My Houzz: Visit a Potter’s Creative Retreat and Studio
Bold hues and personalized style outfit a couple’s home and workshop along a river in Maine
“I wish I could say that I recognized its potential immediately,” potter Ayumi Horie says of the Portland, Maine, home she shares with her partner, Chloe Beaven. The historic home had been on the market for a long time when they came across it. “I had to be talked into buying the house. Once I was committed, though, I was attached to it and could see what a special property and house it was,” she adds. It’s now a creative retreat complete with a picturesque river in the backyard, and has become even more special thanks to the addition of an attached pottery studio for Horie.
“The nice thing about the kitchen is that it works as an airy space in the summer and as a cozy one in the winter, based around the wood stove,” Horie says. The whole space was gutted and the ceiling was taken out to create a high ceiling that breaks with the uniformity found in the rest of the house, creating some airiness. “When the ceiling was removed, we needed a way to tie the walls together for the frame, so my carpenter found some old barn beams to fit into the space,” she says.
They also repurposed the attic floorboards for the kitchen floor. “It’s almost impossible to to get floorboards this wide anymore,” Horie says. “The boards taper because attic floors were traditionally just slabs of tree trunk whose sides weren’t milled, which means that the kitchen floor was puzzled together.”
They also repurposed the attic floorboards for the kitchen floor. “It’s almost impossible to to get floorboards this wide anymore,” Horie says. “The boards taper because attic floors were traditionally just slabs of tree trunk whose sides weren’t milled, which means that the kitchen floor was puzzled together.”
“Because we have such a huge number of ceramic pots, I chose stainless steel as a soft and durable material for the countertops,” Horie says. “The pots don’t break on the counter or in the sink and feel good to put down.”
The counter and sink were welded together as one unit. The cabinets were made by Peter Floeckher of North By East Building Co. in Portland. The drawer pulls are leather, because Horie wanted a warm, soft material. “I sourced the leather from a local shoe factory and cut them into strips,” she says.
The counter and sink were welded together as one unit. The cabinets were made by Peter Floeckher of North By East Building Co. in Portland. The drawer pulls are leather, because Horie wanted a warm, soft material. “I sourced the leather from a local shoe factory and cut them into strips,” she says.
Horie went with open shelving in the kitchen, because she loves seeing her stacks of ceramics and believes it give the space a cozier, approachable feel. The sideboard, which holds more of her ceramics collection, was made by Andrew Hunter in New York’s Hudson Valley. It was hand-planed and designed to fit her plates.
A spiral staircase in the open kitchen-dining area leads to the second floor. It was fabricated by Maine Spiral Staircase. Horie later painted it a dark gray to make it feel neutral and less like a statement.
The dining table is from Horie’s carpenter, Greg Frangoulis, who designed it for Maine Cottage.
The dining table is from Horie’s carpenter, Greg Frangoulis, who designed it for Maine Cottage.
The Japanese lantern in the kitchen dates back to the 1920s. The hanging pendants and string of porcelain sockets are from Belgian company Zangra.
The Morsø wood-burning stove has a clear glass front so that the fire is visible. “Wood-burning stoves make for dustier spaces, but I love the realness of tending a fire and the radiant heat,” Horie says.
The Morsø wood-burning stove has a clear glass front so that the fire is visible. “Wood-burning stoves make for dustier spaces, but I love the realness of tending a fire and the radiant heat,” Horie says.
For this in-between space, which was probably once the formal dining room in the original house, the couple went with a bright yellow paint, Solar Fusion from Behr. The furnishings are from local antiques stores.
Horie and Beaven kept the second bedroom in its original state, adding a sunny patterned bed comforter from Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.
The homeowners tried to keep as many of the original details as possible during the renovation, from doors and windows to molding and flooring.
The homeowners tried to keep as many of the original details as possible during the renovation, from doors and windows to molding and flooring.
In the upstairs hall, an old futon chest, which would have held a single folded futon, is now used as a storage cabinet.
The main stairway wall connects the yellow in-between room and the red living room. The couple painted it a bright pink to tie together the two spaces.
“I think the most interesting palettes are a mix of pastels and deep colors,” Horie says. “I wanted warm, inviting colors that took a few cues from traditional colors but took them further into contemporary life.”
The living room features a bold palette and is filled with art. It’s the perfect spot for relaxing by the fireplace.
“The painting above the fireplace is a commission painted by Michael X Rose,” Horie says. “It shows the Battle of Falmouth in 1775 with King Kong and Moby-Dick fighting in Portland Harbor with my house and my neighbor’s houses in the right corner. I wanted a historical disaster scene rather than a pretty, peaceful picture.”
The throw blanket is by Norwegian company Oleana.
“The painting above the fireplace is a commission painted by Michael X Rose,” Horie says. “It shows the Battle of Falmouth in 1775 with King Kong and Moby-Dick fighting in Portland Harbor with my house and my neighbor’s houses in the right corner. I wanted a historical disaster scene rather than a pretty, peaceful picture.”
The throw blanket is by Norwegian company Oleana.
Off the living room is this space that at one time was a pantry. It was turned into a quiet nook for reading and relaxing.
For zoning reasons, the couple had to build this long hallway to connect the house to the pottery studio. “It was designed around this bench that was taken out of an old meetinghouse,” Horie says. Zoning regulations also required the high ceiling. “It worked out well, because it goes with the high ceilings in the kitchen,” she says.
Clover, the couple’s Boston terrier, enjoys running up and down the hallway.
Clover, the couple’s Boston terrier, enjoys running up and down the hallway.
“The studio is a wonderful space to work in, because it has a nook where I can draw and also has a wide-open space in which to lay out pots for drying,” Horie says. “The sun comes in everywhere, so I have to be conscious about where my work is in relation to sunlight so they don’t dry too quickly.”
These earthenware pieces feature sgraffitoed drawings done by Horie. Sgraffito is a technique in which the top layer of pigment is scratched to reveal an underlying layer. “I have two bodies of work: colorful earthenware and more minimal porcelain with red and blue drawings,” she says.
“There are various work areas throughout the space, and it has some flexibility so I can be doing different tasks at different times,” Horie says. “Its form is based on an attached barn.”
This is the designated work area for throwing clay for her pottery.
This is the designated work area for throwing clay for her pottery.
“The shelves hold various tools I need frequently — ribs, sponges, pin tools, brushes,” Horie says. The Evel Knievel poster is by Kevin Bradley, from Church of Type.
“As a potter, I love living in a brick house, and I’ve always loved old farmhouses, so with the studio in back it feels like the length of the structures activates the entire space,” Horie says. “It’s a historic neighborhood, so every house I see is really beautiful.”
She adds, “I definitely wanted an older-than-Victorian home, because it fits perfectly into my aesthetic. Whenever I’ve lived away from the East Coast, I’ve missed the architecture of New England.”
She adds, “I definitely wanted an older-than-Victorian home, because it fits perfectly into my aesthetic. Whenever I’ve lived away from the East Coast, I’ve missed the architecture of New England.”
“We’re lucky to have a river that runs in back of the house where we can swim and canoe in the summer and skate on in the winter,” Horie says.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Ayumi Horie and Chloe Beaven, with Clover the Boston terrier
Location: Portland, Maine
Size: 2,800 square feet (260.1 square meters); two bedrooms, two bathrooms
When Horie and Beaven moved in, the first changes they made were practical, such as adding insulation and making necessary structural changes. They agreed that keeping energy costs down by making the windows tight for winter was the priority.
After that they made cosmetic changes, refinishing the floors and painting the rooms to feel, in Horie’s words, “less stuffy and traditional.”