In Kara and Marc Perrelli’s Falmouth Foreside home, there is a single, shiny nod to what is traditionally thought of as coastal design. It’s so subtle, you’d be hard-pressed to find it, unless you were lucky enough to spend a night in the spacious bunk room. There it is, in the niche built above each bunk to house a reading lamp: blue wallpaper striped with silver lobsters. This clever use of an iconic Maine symbol exemplifies Samantha Pappas’s approach to the interior design of this family home. By layering various textures—linen, leather, wood, rattan, cane, and stone—and accenting the spaces with local art, she created a stylish yet relaxed retreat celebrating its enviable Casco Bay location, but with nary a buoy or whale in the mix. “The color palette throughout the house is very coastal—blues, greens, and white—but I didn’t want it to be too kitschy/beachy, because that’s not their personality,” says Pappas. “The lobster wallpaper is the kitschy-ist thing we have, but it’s hidden away.” 

Early in the nearly four-year-long project, Pappas was recommended to the Perellis by their builder, Falmouth-based Brush and Hammer Builders. The designer–client partnership was a great fit from the get-go. “We had an in-person meeting at the beginning of COVID, and we asked her to work on a couple of rooms—the kitchen and the family room—to start,” says Kara Perrelli. “We just loved everything that she picked.” With eight children between them and a busy life in Northern Virginia, the couple decided to place the design of the entire house in Pappas’s hands. 

At the end of a narrow lane, the home’s exterior reflects the classic New England vernacular, with a stone foundation and fireplace, wood-shingle siding and roof, gables, and dormers. Next to the two-car garage, a recessed door leads to a generously sized mudroom/entry hall with equally spacious built-ins by Maine Cabinet Company for storing coats, shoes, and outdoor gear. One of two staircases leads from the hall to the bunk room and bath. Down the hallway on the main floor is one of three guest rooms with en suite baths, and a powder room. The latter is wallpapered with a fanciful design by Abnormals Anonymous (also the source of the lobster wallpaper) that evokes undersea plant life. The serene guest room features rattan-front nightstands, paintings by Maine artists Dietlind Vander Schaaf and Jeffrey T. Fitzgerald, a wave-patterned Angela Adams rug, and a striking modern ceiling pendant that recalls a cascading waterfall.

The hallway opens onto the heart of the house—the living room/dining room/kitchen—where windows on three sides offer spectacular views of boat-dotted Falmouth harbor and the Casco Bay islands beyond. To keep the sight lines unobstructed, Pappas chose low-profile, clean-lined furnishings in muted colors. In the living room area, a white linen RH sofa is flanked by two pairs of armchairs: two butterscotch leather swivel chairs, also from RH, and a pair of oak spindle-back chairs by Portland-based Kidwell Fabrications. On the opposite side of the space, gray rattan dining chairs surround a white oak trestle dining table from Huston and Company in Kennebunkport. The rocky shoreline’s hues are echoed in the fieldstone fireplace, the pale gray stools at the kitchen island, and the honed marble kitchen backsplash, and punctuated by the bright brass pendant lighting, kitchen faucet, and cabinet pulls.

“I like combining all the different textures, because I think that’s what highlights them,” says Pappas. “If everything was linen, it just gets lost and kind of boring; having the leather next to it makes you want to touch everything.” Soft, waffle-weave throw blankets add even more tactile appeal. “Those are the things that make it feel like a home instead of just a styled space, and you can see that the Perrellis use them—I just love that.”

A closer look at the details of Pappas’s design reveals linear patterns: pale teal cross-hatching on the custom linen cushions of the spindle-back chairs, bolder stripes on the Erin Flett pillows, and a God’s-eye-like design in the gray and white living room rug. But curvy elements are at play, too. The living room seating faces a round coffee table topped with Carrara marble, and cushions for the window seats framing the fireplace are upholstered in the same swoopy blue and white fabric as those on the dining chairs across the room.

From the spacious kitchen, a second staircase leads to another guest room, a bedroom for the Perrellis’ youngest child, and the primary bedroom. In the guest room, Pappas blended elegance and whimsy, as well as more texture, by centering the bed—with its curved cane headboard and velvet upholstered base—under a collection of colorful sardine-can paintings by New England artist Julie Bowers Murphy. The room shares a Jack-and-Jill bath with the young daughter’s bedroom.

In the luxurious primary suite, Pappas kept the palette and furniture style minimalist to maximize the view and the space. The gray hue of the wall color—Benjamin Moore’s Shoreline—is echoed in the sleek, upholstered four-poster bed, the bedding, and the drapes. A pair of fawn velvet barrel chairs facing the water offer a cozy spot to relax with morning coffee or an evening glass of wine. “We wouldn’t have thought a seating area would fit in that space, but Samantha did, and we use it all the time,” says Kara. In the adjoining bathroom, pearlized shell-framed mirrors over the double vanity are another subtle coastal reference. At the same time, the functional but small walk-in closet provides an example of how the build and design team met the project’s challenges.

Brush and Hammer, along with Waltman Architectural Design of Yarmouth, had to deal with the constraints of the narrow lot. The original home was built as a cottage in 1888, when the neighborhood was originally developed as a summer colony. “The architect’s first design that met our needs was five feet deeper,” says Marc. “But we realized that, with setbacks and everything else, that had to change, and that’s when every space started to matter.” It was important to the Perellis for the home to accommodate their large family and eventually grandchildren, and they decided that a large second-floor landing mattered more than a bigger closet. “We wanted each space to be livable,” says Kara. “For example, we didn’t want a formal dining room. We really wanted to live in all the spaces.”  

Pappas’s background as an engineer helped her manage the space constraints, which also impacted the layout of the home’s lower level. A casual family room with an enormous sectional sofa and a table for puzzles and games has a wall of windows facing the water, as do a third guest room and Kara’s good-sized office. To make the guest room work, Pappas furnished it with a full-size bed, which enabled her to fit in a nightstand, and chose narrow double doors for the closet instead of a single door. She also managed to squeeze in a laundry room with a sink. But Marc’s office is comparatively small and windowless, which is a continual source of amusement. “It was hilarious,” he says. “Every time we got together to discuss the project, I found out that something else had happened that would impact that space.” At the end of the day, though, it was a small price to pay for a home gym that also boasts a water view: “The place that we are both in every day is the gym, and the fact that we have that view of the ocean from the basement level, which was a big deal for us, is really nice,” Marc says.

