Magazine

Bring Mountain Magic Home with These Alpine Style Picks

Writer Kathryn O’Shea-Evans is no stranger to living life at altitude: based near Colorado’s Front Range—home to some of the highest peaks in the Rockies—the food, design, and travel writer has contributed to an assortment of interior design books highlighting everything from the “Grandmillenial” aesthetic to rustic National Park lodges. In her latest work, Alpine Style: Bringing Mountain Magic Home (Gibbs Smith, 2024), O’Shea-Evans opines on enchanting interiors tailor-made for après-ski fun. Full of images of grandiose chalets and vintage photos of celebrities on the mountains, the charming book contains tips for living your best life at altitude throughout the seasons, along with a handful of warming recipes from renowned alpine kitchens.

“To me, ‘Alpine style’ is not modern and cold—it’s more of a Ralph Lauren fever dream sprung to life,” O’Shea-Evans explains. The dining room pictured here is highlighted in Alpine Style for its Scottish hunting lodge aesthetic: antique beams from a Louisiana mill pair with damask-covered walls and rustic wood flooring, while character shines through in the vintage fox oil painting, antler candle holders, and antique kettle above the fireplace. O’Shea-Evans praises the flexibility of the dining room, which features multiple tables and seating that can be easily rearranged. Between the upholstery, window coverings, and wallpaper, there’s plenty of sumptuous patterns to elevate the cozy space despite its simple design. After all, says the writer, “when you’re surrounded by alpine grandeur, you don’t need to invest in much artwork—everyone will be looking out the window anyway.” Create your own mountain-inspired interior with these nine finds.

Which Eames Designed the Eames House Bird?

If you’re a midcentury design enthusiast, chances are the Eames House Bird has found you. And if you’re like me, you most likely assumed this sleek creature was designed by Charles and Ray Eames. In fact, a different husband and wife duo designed the crow. When Charles and Edna Purdue of Illinois passed their gun repair business on to their son in the 1930s, they dedicated themselves to carving and painting detailed ornamental birds and decoys used by hunters. Their minimalistic crow decoys were carved from one piece of wood and painted black with two wire legs and beads for eyes. The decoys were usually deployed in agricultural fields to ward off hungry invaders.

The Eameses came across one of the Purdues’ crows while traveling in the Appalachian Mountains and brought it back home with them. Visitors to the Eames House (Case Study House Number 8) in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles get to experience a “time stood still” museum where the original crow resides. The house is filled with objects from the couple’s travels, gifts from friends, and treasures found in nature. Each object is handmade and unique and tells a story about the designers. The bird they brought to California has rested in the middle of a vintage textile rug for over 50 years. It shows the passing of time with its faded color, yet it still impresses its onlookers.

I first spotted the Eames House Bird in a black and white Herman Miller ad from the 1950s that I came across in a design book. There it was, innocently perched on the “Eiffel Tower” base of one of many Eames Wire Chairs. Once I saw it, I found myself looking for it in other Eames photos. It became my Waldo. It wasn’t that I was going mad. Charles and Ray incorporated the crow decoy in many of their photoshoots.

Vitra realized the broad appeal of the folk art piece and, in 2007, worked with the Eames family to create 3D scans of the original to make an authentic reproduction. Instead of pine, the Vitra version is made of solid alder with a black lacquer finish and steel wire legs. The Vitra version (measuring 11” x 3 1/4” x 8”) is made in Germany and available in either solid alder with a black lacquer finish for $355 or walnut with a clear lacquer finish for $495.

“Dead Writers” Podcast Creator Tess Chakkalakal on Maine’s Literary Sites

Where did the idea for Dead Writers originate?

I came up with the idea for the show after I’d spent several years trying to save the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Brunswick. I met so many interesting people and came up with several reasons why literary houses are important. That’s when I discovered my now-cohost Brock Clarke’s book, An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England, which I found hilarious. I thought it would be cool if we made a podcast recording some of our conversations, and he did too. Our amazing producer, Lisa Bartfai, appeared miraculously on the scene, and the rest is podcast history.

