Maine

Floating treads keep the stairway feeling light.
A stone floor and Western red-cedar timbers make the screened porch feel as though it’s part of the outdoors.
“There’s nothing more timeless than a white house,” says Carroll about the shingled main house.
Nickel-gap paneling and a free-floating wooden shelf bring warmth to an all-white powder room.
The second-floor main suite has a deck overlooking the river; the gray, white, and palest-yellow rug is from Mougalian Rugs.
The main bath sports a trough sink and a shower that spans the width of one wall.
Architect Jessie Carroll chose slender muntins of black metal for the windows to keep the focus on the view.
“We don’t like a lot of spoons in jars on the kitchen counter,” the wife says. No fear of that in this kitchen where small appliances and the pantry hide behind the paneling.
A double-sided wood-burning fireplace separates the living and dining areas. The dining table of aged walnut with a metal base, crafted by Hudson Valley, New York, artist Chis Lehrecke, sits atop a wool rug from Portland, Maine-based Mougalian Rugs.
A metal roof tops the breezeway that leads from the dining room to the screened three-season living room. Todd Richardson’s landscape design incorporates native plantings that help the house sit unobtrusively on its riverfront site.
“This is the one room where we went with the more typical blue-and-white nautical feel, although with a more youthful, contemporary touch,” says Boothby of the three-season screened porch.
The husband’s office reflects his passion for midcentury furniture. Another painting by Janis H. Sanders hangs above the fireplace.
Horizontal flush board on the ceiling adds a cozy feel to the master bedroom, while fabrics in the palest seafoam hue give the space its serene feel.
A walk-through shower with a marble anchor wall and glass on three sides sits between matching vanities in the master bath.
Designer Chauncey Boothby uses New England-based products, like this wool rug from Boston designer Meredith Thayer, whenever she can. Likewise, artwork is by regional artists through Maine Art Hill gallery. The living room paintings are by Craig Mooney, while the piece near the stairs is by Janis H. Sanders.
The islands’ Stratton Blue paint from Benjamin Moore is a bold yet soothing counterpoint to the otherwise white kitchen. “We used a lot of natural materials,” Boothby says, noting the caned counter stools and the baskets in the glass-front cubbyholes.
The front door is purposely understated, says architect Vincent Falotico.
Tiered porches make the most of water views; the second-floor porch belongs to a casual family room.
A Merida rug anchors the dining room, whose trim is painted Benjamin Moore’s Yarmouth Blue cut by 50 percent.
Built-ins, such as the breakfast area’s banquette, give the home a ship-like quality.
The bright Clé cement floor tiles were the starting point for the bold palette of a boy’s bathroom.
The family’s two sons sleep in the full-size bottom bunks, while the twin-size upper bunks are for sleepovers with a couple of cousins or neighborhood
With the ocean on one side and the blue bay on the other, the location of this Maine vacation home couldn’t be more heavenly. Multiple decks celebrate the spectacular location and offer bonus living space. “I was worried about building,” says the wife. “But our builder was wonderful. Everything went smoothly.” The well-worn path is a direct route to the sea.
A Rohl rainhead in the outdoor shower takes care of sandy beachgoers.
Hand-painted Carrara marble tiles line the master bathroom’s shower, while beadboard walls add to the beachy character.
The owners opted for pieces that suit a summer lifestyle, like a Serena & Lily woven seagrass bed. A fun recipe of stripes, florals, and paisley raises the room’s spirit.
A Pottery Barn bed dressed in a slew of patterns welcomes guests. Jamie Young bedside lamps wear beachy raffia shades.
Paisley paper from Les Indiennes and Farrow & Ball’s sunny Babouche paint elevate laundry chores. Rosenfeld nabbed the nautical flag at the Market Stalls in the Boston Design Center.
Custom cabinetry expert Jannell Zarba teamed with the clients and Rosenfeld to ensure the kitchen is as efficient as it is handsome. The cabinetry’s pale gray color—Benjamin Moore’s Silver Lake—lets the space blend seamlessly into the living and dining areas and doesn’t compete with the outdoors. Heart pine floors inject a warm note.