He wasn’t initially so amenable when Kara called to tell him that Pappas wanted to wallpaper the ceiling in one of the guest rooms. “I loved all the bedrooms, but that one wasn’t my favorite,” Marc says. “However, once she did what she wanted to do, I loved it that much more, and it might even be my favorite now.” Pappas, who ended up choosing everything in the house, down to the plates and silverware, says she prefers to design entire homes over just one or two rooms. “She sent me the photo of that wallpaper, and I just said, ‘I trust you,’” says Kara. “As time went on, we really trusted all of her selections.” 

The Perrellis plan to eventually spend more time in Falmouth, where Kara grew up and where her mother still lives, about a mile away. “We could not be more thrilled with the house. It’s our happy place, our final landing pad,” Kara says.

Pappas and her husband have a daughter the same age as the Perrellis’ youngest child, and the two couples have become friends. “As far as clients, they were incredible to work with,” says Pappas. “I don’t want someone to come to me because they want to recreate something they’ve seen that I’ve done. I want to create a home that is specific to those people, and that’s what we did here. If you met them, you would see that they fit right into this space. And that’s always the goal. I want people to love it because it’s theirs.”  

Most homes are designed so that visitors enter through a semi-public space—a foyer that flows into the salon or living room. I’ve visited dozens of houses over the years. While there are many differences in style, format, and materials, they typically follow the same basic formula when it comes to public and private. After all, houses must fulfill a variety of functions. We use them for entertaining, gathering, hosting, sleeping, eating, and bathing. It’s worth having distinct areas for these discrete actions.

“Our house is an upside-down house,” says Chris Stone.* “You walk in the front door, and that’s where the bedrooms are.” But unlike some reverse floor plans, this one keeps the sleeping areas on the upper level. The rest of the house, where people hang out, cook, and congregate—that’s all downstairs, built into the hillside. 

The Stone’s home on the shores of Sebago Lake is unusual, tailored to fit the family’s needs and speak to the couple’s traditional New England style while also playing nicely with the other buildings in the compound. Designed by architect Chris Delano of Delano Architecture in Saco, built by Josh Morrison of R.P. Morrison Builders in Windham, and finished with the interior design expertise of Jenny Morrison (also of R.P. Morrison Builders as well as Morrison Design House), the lake house is both rugged and sleek, bright and cozy. “I think the success of this house comes down to the collaborative nature of the project,” says Jenny Morrison. “Between Morrison Design House, the builders, the homeowners, and the architect—I don’t think something like this could have happened if we didn’t work so wonderfully together.” 

The homeowners, Chris and Allyson Stone*, were low maintenance from the beginning, but their building site was not. “It’s a beautiful, lakefront, hillside site. It looked like it had just a few boulders on top, so we were optimistic it would be easy,” says Josh Morrison. “But it turned out that we had to carve in a 900-foot road, including building retaining walls and moving stone around.” It took six weeks of drilling and blasting to prepare the property for building. For Delano, one of the big challenges was figuring out how to situate the house. Since the couple was building on the same property as other family members, and the ultimate goal was to have three full-size houses on the lot, Delano had to place the structures very carefully. “We wanted to give each house privacy and separation, and make sure their views would not go out or into each other, but down to the lake,” explains Delano. “With this house, we pushed it to the side and the back of the property line.” Then they sunk the structure into the stone to partially submerge the lower level. “We didn’t want the house to stand out like a sore thumb,” adds Chris. “It is a pretty wild site in many respects, and our first goal was to build something that isn’t inconsistent with the natural environment.” 

Another consideration was the budget. “The guys on-site asked me a few times why the bedrooms only have eight-foot-high ceilings,” says Delano. “It’s a normal height, but with a build of this caliber, it’s unusual.” The homeowners decided to build small, simple, cozy bedrooms and go all-out on the living spaces. “We sleep in our bedrooms, and that’s about it,” says Allyson. “We were open-minded about almost everything, but we felt strongly about the square footage. It was a finite resource.” From an architectural perspective, it made sense to have visitors enter through the upper level (where there’s parking) before descending into the main space. “We decided to use floor-to-ceiling glass, so when you walk in through the mudroom, you’ll feel like you’re right in the trees,” Delano says. “To create a vertical connection between the two levels, we added floor-to-ceiling windows to both levels, so the view takes you down the stairs. It’s odd, right off the get-go, to enter the bedroom space. The big, booming view keeps it from feeling like you’re walking into a private area.” Since Chris and Allyson are drawn to New England–style homes, Delano opted for vertical-proportioned windows, natural clapboard siding, thick trim, and a familiar pitched roof shape. Although the house isn’t small, it also doesn’t dominate the space. “Our goals were practical and aesthetic,” says Chris. And when it came to the interior spaces, “light was big on our list.” 

The task of creating a halfway-underground space that feels bright, airy, and warm fell on Jenny Morrison’s capable shoulders. “Chris and Allyson really wanted their house to be unique, and to have a different feel from the parents’ house [also on the compound], so I knew right away that a lighter color palette would work well,” she says. Although the original plan had several more interior walls, Jenny suggested opening the living room, dining room, and kitchen areas. She also found a place in the kitchen to squeeze in another window, allowing more sunshine to pour into the lower level. “We made that decision after we had finished exterior framing and were pretty far into interior framing,” she recalls. “They loved Studio Green by Farrow and Ball, and I thought, this will be way too dark.” The earthy green tone needed natural light to reveal its full dimensionality. “The colors Jenny used really feel consistent with the natural landscape of Maine,” Chris says. “The dark green in the kitchen doesn’t feel dark, because we have simple cabinet hardware in that natural brass color, and the countertops and island aren’t the same color.” The contrast, he explains, brightens up the whole space. “We both love that we were able to utilize that great dark green without making a space that feels too dark.” 