What’s unique about Maine’s literary landscape?

I’d say what’s unique about Maine’s literary landscape is the same thing that is unique about its geography: Maine is beautiful. Writers are attracted to beauty; they need it to write. I think it’s no accident that many of the writers we talk about on the show write about the beauty of Maine’s landscape—Edna St. Vincent Millay and Sarah Orne Jewett’s work come immediately to mind. But then there are the people, or the characters, that make Maine unique, which you can find in poems by Edwin Arlington Robinson as well as in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s stories. Most of these characters are what you’d call “isolatoes.” I guess you find quite a few isolatoes living in Maine.

How did visiting these literary sites—as opposed to just reading about the authors and their lives—affect your understanding of the individuals?

Going to these sites gave me a better sense of how these writers lived. I had read and studied Uncle Tom’s Cabin for many years before I visited Stowe’s home, and being in the house where she wrote the novel—looking out the window, moving through its various rooms—gave me a different sense of the story and how it was written. I think going to the houses allows you to step into an author’s shoes, which helps you think about the life of a writer—but not so much about the books themselves, as my cohost reminds us.

Did you see how the home may have influenced the works by these authors? For example, do you think Stowe’s Maine home affected Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

Stowe was all about celebrating domestic life, and the importance of a well-run household is an important feature of her novel. I’m not sure how well run her own household was, but she spent a lot of time thinking about her house: heating it, cleaning it, moving furniture around, and making sure her kids were healthy and happy in it. There are several scenes in the novel where houses—particularly kitchens—are featured, and I have a hunch that these scenes were based on Stowe’s kitchen in Brunswick.

Given the time of year, we must ask: do any of these dead writers’ homes have ghosts or an unusual history that may not appear on the historic home’s website?

I recently heard from someone who used to work at the Stowe House that, when it used to be an inn back in the 1990s, the basement was full of ghosts. She never saw one herself, but she did say that most of the staff refused to go down there because of “sightings.”

A Sweet & Savory Pair of Jams from Vanessa Seder’s Latest Cookbook

Roasted Allium & Balsamic Jam

Roasted Allium and Balsamic Jam will inject a potent sweet-and-savory jolt to whatever’s for lunch or dinner. Its several alliums (plants in the garlic and onion family) mellow out as they caramelize during the roasting process. The end product is fabulous on a cheese plate, as an accompaniment to roast
meats, or as a spread for a sandwich or sub.

Makes 3 cups

INGREDIENTS

1¾ pounds yellow onions (about 2 large), quartered
4 whole heads of garlic, tops sliced off to expose cloves
3 medium shallots
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 dried bay leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the onion quarters, garlic heads, and shallots on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast, tossing halfway through cooking, for 45 minutes, or until the alliums are soft and browned in parts. Remove from the oven and let cool until easy to handle, about 15 minutes.

2. Set the heads of garlic aside. Transfer the onions and shallots to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, 1 cup of water, and the vinegar and bay leaves and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and add the chopped onion and shallots. Squeeze and slide the soft, sticky, and caramelized roasted garlic out of the skins and into the saucepan. Gently stir to combine.

4. Set the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature. Remove the bay leaves. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.


Orange-Clementine Marmalade

A thick piece of toast smothered in butter, citrus marmalade, and a sprinkle of salt is one of my absolute favorite cold-weather breakfasts. For this second recipe I have augmented classic pureed oranges with clementines for added sweetness. The clementine peel adds just the right note of tangy sourness to the proceedings. The pith of the fruits (the white underside of the peel) contains natural pectin, so there’s no need to add any store-bought pectin.

Makes about 3 cups

INGREDIENTS

1 navel orange, well washed
6 clementines, well washed
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the stem end off the navel orange, leaving the rest of the peel intact. Slice the orange in half, then slice each half into 6 pieces. Transfer the orange, including the peels and pith, into the bowl of the food processor.

2. Peel the clementines and thinly slice the peel with the pith attached. Place the chopped peel in a medium saucepan. Set aside.

