Out of the Ordinary

Last Sunday while driving to St. Michael’s, MD, I remembered a shop I had once spotted on a moonless night en route to Baltimore. I think my husband seriously doubted my antique sleuthing ability when I made him drive through a large garish outlet mall to get to DHS Designs, a pure beauty asylum tucked away behind a strip of urban sprawl. The talented owner is interior designer Darryl Savage, who has been coined the ‘King of Hearths’, and for good reason. He has one of the most impressive collections of 19th century limestone mantels imported from France. In fact, the entire showroom is a visual treat of oversize heirlooms, world class tapestries and garden ornaments. The boundless inventory boasts friezes, giant clocks, a vast array of Vase d’Anduze, even a ceramic crocodile head. Darryl couldn’t have been more gracious and charming as he gave a me a whirlwind tour describing the fascinating provenance of some of the one-of-a-kind pieces.

DHS Designs is in Queenstown, Maryland
All Photographs by Philippa Berrington-Blew and Craig Strydom