The organic color scheme continues throughout the house with tranquil, watery blues and familiar greens. “I really referenced the lake,” explains Jenny. “They have quite a unique property, and the view from the house toward the lake is all green, with that Sebago blue beyond.” On the ground floor, a bunk room with built-in beds provides extra sleeping space for guests. “This house is meant for entertaining,” Jenny says. “They have a big family, so the intent is to have both houses on the property packed with family and friends.” Durability was important, so Jenny used natural wool rugs with a high pile on the floors, quartzite countertops that have a marble look, and performance fabric on all the furniture. “Synthetic fibers are easier to clean, but I prefer using natural in my designs whenever possible,” she says. “And with a good, strong pile height on a 100 percent wool rug, anything spilled on it stays right on top. It doesn’t penetrate the fibers below. It’s more cleanable than you would think.” 

The kitchen and bathrooms are similarly easy to maintain, thanks to a liberal use of tile, hearty built-in cabinets, and simple, geometric hardware. “In terms of the light fixtures, Jenny totally got us,” says Allyson. “We’re not fancy, intricate-style people, and she stayed within a budget that worked for us.” To keep the decor from appearing overly plain, Jenny used a variety of textures and materials, including brass, iron, and chrome. The brass in the kitchen offsets the green cabinets and ivory tile, while in the bathrooms silver knobs and sconces reflect the gray undertones of the teal tiles and the marbled countertops. At the beginning of the process, Chris mentioned his interest in shiplap, which Jenny filed away for later reference. “I used nickle-gap in the spaces that felt large to give a sense of compression,” she says. “Texture always makes a room feel warmer, which is important when you’re having a lot of people over.” She cites the bathroom tile, “which is so beautiful, it looks just like pebbles,” as adding another subtle layer of detail to the home. 

But when it comes to warmth, nothing beats a big, gracious fireplace. For this build, Jenny and Josh decided to source wood from the property. Relatively few trees were taken down during the build, but among them was an old red oak. The Morrisons’ carpenters used this timber to create a floating mantel above the soapstone fireplace, yet another nod to the significance of the local landscape. “We like to sit and look through the trunks out at the lake,” says Allyson. Over the past few years, the couple has spotted foxes, porcupines, and even an albino deer tiptoeing around the birches. They’ve watched the lake change color with the sunset and seen the shadows creep over Mount Washington in the distance. They kayak, swim, hike, and host. “This is a place where we can all get together with our kids and dogs, and maybe someday our grandkids,” says Allyson. “We didn’t want it to be delicate. We wanted to go outside and come back in without worrying about making a mess.” Chris adds,
“It was a real team effort, and we couldn’t be happier with the result.”  

*Names have been changed to protect the homeowners’ privacy.

“If you’d asked me ten years ago where I’d be living, I would probably have said I didn’t know, but definitely not Maine,” says Zach Bouzan-Kaloustian, a native Mainer who left the state to pursue opportunities in the tech customer experience field and who, with his wife Samantha Taube, recently purchased a circa-1840 brick townhouse in Portland’s East End. 

Taube, a marketing professional, elaborates: “We thought we were coming for the summer a couple of years ago and realized our jobs didn’t require us to return to New York City. So we started bidding on houses.” 

Real estate prices were climbing by 2020, when they spotted the listing for the 2,600-square-foot half of a side-by-side that had probably functioned as a boarding house. By 1924 it had been divided into a two-family building. One of its subsequent owners split it further, into three floor-through apartments. “Nobody wanted it,” says Bouzan-Kaloustian. “The day we looked at it, there was a guy here from New Jersey who left with a disgusted look on his face, so we thought, ‘Okay, we have a chance!’”

You can’t blame the New Jersey buyer. The building’s potential had been obscured over the years. “They wanted to make it their home, not an investment property,” says architect Paul Lewandowski of Paul Designs Project, who was initially hired to help revert the building to a single-family residence, though the couple eventually retained a second-floor apartment for a fully equipped family suite and possible short-term rental. “It was very much a puzzle,” Lewandowski recalls. “It had gone through multiple renovations. The former residents had done a number on the architecture. I knew it was a total gut.”

Getting more light into rooms was one primary goal. The kitchen was at the back of the house, but rather than opening onto the backyard, there was a bathroom and a pantry against that wall, with only a little window offering meager light. The most drastic—and ultimately attractive—solution was to relocate the bathroom and the pantry so Lewandowski could cut out an eight-foot-square window overlooking the green space. 

The bathroom was reimagined as a powder room in a passageway between the front hall and kitchen, while food storage offered by the pantry was absorbed into new cabinetry and a kitchen island. Lewandowski also tucked a coffee bar into the passageway across from the new powder room. “Now, when you walk in the front door,” he notes, “you look down the hall and through the house all the way to the light and the outdoors.” Through meticulous mathematical calculations, he adds with pride, the large window perfectly squares with the front door.

This maneuver, explains builder Asa Gorman, was no walk in the park. “You have to support the weight of the brick above the hole temporarily while inserting an iron lintel above the opening,” he explains. Like other walls they cut into, this one was load bearing, so shoring it up from below and bracing it had to be done before any cutting could begin.

Now that the kitchen felt open and bright and connected to the outdoors, Lewandowski deployed some clever sleights of hand to enhance the sense of expanded space. Taube points out, “We wanted things that would bring texture and interest to the room but wouldn’t clutter it.” Wide-plank oak floors went a long way toward accomplishing this. Lewandowski also suspended an oak panel from the ceiling, from which he hung a Volo pendant by WAC Lighting. He also designed an oak box with chamfered edges for the appliance wall to make it appear to be “floating” within the space like the light above.

Another tactic for increasing light flow was opening spaces up and enlarging doorways. The wall separating the dining room and living room, for instance, was moved back, enabling a more generously proportioned living room and making the dining room feel more intimate. Inspired by the House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts, Lewandowski swathed the dining room in two shades of deeply saturated green (a slightly lighter one overhead), painting all the trim “to give it a tweak on traditional.” 