3. Add the clementine segments to the food processor with the orange and process until very smooth, about 4 minutes. Add this mixture to the clementine peel in the saucepan.

4. Add the sugar and 1 cup of water to the saucepan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a low boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peel is very soft and the marmalade has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let the marmalade cool to room temperature. Store in jars or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

35th Annual Friends of Acadia Benefit

Held under a tent in the stunning Hulls Cove neighborhood of Bar Harbor, the benefit began with a cocktail hour and silent auction where guests bid on 65 items, including original art, unique experiences, one-of-a-kind jewelry, and beautiful items for the home. Following an elegant dinner catered by Bar Harbor Catering Company, auctioneer Lydia Fenet led a spirited live auction that included a three-night stay at Canyon Ranch, a one-week Antarctica expedition, and a weeklong Caribbean charter. The lively evening was closed out with dancing to the Sultans of Swing band. More than $300,000 was raised to replace Acadia National Park’s aging fleet of heavy equipment. Presenting sponsor Chilton Trust supported the benefit for the 11th year in a row, and MH+D was the media partner for the evening.

“The shared love and appreciation for Acadia National Park was palpable throughout the evening, and it was marvelous to have guests who spanned generations raising money to support the park now and well into the future.”

—Jen Byer, Friends of Acadia special events coordinator

Design Wire October 2024

Photo: courtesy of Hinckley Yachts

Founded in Maine’s Southwest Harbor in 1928 to build and care for the boats of local lobstermen, luxury boat company HINCKLEY YACHTS is well known by mariners for exquisite detailing, refined performance, and unsurpassed quality. This summer, the boat-building company launched the all-new PICNIC BOAT 39, the first Hinckley Picnic Boat with forward seating for the ultimate day of leisure on the water. “At Hinckley, we have a meticulous approach to design, obsessing over the details, combining the best DNA of past models with the needs and desires of Hinckley customers today. The overall design language of the Picnic Boat 39 demonstrates our continued commitment to building beautiful, timeless, and highly innovative yachts,” says Scott Bryant, vice president of marketing and sales for Hinckley Yachts. Measuring nearly 43 feet long, the Picnic Boat 39 features three entertaining areas, smart sliding window mechanisms, and waterjet shallow draft technology for maneuvering through secluded coves with ease.


Photo: courtesy of Herman Miller

Iconic furniture brand HERMAN MILLER is expanding its EAMES LOUNGE CHAIR AND OTTOMAN lineup to include BAMBOO-BASED UPHOLSTERY. A soft, durable, and scratch-resistant alternative to traditional leather, the plant-based material reduces the chair’s carbon footprint by up to 35 percent. Its timeless design, with a signature reclined position that flexes to fit individuals, was inspired by an English club chair with the look of a well-used baseball mitt. “Charles and Ray Eames pioneered the use of molded plywood in furniture, one of the central material innovations of their time. Today, Herman Miller is among the first furniture brands to offer a plant-based leather alternative—made almost entirely from bamboo. The two materials come together in the latest offering of the iconic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, upholding the aesthetic and quality standards that have defined the chair for nearly 70 years,” says Noah Schwarz, vice president of product design for Herman Miller.


Developed by WATERSTONE PROPERTIES, the 179,365-square-foot office complex and 20,000-square-foot health services building at ROCK ROW’s state-of-the-art medical and research campus in Westbrook is expected to be completed early next year. NEW ENGLAND CANCER SPECIALISTS, RAYUS RADIOLOGY, and PLASTIC AND HAND SURGICAL ASSOCIATES have all signed on as tenants, and the Lewiston-based DEMPSEY CENTER recently leased 15,000 square feet of space in which they will open a third facility that offers counseling, integrative therapies, and comfort programs for people affected by cancer. “Rock Row’s vision of an integrated medical community aligns perfectly with our holistic approach. The opportunity to create a healing environment that brings nature inside and offers ample space for our programs was incredibly compelling,” says Cara Valentino, CEO of the Dempsey Center. Founded in 2008 by actor, Maine native, and philanthropist Patrick Dempsey and his family, the Dempsey Center provides personalized and comprehensive cancer care at no cost.