A linear brass chandelier casts a warm glow for summer dining.
Window seats flanking the fireplace provide extra seating and make snug spots to curl up with a book. Rosenfeld says she found most of the room’s fabrics, including all the lively pillow covers, at small independent fabric houses and artisanal shops.
Designer Katie Rosenfeld painted walls, trim, and ceilings Farrow and Ball’s Pointing, a soft hue that makes a perfect background for an extravagance of playful patterns. On the main living level, French doors are framed with a fresh yet timeless striped floral fabric. The generous ottoman accommodates cocktails as well as rainy day games.
Apple Bartlett at her Maine home overlooking Penobscot Bay. Her parents, Henry Parish II and Dorothy May “Sister” Parish, bought the property in the 1940s, although her family retreated to Islesboro for generations beforehand.
Bartlett and Brio in the bedroom.
Favorite objects create a personal tablescape atop Sister Parish’s Petite Fleur fabric.
Smith and Bartlett set the table.
The front parlor features painted furniture and other pieces with patina and charm.
The Summer House’s bedrooms are a riot of color, pattern, and texture.
A mélange of family memories rests upon Sister Parish’s Palms pattern.
Saturated, vibrant colors and needlepoint rugs line the main hallway.
The Summer House’s bedrooms are a riot of color, pattern, and texture.
Bartlett prepares for a dinner party surrounded by her china and glassware collections.
The living room is a favorite gathering spot for family and friends.
A place for respite in the front parlor.
The front parlor was recently updated with a light touch, while respecting Sister Parish’s signature touches.
A doll house surrounded by Staffordshire figurines on the porch.
The charming exterior of the antiques store.
The store features decorative accessories and art, including some of Bartlett’s own designs.
A sign from her mother’s decorating practice.
The Sister Parish room at the shop showcases some of the bags, totes, and pillows crafted from the firm’s iconic fabric patterns, as well as pieces from the spongeware tabletop collection.
A mix of treasures from Bartlett’s shop.
Trundle beds and bold blue make a kid-friendly bedroom.
Another bedroom wears sunny apricot-hued paint.
Softer colors give the master bedroom its serene feel.
Colorful bedrooms include this sunny one in the “treehouse.”
The open part of the front porch has a gap at the base of the wall so water can drain out.
The front porch offers this lovely view. The house to the right is now privately owned but was once the Albonegon Inn, where Charlie Chaplin twice stayed.
The sunny breakfast room sits in the partially glassed-in front porch.
The vibrant watery-blue accents of the living room take a more dominant role in the dining room.
The wife wanted to see the ocean while she worked, so the kitchen was filled with windows. To get extra storage without upper cabinets, shelves were run across the windows.
A window seat nestles between the living room fireplace and shelves filled with vintage local knickknacks.
The different tastes of husband and wife—his New England traditional, hers California modern—blend nicely in the living room.
Shiplap paneling and antique furniture give the foyer a classic Maine cottage feel.
A rear view of the house shows the glass connector that joins the primary house to the “treehouse,” the builder’s nickname for the section of the home on the left that tucks into the forested part of the property.
The curves that are a refrain throughout the house are on display in the stairwell, where Fremont-Smith has hung color-printed lithographs from Audubon’s Birds of America.
A guest room is outfitted with a custom tufted headboard in a restful purple-and-blue floral fabric from Schumacher.
The sheep sculptures are by local artist Dan Falt, who has been welcoming children into his studio for art workshops since the homeowner and her designer were kids summering on the island.
Fremont-Smith let herself go wild with color and pattern in the TV room, a space more for family retreats than public entertainment. A green-painted floor and blue-painted ceiling continue the home’s summery vibe.
A mobile crafted of wooden fish the wife painted back in childhood holds pride of place above the breakfast table.