This might seem counterintuitive when you’re trying to lighten things up. But, Lewandowski explains, “Making the dining room dark makes the living room and kitchen feel lighter, and it also keeps the dining room cozy and provides a little more drama.” Shimmery silver mesh curtains subtly ramp up the theatricality, as do the Oro Gold chairs from CB2 set around a Room and Board Ventura table. In the living room the vibe is easy, with a free midcentury chair gifted to Bouzan-Kaloustian in the elevator of his New York apartment house, a CB2 Strato sectional sofa, and a Puffy Lounge armchair and ottoman from Hem.

It helped, says Gorman, that the house “was fundamentally a solid building. Once you strip a building like that to its core elements, it doesn’t really matter what’s been done to it over the years. It matters what the building is. You have to redo all the plumbing and electric anyway because it was likely not up to code. We were resetting and updating an old house for another 150 years.” 

Still, the “puzzle” aspect Lewandowski refers to came with adapting the house to the modern needs of a family (his clients have just had their first child). The biggest challenge was the largely uninsulated third floor, which needed considerable functionality. Namely, that meant accommodating an en suite bath, a home office, a nursery, plenty of closet space, and a laundry space—all of it under a mansard roof that angles inward. 

Lewandowski accommodated the laundry appliances in the hall closet and also removed subflooring to make the thresholds from the hall into rooms flush. The nursery is a small space at the top of the stairs to the left of this, opposite Bouzan-Kaloustian’s home office. The rest of the floor is the primary suite, its bathroom replacing the third-floor unit’s kitchen in the building’s former multifamily iteration. 

“We wanted to keep everything that was unique, like the slant of the mansard,” says Bouzan-Kaloustian. This presented Gorman—or, more accurately, his tiling subcontractor Wicked Tile—with another challenge. Positioned at the corner of the building, the perpendicular walls angle inward, requiring some intricate mathematics and tile slicing at the corners. “It required a lot of coordination among the tiler, the plumber, and the framer,” Gorman says. “It was pretty technically complex.”

There was also a lot of repurposing of materials. Bricks removed for the large kitchen window were redeployed as patio materials in the backyard, and trims from another part of the house were used, for instance, to frame the wall of closet doors in the primary suite. 

The project ran smoothly because everyone collaborated so well, say Lewandowski and Gorman. “They really had sweat equity in it,” says the architect of his clients. “We had weekly walk-through meetings. Samantha was an excellent organizer, and Zach handled everything that had to do with measuring.”

“On a job like this, none of us has the whole picture,” adds Gorman. “So you really have to listen to each other.”  

The first meeting between an interior designer and a client is about so much more than just design—it’s about the past, the present, and the future of a particular space and how it reflects those who inhabit it. After all, “the essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live,” said late American interior designer Albert Hadley. Our annual Interior Design listing highlights eye-catching projects from Maine’s top designers that will kick off your year with a healthy dose of inspiration.

Bay House

The primary entrance to this old farmhouse nestled on an island serves as both the welcoming main hall and a mudroom for the clients. This active couple uses the space when coming and going from yard work, boating, and entertaining friends and family. Ariana Fischer selected slate with a rough finish for the floor to stand up to wet and muddy boots and paired it with simple but elegant dark wicker furniture, including an antique chair reupholstered in a clean, modern fabric.

In the living area, the clients requested a fresh and comfortable feel. Fischer used contemporary furniture with luxurious textures (velvet, heavy linen, and raffia) and covered the back wall in “It’s Complicated,” a printed linen mural wallpaper by Jessica Zoob featuring a contemporary impressionist painting. A tight color palette subtly evokes the seaside, while sconces with antique mirrors and candelabra bulbs honor the home’s age. Since the room functions as both the TV area and a pass-through to the kitchen, Fischer aligned the furniture on one side of the room to make the flow appropriate for various uses. The chairs and custom tables are light, so they can easily be repositioned to accommodate the room’s function at the time.

“Both areas reflect my design philosophy of good looks meets practicality,” says Fischer. “Inspiring colors, tactile elements, natural materials, marrying modern with antique, items that are deeply evocative with versatility and ease of use—together, they create eminently thoughtful spaces.”

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Gentleman’s Retreat

The client, an international businessperson who recently downsized from a waterfront estate on Mount Desert Island to a condominium overlooking Portland Harbor, desired an upgrade from the “vanilla condo” aesthetic found in many new builds these days. Linda Banks and David LeBlanc were tasked with incorporating the client’s collection of American period furniture and Maine art into a contemporary space, blending new and old while keeping the space current and fresh.

The condo’s high ceilings allowed Banks and LeBlanc to incorporate crown moulding and cased openings throughout. A classic yet urban feeling encompasses the upgraded space, which includes mahogany cabinets, the client’s vintage oriental rug collection, and whimsical wall coverings that brighten the entry hall. Antique porcelain pieces and contemporary Maine paintings were installed throughout, while an American slant-top desk and Queen Anne table add personality to this gentleman’s retreat.

“Our philosophy is to represent the client as an editor and arbiter of their taste,” explains Banks. “No two projects look the same in our repertoire. We are known for timeless, classic, and thoughtful solutions that represent our clients. It’s a bonus when they have pieces that already mean something to them—it’s what makes the process fun and each outcome meaningful and personal.”

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Badger’s Island

Badger’s Island is surrounded by a strong, ever-changing current and has a beautiful sandy shoreline covered in seaweed, so Kacey Graham began her design by selecting three slabs of striking granite for the kitchen that celebrate the changing tides and the shades of blue and green found in the ocean. The granite acted as the starting point for the rest of the home’s design and aesthetic.

The space is elegant, serene, and coastal but not kitschy. Clean lines and neutral walls offset rich teal, aqua, and seafoam textiles. A boxy custom sectional sofa in a light, textured seafoam fabric is situated across from the fireplace and faces breathtaking views. Two swivel chairs allow for conversation in one direction and ocean observation in the other. An oversized leather ottoman provides a cozy addition to the relaxed but serene vibe, while a collection of beautiful rugs supports each space and keeps things curated and interesting. The fabric on the den’s sleeper sofa is velvet and patterned but subtle enough to be a welcome surprise. All furnishings, rugs, art, and lighting echo the elegance and beauty found in the magical coastal views.