INDIGO ARTS ALLIANCE and COASTAL MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS unveiled two new sculptures by artists-in-residence SHANE PERLEY-DUTCHER and ANNA TSOUHLARAKIS as part of the DECONSTRUCTING THE BOUNDARIES: THE LAND FIGHTS BACK public symposium. Eci-Mahsosiyil/Fiddleheads is an interactive installation of two arched fiddlehead ferns made from braided and woven metal emulating traditional Wabanaki woven baskets by Perley-Dutcher, a silversmith artist from the Neqotkuk Wolasqiyiknation of New Brunswick. The Native Guide Project: CMBG by Tshoularakis, an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation and of Muscogee Creek and Greek descent, encompasses four shell middens constructed from grass, oyster shells, and granite sourced from the surrounding region. The shell walls display messages to visitors that allude to the ongoing need for reparative justice. Both Eci-Mahsosiyil/Fiddleheads and The Native Guide Project: CMBG are installed in the gardens to highlight Indigenous traditions and knowledge and as a reminder of why BIPOC experiences must be centered in the fight for climate justice. The Native Guide Project: CMBG will be on view until it naturally degrades, and Eci-Mahsosiyil/Fiddleheads will be installed permanently.


The UNIVERSITY OF MAINE is currently developing two new facilities that will expand opportunities for the food and beverage manufacturing and aquaculture industries in the Pine Tree State. The $4.46 million FOOD INNOVATION LAB in Orono will provide commercial-scale processing and production capacity, allowing start-ups and small businesses to pilot production trials in addition to researching, manufacturing, packaging, and distributing goods while offering internship opportunities for students. “This facility will provide support to Maine’s food entrepreneurs through its proximity to research, education, and expertise that is critical to growing Maine’s food businesses,” Hannah Carter, dean of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, told MaineBiz. The other new facility, set to open in 2025 in Orono, is the $10.3 million SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE WORKFORCE AND INNOVATION CENTER, which will act as a research hub focused on the problems that Maine fish and oyster farms face. Designed by SMRT ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS, the center will allow students to get hands-on with scaled-down versions of the tools used at commercial aquaculture farms.


Photo: courtesy of Ramble More Design

Artist TIMOTHY GOLDKIN of RAMBLE MORE DESIGN unveiled an eight-by ten-foot mural at the corner of Custom House Wharf and Commercial Street in Portland depicting a historic image of the wharf from the turn of the twentieth century. The public art installation was created by printing the image on thin paper, adhering it to the wall using an industrial glue, hand-brushing it to create wrinkles and furrows, sealing it with varnish for protection, and finishing the piece with a distressed trim. Goldkin’s work offers a tactile sense of history and celebrates the enduring spirit of Portland’s working waterfront while reconnecting the community with its maritime roots amid ongoing economic and environmental challenges. “This mural is more than a public work of art; it’s a window to our past and an attempt to help preserve our future by reminding us of the invaluable contributions of our seafaring forebears and those still working on the water today,” says Goldkin of the mural, which is part of the artist’s broader initiative to bring historical artworks to public spaces across the state. The project came to fruition thanks to support from the MAINE ARTS COMMISSION as well as Casco Variety, Fortland, Andy’s Old Port Pub, Maine Day Ventures, and Maggie Weir and Robb Wesby.


Photo: Zach Boyce

A two-week intensive at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE’s Gorham campus called THE COMPLETE CITY: SPATIAL DESIGN introduces students to the fundamentals of design in the built environment. Codirected by Gretchen Rabinkin, executive director of the BOSTON SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, and Addy Smith-Reiman, former executive director and current board member of the PORTLAND SOCIETY FOR ARCHITECTURE, the course immerses students in studio culture and firm visits as they develop skills on how to observe, analyze, and create in context. A final group project with presentations and critiques rounds out the intensive, which is taught by architects, landscape architects, and urban designers from the area including Joanna Shaw and Christian Prasch (Winkelman Architecture), Steven Mansfield (Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design), Bridget Kane (Thornton Tomasetti), Alex Haba (Whitten Architects), Soren deNiord (Soren deNiord Design Studio), Paige Lyons (Aceto Landscape Architects), and University of Maine professor of architecture Eric Stark.