Fremont-Smith successfully mixes patterns even in a small powder room, installing a bone inlay mirror against a bright Meg Braff wallpaper.
At the homeowners’ request, the kitchen cabinets were painted a vibrant peacock blue.
The turret’s third-floor media room is a Moroccan fantasy, complete with tented ceiling.
The hand-blocked, trellis-patterned wallpaper keeps the dining room feeling summery, while the round table softens the square room.
Fremont-Smith designed the living room rug as a contemporary take on a traditional hooked rug.
The designer created a variety of seating areas in the large living room, layering pattern on pattern in soft-hued fabrics.
A garden near the house holds seventeen varieties of roses, an arbor, and a swinging bench.
A curved second-floor balcony is a crowning touch on the front entrance.
Designed in 1989 by architect Christopher Glass, the Shingle-style home is a playful take on the grand cottages of the turn-of-the-century rusticators of Maine’s Mount Desert Island. The extensive gardens were laid out by landscape designer Dennis Bracale and are now tended by Erika Lindquist, who works full-time on the grounds.
Wallpaper with an ikat-inspired design picks up the diamond-shaped details of the reproduction vanity in the first-floor powder room.
More than a place to sleep, the master bedroom is designed with comfort for the whole family in mind.
Decorative beams, a stone fireplace, and a sliding barn door give the living room a rustic feel.
The kitchen is rich with texture, including smooth Calacatta marble countertops, an imposing bronze range hood, and heavily checked hemlock ceiling beams.
A long front porch with a metal roof links the home’s two imposing gambrel-shaped gables.
Subtle textures in the grasscloth wallcovering, tufted upholstery, and a reclaimed wood fireplace make the dining room comfy, not fussy.
A reproduction of a vintage bronze tub sits atop painted wooden tiles in a first-floor bath.
An outdoor dining room is located just steps from the pool and hot tub.
Sheltered under the back porch, a living and dining area allows the family to gather outside for much of the summer.
Below the second-floor master suite balcony, the pool, hot tub, and sitting and dining spaces converge for a multifunctional entertaining area.
A barn holds two parking bays, a recreation room, and a fitness center, while at the same time creating an elegant entrance experience to the property. Its charming gatehouse look reinforces the French estate feel the homeowner requested.
In the master bedroom, burlap-clad X benches from Safavieh flank the cane bed.
The large room also holds a sitting area with a settee dressed in Lulu DK fabric and a pair of fanciful swan side tables from Serena & Lily.
Bamboo pieces enliven the dining room’s pine dresser, which doubles as a bar
French doors lead from the living room to the dining room where a warm blend of colors creates a welcoming atmosphere, especially in the evening, the designer explains.
The kitchen table, grounded by a classic checkerboard floor, is surrounded with chairs from Crate & Barrel and Serena & Lily.
Paintings by local artists Daphne Chapin (top) and Pat Pratt speak to the surroundings and the owners’ lifestyle, which includes boating whenever possible.
Rylee favors tall lamps like the antique duo bookending the living room sofa. Leather ottomans add texture to the scene, and cozy touches such as a monogrammed blanket from Maine’s Swans Island Company help enrich the room’s stay-awhile appeal.
Happily, the 1920 retreat’s classic shingled exterior had been rejuvenated by the previous owners when Rylee and family arrived.
An existing hedge affords the outdoor sitting area privacy.
To boost the ambience in the personality-filled porch along the front of the house, homeowner and designer Leslie Rylee paired the swing (devised with help from Kay Sloan, a friend whom the designer labels “jack of all trades, seamstress, and facilitator extraordinaire”) with old-time treasures like antique lamps and an end table decorated with wooden spools.
A guest bedroom also provides ocean views, as well as breezes.
Designer Dennis Duffy designed the resin-topped dining-room table and the buffet.
Patinated bronze anchors the ethereal glass drops of the dining room chandelier.
The vintage barstools were once used by Maine factory workers.
A powder room holds a custom vanity.
Furniture is simple and clean-lined.
