In the early 1900s, steamships would arrive at the dock in Rangeley and drop off passengers, visitors from Boston and New York seeking the peace and quiet of the Maine woods. Some were wealthy socialites with mansions, but others were coming to stay at the sporting camps, renting rooms and cabins by the week or month. Pickford’s Camps, located on the south end of Rangeley Lake, were one of many, but to their customers they were special. And they still are.

For the new owners, the historic Pickford’s cabin isn’t just a place to escape. It’s become their permanent residence. After decades of visiting Maine for the summer, sleeping in a rustic little cabin purchased in the late 1990s, the idea of living on a lake was “a longtime dream.” In 2017 they were leaving their summer home and headed down to their home on the coast of New Hampshire when their realtor called with news of a new property on the market. “We turned right around and drove back north,” recalls one homeowner.

“When we saw it, we knew.” The biggest draw was the lakefront view. The couple, originally from the Midwest, “had a vision” for the place, one that would enhance the existing features of the old Pickford house while (gently) modernizing it. “It’s close to town, it has a great view, it has all these good things about it,” he continues. “But we also knew we would need to change it to live here year-round. It didn’t have the right utilities.” The couple was also considering retirement, and they wanted to ensure the space was designed for single-floor living, which would take some rejiggering of the floor plan. “We wanted an architect to bring their expertise to the layout,” says the homeowner, “and we also wanted a builder who could bring in their knowledge and craftsmanship.” The finished product needed to reflect the history of the Pickford cabins, and to do that they’d need a builder well versed in the region’s vernacular.

But first, the drawings. Hiroko Lindsey, an architect based in York, Maine, created hand-drawn plans for the renovation. “Renovating an existing house always presents unique challenges,” she says. “My top priorities when speaking with clients are to listen and understand their visions, needs, and lifestyle. This project, in particular, was a lakefront property, and the clients wanted to capture the essence of the beautiful views.” To gain window space, Lindsey added larger dormers to “capture the views of the lake more effectively.” She also updated the staircase and shifted the downstairs layout to “improve functionality.” While the new homeowners weren’t interested in adding too much to the overall footprint, Lindsey did design a few additional spaces for the couple, including a mudroom (located off the garage) and a bathroom for the owners’ suite.

“Hiroko is very talented, and her drawings are beautiful,” says Jill Gordon, designer at Rangeley Building and Remodeling. “Because she did it all remotely, we ended up changing a few things from the original drawings—not enough for it to be unrecognizable,” she adds. Both Mark Gordon (who oversaw the construction) and Jill (who did all the interior design) live full-time in the Rangeley Lakes region. “We’re really into old houses and the history of Rangeley,” says Jill. “Mark is on the Historical Society board, and we both worry about the historic cottages on the water being torn down and replaced with new buildings. That was one of the big things that attracted me to this project—being able to save one of those camps from being demolished.”

“The house was on a foundation, which is a great place to start. Often, these older camps are not,” explains Jill. Fortunately, the team at Rangeley Building was able to bypass the time-consuming tasks of pouring new concrete and digging a basement, and they could instead focus on restoring and updating the structure. The homeowners had already enjoyed the house for a few years and wanted to keep their aged, knotty pine walls. Before construction began, the husband went through and “painstakingly” removed all the old boards and the nails. “We were able to put all those old boards back up after we finished putting in insulation, the new doors, and the upgraded windows,” explains Jill. “It’s familiar to them, which feels really nice.”

While the warm yellow boards worked well on the walls (and fit with the homeowners’ vintage style), they wouldn’t do for the floors. Because pine is so soft, the crew at Rangeley Building suggested using a different species underfoot. Knowing that there were going to be dogs coming in and out of the house, they opted for cherrywood stair treads, newels, and floors.

Jill balanced the warmth of the cherry, with its red undertones, and the pine, with its yellowish sheen, by adding green paint into her kitchen design. The butcher’s block island and countertop (both made of cherry) sit beside slabs of honed granite from Morningstar Stone and Tile in Jet Mist and below cabinets from Vining’s Custom Cabinets painted in Benjamin Moore’s Raintree Green. “I always say to clients, let’s bring some color into the house,” says Jill. “But because colors change with the natural light, I like to work through the options together. The last thing I want is for someone to have these gorgeous cabinets and for the colors to just not work.” They pulled inspiration from the “lushness of the forest outside,” settling on a shade that reminded Jill and the homeowners of “soft new ferns.” Located toward the front of the house, the kitchen also features reversed island seating that allows for casual dining while looking out at the lake (instead of into the kitchen).

However, there is one time when guests will sit and stare toward the cooktops: when they’re watching television. There was a lot of discussion about where to place the TV. The homeowners didn’t want it obstructing the view of the water or sitting above their stately new fireplace, so they opted to put it into the kitchen island. At the push of a button, a flatscreen pops out and swivels, allowing those seated on the nearby Pottery Barn sectional to take in a movie (or two) on a rainy day. “It was quite the process, and a challenge for the cabinet makers,” says Jill. “But because of the size of the room, it was what had to be done. We were already right at the 100-foot line and couldn’t make it bigger, so instead we focused on making it just right.”

While the upstairs “has more of a camp feel,” according to the homeowner, the first floor was opened up and modernized for daily life on the lake. In addition to the new en suite bathroom, the owners’ suite also got a new ceiling. “We completely gutted their bedroom because it had a low, flat ceiling,” says Jill. “We took all that out and vaulted it below the roofline.” All the windows throughout the house were replaced, and instead of a more traditional wood trim, Jill decided to paint them white to “brighten it up a bit.” In the bathroom, rustic alder cabinets and brown marble countertops bridge the gap between sleek and cozy. “It’s a fine balance,” the homeowner says. “We didn’t want anything formal, because we’ve had that already. Jill picked out a nice mix of modern conveniences and things that tie in with the old parts of the house.”

To give another example of this fine balance, the homeowner cites the deck railing. “It’s glass, which isn’t traditional, but it looks really great and supports that beautiful view outside,” he says. During the summer, they like to sit on the deck and listen to the lake come alive with vacationers. “We can hear the kids running around nearby, and the voices carry around the lake. But it’s also great when it gets quiet in the fall, and you can hear all the critters,” he says. After everyone leaves for the season, the couple likes to spend time on the porch watching deer treading lightly around the shoreline and eagles swooping over the water. “My wife is learning to identify the birds,” the homeowner adds. “And we listen to the owls hooting, and the loons. It’s so classic.” It’s so Maine.