Construction on the new $13.5 million home for the MAINE MUSEUM OF INNOVATION, LEARNING, AND LABOR (MAINE MILL) at the historic CAMDEN YARDS MILL in Lewiston begins this fall. Located along the Androscoggin River, the 11,000-square-foot space will feature permanent collections, temporary galleries, classrooms, and a design lab with an emphasis on textile mills and the industrial heritage of the Lewiston–Auburn area. Designed by PLATZ ASSOCIATES, the exterior of the building’s addition will be clad in Cor-Ten steel panels, which develop a patinaed appearance when exposed to the weather. “The perforations create a pattern reminiscent of a textile design that originated at the Bates Mill in Lewiston, and the panels are planned to be backlit to provide a soft glow to the building at night,” says Gabrielle Russell, an architect at Platz Associates. “Lewiston was at one time a hub for innovation and design, and we are working closely with the museum to expose and highlight this important history in the exhibits as well as the building design. By incorporating patterns, textiles, and artistic elements into the architecture and interiors, we hope the museum will inspire all its visitors to further explore its history and encourage innovation.”

Inside a Mountain-Chic House That Listens to the Landscape

When Chad Francis, owner of Ellsworth-based Atlantic Landscape Construction, decided to build a home on Phillips Lake in Dedham, he knew he wanted to work with someone local. “I talked to several architects, but I’d seen some of the stuff Rob had done, and I liked that he had a little bit of funk to the way he goes about some things,” Francis said, explaining his decision to go with Rob Ervin, owner and principal of Ervin Architecture. “Once he and I got jamming and tossing stuff back and forth, he figured out my vibe and I figured out his vibe pretty quick.”

He and Ervin, who was based in Bangor at the time, realized their fathers had also worked together, many years earlier, which only further sealed the deal. “Chad and I have become very good friends,” says Ervin. “We’re wired similarly, and because of that, the end result and the process to get there was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It was easy, it was fun. It was cerebral, and we didn’t stress out on things that we knew collectively we could get done. That next-level layer of detail and fuss to get everything right is evident in this house.”

After spending several summers on the lake, Francis and his wife, Michele, purchased the Phillips Lake property where the new home sits in “I’d been looking at this piece of land for a while. There was a camp on it, right where my house is now, and I hemmed and hawed on it until a friend of mine said, ‘You’ve talked about that piece of land for a long time, and if you’re not going to buy it, I think I’ll buy it.’ That was just enough to push me over the edge to grab it.”

The 1.45-acre site included 550 square feet of lake frontage, two beaches, and a 1930s-era log cabin. The original plan was to keep the cabin and then build a year-round home in its place once the kids—a son plus boy/girl twins, now 19 and 16 years old respectively—were in college. But the prospect of building something more permanent was exciting. “I was looking at the stage of life my kids were in and where everyone wanted to be—and everyone wanted to be at the lake. It’s just a fun place for us to hang out,” says Francis, who is now separated from his wife. “I wanted to make sure I had space so that, as my kids grow and have families of their own, they’ll have room to come home and a place to consider home.”

By the summer of 2019 he’d decided to move the log cabin to a nearby parcel of land, which he also owns, so he could begin building a new year-round home on the lakeside site. This meant clearing the lot to get the old camp out and prepping the property for the new foundation. Relying on his landscaping expertise, Francis kept the clearing of the property as minimal as possible, especially on the lakefront side. “There was a large effort in reforesting after the fact, but that was more on the road side,” he says. Making the new plantings look natural was an important consideration, as was privacy, minimizing the glare of headlights and buffering noise from the road in front of the house.

