Home Tour: A Coastal Maine Farmhouse

Last week we were camping in mid-coast Maine when a dear friend invited us to Sunday brunch at her ocean front 1880's farm house. A beautiful active woman in her 80's (who still models!), our friend is known as a fantastic cook, so we couldn't wait to go.

What we didn't know was that she is also an interior decorator extraordinaire with a home that belongs in the pages of Country Living magazine.

When you step onto the side porch, the first thing you see is this old blackboard, covered with the words of a favorite poem about life by the sea. The old camp chairs are in the side entry, just outside the kitchen. I love that they are numbered!

 The little kitchen is filled with vintage cooking utensils, fresh flowers, herbs and antiques. 

Our friend is an artist at heart. She sees everyday objects as beautiful. On the way to the living room, we pass this old door hung on the wall . . . a piece of art.

She works on her watercolors in front of a big window looking out at the Atlantic Ocean . . . beautiful even on a foggy morning.

And decorates on a shoestring, using her creativity to transform flea market (and roadside!) finds.

The old iron beds in the guestroom are positioned so that they look out at the ocean.

  I could spend a week cuddled under one of those quilts listening to the sounds of the sea.

In the corner of the living room is a writing desk, an old table really . . . covered with books, notes, sketches, family photos, and yet another view of the ocean beyond.

Every corner of this home tells a story . . . 

And welcomes you to sit for awhile.

Breakfast was served on the old screened porch, with the ocean just outside.

The jam is home made and the Nasturtiums are from the kitchen garden.

No words are needed to describe this view!

I loved the little yellow playhouse hidden in the side yard.

It is surrounded by native wildflowers, which are listed on a board on the side of the playhouse!

 Here's a peek inside!

And this is the house from the driveway. There is a lighthouse just up the road.

The straw hat bird house on the door of the old garage bids us "Goodbye", although I really wished I never had to leave this place.

As the blackboard by the door says,

"I go down to the edge of the sea,

How everything shines in the morning light!"

Indeed it does.

This post is linked to:

Style Showcase #42 at Savvy Southern Style

Talk of the Town #136 at Knick of Time

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Flaunt IT Friday #412 at Chic On a Shoestring

DIY Salvaged Junk #439 at Funky Junk Interiors

Happiness Is Homemade #234 at Bluesky at Home

Sundays at Home at Little Farmstead

Amaze Me Monday #277 at Dwellings

Kennebunk to Charleston

We had to drop tax documents off in Kennebunk last week. Our accountant's office in is the old Kesslon Shoe factory, which has now been renovated into offices and shops. I was happy to have a quiet hour to walk along the main street of our old home town.

 

I vacationed with my family in this area as a child, worked the summer hotels here as a college student, and raised my children in this town. Memories are everywhere I step.

Although businesses on Maine St. come and go, much of the architecture of the town remains as I remember it.

 

Some things are new . . . like this covered ice skating rink where the old Mobil station used to be.

It sure beats the little rink we used to make by flooding the back yard of our old house on Cat Mousam Road in the winter!

And I discovered "Camp Wool", a little shop on Main St. that's new to me. It's filled with wool in all its forms,  displayed with antiques, fiber books and supplies, penny rugs, patterns, and so much more.

 

Updating Mom's House #2: The Master Bedroom

My sister, Joanne, and I are updating our Mom's condo for her while she recovers from a stroke...thought it would be fun to share our progress.

THE MASTER BEDROOM

Once Joanne and I saw how good our Mom's updated living room looked, we just couldn't stop there.
Mom's bedroom needed a coat of paint as well. Instead of sticking with the same off -white Mom has throughout the condo, we took our inspiration from the ocean (actually Casco Bay) outside the window and chose a very soft grayed blue/green color, Benjamin Moore's "Quiet Moments" .

It always amazes me to see how fresh paint transforms a space. I love this color!

 

 We repaired, polished and rearranged the furniture to open up the room.

 

Mom and Dad bought this mahogany bedroom furniture shortly after they were married in 1946.

 

 We found the perfect area rug at the Curtainshop.

 

Joanne bought this chair at a local consignment shop and finished it off with cushions she found at home.  The stool, made in India, is from Home Goods.

 

We love the way these lacy curtains catch the sea breeze...

 

They have just enough of a beachy look without being too predictable. We found these at the Curtainshop, too...thank goodness for our  shared stash of 20% off coupons!

 

Joanne liked the curtains so much that she went back for the runner for Mom's dresser...

 

 

Which is edged with shiny little shells and beach rocks.

  

 Joanne reused pillows from other rooms (and even one from the deck!) to add color to Mom's wicker chair...

 

And created this side table from a discarded cement pillar and a round piece of glass she found stored in Mom's hall closet.

 

All that was left to do was to accessorize.

Mom and Dad loved antiques so there were plenty of interesting collectibles around the condo to choose from. 

 

 

Travel collectibles, from Maine, Mexico and St. Lucia inspired this bedside vignette.

Dad's old binoculars, clocks, and cameras add a bit of a steampunk vibe to the room, while a piece of collectible folk art overlooks the scene. 

 

 

Joanne collected simple pieces of blue glass from around the house and grouped it on Dad's dresser against a backdrop of vintage postcards. 

 

We're both happy with how the bedroom came out... but of course, we couldn't stop there. Stay tuned to see what we decided to take on next...

 And now...the "Out Takes":

What we found when we tried to move Mom's dresser to paint...guess our parents believed in the adage that "necessity is the mother of invention"...

And, even worse, what happened when we moved the bed...Oops!



(Wall color before we painted; ignore the fact that the bed fell totally apart!)

 

Happy Decorating!

 

Linking up to:
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors
Flaunt It Friday at Chic on a Shoestring
Show & Tell Saturday at Be Different, Act Normal
Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On the Porch
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm