Project Description

“Baltimore Sun (The Howard County Times)” – July 21, 2016
Rhonald Angelo Interiors to transform the library in a historic home for HEC’s annual decorator show house.

If only its walls could talk. On a hot humid afternoon, stories swirled around the empty rooms of the old house on Montgomery Road known as Avoca. Talks of a ghost named Emily, debates on the age of the house, stories of slaves from the Underground Railroad, and German prisoners of were shared, as guests climbed stairs and gathered in rooms during what organizers called a Dirty Work Party.

The July 16th event marked the first time Historic Ellicott City, Inc. opened its annual decorator show house to the public before the decorators arrived. Instead of furnished rooms in all styles, guests saw peeling paint, dusty floors, and the dreams of the designers.

“This is the room that resonated with me, ” said Rhonald Angelo, a designer from Kensington, MD who will be redoing the library on the first floor. He is happy with the room’s built-in bookcases, fireplace, and even its radiator.

“The radiator pipe makes its presence very well known,” Angelo said, nodding to the pipe that snaked up the wall. “It is an opportunity to work around. It is obviously a necessity. I have to work around it and I will.”

He admits his plans are not quite complete for the room, but that he does plan on using light colors and few window treatments. This room gets a lot of light when it is sunny out,” Angelo said. “The window treatments should frame the view, rather than cover it up.”