In every neighborhood, there is one house where all the kids congregate. Come summertime in the historic community of Bay Ridge, Maryland, it is the Overmyers’. Children are everywhere: running around the yard, lazing on the porch, zooming up and down the driveway on bikes. “We allow our kids to run—literally run—around,” says Melissa Overmyer, a graphic designer and mother of four. “We didn’t want to make the house so precious that they and their friends couldn’t have a good time. It’s a really fun atmosphere.”  With one step inside the Victorian cottage, the attraction becomes obvious. Melissa and her husband, Dale, have created a summer retreat animated in Hawaiiana. Statuettes of hula girls shimmy next to grinning tiki glasses, neon pink fishing lures serve as lamp pulls, and vintage tropical fabrics carry on the island theme. “Everything’s sentimental in here, but nothing’s irreplaceable,” says Melissa.

Story by Kessler Burnett Photography by Celia Pearson When the Overmyers bought the circa-1893 house in 2000, it was in near-condemned condition, abandoned for nearly twenty years and taken over by raccoons and encroaching weeds.