The list of must-haves for the home included decks and porches with specific views, an expansive living room with a cathedral ceiling and hand-hewn stone fireplace, and an adjacent kitchen with a lower ceiling to help create a more intimate environment. “There was a signature concept they were looking for,” says Ervin, who signed on in the fall of 2019, “and it was up to us to make sure we were scaling the spaces correctly, that we were picking the right finishes and the right lighting to make sure it was going to be extraordinary.” Functionality is another key element for Ervin, who asks clients to walk him through their days so he can understand exactly how they’ll live in the space, right down to where they put the keys when they come in. He then designs based on what he has learned.

From the beginning, Francis knew exactly how he wanted to modify the property, from moving the camp to elevating one side of the lot and dropping the other side. As a result, the new home resembles a relatively modest single-story house from the road but has a walkout lower level, opening up on the back side to reveal two floors of windows to take advantage of the expansive lake views. “I wasn’t really expecting the home to get quite as big as it did, but once I got into it, I was committed,” he says. “I’ve really moved around a lot, and I’m at a point in my life where I want to settle down. I’ll be here for a long time.”

Ervin describes the style of the finished six-bedroom, five-bathroom home as “Maine mountain modern,” drawing inspiration from nearby Acadia National Park. The mix of textures gives the structure a rustic mountain-chic sensibility, featuring hand-hewn beams, custom stonework, and artisanal craftsmanship throughout, including the use of birch bark in the primary bedroom. The home—with 6,824 square feet of living space and 1,050 square feet of outdoor space—has a commanding presence from the lake, with strong vertical elements, striking stone columns, and a stone-clad lower story. “We were able to take an otherwise monolithic building and add exterior framing, stonework, and other material treatments that introduce different types of texture, as well as the rooflines and porches, and to break it up and create something that was digestible,” says Ervin.

“We listened to the landscape,” he continues. “We used indigenous materials as much as we could.” In fact, most of the stone was either from the site or from Francis’s own quarry in nearby Franklin, and the home was framed in native spruce and hemlock, including some that had been cleared from the site. Francis did much of the landscaping and stonework himself. He also planted numerous trees on the property, including a few that have moved with him from previous homes. “One tree, a 16-foot paper bark maple, has been with me for the last four houses I’ve lived in. It has a little wind chime in it my daughter made for me,” he explains. “I couldn’t remove it without breaking the tree, so I moved the whole thing with me.”

Ervin is primarily known for his commercial work, but he likes to do a few residential projects each year. He sees each project as a creative endeavor, one where you can accomplish everything in the design. “I’m kind of a mad scientist in that respect, and I’m obsessive over the final design solution,” he says. That persistence paid off when it came to one of the biggest challenges on the project: the north-facing property.

“It’s one of the most beautiful spots on the entire lake, but it faces north, and the signature view north needed to have all this glass,” says Ervin. The windows had to be sealed to prevent drafts, and because they wouldn’t get direct sunlight, they’d always be in shadow. “We had to really wrestle with that, but we were able to hack the conditions. We oriented the house to grab morning sun and sunsets on the porches, but we couldn’t get any sun in the middle of the day. Ultimately, I think the house now kind of faces northeast. We added as much glass as we could in the dining room, which is due south.”

Challenges aside, for Ervin some of the best design decisions in the home include “putting the guts of the house into a walk-out lower level”—three bedrooms, a home theater, storage, and laundry—and being generous with the sizes of the rooms. He also applauds the decision to go all-in on the outdoor porches, especially the area around the outdoor fireplace. “I really want to hang out there,” he adds.

Francis and his family moved into the house in 2021, and when asked about his favorite spaces, he doesn’t hesitate: “The deck outside my bedroom. In the last year or so, I’m out there every night, especially in the summer,” he says. “And in the fall and the wintertime, I spend all of my time in the great room, in front of the fireplace.” As for the kids, he says that one of their favorite spaces in the house is the theater. “They love it. They’ll go down there sometimes and be all bunked-out with their buddies, all across the couches.”

