- © 2025 Annapolis Home Magazine
- All Rights Reserved
By Walinda P. West
Photography by Peak Visuals
Built in 1999 but with the soul of a century-old New England seaside retreat, the yellow-shingled home within the Ferry Point community in Annapolis is a love letter to the quiet, classic elegance of Shingle Style architecture and an ode to one of its owner’s New England roots.
The home’s exterior combines traditional design with natural materials and muted earth tones, which blend comfortably into its surroundings. And just as the exterior conveys a sense of unity and flow, the interior echoes this fluidity with a timber-framed open floor plan. A strong connection between indoor and outdoor creates a harmonious living environment that balances timeless form with unfussy, thoughtfully curated furnishings defined by simplicity. It’s a home that doesn’t try too hard because it doesn’t have to. Little Aberdeen Creek, a quiet tidal tributary that flows into the South River, is the soul of the scene.
The interior of the post and beam construction reflects the homeowners’ thoughtful sensibility: practical, collected, and simple furnishings tell a story, whether experienced or imagined, says Deanna Gurri of Taylor Hart Design. Gurri has worked for nearly a decade with the home’s owners, Kerrie Sullivan, a nurse practitioner, and her husband, Brian Sullivan, a neurosurgeon. Rather than following trends, Gurri has helped the Sullivans curate a home filled with vintage finds and personal pieces chosen with care and a sense of history, with thoughtfully collected objects that stand the test of time rather than the trends of time.
The Sullivans moved into the Ferry Point home in 2006 from another home in Annapolis. “What sold me on the house is that it felt cozy and really comfortable,” says Kerrie Sullivan. “The other thing that sold me was knowing that I would use every room.” No room is off-limits or too precious for the Sullivans or their guests. “I came here from a cookie-cutter home with decorated rooms that I would never sit in. I had to decorate them just because you have to. I hated the feeling of having to make it look good, knowing I would never use that room. This feels like home.”
“That’s one of the things that allowed Kerrie and I to click very quickly,” says Gurri. “I appreciate the sensibilities that Kerrie holds and her particular way of thinking about space and just moving through the world with not wanting to be wasteful and just practical. We connected there right off the bat.”
With few exceptions, each of the Sullivans’ spaces opens into another without fuss or flourish, creating a rhythm that feels both natural and intentional. The homeowners have let their interiors evolve slowly over time, layering in pieces that are meaningful, practical, and imperfect in all the right ways, like an old white French-painted armoire and a couple of vintage tables.
There is not one room in the 4,500 square-foot home that Gurri has not touched—sometimes twice—as the couple’s three daughters grew and the family’s needs changed. “Deanna has changed the way we function as a family, which is remarkable to me,” says Sullivan of the designer’s ability to capture what the Sullivans want and what they don’t yet know they want.
Over the 12 years, Gurri has overseen four stages of projects, including the foyer, living room, den, bedrooms, and a complete kitchen renovation. Sometimes, those projects required moving Kerrie Sullivan from her comfort zone; lighting and color choices come to mind, Gurri says.
“My least favorite color in the world is purple,” Sullivan says. “When we decided to put chairs in a little alcove, Deanna picked plum piping around the seating and ottoman. I was looking at that piping, thinking, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know how I’m going to get used to this purple.’ And then Deanna said, ‘Just wait, just wait,’—and now I couldn’t love it more.”
The chairs and ottoman fit perfectly in one of the Sullivans’ most major undertakings: the kitchen, which took three months to complete. The Sullivans wanted the space designed as much for gathering as for cooking. Anchored by an impressive 11-foot island, the kitchen is a step up from the couple’s old galley kitchen with generous prep space, top-of-the-line appliances, and artisan-printed marble tiles while also serving as a natural hub for conversation. Just steps away, a custom-designed bench surrounds the kitchen table, inviting long, lingering meals, quiet morning coffee, or impromptu chats that meander from deep thoughts to everyday nothingness. The materials are unfussy, the palette soft and welcoming—proof that comfort and beauty don’t have to compete. The only thing missing, joked Brian Sullivan, is a television.
Kerrie Sullivan says she is not sure what the next major project will be, but whatever it is, it will be practical, understated, and will include Gurri, who, she says, is more than a designer; she’s a friend. “I like things that feel timeless and grounded. I haven’t forgotten Deanna’s comment to me when we were doing our kitchen. She said, ‘You don’t really want to walk into a renovation and know what year it was renovated.’ And I was like, well, that’s brilliant, that’s right, and that’s Deanna.”
Through the simplicity of design and successful collaboration between the homeowners and designer, each room in the Sullivan house holds space for lives that are well-lived and a home that is well-loved.
INTERIOR DESIGN: Deanna Gurri, Taylor Hart Design
BUILDER: Cumberstone Builders
Cabinetry: Heister House Millworks
Flooring: Elite Flooring
Counters: Leathered Black Diamond by In Home Stone
Backsplash Tile: Stone Impressions
Upholstery: Lee Industries
© Annapolis Home Magazine
Vol. 16, No. 3 2025