Several years ago, a couple living in California started to think about where they wanted to raise a family. The wife had grown up in Stonington, and after seven years on the West Coast, “I started feeling more like I wanted to go home,” she says. “My whole family is still up and down the coast of Maine.” The couple started browsing Maine real estate, looking for somewhere that might feel something like the small island community of the wife’s youth while being within commuting distance of a city where they could pursue their medical careers (one is a pediatric hospitalist, and the other practices family medicine). They found a property on Yarmouth’s Cornfield Point, with water views from every angle and a house that, while not quite what they were seeking, seemed like it could be made to fit them. “A lot of homes on the water are these gigantic, formal homes that just don’t appeal to us,” says the wife. “Here, it feels spacious but cozy. We have plenty of room, but it doesn’t feel like we’re in a huge, vast home with unused spaces.”

From the beginning, the couple planned on renovating before occupying the home. The previous owners were an older couple who had used it as a summer residence, and the new owners wanted a year-round home that would suit a young family. They also wanted to open up the floor plan and add dormers to bring in more of the stunning Casco Bay views that surround the property. While they remained in San Diego, they engaged interior designer Samantha Pappas of Samantha S. Pappas Design, not only to create the light-filled home of their dreams, but also to act as their boots on the ground in Maine. “With them being out of town, I ended up being their go-to person,” says Pappas. “I was there to be their face, to meet with people on-site, and to make sure that our vision for the home was being achieved.” She worked with the couple to assemble the renovation team, led by architect Kevin Browne of Kevin Browne Architecture and builder Matt Cotnoir of MasterCraft Carpentry. “Samantha was able to connect us with everybody,” says the husband. “She was such a great coordinator and resource.”

The original design of the home, built in the 1990s, “was like two or three Capes put together,” says Browne. “There’s the main Cape, a side Cape, and a Cape for the garage.” That meant limited fenestration in the upstairs rooms, which had been barely used by the original owners. The couple planned to move the owners’ suite from the first floor to the second and wanted to make use of unfinished space above the garage as well as improve the flow of the bedrooms. To take advantage
of the water views, the team replaced most of the existing roof, creating a series of dormers around the house as well as adding windows on the first floor. “Once they cut the window openings, it just made you feel a lot more connected to where you are on the property, with all the views around you,” recalls Browne. “There was the biggest ‘wow’ factor.”

Another design challenge was the prominence of the garage, which faces the driveway and is the first thing you see upon arrival. “You would drive in, and just see two garage doors,” says Browne. “We made a prominent covered walkway, so you are drawn to the front door. It’s a nicer approach.” The warm reddish brown of Douglas fir posts and rafters contrasts with the home’s pale shingles, helping to draw the eye away from the garage and toward the entrance. On the other side of the home, a full-length deck was replaced with a smaller, lower one ringed by cascading stairs, which made room for a patio and eliminated the need for railings. Lowering the deck also meant that its furniture wouldn’t get in the way of the view from the downstairs windows.

The first floor was reconfigured to create an easy, open flow for family life. A generous entryway was added, and space that had held a powder room and closet became a mudroom with plenty of room for coats and shoes. (A new powder room was created with space borrowed from the garage.) The kitchen is now divided from the living area by a cabinet structure that includes an appliance garage and pantry space. The arrangement creates easy access to cooking supplies but also allows them to be easily hidden. “I’m pretty type A,” says the wife. “I wanted it to be organized, and to be able to hide the kitchen mess.” Another goal was to avoid upper cabinets to keep the look “open and light,” says the wife; there is plenty of storage in the central island and under the counters. The kitchen is open to the dining area, which takes full advantage of the ocean view. On the other side of the kitchen cabinet is a wood-burning fireplace that anchors the living room, which flows right into a second seating area that has become a toddler play space. “I love that they use this as a little play area for kids,” says Pappas. “We didn’t plan it that way, but it’s perfect. You can clean the concrete coffee table with a Magic Eraser, and it looks brand-new.”

The years the couple spent in California together had some influence on the style they envisioned for the home’s interior. “Parts of the California aesthetic are whitewashed, really neutral. I’m drawn to some of that,” says the wife. “I also think that, with Samantha’s eye, it helped make it not too boring or monotone.” “They wanted it to be relaxed and livable, not formal and stuffy,” says Pappas. “They like a lot of neutrals, bringing interest in more with textures as opposed to pops of color. I like to throw pops of color and pattern in, so it was a fine balance of getting interest in there in a neutral way.” A palette of whites, off-whites, and natural woods keeps the home bright and serene, with coastal blues as accents. Pappas encouraged the incorporation of bold wallpapers in the powder room and some of the bedrooms. “She did a good job of pushing us out of our comfort zone,” says the husband. The wife agrees. “I would say, is it too bold? I’m always worried, am I going to get sick of that? It was helpful to have her guidance on what will work long-term.”

With a fresh floor plan and timeless, neutral decor, the home is ready for many years of family life. The views are no longer shut out; as the seasons change, the moods of the ocean flow through every room. There are cozy spots for toddler play and parent relaxation, and breezy spaces for entertaining when the whole family visits. “It just feels like us,” says the wife. “It feels like our home.”