“The eye needs a place to rest, and intentionality is of utmost importance,” says Graham. “I celebrate purposefully selecting materials, colors, case goods, furnishings, and artwork that tell a family’s story. I always say that you don’t want a passport to go from room to room—you want things to unfold with magic and wonder, and be personally significant and intentional.”

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Flying Point Cottage

This cottage has been in the same family since 1969 and is now enjoyed by four generations. It was in need of a modern update, but the clients did not want to lose its quintessential seaside-haven feel. Before Abby Johnson of Centerline Design and Build joined the project, the cottage was uninsulated, a long steel beam was holding the walls apart so the roof wouldn’t cave in, and tar paper was visible through the ceiling rafters. 

The main goal, after stabilizing and insulating the structure, was to make the interior of the cottage feel like an extension of the outdoors. The home’s most distinctive feature is the blue painted wood floor, which the homeowner completed on a whim many years ago. Another striking feature is the brand-new bunk and ladder, which is one of the first things seen when entering the space. The homeowner’s daughter painted a mural on the back wall that represents the ebb and flow of the tides. A curation of found and collected items decorates the cottage, including a buoy from an old lobster pot that hangs over the hallway and carved wood birds (created by the homeowner’s father) that rest on the wall above a repurposed shutter-turned-pantry door.

“At Centerline Design and Build, we take great pride in our ability to help our clients define and elevate their own style,” explains Johnson. “No two projects are alike, because each client has a unique vision with personal and subjective elements. This cottage is a one-of-a-kind reflection of four generations of special summer memories for the owner and family.”

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Zen Maine

On a recent trip to Tokyo, the clients were inspired by the creative and innovative ways Japanese designers utilize small spaces to create custom nooks, alcoves, and thoughtfully built-in furniture. Employing a minimalist aesthetic to complement Japanese design principles, Christina Briggs incorporated natural elements into the home that celebrate the verdant Maine landscape and the site’s surroundings.

The small lot wouldn’t allow for expansion of the existing cottage, so a side-to-side (rather than front-to-back) flow on the first floor slowly unfolds on a central, linear axis. Since there were no limitations on height, a two-story structure houses the main living spaces, and a walk-out ground-level suite acts as a bonus space and overflow for guests. The overall aesthetic features natural wood as a contemporary nod to the traditional Maine camp clad in pine. Straight, intentional lines and simple geometry create an atmosphere of order and harmony that feels calm and restful. 

A color palette rooted in nature consists of warm, earthy neutrals, greens, and light-to-medium wood tones. Materials balance rough and refined elements: white oak floors supplied by E.D. Bessey Lumber Products have knots and checks beneath a European smoked finish, while sleek and simple custom white oak windows, doors, and built-ins contrast with the acid-washed blackened steel fireplace. Countertop materials used throughout the house are marble and soapstone in honed, matte, or textured finishes to tap into the perfectly imperfect Japanese wabi-sabi principles. De Gournay wallpaper creates a special moment at the kitchen bar, reflecting the pine trees surrounding the house with a subtle Japanese note. Brass inlays in all the custom cabinet doors and drawers accentuate the handless fronts, and minimal styling highlights the simple architectural forms and materials.

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Kate’s Cove

One homeowner loves a colorful, modern colonial aesthetic, while the other has a penchant for traditional elements and anything French, so Sarah Duquette combined these preferences into an elevated Maine coastal style in a transitional design that satisfied them both. 

The overarching color palette of this home highlights various shades of coastal blues and greens with pops of coral. Duquette carefully selected Sunbrella fabrics that will stand up to the couple’s three young children and won’t fade despite bright sunlight streaming in through the windows. The bunk room was custom built to mimic the double berth found in the bow of a ship, complete with porthole lights that allow the children to fall deeper into the world of sea-traveling make-believe while simultaneously preventing little fingers from getting burned on exposed lightbulbs. Each child has their own special “ship cubby” to store their favorite items; the cubbies are inlaid with cherrywood to pick up the color of the room’s floor.

“I believe that for clients to be fully satisfied with the end product of my designs, they must first feel comfortable enough around me to show their authentic selves,” Duquette says. “I encourage them not to take themselves too seriously and to have fun with the creative process, knowing that I am there to guide them to a cohesive design that also highlights their own unique personalities.”

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Howard’s Hideout

Built in the 1880s, this residence was cramped, structurally sagging, and overrun by mice—not to mention its three different floor heights and a center stairwell interrupting the entire flow. Shannon Richards and the team at Hay Runner developed a plan to stabilize the house, level the floors, and bring as much light into the space as possible despite the neighboring buildings on either side. Removing aspects of the structure and slowly adding them back posed a challenge throughout the project, as did the aging home’s mix-and-match building materials and nearly 140 years of patchwork fixes. 

To lighten up the residence, Richards employed light-colored woods, including pine floors, a custom ash dining table, and oak countertops and shelves in the kitchen. Light walls, a woodstove, and a Bertazzoni range contrast with the dark green custom cabinetry, and local artwork is found throughout the space. The open kitchen abuts a small pantry with a laundry and a half-bath, and the basement is accessible through a hatch in the floor under the new, metal open staircase. The refreshed home has plenty of room to host a large dinner party but is cozy enough to nestle into for an intimate meal.

“My design philosophy is, first, form follows function and, second, take measured risks,” Richards explains. “In the primary bathroom, I designed the vanity to fit the alotted space, and we hand-turned the singular leg. The cupboard behind fits a weird eight-inch recess in the back of the room and houses a hidden ironing board and iron, along with toiletries and an Apple HomePod.”

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The Overlook

A beautiful stone that needed to be excavated from the site for the foundation was the jumping-off point that inspired the design of this year-round family home. Whitten Architects and the clients worked closely with Heidi Lachapelle Interiors on the interior details.