A once awkward space off the main entrance now functions as a sitting room.
Maritime-inspired cables support the bubbled-glass staircase panels.
The owners fell in love with the house in part because of its views, which include iconic Maine landmarks such as the Isle of Shoals and Boone Island Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in New England.
The occasional antique lends eclecticism to the contemporary interior.
Original details such as coffered ceilings and dark-stained floors blend with modern elements like the fireplace’s stone facing.
Plantings and stone terracing enhance house and property.
The owners fell in love with the house in part because of its views, which include iconic Maine landmarks such as the Isle of Shoals and Boone Island Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in New England.
The owners fell in love with the house in part because of its views, which include iconic Maine landmarks such as the Isle of Shoals and Boone Island Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in New England.
After a century beside the ocean, virtually the entire exterior of the house needed replacing, from new cedar shakes to the rot-proof trim. Its original appearance, however, remains.
Plantings and stone terracing enhance house and property.
Delft tiles enhance the fireplace in the master bedroom.
Halpern had coral box-framed for the master bedroom.
A brick fireplace makes the stone-floored kitchen a favorite gathering spot.
Architect Dean Telfer designed the paneling in the "snug." The nautical painting comes via London.
The pantry window once graced an old English cottage.
A quiet corner makes a perfect spot for tea.
An antique Welsh dresser holds a growing pewter collection.
Holly Hunt stools belly up to the soapstone-topped island.
A new deck off the kitchen makes a ­picture-perfect place for casual dining.
Homeowner Dolores Halpern designed the drawing room’s sofas and coffee table.
The dining room’s eighteenth-century corner cupboard hails from Maine.
Boaters have easy access via the dock.
Those staying behind on the covered porch can monitor comings and goings.
The owner’s yacht ties up in view of the house.
In the bunkroom, each bed has its own reading light and book cubby. A built-in blackboard fosters games and fun.
Horizontal paneling transformed the wall behind the owner’s bed.
Custom glass countertops dress the guest bath Restoration Hardware vanities.
Water views initially drew the couple to the house.
A pickled wash subdued the paneled ceilings without disturbing their nautical flavor.
The aesthetically pleasing covered walkway between the house and the garage provides protection from the elements.
A vibrant painting by America Martin hangs above the fireplace. Designer James Light campaigned to save the wood box during the revamping of the fireplace. “It provides symmetry, which I like,” he explains.
Dining chairs echo the kitchen’s red-hot hue.
The master bedroom was designed as the ultimate retreat.
The en-suite master bath.
Wildflowers are part of the overall natural landscape design.
Landscape designer Larry Maxim and the homeowners agreed on a low-maintenance plan that includes native shrubs, trees and flowering plants that provide color and textural interest in every season.
The entryway connects the home’€™s two discrete pavilions.
Deep overhanging eaves temper the hot summer sun and help protect the Ipe siding from weather.
The living room gets its modern, industrial feel from the wall of aluminum-framed windows and concrete flooring. Upholstered seating and a Chilewich rug soften the commercial feel of the flooring and define the sitting area, while the views bring in all the color the homeowners need.
Creeping and wooly thyme between the cobblestones add softness to the courtyard.
A detail of the bathroom barn door.
A pipe railing along the upper bunk in a daughter’s bedroom sounds a creative note.
Boating, swimming and docks to leap off make this the perfect spot for family fun.
The kids’ bathroom closes with a sliding barn door outfitted with glass panes that sandwich chicken wire.
Plenty of hidden storage drawers take the place of closets and dressers in the boys’ room.
A low vintage coffee table is the perfect height for sitting on the living room’s plush striped rug and playing board games by a roaring fire.
The dining room feels like an indoor/outdoor space with its wide screen wall. Above the reclaimed wood table, hand-blown glass orbs give off an earthy amber glow.
The stonework edging around the base of this classic Maine camp was inspired by the original structure’s chimney, a nod to the history of this special place.
Lights above the kitchen island are kept slightly high so as to not impede the view.