle in. They love having a place to show off their antique finds, like their collection of Straffordshire dogs or the striking seven-foot, pale blue Swedish floor clock. And the little town of Lewes they discovered that weekend, West says, has gotten even better. “Charming architecture, quaint shops, and wonderful people… who could ask for more?”