Drawing on the natural landscape, the home’s design emphasizes neutral textures combined with a palette of deep blues, greens, and rust. In any ground-up build, ensuring the interiors feel warm and lived in is a priority. Lachapelle leaned into whitewashed pine paneling and rich, oiled walnut millwork to complement the large windows and neutral walls. A mix of new and vintage furniture, including Scandinavian pieces from Bernt Petersen and Arne Norell, pairs well with the home’s aesthetic and setting. Custom fabrics throughout the interior allowed the design team to maintain their desired scheme without sacrificing durability.

Stunning walnut cabinetry acts as the home’s centerpiece, with integrated hardware that allows the wood to stand on its own. A combination of flat-front and reeded cabinet profiles creates texture and interest. The calming residence is a testament to the balance of comfort with curation and sophistication with livability.

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Cape Music Studio

When an internationally renowned musician requested a practice space at her Cape Elizabeth home, the footprint of a former garage was used to build a modern standalone music studio. Inside, designer Bronwyn Huffard endeavored to create a multifunctional space that would emphasize originality and invoke creativity.

The studio’s small footprint posed a challenge for incorporating an unencumbered practice space, a sitting area, a desk and chair, storage, a mudroom, and access to the loft and bathroom. Huffard utilized cool blue tones alongside brighter pops of red and yellow to achieve a playful balance of calm and energy. A Patterson Flynn rug pattern was tweaked for scale and color to make it just right for the space. The faux leather sofa trim is a favorite from Scalamandre, and the custom chandelier is from Tracy Glover Studio. In the powder room, wallpaper from Rebecca Atwood pairs with bespoke sconces from Sazerac Stitches. Between the powder room and entryway, Winter Walk by Karen Blair adorns the wall. Throughout the entire project, Huffard stayed mindful of how sound would behave in the space.

“We help clients realize the best possible version of their spaces,” says Huffard. “We are good at listening to what people need and want, and then delivering beautiful spaces that function superbly. In this case, we created a polished but not-too-serious space for music to thrive. Great design inspires both our clients and us.”

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Kennebunkport Vacation Home

This open and inviting Kennebunkport second home was designed for attractive yet comfortable multigenerational use. The family includes members from 4 to 89 years old, so Bonnie Weeman of Hurlbutt Designs made sure every detail was selected with the fun, sea-loving group in mind.

The color of an existing bench and lamp in the entry were inspirations for the sunroom located at the end of the hall. Pops of coral in the lamps, print pillows, and chair cushions work well with navy and white furnishings, while oar paintings fit perfectly on the back wall. Deck access through the room makes it a high-traffic space, so a reversible rug and washable outdoor fabrics were selected for upholstery pieces. Also found on the first floor is the guest bedroom featuring an eye-catching four-post bed in a dark blue finish. White and blue linens and indigo seaweed prints complement the bed color against a neutral wall, and blue striped lamps on white bedside tables and whimsical sailboat print valances with navy cord trim complete the attractive bedroom.

“I’ve enjoyed getting to know these clients and their extended family,” explains Weeman. “It was important for me to understand how they pictured the space being used so that I could present them with a design that made sense in its selections—a space that makes them smile each time they enter.”

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Forest Gem

Tucked away in the forest down a dirt road lined with peridot-colored ferns and moss-covered rocks lies Forest Gem, a woodland contemporary home with tree-speckled views of Sebago Lake. It’s not uncommon to encounter a forest creature on your approach; this home was meant to blend into its wooded surroundings and combine the natural elements with luxury refinement. 

The clients desired a space that combined their individual design styles. Knickerbocker Group’s team thoughtfully balanced masculine dark tones and soft curves, and traditional lodge-style elements with crisp contemporary furnishings, angled ceiling lines, and light colors, resulting in a luxury, refined rustic style. 

Rich leather furniture paired with elegant plaids and houndstooth fabrics harmoniously create a comfortable living space with design details that are classic to a Maine lodge environment. Native materials are a thread throughout the space, such as the bark-covered tree posts at the kitchen island, the natural cleft fireplace stone from a Maine quarry, and the smooth rocks from a local river that serve as the base for a lamp. The color palette was sourced from the site: you can see the green of the pine needles throughout the home’s trim, the morning fog over the lake within the wall paint, and rich browns of the forest floor throughout.

Bunk beds were designed to function as a children’s space or extra sleeping for a women’s weekend retreat. Soft curtains in a fern-inspired fabric gracefully drape each bunk and are paired with knotty boards and oval bulkhead lights. These combined elements create a polished camp-style oasis. With ease of use in mind, the bunk rails were designed to be removable, and the bed frame flips down using a piano hinge for quick linen changes.

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The Abba Burnham House

When Leandra Fremont-Smith set out to renovate the historic Abba Burnham house in Cumberland Foreside, she aimed to preserve the original charm of the estate while drawing inspiration from the home’s deep-rooted history. The house had undergone previous renovations throughout the years and the project required extensive structural and electrical updates along with smaller but important adjustments like opening up tight spaces and even moving a staircase. 

The updated kitchen needed to be durable while fitting in with the flow of the historical home. To address this issue and fulfill the client’s request for a renovated kitchen floor that would look like real wood, Fremont-Smith selected a herringbone porcelain tile in a faux wood color that transitions well into the adjacent rooms with original wood flooring. A custom stainless-steel hood in the kitchen has brass banding and rivets that tie the room together; other brass accents include the deck-mount bridge faucet, cabinet hardware, and pendant lighting. Leaded glass doors in the wet bar and upper cabinets add finishing touches to the space.

“My design philosophy was to make the home—and the kitchen, especially—functional for a modern-day family while keeping the charm of the Georgian house,” says Fremont-Smith. “I wanted to make sure all of these new spaces melded well and coordinated with the original, older spaces.”

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Sicilian Table Restaurant

The Sicilian Table in Falmouth is a sister restaurant to the Royal River Grill House, Tuscan Bistro, and Tuscan Table. Each venue has its own unique style inspired by its name—in this case, the colors, textures, and landscape of the Italian island of Sicily.

