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Places in the Heart: A Postcard from Maine
Weathered Wood, Windowboxes and Glorious Gardens Contribute to Maine's Mid-Coast Charm
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Today I'd like to share a bit of my current surroundings with all of you. I'm in the Mid-Coast region of Maine (St. George's Peninsula to be exact), and everywhere I look, there is such a beauty in the simplicity of the architecture all around me. Some are summer cabins, some are the homes of lobstermen and other year-rounders, and most have a charm that is hard to emulate.
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| This very simple cabin across the street from us is a summer home that has been passed down through several generations. The red siding and two-over-two windows make it so appealing. |
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| Entire classes of painters stand across the water from this wharf building on Spruce Head Island and try to capture the beauty of it. |
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There is a strong sense of community in the region. Bean suppers and community dinners are a common occurrence — just remember to bring your own plates and utensils!
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The sweetest lobsters in the world come from this region.
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This tiny cabin is the perfect place to enjoy an ocean view. The tiny windowboxes add miles of personality.
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| Shutters with cutouts of anchors, trees, sailboats, and stars add loads of charm to these homes and allow the owners to show their personalities. |
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| A bit of gingerbread detailing can be seen around the region, but for the most part, the facades are more stark than this. This home in the village of Spruce Head has always been a favorite of mine. |
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As far as ornament goes, old brightly painted wooden buoys will always do!
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| The local store gets a lot of mileage out of buoy decor as well. |
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Old wooden lobster crates turn up all over the place as well. It's a little sad that these wooden buoys and crates no longer wash up on shore anymore, as more high-tech materials are used today. This is next to the entrance of an artist's co-op/gallery in Port Clyde.
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| An oar adds ornament to the top of this shed. |
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| Picture windows are a common element on these homes; a clear view out to sea is a must. |
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| This house used to belong to my great aunt and uncle; now it belongs to their children (I always forget what kind of cousins that makes us). It reminds me of an Edward Hopper painting.
The area also inspired artists including three generations of Wyeths (N.C., Andrew, and Jamie), Fairfield Porter, Rockwell Kent, Alex Katz and more. |
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| A seasonal home is still shuttered up from the harsh winter. You can see how these homes leave a very light footprint on the land. |
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| Periwinkle blue is a popular trim color. |
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| This home has the greatest used book store next door, which draws people from many miles away when it opens its doors on summer weekends. |
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| In the introduction I mentioned that the inherent charm of these homes is hard to emulate, but local architect John Hansen succeeded in incorporating the vernacular style into this this beautiful home. |
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Remember when Forrest Gump was running and he went as far east as he could possibly go? He tapped on the door of this lighthouse, Marshall Point Light, and then turned around and started to run west again.
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This is the lighthousekeeper's house at Marshall Point. Now it's a lighthouse museum, complete with pictures of Tom Hanks' visit.
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Nearby Tenant's Harbor has a lot of farmhouse-style homes.
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| This Port Clyde Harbor home is pure New England style with its front porch, split-rail fence and proudly flying flag. |
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| Simple wharf buildings in Port Clyde have a personality all their own. |
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| Even this very simple structure appeals to me, especially with that door painted in a buoy palette. |
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Because granite quarries were a big industry up here, buildings in the towns of Thomaston and Rockland are full of granite accents on their facades, as you see above the windows on this building.
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| I had to share the cutest library in the world (it's in the village of Owl's Head). |
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| I don't know why I am so drawn to this weathered garage, but I always find myself snapping photos of it. |
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| While many of the homes may have straightforward and simple facades, the gardens are anything but simple. This is someone's front yard. The bleeding hearts, poppies, and lupine are in all their glory. |
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| Because of the predominant ledge all over the area, rock gardens abound. |
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The same could be said for windowboxes. This storefront has needed a paint job for years, but you don't really notice because the windowboxes are so spectacular.
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Finding a Lady Slipper in the woods is always a special treat, so I'm passing this one along to you.
More regional styles:
Modern Northwest Style
California Casual Chic
Contemporary Texas Style
More regional styles:
Modern Northwest Style
California Casual Chic
Contemporary Texas Style
Ideabook updated on June 13, 2011.
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Mary (msmary here on Houzz)
We love the west side of the Tetons too! After 21 yrs of drooling, we just bought a small farm in Tetonia on the west side of the valley. The view is spectacular and we are super excited!
As for Maine? We packed up the 3 teenagers in 2009 and spent Sept and Oct in southern Maine. We LOVED it! The kids talked about it for a year and a half!