It started before Christmas with a terrible flood at Asbury Solomons (Solomon’s Island, Md.), drenching the second-floor private dining room and main corridor to the formal dining room. The spaces were covered with taped-up plastic, as the residents still needed to travel through the space to get to the formal dining room from the main lobby and the other residence coming from the AL building needed to access the main building through the café, both of which were now shut down due to the damage.

The property had been wanting more variety in its dining venues. With the walls being damaged to the private dining room, the walls had already been removed. The grill was to be reorganize based on a previous wish list. What was remaining of the passageway to the formal dining room was a damaged corridor with three dormer-type alcoves to the outside wall looking toward the coast. We decided to remove the walls in between the dormer, exposing the structural columns. We then decided to add porthole windows with a drink table between the columns and the exterior wall.

The paths needed to remain, but the vernacular took another course. The front room without the private dining was now a wide-open space with a few columns. To start, we located the bar at the end of the space adjacent to the formal dining room, so when waiting for dinner you could have a cocktail.

On the window side we placed two 4-tops in the alcoves in front of the existing windows, with island floral drapery framing the view to the water. Slanting the ceiling in the alcoves, with painted blue ceilings and stained wood ceiling fans, gave the alcoves their own semi-private space as if you were on a porch or pier. In between the alcoves, having exposed the columns, we added bar-height drink counters with leather barstools and glass pendants, with a porthole window above.

The feature of the bar was the next task, to give the space character. Teak-colored, louvered panels installed in front of a reed-filled, lit, ocean-blue glass panel on the wall gave the drama the bar needed. Above the live edge feature table we suspended three light fixtures reminiscent of fishing traps.

The biggest compliment came during the photo shoot from one of the residents, who said that the space had been transformed and changed the way the residents interact with one another.

Cost per square foot: Not available

Photography: Thomas Wagman Photography (after images)