The two-floor dining space features an urban, upscale atmosphere that delivers the “wow” factor the moment guests walk into the restaurant, where a large seaside tile mural and oversized lighting fixtures set the tone. Bringing warmth to a cavernous space can be difficult, but Nicola Manganello carved out niche spaces that create a cozy feeling within the otherwise corporate-style building. Her signature style is evident in the mixture of old and new elements, along with plenty of pillows and contrasting patterns.

When traveling years ago, Manganello spotted oversized fish lights made of light balsa wood and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to employ them. The use of lighted rope gives the illusion of motion and waves. Upside-down champagne baskets sourced from an antique vintage shop were paired with custom steel harnesses, oyster shells, and coral lighting to create more unique fixtures that illuminate the space. The commissioned mural in the bathroom is of the owner’s eldest grandchild, and the mural above the kitchen transports patrons to a seaside Italian village.

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Sebago Lake Kitchen Reno

The dark, outdated kitchen of this Sebago Lake residence was the last major element of a project that began four years prior. Having worked with the family for years, Robin Davis knew her clients appreciated an overall feeling that is clean and uncluttered yet cozy and casual. The towering evergreens surrounding the property, along with the views of Sebago Lake and Mount Washington, inspired the new green, blue, and dark gray interior palette. 

After removing the upper cabinets, Davis struggled to find enough storage space elsewhere in the kitchen. In reworking the layout, she was able to double the lost storage by spinning the island in a different direction and increasing its size by three feet; she also added a ceiling-height, 76-foot-wide built-in hutch cabinet with custom trim work. Davis stayed on budget by avoiding custom color finishes: the kitchen’s soft white and sage green are stock colors. A stone feature wall provides drama that mimics the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace in the adjacent great room, and black Marquina quartz countertops along with dark trim on the windows and china cabinet give the space a modern feel.

“I truly feel that a home will tell you what it wants to be, and this kitchen renovation was no different. It wasn’t a functional kitchen to work in, and it definitely didn’t make you want to hang out in it,” explains Davis. “By reworking the layout, adding in more light, and reconfiguring the storage needed for a large family and a vacation home, it ended up looking exactly as I envisioned.”

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Woodland Retreat

Nestled between the ocean and a peaceful pond, this wooded escape provides a strongly defined juxtaposition of dark and light spaces, offering a bright and airy feel along with cozy and comfy vibes. The balance of masculine and feminine influences is felt in every square inch of the home.

Annie Talmage incorporated layers of textured, light neutrals with pops of blue and green water tones in the kitchen, dining room, living area, and primary suite. Off the main living spaces are bonus areas, including a screened porch with a fireplace, a family room with grass cloth walls, and plenty of outdoor living spaces to enjoy during the warmer seasons. A masculine palette of gray, charcoal, and black plays off the warm wood tones in these spaces.

“My design philosophy is always about the balance of color, texture, and incorporation of the homeowners’ personalities and lifestyles,” explains Talmage. “This home was such a joy to work on as I built a relationship with my clients, which has evolved into a fantastic friendship. I was able to learn how they live and how this space could give them an opportunity to maximize their passions in any season.”

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Town Landing Primary Suite

Samantha Pappas selected the impeccable view of Casco Bay seen from the bedroom’s window as the focal point for this Town Landing project, bringing it into the space’s design through texture, color, and overall feel. Pappas wanted the focus of both the bedroom and bathroom—from furniture layout to colors—to emphasize the tranquility of Casco Bay. 

Opening the originally dark and wooded bathroom with a wall of glass that allows light to flow into the space added an airy feel, while cool-toned tiles that contrast with the dark gray floors make the area feel brighter. The suite’s color palette is soothing with shades of green, blue, and brown to reflect the colors of the bay and the sounding trees. The coolness of the blues is balanced by the warmth of the deep brown leather sofa and the earthy green fabrics; these same colors carry through in the art, custom pillows, and headboard, which features a scalloped detail that mimics the movement of the water.

“I strive to design clean yet cozy spaces that reflect my client’s personalities with pops of interest through layers of color, texture, and pattern,” Pappas says. “My spaces are strongly inspired by the outdoors and natural surroundings of the home. This suite works seamlessly with the serene coastal surroundings and is personalized with patterns, art, and textures to enhance those even further.”

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Nest Refresh

With their eldest child headed into their final year of high school, this family of four was seeking an update to encourage get-togethers that everyone could enjoy now and for years to come—well before the parents were facing an empty nest. Sarah Fischer looked to the family’s traditions, treasures, and lore to curate personal spaces where every member of the family could feel at ease. The contents of the family’s bookshelves and game cabinet, as well as their collective taste in fashion, art, and music, helped to inspire the flow, functionality, and design scheme of this four-room project. The finished residence feels at once playful and refined—an old house where a young family has made their mark. 

Fischer was tasked with making each space multifunctional both for growing teens and for the empty nest on the horizon: rooms needed to accommodate mixing cocktails and playing a card game one weekend and making decorations for the school dance the next. Bold color and pattern in the parlor filters into the adjoining rooms with subtle repeating elements via art, upholstery, and accessories. The spaces all feature unique touches that surprise and delight but are generally rooted in classic influences that make the home familiar and approachable.

“I believe in design that reflects the perfectly imperfect people who enjoy the spaces on a daily basis, with a bit of quirk and a healthy mix of old and new,” says Fischer. “This wonderful client embraced my collaborative approach, sharing their family stories, traditions, special travels, and even the contents of their closets so that I could get to know their tastes in order to translate them to the interiors. The resulting space feels very much their own, with art and furnishings that reflect their lives, but it’s also informed by my unique perspective that marries old-world charm with fresh color and modern forms.”

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Midcoast Midcentury

Positioned on the edge of a rocky, rugged coastline, this home’s existing architecture featured a classic sloped roofline with wood paneling, lots of large windows, and multilevel living spaces that were open to each other. Abigail Shea of Studio Eastman took inspiration from these architectural elements and used contemporary design principles to update the space while honoring the home’s natural surroundings with specific material, color, and texture selections.

