Mary Simmonds’ and Richard Stewart’s Avalon beach house is a welcome retreat for their family, where previous generations are remembered and celebrated through framed family photos. The lot in the “fingers” section of the bay has been in the Simmonds family for more than 50 years.

Two years ago, as Mary was preparing to retire from her career as an oncologist practicing in Hershey and Harrisburg, the couple razed the original 1,100-square-foot rancher. With help from Clermont-based architect Blane Steinman Architects, J.G. Popper Custom Builders, and Chrissie Smith of Summer House Design Group, they built a 3,000-square-foot, three-story house with meticulous attention to detail.

“We wanted to build a classic beach house that wouldn’t look dated in 20 or 30 years,” said Simmonds, who enjoyed the designing and decorating process.

They created spacious rooms and lined each wall in the back of the house with windows to take advantage of stunning bay views. The first floor includes the guest room, laundry room, and family room, where Simmonds incorporated the mid-century furniture from the original house.

One flight up, their prized cow takes center stage in the foyer. The couple bought the mosaic bovine, designed by Philadelphia artist Isaiah Zagar, in 2004, at an auction to benefit the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg. Various artists created and exhibited their cows at the Harrisburg Farm Show.

“I kept putting my paddle up for different cows, but then I would be outbid,” Simmonds recalled. “I had no intention of coming home with a cow.”

But, as fate would have it, she was the last remaining bidder on Zagar’s Her 2 (too).

“We nicknamed the cow ‘Chardonnay’ because that’s what Mary was drinking when she bought it,” joked Stewart, an attorney with Johnson, Duffie, Stewart & Weidner.

The cow resided in the couple’s home in Harrisburg until being moved last year to Avalon. That’s where the beach home got its name, Bayside Barn — a “barn” for the cow that is beside the bay, Simmonds said. But getting the 300-pound sculpture into the house was a challenge.

“They brought it in with a crane through the patio doors,” said Stewart.

Their designer, Smith, had a custom mirror made for the wall behind the cow, which also came into the home by crane. The cow is prominently displayed in the foyer on a slab of marble.

A colorful three-story bubble chandelier by California-based lighting designers Siemon & Salazar includes 14 handblown pendants in the colors within the cow mosaic — clear, lime green, opaline, blue, gold, and topaz.

“The lights take advantage of the thickness and brilliance of the crystal to create a light with unending refractions,” said Simmonds. “Each one is hand manipulated to create a creased and singularly individual form.”

The foyer divides the second floor where the kitchen, dining area, and living room make up one side — a bright, airy space with cathedral ceilings. The other side features a suite for their daughter, Anne, and a large den.

The kitchen includes a unique island with a built-in stove and a marble-topped extension that serves as a small dining table. Simmonds carefully planned the cabinets to store her dish collection, an appliance garage, and drawers custom made to fit spices, pots, pans, and trays.

Mays Landing artist Stacie Miller was commissioned to create a beach-motif mural in the elevator, with Simmonds’ daughter and niece depicted as mermaids. Miller also painted the den’s barn door with a scene of the wetlands featuring Simmonds’ father’s motor boat and her brother Bob’s duck boat.

The couple’s primary suite makes up the third floor, featuring separate bathrooms that meet in a common shower. They each have their own walk-in closet.

Each floor includes a walkout deck. Simmonds, an avid knitter, spends many happy hours creating her work while looking out on the bay view.

The first-floor deck is covered and equipped with retractable shutters that the couple lower each night and when they return to their Harrisburg home.

“The house lends itself to entertaining, and we are very proud of it,” Simmonds said. “It is our dream house.”

Is your house a Haven? Nominate your home by email (and send some digital photographs) at [email protected]