For the past couple of months, the Nicola’s Homes crew has been making plans into reality on my latest design/build project on 30 Maeve’s Way. For those who aren’t local, Maeve’s Way is a neighborhood named after my daughter, and located a short hop from Casco Bay on the Cumberland Foreside, just north of Portland, Maine. Projects like this are personal favorites, where I get to see my ideas take form, from initial sketches to plans to reality. Granted, it requires a lot of focus, but it’s immensely gratifying when the dust settles, and everything comes together. At this point, 30 Maeve’s Way is already well underway. The exterior and landscaping are largely complete and the interior is taking shape. Over the next several weeks, I’ll share some photos and stories of work in progress, to give you a sense of how things are coming together.
As a designer, I’ve always been drawn to materials that make spaces feel warm and inviting. And few materials provide that warmth more effectively than reclaimed wood and stone. In this first photograph, taken from the kitchen, it’s tough to miss the impact of the antique timbers used for the dual purpose of structure and beauty. From a purely visual standpoint, the beams define the living space, making it feel both warm and familiar. As the process moves forward, I’ll choose furnishings and fixtures that play off the structural aesthetic of the beams to bring the room together.
Like the old barn beams, the fireplace surround is also made of reclaimed material. Crafted of three granite foundation stones from the original house on the property – which we moved and renovated, and now sits at the entrance to Maeve’s Way – the scale of the fireplace anchors the room, and will serve as a natural gathering place for the family that eventually calls it home.
The second photograph shows still more reclaimed materials in the main entrance to the house. From the simple sophistication of the antique leaded-glass interior window to the ornatereclaimed shoulders, these details add a sense of tradition to offset the home’s contemporary, open-space design. By incorporating the shoulders, we’ve broken up doorways that wouldotherwise feel too open, lending a sense of intimacy that helps to make the home feel more familiar and inviting.
To learn more about 30 Maeve’s Way, send me an email. I’d be more than happy to share details about the property, and even to arrange a walk-through. And staytuned. I’ll be sharing more details as the project moves forward.
Keep the fall theme going with an autumn wreath woven with some of the same materials from your window boxes. I chose bittersweet, dried leaves and Indian corn, but the possibilities are limitless. Just play with the colors and textures of the view outside your window (this year, mine included a family of pheasants!) and celebrate the harvest season.
