There’s a great deal of nostalgia that comes along with a childhood home, so when designer Abigail Shea, founder of Studio Eastman, was asked to help renovate the circa-1970 Rockport residence inherited by six siblings, she knew the stakes were perhaps a bit higher than with a typical project. Fortunately, Shea already knew one of the siblings, having worked with Tim Killoran a year prior on the renovation of his vacation house next door. He thus served as the family spokesperson throughout the duration of the project, acting as a go-between for the siblings, who are spread out across the country, and the design team, which also included architect Kevin Browne (a friend of Tim’s sister, Christina Killoran) and builder Jared Swain (the contractor on Tim’s aforementioned renovation next door). “We discussed the project as a family every Sunday evening,” recalls Tim. “We lost both our parents in the span of a year, so it was actually a nice way for us all to grieve. I would look forward to talking with everyone each week.”

Although the siblings didn’t necessarily desire a drastic change, a gut renovation was in order, as the structure—which is perched on a rocky ledge on a wooded lot overlooking Penobscot Bay—was in dire need of updating. In addition to tackling the systems and everything else behind the walls, the team took the opportunity to make the four-bedroom, two-bathroom house function a bit better for large family gatherings. “Growing up as a family of eight, sharing two baths was interesting,” says Christina with a laugh. “And a couple of the existing bedrooms were very small and unusable, so we wanted to make sure we had comfortable bedrooms as well.” Reworking and optimizing the existing square footage (and fitting in two more baths) was key, as there are 20 family members, including children, when everyone gathers at the property.

Because the site is a steep slope, the residence features an upside-down floor plan: three bedrooms and a media room on the lower level; the primary bedroom, kitchen, dining, and living on the upper level; and a sleeping loft above that. “The original architect wanted the house to feel like a ship, and instead of regular hallways, there were wide corridors that were a waste of space,” explains Tim. “We closed off one of these areas on the lower level with a pocket door and made it a media room. It’s great to have another area to hang out that’s separate from the living room. Kevin also suggested closing off part of an upper loft to create a bunk area for the kids.” The kitchen and dining area sit a half-level above the living room, but a visual connection is maintained thanks to an oak-and-rope railing. Behind the kitchen, a separate pantry has been opened up and now serves as an extension of the kitchen. Shea leaned into the fact that the space doesn’t have a ton of natural light and painted it a moody green. Even the countertops transition from light to dark, with white quartzite in the kitchen and soapstone in the pantry. “We had to get creative to maximize the existing space,” says Browne. “We wanted to utilize it to its fullest potential so that it works better for multiple families to spend time together.”

As one can imagine, with six clients there was no shortage of opinions—many of which centered around trying to salvage some of the home’s beloved features they grew up with. “I talked to each of the siblings about what items were nostalgic for them,” explains Shea. “It was a fun and special process trying to maintain the things that felt homey to them.” The new oak-and-rope railing system, for instance, is a nod to the former net railing, which didn’t meet current codes and needed to be amended. The corner woodstove is another favorite architectural element among the siblings, but it was also in rough shape. “We needed to do a lot of steel work on the surround to reinforce it,” says Swain. “We kept the original angled design but switched out the brick for a concrete finish.” Perhaps one of the most dramatic changes is the ceiling that extends over the living room, kitchen, and dining area. “We initially wanted to preserve the knotty pine ceiling, but with the new wood flooring, we were concerned about there being too much wood,” explains Tim. “What ultimately sold me on painting it an off-white is how aged and yellow the wood had become.” According to Browne, “Everyone was torn on the decision, but it would have been a lot of work to refinish it. Now it feels light and airy, like a blank canvas.”

When decorating this blank canvas, Shea’s goal was to “marry a sense of nostalgia with a clean, contemporary feel,” she says. “I wanted to give the family a fresh start that’s still in keeping with the original architecture. We didn’t come in and make this look like a new, modern house that feels out of place. Instead, there’s some subtle midcentury furniture and lighting layered with traditional New England pieces and California-inspired elements.” In fact, imbuing Maine properties with a bit of organic California style is something that Shea does often to “avoid making Maine projects feel too coastal,” she says. “I’m trying to add more nuance to the conversation about Maine interiors.” The designer stuck to a soft and subdued palette that includes cream, oatmeal, flax, blue, and green. “I’m not big on contrast,” says Shea. “I prefer to layer textures within the same color family. The earth tones are a nod to the outdoors, which is the star of the show. There’s no bold Pop Art or crazy sculptural pieces. When you have a view like this, it’s my job to make people forget about the interiors and draw their attention out to the ocean.”

Aside from vintage pieces she sourced herself and some practical finds from retailers such as Crate and Barrel, Sixpenny, and Pottery Barn, Shea also reincorporated some of the vintage items that had always been in the house. “We definitely wanted to keep some of the mid-twentieth-century aesthetic,” says Tim. “My parents had some furniture from the 1960s, and we told Abby which pieces we liked.” In addition to some office furniture, bureaus, and an antique drop-leaf table, the dining table—the same one the family has congregated around throughout the years—was refinished and paired with some new vintage-inspired chairs in a similar wood tone. “It wasn’t always easy to make changes when none of us really wanted anything to change,” says Tim. “It’s a tall order to get six people to agree on anything, especially when they’re emotionally tied to it, but Abby did a great job.” Eventually, says Christina, “You come to realize that it isn’t necessarily the external features of a house that you have a strong emotional attachment to. It’s the people.”