LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-October 2010

by Rebecca Falzano

Photography David Murray

You might notice some name changes on the Maine Home+Design and Maine mastheads this month. Over the course of the summer, about a third of our office got married here in Maine, myself included. Weddings are first and foremost a collection of joyful intangibles—the symbolic joining together of two lives, the gathering of family and friends, the happiness of the moment, no matter how grand or modest. Inevitably, there are some more tangible, material aspects that follow the occasion as well. Namely those generous gestures of congratulations from loved ones who want to help the newlyweds make their home together.

In the spirit of the nuptials we’ve celebrated over the last few months here, we thought we’d share with you a list of our favorite Maine-made gifts culled straight from our collective  thank-you notes. It is always such an honor to celebrate and support the work of Maine artists, designers, artisans, and craftspeople on the pages of Maine Home+Design—and, thanks
to the thoughtful expressions of family and friends, in our homes as well:

After the chaos of planning a Labor Day weekend wedding, Maine contributing editor Chelsea Holden Baker is looking forward to getting some rest on her new Angela Adams for Anthropologie bed sheets. Editorial assistant Kate (Toye) Blake is trying to find the perfect spot for the gorgeous lamp from Edgecomb Potters she and her husband received, as well as the teak bench from Asia West. Despite a no-gifts policy (instead, they asked for donations to Share Our Strength or March of Dimes), our Facebook guru Chris Kast and his partner still received a few gifts from loved ones who couldn’t resist—one was a Tunkables butter knife with the words “spread love” hand-stamped on it. Maine magazine art director Ashley (Bond) O’Brion hopes a twin bed and trundle from Furniturea will lure guests to come stay at her and her husband’s farmhouse. And the tea-ophile in me can’t wait to put my teapot collection in order inside our new tea cupboard custom made by Maine Cottage.

In this issue, you’ll find beautifully hand-crafted items like the above from talented Maine makers who take pride in their work. Speaking of prideful craftsmanship, this month’s Spaces
story is about Bolero, a 73-foot racing yawl that was originally launched in 1949 and restored in just twenty months by a dedicated crew at Rockport Marine, in time to re-launch for the summer (“Back in the Race,” page 33). This is the second boat we’ve featured in recent months (following our story on Bequia in August’s issue). We’re finding ourselves more and more
drawn to boat stories these days—which is only natural when you consider our mission to bring you the best design in the state. With so much coastline here in Maine, boats are clearly the next frontier for MH+D. Look for more stories from the water in upcoming issues, and as always, let us know what you think.

Gratefully,
Rebecca Falzano
Managing Editor

P.S. From time to time, we make a mistake. In last month’s
issue, we spelled the name of one of our beloved Maine islands
wrong. Despite several sets of eyes and the utmost attention to
detail, the occasional typo slips by us. In the rare cases when
this happens, we are deeply humbled and reminded never to
rest on our laurels. We realize what a privilege it is to be able
to showcase our state and the talented people in it, so when
we are wrong, it is especially devastating to us. We hope you,
particularly our loyal readers from Islesboro, will forgive us.