For Francis, there’s one other area that’s especially close to his heart: the kitchen. “I entertain a lot. I love to host friends and family and cook for them. My folks are right across the cove from me, on the same lake. I have good friends on the lake, too. We host really big Sunday dinners, with 20-plus people sometimes. It’s an open invitation for the neighbors and friends, kids, and kids’ friends. It’s cool. And I love my big, open kitchen; it’s got a lot of space. I can really get after it in there,” he says, laughing. “If you like to cook, you like to cook—it takes room.”

A Pickford’s Camps Cabin Gets Modernized for Life on the Lake

In the early 1900s, steamships would arrive at the dock in Rangeley and drop off passengers, visitors from Boston and New York seeking the peace and quiet of the Maine woods. Some were wealthy socialites with mansions, but others were coming to stay at the sporting camps, renting rooms and cabins by the week or month. Pickford’s Camps, located on the south end of Rangeley Lake, were one of many, but to their customers they were special. And they still are.

For the new owners, the historic Pickford’s cabin isn’t just a place to escape. It’s become their permanent residence. After decades of visiting Maine for the summer, sleeping in a rustic little cabin purchased in the late 1990s, the idea of living on a lake was “a longtime dream.” In 2017 they were leaving their summer home and headed down to their home on the coast of New Hampshire when their realtor called with news of a new property on the market. “We turned right around and drove back north,” recalls one homeowner.

“When we saw it, we knew.” The biggest draw was the lakefront view. The couple, originally from the Midwest, “had a vision” for the place, one that would enhance the existing features of the old Pickford house while (gently) modernizing it. “It’s close to town, it has a great view, it has all these good things about it,” he continues. “But we also knew we would need to change it to live here year-round. It didn’t have the right utilities.” The couple was also considering retirement, and they wanted to ensure the space was designed for single-floor living, which would take some rejiggering of the floor plan. “We wanted an architect to bring their expertise to the layout,” says the homeowner, “and we also wanted a builder who could bring in their knowledge and craftsmanship.” The finished product needed to reflect the history of the Pickford cabins, and to do that they’d need a builder well versed in the region’s vernacular.

But first, the drawings. Hiroko Lindsey, an architect based in York, Maine, created hand-drawn plans for the renovation. “Renovating an existing house always presents unique challenges,” she says. “My top priorities when speaking with clients are to listen and understand their visions, needs, and lifestyle. This project, in particular, was a lakefront property, and the clients wanted to capture the essence of the beautiful views.” To gain window space, Lindsey added larger dormers to “capture the views of the lake more effectively.” She also updated the staircase and shifted the downstairs layout to “improve functionality.” While the new homeowners weren’t interested in adding too much to the overall footprint, Lindsey did design a few additional spaces for the couple, including a mudroom (located off the garage) and a bathroom for the owners’ suite.

“Hiroko is very talented, and her drawings are beautiful,” says Jill Gordon, designer at Rangeley Building and Remodeling. “Because she did it all remotely, we ended up changing a few things from the original drawings—not enough for it to be unrecognizable,” she adds. Both Mark Gordon (who oversaw the construction) and Jill (who did all the interior design) live full-time in the Rangeley Lakes region. “We’re really into old houses and the history of Rangeley,” says Jill. “Mark is on the Historical Society board, and we both worry about the historic cottages on the water being torn down and replaced with new buildings. That was one of the big things that attracted me to this project—being able to save one of those camps from being demolished.”

“The house was on a foundation, which is a great place to start. Often, these older camps are not,” explains Jill. Fortunately, the team at Rangeley Building was able to bypass the time-consuming tasks of pouring new concrete and digging a basement, and they could instead focus on restoring and updating the structure. The homeowners had already enjoyed the house for a few years and wanted to keep their aged, knotty pine walls. Before construction began, the husband went through and “painstakingly” removed all the old boards and the nails. “We were able to put all those old boards back up after we finished putting in insulation, the new doors, and the upgraded windows,” explains Jill. “It’s familiar to them, which feels really nice.”

While the warm yellow boards worked well on the walls (and fit with the homeowners’ vintage style), they wouldn’t do for the floors. Because pine is so soft, the crew at Rangeley Building suggested using a different species underfoot. Knowing that there were going to be dogs coming in and out of the house, they opted for cherrywood stair treads, newels, and floors.

