A sophisticated Retreat on Squam Lake

Built with hefty reclaimed granite blocks, the fireplace, one of two that anchor the great room, was constructed by King Stoneworks. The bespoke rug, designed by Farmer with Steven King Decorative Carpets, establishes the nature-inspired palette. The cathedral ceiling is sheathed in clear pine boards.

The exterior has its design roots in the classic Shingle-style house. The cupola, which rises from the roofline above the great room, has operable windows that flood the interior space with natural light and, when open, help cool the house.

The study, a cozy transitional space between the great room and the primary suite, has a barrel ceiling reminiscent of a ship’s cabin.

A custom rug designed by Nina Farmer sets the tone for the casual dining area. The room opens to the screened porch.

Set on legs, the walnut kitchen island reads like a piece of furniture; the handmade ceramic pendant lights above are by Natalie Page.

The kitchen, which is open to the great room, was designed with a lower ceiling finished in plaster to make the room more approachable. Base cabinets are painted Studio Green by Farrow & Ball; the tall pine cabinet conceals a coffee station.

With romantic views of the lake, the porch is an outdoor living room. The seating area is furnished with rattan and teak pieces as well as a nostalgic sofa-sized swing hung by chains from the ceiling.

The bunk room is open and inviting with simple steel-framed beds topped with mismatched quilts.

A Moroccan flat-weave rug in shades of blue sets the restful tone in the primary bedroom, where the wood-paneled walls and ceiling are painted off-white.

The primary bathroom has an old-time appeal with a claw-foot soaking tub and a floor painted Farrow & Ball Green Smoke overlaid with a colorful vintage woven rug.

A Lakefront Retreat in New Hampshire’s White Mountains

In New Hampshire, Robert Frost’s collection of poetry inspired by his adopted state, the author wrote: “Nature is always hinting at us. It hints over and over again. And suddenly we take the hint.”

That is what one Boston family did when they built a waterfront retreat on New Hampshire’s Squam Lake. Nestled in the woods and caressed by White Mountains that, according to Frost, “curl up in a coil” of protective tranquility, the house’s connection to its engaging setting is palpable. Here swimming, boating, hiking, and skiing are the raison d’être.

“The house is very much of its place,” says Boston interior designer Nina Farmer. It’s where the owners, a married couple with three teenage children, literally unplug and trade electronic devices for outdoor endeavors and low-key unwinding.

The clients had been vacationing in the Lakes Region for a decade or so before they purchased the 1.6-acre property, says Alice Dunn, the project architect for Charles R. Myer & Partners, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, firm that designed the house, a low-slung take on the classic Shingle style.

Rustic and Sophisticated Interiors

Clear pine sheathing, exposed beams, and rugged granite fireplaces give the interiors a rustic informality fortified by Farmer’s nature-inspired palette.“I always start with the rugs,’’ she says, and many in this house are her designs. Working with Steven King Decorative Carpets, she used bold patterns and saturated shades of indigo, red, and ochre to establish a snug, intimate ambience. A mix of custom and vintage furniture adds to the eclectic, cozy setting.

The house is laid out in an L-shape, and the one-level main wing includes the great room and kitchen, study, primary suite, and spacious screened porch. With views of the water and open to breezes off the lake, the porch is an essential outdoor living area. Rattan seating is augmented by a sofa-sized swing suspended from the pine-clad ceiling, a sentimental touchstone to one of the owner’s childhood summer memories. There is a table and chairs for dining and a sturdy granite hearth at the ready for an evening’s fireside gathering.

In the great room, which combines living and dining areas, generous windows run the length of the space. Beneath them is a wide cushioned window seat, a must-have for the owners who envisioned it as a place to settle in with a book or gaze at the lake.

The room opens to the kitchen, where a walnut island with a redwood top separates the spaces. A floor-to-ceiling cupboard is pine, but the exposed plaster ceiling, green-painted base cabinets, and Moroccan Zellige tiles offer a visual break from the pine motif.

In the primary bedroom, the wood-clad walls and ceiling are painted a calming off-white. A claw-foot tub and green-painted floor in the adjacent bathroom evoke the slower pace of an earlier era.

The other leg of the L floor plan is the bedroom wing. It has two ground-level bedroom suites with a bunk room above. This second-floor wide-open sleeping space feels like a summer-camp or ski-lodge dorm, a place for pillow fights and late-night stories after a day swimming in the lake, hiking in the woods, or schussing down the slopes. A future memory lane.

Project Team
Architecture: Charles R. Myer & Partners
Interior design: Nina Farmer Interiors
Builder: R L Benton Builder
Landscape design: Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design

Styled by Mieke ten Have