The Renovation of a 1890s Maine Cottage Preserves its Rustic Charm

The double-height great room features three sitting areas, one of which is centered around a banquette that’s original to the house.

The great room’s woodwork was left its existing shade of green. The pair of armchairs are from George Smith and their pillows are crafted from a Raoul Textiles fabric.

A window in the primary bedroom overlooks the great room. The George Smith chairs are joined by a vintage coffee table and sofas from Munder Skiles.

The 5,000-square-foot, four-bedroom residence is set on a nine-acre property featuring several mature trees that were preserved.

Landscape architect Todd Richardson introduced additional native species that could fend for themselves on the nonirrigated site.

The dining room’s fireplace needed to be rebuilt, but a portion of the wall’s original delft tiles.

The clients gather in this living room during colder weather.

A pendant light wrapped in a colorful Schumacher fabric illuminates the breakfast nook.

The existing kitchen was very rudimentary, so the design team started from scratch, transforming a hodgepodge of small spaces into a larger contemporary kitchen with soapstone countertops and Schoolhouse lighting.

The primary bedroom features a sitting area enveloped in a Marthe Armitage wallpaper.

he primary bath features a Schumacher wallpaper and a sink from Watermark.

An uncovered porch was transformed into a three-season room with glass storm panels. A fan from Hinkley Lighting helps with airflow in the summer months.

Restoring a Historic Maine Cottage

Perched on a stretch of craggy coastline on an island in Maine, this 5,000-square-foot rusticator cottage from the 1890s is a vestige of history, recalling the early tourists and urbanites who sought a more simple life surrounded by nature during the summer months. Recently, a new pair of urbanites took over the property, becoming just its third owners.

Salvaging a prime piece of Maine history can be a daunting task, however, so finding the right team for the job was critical. The couple called on interior designer Kate McElhiney, builder Peter Codella, and landscape architect Todd Richardson to retain the property’s charming bones while introducing some modern comforts.

“Luckily, the owners bought the home just in time to save it,” says Codella. “It was in pretty bad shape, with a crumbling foundation and lots of rot. But when I first stepped inside, I was overwhelmed by how amazing the great room is. The exposed beams and wraparound balcony are quite something—as were the twenty heads of moose, elk, boar, and deer on the walls at the time.”

A Sensitive Renovation Preserves Original Character

With the exception of the great room, the house needed to be gutted in order to install new insulation, electrical, plumbing, and heating systems. While the residence’s footprint remained the same, the layout was tweaked in certain areas. On the main floor, a rabbit warren of small spaces—including two former maids’ rooms—were reworked to form a larger kitchen, a guest room, and a guest bath. An open porch became a three-season room overlooking the water.

Upstairs, the primary bedroom received a new exterior balcony. The design team was also able to give the room a bit of extra space by raising the ceiling height, dismanteling a large closet, and expanding the entire room outward and over the newly enclosed three-season room below.

While Codella was dealing with the host of problems inside, Richardson was busy addressing the nine-acre property’s drainage and circulation issues. “We redefined the arrival as well as how one moves through the site and down to the dock,” explains Richardson, who also determined which areas should be mowed and which should be meadowed. “A property like this doesn’t need any bells and whistles. We wanted to respect the building and celebrate the magnificent trees that were already there.”

Rustic Interior Design with Scandinavian Touches

Partway through construction, McElhiney came on board to tackle the decor. “I was taken with the home’s grand scale yet rustic, camp-like feel,” says McElhiney, who brought the project to Peter Pennoyer Architects—where she was working at the time—and continued it after she left the firm to attend graduate school and strike out on her own. “I wanted to retain this sense of grand informality, so the interior decoration is light.”

Beloved existing elements, including the green woodwork in the great room and the delft tiles in the dining room, mingle with botanical wallpapers that bring the outside in. McElhiney also incorporated new upholstery, the clients’ heirlooms, and some unique twentieth-century finds that reflect the homeowners’ love of Scandinavian style.

“I mixed fabrics that seem like they could have been collected over time, so the house doesn’t appear too finished or fancy,” says the designer. “The lighting also looks like it has always been there. I wanted the entire home to feel as though it has been in the clients’ family for generations.”

Project Team
Interior design: Kate McElhiney Studio, Peter Pennoyer Architects
Builder: PC Builders
Landscape design: Richardson & Associates