Design Wire January/February 2025
Eight Maine properties were awarded a coveted MICHELIN KEY as part of the second-ever list of the country’s most outstanding hotels named by MICHELIN GUIDE. Similar to the way Michelin Stars recognizes restaurants for top-notch cooking, the new Michelin Key designation highlights the best of the best in hospitality. More than 5,000 hotels across the globe were vetted and judged in five categories: excellent architecture and interior design, quality and consistency of service, personality and character, value for the price, and significant contribution to the neighborhood. Four LARK HOTELS properties were awarded One Key status—both BLIND TIGER locations in Portland, the KENNEBUNK CAPTAINS COLLECTION, and AWOL KENNEBUNKPORT—along with the LINCOLN HOTEL in Biddeford, CAMDEN HARBOUR INN, Cape Neddick’s CLIFF HOUSE MAINE, and the WHITE BARN INN AND SPA by AUBERGE RESORTS COLLECTION.
National eyewear chain WARBY PARKER will soon open its first storefront in Maine at 184 Middle Street in Portland’s Old Port. The building, which was originally completed between 1867 and 1874 and is known as WILLIAM WIDGERY THOMAS BLOCK, features first-floor retail space and will soon showcase three one- and two-bedroom private lofts as part of THE DOCENT’S COLLECTION, a boutique hospitality offering that blends modern, mobile-first service with the amenities of a luxury residential rental. “We are dedicated to the stewardship of historic buildings. By carefully preserving their architectural heritage while welcoming modern tenants, we ensure that these storied spaces evolve and resonate with today’s visitors,” says Tim Soley, president of EAST BROWN COW, the real estate management, investment, and development firm that owns Thomas Block and other properties in the area. Warby Parker’s Portland location will showcase the brand’s full optical and sun offerings, contact lenses, and accessories, with artwork by Maine-based artist CHRISTOPHER DAVID RYAN.
The PRINCETON REVIEW ranked the COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC (COA) in Bar Harbor number one in its latest Guide to Green Colleges across the United States. Published annually since 2010, the guide aims to help college applicants understand which schools place an emphasis on environmental responsibility. COA was cited as “exceptional” in its green distinctions thanks in part to its carbon neutrality and its commitment to becoming fossil fuel–free by 2030. According to MaineBiz, the college is currently “phasing out single-use plastics; reducing, recycling, and composting waste; transitioning to renewable sources; sourcing food sustainably; and using nontoxic cleaning products.” New campus buildings at COA, including a 12,000-square-foot dormitory and a 30,000-square-foot academic center, were designed on passive house principles, with mass-timber construction and rooftop solar arrays. Other Maine schools ranked in the top 50 of the Guide to Green Colleges include Colby College in Waterville (#11), Bates College in Lewiston (#20), and the University of Maine at Orono (#47).
Maine-based furniture company THOS. MOSER released two new products that honor the state’s rich manufacturing heritage and the heirloom quality and craftsmanship that can only be achieved when something is made by hand. The BATES BED, which pays homage to the bobbin and spool beds of the early 1800s, features rounded corners carved from a solid block of wood and joined to the leg with an interlocking mortise and tenon joint; the complementary BATES SIDE TABLE has tapered legs and similarly curved details. The collection’s name comes from the BATES MANUFACTURING COMPANY, established by American textile tycoon and philanthropist Benjamin Bates in 1852, as well as BATES COLLEGE, which was initially founded as the Maine State Seminary in 1855 and renamed in honor of Benjamin Bates in 1864. TOM MOSER, who founded the eponymous furniture brand more than 50 years ago, has a personal connection to the college: he held the positions of associate professor of speech and debate coach as well as African American Society advisor before taking a leave of absence to pursue his interest in furniture building.
Now available for short-term rental on VRBO is the eight-bedroom, three-bathroom FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED SUMMER HOME in Deer Isle, designed by architect WILLIAM RALPH EMERSON, often referred to as “the father of the shingle style.” The cottage, known as Felsted, was built in 1897 as a retirement home for landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the mastermind behind New York City’s famed Central Park, Boston’s Emerald Necklace, and several national parks and college campuses (including the University of Maine in Orono). Sitting on four acres with over 600 feet of shoreline, the property was used as a hotel from 1925 to 1940 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Felsted, which was the setting for two films (Mel Gibson’s Man Without a Face and the 2003 romance Finding Home), is an iconic representation of how early shingle-style architecture was meant to blend into the coastal landscape.
SHASHANK GUPTA, a third-year PhD candidate at PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, and REZA MOINI, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, recently developed a novel cement material inspired by the outer layer of human bone. Made by a hybrid 3D printing and casting process using standard hardened cement paste, the bio-inspired material features a geometric structure of cylindrical and elliptical tubes that allows it to endure progressive damage in lieu of sudden failure. Early research suggests the lightweight, crack-resistant material could be particularly useful for specialized projects like bridges and tunnels and in areas with seismic activity or extreme weather conditions. “Our approach, which manipulates geometry instead of relying on fibers or additives, has the potential to be a cost-effective solution once the manufacturing process is optimized,” Gupta told Fast Company.
AXIOM SPACE and Italian fashion house PRADA recently revealed the AXIOM EXTRAVEHICULAR MOBILITY UNIT (AxEMU) SPACESUIT that will be worn on NASA’s ARTEMIS III mission, which aims to land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon. According to a press release, Prada’s design and product development team provided “customized material recommendations and features that would both protect astronauts against the unique challenges of the lunar environment and visually inspire future space exploration.” The gender-neutral, one-size- fits-all design provides astronauts with increased flexibility, performance, and safety on space walks and while exploring the lunar south pole. AxEMU has undergone extensive testing in an underwater environment meant to simulate the lunar surface, in reduced gravity simulations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and at state-of-the-art Axiom Space and SpaceX facilities. “Our elite teams have redefined spacesuit development, establishing new pathways to innovative solutions and applying a state-of-the-art design approach for the AxEMU. We have broken the mold. The Axiom Space–Prada partnership has set a new foundational model for cross-industry collaboration, further expanding what’s possible in commercial space,” says Matt Ondler, president at Axiom Space.