Mairen Marshall has southern Maine in her blood, with everyone from her great-grandmother and grandmother to her parents and her mother’s cousins spending time there over the years. “My parents bought a house in Wells the year I was born, and my grandmother was in Perkins Cove,” says Mairen, referring to the quaint harbor village in the town of Ogunquit. She now shares a love of Maine with her husband, Sean, and the couple bought their own Ogunquit home after they had their second of three children. “We lived there for seven months during COVID and realized that we needed more space,” she continues. “This property in Perkins Cove came on the market, and it happens to be across the drawbridge from my late grandmother’s old house.”

The couple’s new residence—perched on a large rock outcropping between the cove and the Atlantic—has seen many iterations since the original structure, a small Cape, was built during the mid-1800s. “In the early 1900s, artist Hamilton Easter Field renovated and enlarged the house, resulting in a structure that looks like our home today,” explains Sean, also noting that it later served as a bed and breakfast beginning in the 1950s. (One of its guests reportedly included actress Bette Davis, who served as an Ogunquit Beach lifeguard in 1926.) “The previous owner rebuilt the residence in 2001 to look identical to the existing one, and the goal with our renovation was also to keep its look and feel. We loved the white exterior with its huge farmer’s porch, but the building had taken a beating as a rental property, and it needed new bones.”

To help usher the property into its next phase, the couple called on Boston-based interiors firm Erin Gates Design and local builder Richard Moody and Sons Construction. “We lived in the house for two summers, which helped determine what we wanted,” says Mairen. “It needed to function for our busy family of five and also serve as an easy place to entertain, since local family members are always stopping by.” Hence the decision to convert a dark TV room between the kitchen and screened porch into a lively bar room, which is enveloped in bold blue and white fig-leaf wallpaper. “This space was our number one priority,” says Sean. “We opened the kitchen to create a large pass-through into the bar area and replaced the French doors to the screened porch with sliding doors that create an indoor–outdoor feel.” The screened porch and adjacent deck are popular spots thanks to their front-row view of boats navigating to and from the harbor. “Someone is always outside,” he continues. “There are a few different places to sit, eat, or have a drink.” The pass-through serving area isn’t the only change back in the kitchen. Additional windows were installed, and the layout was reimagined to incorporate an island for dining as well as an island for food prep. Nearby are the refreshed living and dining areas, powder room, laundry room, and mudroom. “It was critical that there be enough space for the family to tuck away towels and other beach gear,” notes Gates.

Meanwhile, on the lower level, a second kitchen was removed, the bath was renovated, and a new bedroom, gym, and sauna plus a den for the kids were added. On the upper level, which contains three bedrooms and a workspace that can be closed off for privacy, some key modifications make all the difference, especially in the primary suite. In the bedroom, the cathedral ceiling was converted into a paneled barrel-vault that feels more welcoming. The adjoining bath was looking its age and was in desperate need of an overhaul. “There was an oversized jacuzzi in the corner, a vanity that took up too much space, and a glass block shower in a strange location,” recalls builder Jason Moody. “Also, you could hardly see the water, so we installed new windows in one corner to allow for a better view of the boats coming and going.”

In general, says Moody, “the house needed a lot of updates. The original plan was to replace the windows and rework the layout to be less choppy. However, we started to find some rot and were forced to peel back the layers. In the end, the entire structure was taken down to the studs out of necessity.” And while the overall appearance of the exterior remains (a few Palladian windows were swapped out for more contemporary rectangular versions), the materials are new, from the high-performance Andersen windows to the stainless-steel cable railings to the fiber cement siding and composite trim. “Because of its location, this house gets hammered by heavy wind, driving rain, and snow,” says Moody. “We needed to choose the right construction methods and products to withstand that.”

This dedication to selecting hardy materials was carried through to the interiors as well. “Our kids are 13, 10, and 6, so durable furnishings are critical,” notes Sean. And given the abundance of windows, potential fading is also a concern. “We chose indoor–outdoor fabrics, wipeable surfaces like porcelain tile, and lots of V-groove paneling, which is tougher than plaster,” says Gates, who installed penny tile in a fun striped pattern on the floor of the children’s bath. “The effect looks custom and interesting, but it’s not precious.” Fun is a common theme throughout, as the couple is open to pattern and color—especially their favorite hue, blue. “It’s always important to take the location and views into consideration,” says the designer. “The ocean heavily influenced the palette here, but it doesn’t feel too beachy. We have just about every iteration of blue, from the bold fig-leaf wallpaper in the bar area to the pale blue kitchen to the grayish blue in the children’s room. And I love that they went with that fig-leaf wallpaper. People tend to get nervous about bold choices, but those always end up as favorites in the end.” The furnishings are a comfortable yet fresh combination of new and custom pieces with some of the owners’ artwork sprinkled in. “We incorporated some sentimental touches, including a surfboard the couple purchased on a trip to Hawaii,” says the designer. “It’s classic New England, but with a more whimsical seaside touch. The goal was to design a happy, relaxing, beautiful, and functional space that they look forward to returning to.”

And it would appear the team has succeeded. Even after a complete gut renovation, the soul of the original house that the couple fell in love with remains. “It’s nice that when I’m in the house, I can still feel what it was like when we bought it,” says Mairen, whose favorite place to perch is at a table near a windowed corner of the living room. “It’s a great spot for the kids to play games or do puzzles, but it’s also where I drink my coffee on cool mornings and watch the lobster boats go by.” No matter the weather or season, there are plenty of areas to cozy up and relax. “We weren’t interested in creating a showpiece, but rather a home that reflects this family,” says Gates. “It’s a house where you can kick your feet up.”