Jill balanced the warmth of the cherry, with its red undertones, and the pine, with its yellowish sheen, by adding green paint into her kitchen design. The butcher’s block island and countertop (both made of cherry) sit beside slabs of honed granite from Morningstar Stone and Tile in Jet Mist and below cabinets from Vining’s Custom Cabinets painted in Benjamin Moore’s Raintree Green. “I always say to clients, let’s bring some color into the house,” says Jill. “But because colors change with the natural light, I like to work through the options together. The last thing I want is for someone to have these gorgeous cabinets and for the colors to just not work.” They pulled inspiration from the “lushness of the forest outside,” settling on a shade that reminded Jill and the homeowners of “soft new ferns.” Located toward the front of the house, the kitchen also features reversed island seating that allows for casual dining while looking out at the lake (instead of into the kitchen).

However, there is one time when guests will sit and stare toward the cooktops: when they’re watching television. There was a lot of discussion about where to place the TV. The homeowners didn’t want it obstructing the view of the water or sitting above their stately new fireplace, so they opted to put it into the kitchen island. At the push of a button, a flatscreen pops out and swivels, allowing those seated on the nearby Pottery Barn sectional to take in a movie (or two) on a rainy day. “It was quite the process, and a challenge for the cabinet makers,” says Jill. “But because of the size of the room, it was what had to be done. We were already right at the 100-foot line and couldn’t make it bigger, so instead we focused on making it just right.”

While the upstairs “has more of a camp feel,” according to the homeowner, the first floor was opened up and modernized for daily life on the lake. In addition to the new en suite bathroom, the owners’ suite also got a new ceiling. “We completely gutted their bedroom because it had a low, flat ceiling,” says Jill. “We took all that out and vaulted it below the roofline.” All the windows throughout the house were replaced, and instead of a more traditional wood trim, Jill decided to paint them white to “brighten it up a bit.” In the bathroom, rustic alder cabinets and brown marble countertops bridge the gap between sleek and cozy. “It’s a fine balance,” the homeowner says. “We didn’t want anything formal, because we’ve had that already. Jill picked out a nice mix of modern conveniences and things that tie in with the old parts of the house.”

To give another example of this fine balance, the homeowner cites the deck railing. “It’s glass, which isn’t traditional, but it looks really great and supports that beautiful view outside,” he says. During the summer, they like to sit on the deck and listen to the lake come alive with vacationers. “We can hear the kids running around nearby, and the voices carry around the lake. But it’s also great when it gets quiet in the fall, and you can hear all the critters,” he says. After everyone leaves for the season, the couple likes to spend time on the porch watching deer treading lightly around the shoreline and eagles swooping over the water. “My wife is learning to identify the birds,” the homeowner adds. “And we listen to the owls hooting, and the loons. It’s so classic.” It’s so Maine.

Six Siblings Join Together to Renovate Their Rockport Family Home

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.”

This Single-Story Residence Features a Glass Connector That Frames Stunning Coastal Views

Sited on a grassy promontory overlooking the ocean, this home blends in with the topography, maintaining a low profile in the landscape. Resting atop a linear knoll that stretches toward the water, the single-story coastal structure’s roof forms follow the slope’s profile. The house is divided into two main volumes linked by a glass connector that, upon approach, frames a view through the building, down the landscape, and out to the water beyond.

The residence organizes itself along two axes: the primary central axis for the main, open-plan living spaces and a secondary axis for bedrooms and private spaces that migrate to the periphery. The home’s exterior materials are a muted palette featuring natural wood, weathering metal, and stone that draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape. Like all of OPAL’s projects, the residence will be constructed using Passive House principles and detailing, including superinsulation, triple-glazed window and door systems, energy recovery ventilation, and renewable energy generation.

Location: Southwest Harbor
Architect: OPAL
Construction Start: 2025
Construction Complete: 2026

Maine Home + Design

Stay in touch!

Join our email list to stay updated on all things Maine; food & drink, events & festivals, home & garden and much more!

X