Written by Natalie Aldridge
Nestled along the shores of the Chesapeake sits a 12,000-square-foot Colonial Revival given new life by Corey Damen Jenkins. Built in the 1920s, the estate belongs to a couple who came to the project with a lifetime of collected treasures they longed to showcase. Years of traveling, antiquing, and attending auctions had resulted in a wonderful curation of furniture and objets that needed a proper home and an expert eye.
Photography courtesy of Andrew Frasz. Originally featured in ELLE Decor in 2025.
From a Louis XVI daybed and vintage sunburst mirror to antique wooden swans and other pieces collected over the years, Corey worked to place each throughout the house alongside new furnishings, fabrics, and finishes. The trick, of course, was making such a grand house filled with incredible antiques still feel like a summer house retreat. Children, dogs, wet bathing suits, and houseguests called for a certain amount of practicality, so performance fabrics mix with more precious ginghams, plaids, grass cloth, and plenty of pattern, giving the house a polished look without feeling overly fussy.
Despite being a summer home meant for fun and entertaining, the house has a wonderful sense of place, history, and grandeur, found in the details throughout. The entrance hall is wrapped in sunny yellow grass cloth, glazed by local artisans to give it a wonderfully aged appearance, while the downstairs study features a nearly 130-year-old French limestone mantel, last fully assembled at the Waldorf Astoria in 1931, just to name a few.
But perhaps our favorite part of the house is the veranda. The outdoor living spaces are treated with just as much consideration as the interiors, with distinct areas for dining and sitting that make the veranda feel like a proper extension of the house rather than somewhere a few pieces of outdoor furniture happened to land. Antique blue-and-white porcelain plates are mounted on custom metal grilles against the whitewashed brick walls, which may be one of our favorite details of the entire project. It is classic and wonderfully personal.
What we love most is that this home does not feel like the typical summer house. It strikes the perfect balance between formality and ease, feeling polished and collected without ever becoming too precious. There is a sense of history and permanence to the rooms, but they still feel entirely suited to long summer days. It is elegant, comfortable, and above all, feels like a true home.
Let’s take a closer look inside!
To learn more, please visit Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates and follow @coreydamenjenkins on Instagram for ongoing inspiration.
x Natalie
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