Inside an elegant Maine house by our Lifetime Achievement award winner Nina Campbell
When, at the turn of the last century, a couple built a simple cottage among towering spruce trees and verdant ferns that overlooked a secluded bay off the coast of Maine, they had no inkling that they were creating a legacy that would become central to the lives of several generations of their family. With successive incremental additions it grew into a Federal-style manse at the heart of a small seaside estate. Along with its surrounding three hundred acres, this is a magical place where their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have experienced holidays that couldn’t be further removed from their lives in the city. These were summers when the foundations for lifelong friendships were established beneath the spreading branches of the maple that offered shade to the house and garden.
More than a century later, their great-grandson and his wife met the legendary English interior designer Nina Campbell in Nassau, in the Bahamas. They were familiar with Campbell’s role as the designer of Annabel’s, the private members’ club in London established in the 1960s that was popular with the Rolling Stones, Diana Ross, and Ella Fitzgerald. The couple had a hunch that she was the person to create a sociable new incarnation of the house for their family and future generations to enjoy. They felt it was time for the house to evolve while remaining true to its past. For him, this was always a place that the family had loved to share—and parties at the house, in the garden, and down at the dock were the perfect way to do so. It was this role that was about to move center stage in the next iteration of their summer home.
But before he could enlist Campbell’s help, the decision had to be made about the beloved maple tree that had begun to overwhelm the house. Should they move the house or move the tree? Such was its totemic presence in their lives, it was a question that barely needed to be asked; New York architects Ferguson & Shamamian were asked to move the house, incorporating some of the existing structure and re-creating it in the same spirit while making changes inside and out that would provide the perfect setting for entertaining and family life in the twenty-first century. With a dedicated party villa (known as the Playhouse), bowling alley, pool house, and tennis pavilion as well as accommodation for family and friends dreamed up by the world-famous designer, this exciting project established the property as a place for fun and relaxation for generations to come.
So often in new-build houses, the role of decoration is to overcome the clinical atmosphere and austere lines that can be their dominant feature. Here, the scene had been set by the architecture and simply needed the addition of comfort and a light touch that would re-establish it at the latest iteration of the family home. In this respect, Campbell was helped by the owners’ request to indulge their love of purple, lilac, mauve, and lavender. It’s a palette that pervades but doesn’t overwhelm and that mixes well with such neutral hues as taupes, grays, and silver. While not rigidly imposed, it creates a sense of coherence as one moves from room to room and from floor to floor.
The clients’ request for a tranquil color scheme also set the course for the overall feel of the scheme. So often designers create schemes for seaside residences that take their cues from the surrounding landscape, but these interiors have a look that, while sympathetic to the geography, have an energy that is very much their own. They also address the fact that much of the appeal of this house is the views, and the spare, pared-back approach ensures that there isn’t too much that will distract from the glorious natural light. The windows, like the internal doors, are as tall as possible to maximize the impact of the setting while also framing the vistas beautifully.
Paul Raeside1/7The simple, classically inspired entrance to the main house keeps the spirit of the original residence that stood here for over a century.
Paul Raeside2/7The porch, leading from both the sitting room and the dining room, also featured in the original house and has been made slightly wider. The wall lights are from Niermann Weeks. The clients’ existing octagonal center table was repainted by Campbell’s team.
Paul Raeside3/7One of the many joys of this reinvented house is its connection with the coastal setting, which is significantly enhanced by the size and proportions of the windows. The windows of the porch recede into the floor to create a seamless join between the indoors and out. Curtains in a semitransparent voile shield the space from strong sunlight.
Paul Raeside4/7The garden room is yet another space in the house that has been furnished to provide space for relaxation, in this case for unrushed breakfasts with a coastal view. The scheme is deliberately muted, with color limited to a few accessories such as the vibrant glass candlesticks.
Paul Raeside5/7The pared-back bedroom suite of the clients’ son is furnished with simple antique pieces that subtly evoke a period atmosphere.
Paul Raeside6/7The striking nautical theme of this bathroom includes a bathtub fitted with a pair of portholes from the Water Monopoly, the London specialist for Victorian and Edwardian bathrooms.
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