The resulting design is soft and grounding, devoid of any overwhelming colors or vibrant artworks. The primary white paint color is subdued, while supplementary colors throughout the home (in shades of dark olive, mousy brown, and grayish blue) are muted and earthy. Furniture was carefully selected to add different layers of architectural style to the home, like the living room’s linen sloped-arm sofa paired with midcentury Siesta chairs and a rustic wood coffee table. Textures of wood, linen, cement, sherpa, and marble add depth to the space and give the home a warm, calm feeling.

“My entire design ethos is that living among natural materials and goods leads to a qualitatively different and better life than one surrounded by manufactured, artificial things,” Shea notes. “I consistently tell my clients that nothing I do in their homes could ever be more beautiful or important than what’s outside, so we work really hard to craft spaces that amplify natural surroundings rather than distracting from them,” she continues. “It sounds so ‘woo-woo,’ but creating spaces for people to be restored, and therefore go back into the world as better, kinder humans, is really Studio Eastman’s purpose.”

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Parmachenee A-Frame

Inspired by the gorgeous backdrop of Saddleback Mountain, Liz Kirby selected earth tones and natural fibers to create a high-end, lodge-like vibe in this ski-friendly A-frame. One of the biggest challenges Kirby faced was space: the small structure needed to fit the entire family (including four adult children) without feeling cramped.

In the kitchen, campy green cabinets mix with modern, elevated white stone countertops and a deep walnut butcher block on the island; elsewhere, unique tones and textures make the A-frame’s interior stand out from others in the area. A RH Yeti chair gives the Maine home true Aspen ski vibes.

“This home represents a cozy gathering space for a large family,” explains Kirby. “I love to design spaces for families, and to maximize space where there isn’t much to work with. I also love the mix of high and low elements we used in this space, as well as the custom millwork we incorporated,” she continues. “I enjoy working with clients to help them determine where it’s worth it to splurge and where it’s okay to save.”

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Sebago Midcentury Modern

The owners of this midcentury lake home wanted to maintain the residence’s architectural integrity while prioritizing their deep connection to the lake, which meant Tyler Karu’s design plan needed to provide durability and comfort, not preciousness or fragility. 

The home is casual and welcoming, with midcentury furnishings, vintage plaid pillows, and elements of lake-focused nostalgia. The site boasts remarkable views, so the interiors were designed to be a complement rather than a distraction. Karu selected a color palette that reflects the environment, paired with materials that feel harmonious. The second-floor living area sits on the tree line, and all those leaves inspired the unexpected green backsplash in the kitchen. Oak cabinetry helps the utilitarian space feel natural and organic. The ceiling plan of four Noguchi lights in the great room and dining area feel appropriate architecturally and provide a practical ambient glow when illuminated.

“We love working on to-the-studs remodels for the sense of preservation and for the challenge of making an older home functional for life today,” says Karu. “There’s a tricky balance to strike when developing a design plan, but we really enjoy the challenge of preserving an interesting property rather than tearing down and starting over. My design sensibility leans midcentury, so this project represents not only our aesthetic leanings but also our ethos of preservation over demolition.”  

We decided to test how strong the connection is between our hands and minds. What happens when designers step away from the screen and sit at a table with their peers and create? For a third year in a row, we put out a call to Maine designers to come meet us for a drink at Novare Res Bier Cafe in downtown Portland to create a napkin sketch. All participants were given a drink, a pen (however, as you might have guessed, many brought their own), a cocktail napkin, and five prompts. 

Architectural sketches are part of the designer’s toolbox—the result of their mind, eyes, and hands working together. Hand-drawn sketches can reduce production problems that may occur when using tools like SketchUp, Revit, AutoCAD, or AI. The human mind and hand can connect with the pen to show a contractor how to work through a tricky construction element or to quickly illustrate to a client how a design concept would exist in reality. Undeniably, computer-generated design documents are valuable, and needed, later on, but the architect’s hand will always be a critical and relevant creative tool.

Throughout history, some of the most iconic designs have been conceived on a napkin, scrap of paper, or placemat. Here are the results from this year’s gathering. Thank you to Knickerbocker Group and the Portland Society for Architecture for sponsoring this event and bringing our design community together.

Prompts:

+ Design your version of Barbie’s Dreamhouse
+ Design for a natural phenomenon (light, wind, snow) in Maine
+ Sketch a beer garden labyrinth
+ Sketch a new performance center in Portland
+ Design a seaside capsule hotel

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Olivia Bogert

Office Manager

Kaplan Thompson

“Most rooflines shed snow and runoff away from a building. Perhaps because I am not a designer and thereby do not abide by the laws of engineering, building science, and general physics, I have dared to instead funnel that precipitation inwards for this conceptual post-ski establishment. The stovepipe melts the rooftop snowfall and channels it downward to create that cold shower everyone craves after spending time outside in winter. Shower runoff, in turn, drains outside and freezes instantly into an ice-skating rink.”

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David Duncan Morris 

Director, Residential Studio

Woodhull

“Getting ready to take off for distant lands! Let the wind blow you somewhere new! No packing required…take it all with you!”

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Kevin Browne

Founder & Principal

Kevin Browne Architecture

“This was a fun exercise to dream about design without regulations, being able to design a space, a little retreat, on the rocky and rugged shoreline. The three stories of small spaces are connected by an exterior circulation path that encircles the structure. A vertical ellipse, connected to the top of the bank via a catwalk. The spaces include a rooftop deck, a floor-to-ceiling, glass bedroom, and a living space with a deck stretching inches from the water.”

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Rachel Conly 

Founder & Design Director

Juniper Design + Build

“At Juniper, we work hard and take our craft very seriously, but we also value play and humor to nurture our creativity and strive for a healthy work-life balance.”

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Henri Bizindavyi 

Designer

Juniper Design + Build

“My deepest architectural aspiration is to create a sense of harmony with nature. In light of this, I visualized a capsule that integrates and unites the interior with its habitat. This sketch captures the essence of this concept by manipulating form, texture, and materials, all while offering a breathtaking view, providing a means to achieve a balance between the capsule, its occupants, and the environment.”

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