Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A New Farmhouse Pulls Off an Old Look
A couple build their long-imagined Maine home from scratch by using classic New England thinking
Debbie and Steve Fuller always wanted an old house in Maine. But to truly get the home of their dreams, they needed to start from the ground up. For help creating a new house with an old feel, the couple hired architects Rob Whitten and Will Fellis, who took inspiration for siting, light and more from the same design thinking that New Englanders have used for 300 years.
Whitten began with the site, using a hill as a perch. Next, he identified sunrise and sunset views for window placement to maximize the light.
“The connection of living space to outside space through the windows adds to the feeling of bigness even in a smaller house footprint,” Debbie says.
Windows: A-Series, Andersen
Windows: A-Series, Andersen
An open breezeway connects the red barn-like garage to the long and narrow main house, protecting the homeowners and their groceries from inclement weather.
A geothermal heating system, radiant floors and closed-cell spray-foam insulation help conserve money and energy.
Heating: Evergreen Geothermal
A geothermal heating system, radiant floors and closed-cell spray-foam insulation help conserve money and energy.
Heating: Evergreen Geothermal
Here, Toko, named after the ski wax company, sits near the front door.
Interior designer Krista Stokes helped the Fullers with creative design solutions, such as a dog-washing station in the mudroom, finished in honed Maine slate. Leash hooks and plenty of cubbies ramp up the storage, while a long bench helps for lacing up boots or setting down bags.
Totes and bags: L.L. Bean
Totes and bags: L.L. Bean
The mudroom leads to a large L-shaped kitchen that wraps around an island topped in conservation-grade red birch, which was also used for the floors. The homeowners saved money by choosing boards with more knots and discoloration, which also lend an older feel.
A local woodworker built the custom cabinets.
Tile: Distinctive Tile & Design; flooring: Fat Andy’s Hardwoods; lighting: Barn Light Electric Co. and Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.
A local woodworker built the custom cabinets.
Tile: Distinctive Tile & Design; flooring: Fat Andy’s Hardwoods; lighting: Barn Light Electric Co. and Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.
The designers kept the cabinets, millwork and trim simple and minimal to avoid distracting attention from the views.
Stools: Tolix Marais, Design Within Reach
Stools: Tolix Marais, Design Within Reach
Two slim doors on a barn-style track open to reveal a pantry across from the kitchen.
Door paint: Nurture Green, Sherwin-Williams
Door paint: Nurture Green, Sherwin-Williams
The dining room opens to the living room, in which stow-away cabinets conceal a TV to the left of the fireplace.
Rug: L.L. Bean
Rug: L.L. Bean
A small window above a built-in desk lets in natural light.
The living room leads to a screened-in porch.
The porch wraps the front of the house a bit.
A painted bookshelf creates an appealing focal point when the Fullers decide to leave their master bedroom door open at the end of the hall.
Book wall paint: Mount Etna, Sherwin-Williams
Book wall paint: Mount Etna, Sherwin-Williams
“Our mission from the start was to create a very relaxed, inviting and unpretentious home,” says Stokes, who used a lot of the homeowners’ previous furniture and accents in the master bedroom and throughout for a personalized design approach.
In the master bathroom, local cabinetmaker Greg Soper of North Yarmouth Woodworking created custom storage. He also did the cabinetry in the pantry and kitchen, offering storage solutions that help reduce clutter.
Tile: Distinctive Tile & Design; mirror and light: Pottery Barn
Tile: Distinctive Tile & Design; mirror and light: Pottery Barn
An office with a built-in desk and plenty of storage sits off the master bedroom and opens to the porch.
At the top of the stairs (which lead to two bedrooms and a double bathroom) is a landing for the couple’s grown children to read or be on the computer when they come home. The window sits almost at the roofline and offers a peek into the woods.
Another patio, just off the dining room, features natural stone and a fire pit with classic Adirondack chairs.
“The field is an absolutely gorgeous place to live,” Steve says. “It changes colors over the seasons. It attracts amazing wildlife, especially raptors, eagles and hawks. We’ve got a front-row seat to the fact that Maine’s beauty isn’t limited to the ocean.”
The first-floor plan shows the arrangement of the rooms from the garage and breezeway to the right and into the mudroom, kitchen and down the hall toward the master suite at the far left.
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Houzz at a Glance
Location: Portland, Maine
Who lives here: Steve and Debbie Fuller and their dog, Toko
Size: 2,500 square feet (232 square meters); three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designers: Rob Whitten and Will Fellis of Whitten Architects, and interior designer Krista Stokes
It started with a field. The Fullers bought a plot of land off a quiet private road in Maine that stretched to the water. The location was idyllic. Whitten saw potential for a modestly sized modern farmhouse designed just the way farmers would have done it more than a century ago. The strict budget led him to what he calls a clever plan based on exposing the interiors to sunlight and nature.