Interior designer Louise Hurlbutt brings decades of expertise honed in New York City, Tokyo, and London to her clients in Maine and beyond. Her sophisticated yet relaxed style is especially suited to houses on the coast, such as this new home on the Kennebunk River. Louise explains how the living room is representative of Hurlbutt Designs’ signature look.

“The house overlooks the river basin, which is a tidal estuary, so of course I wanted to have large windows and sliding glass doors to take in the mass expanse of sky and water. I love to use similar colors to blend the interiors with what’s outside, but the design isn’t busy—it doesn’t detract from the gorgeous view.The silver gray and blue theme runs through the whole first floor.

When I begin working with a client on a design for a room, I always start with the rug. This client fell in love with a blue andgray patterned rug from Couristan, so we built the room aroundit. The draperies are Stout’s Wooster in Ocean, which loosely echoes the rug’s geometric design. On sofas I like to use a solid and interject a stripe elsewhere. The two Thibaut Furniture armchairs are upholstered in Thibaut’s Danube ikat stripe that’s silvery and has some subtle texture—it feels like flowing water. Pops of color add dimension and impact to a room. Here, we bring in brighter colors with the sofa pillows, covered in Manuel Canovas fabric, and the custom-painted Sherrill Furniture Occasional chest to the left of the window. The chest also adds a modern flair, as do the soft blue, crackle-finish lamps by Aerin Lauder for Visual Comfort and Company. The quietly nautical acrylic painting over the fireplace is by Frank Lipari, a Montreal artist whose landscapes often depict local Maine beach scenes, which can be found in our shop. We had a big space to fill with a coffee table, and the piece from Jonathan Charles with built-in magazine racks is perfect. I love it when coffee tables can be versatile.”

Find inspiration and beautiful objects for your home at Hurlbutt Designs.
53 Western Avenue
Kennebunk, ME
(207) 967-4110
hurlbuttdesigns.com