Above: Design by Melanie Millner of The Design Atelier. Photo by Emily Followill.
A Shingle Style Two Ways
Interior designer Leandra Fremont-Smith takes on tradition with a twist in her refreshingly patterned and layered rooms
Photos by Jeff Roberts
Two shingle-style, historic homes. One, a Mount Desert Island summer retreat. The other, a year-round home, renovated in the arts and crafts style. Both interiors are designed by Leandra Fremont-Smith, a designer known for her elegant spaces, timeless color palettes, and the utmost chicness.
Leandra’s interest in interior design started long before she opened her design firm, two decades ago. Raised in Essex, Massachusetts, by a father who restored historic buildings in Boston and a mother who owned an antique store in Beacon Hill, Leandra nurtured an early appreciation for this work. After graduating from Harvard, she wound up working in design at L.L. Bean, where one of her mentors encouraged her to attend interior design school. From there, she studied at the Boston Architectural College. “Design has always been in my blood.”
The former shingle-style home, Westacre Cottage in Northeast Harbor, built by Little & Browne Architects back in 1904, is owned by Leandra’s family friends. The design goal was to lighten up their summer home to balance their collection of antiques. “My clients had so many fabulous pieces, yet they were cluttering the space making it difficult to see their beauty,” says Leandra. “I wanted to create a story for the home through their extensive art and antique collection, while introducing a summer scheme.”
To create this harmonious relationship, Leandra pulled light, fresh colors and patterns into the home. In keeping with the tradition of hooked rugs in MDI homes, guests are greeted by a large rug in the front entry depicting a lobster in coordination with the greens and pinks that set the tone for the rest of the home. Rosy hues are reflected in pillows on a nearby bench, inviting visitors to kick off their shoes and relax. This house, after all, sets the stage for a playful time of year, when families bond and cultivate memories.
The wife adores green—and the couple has three children plus grandchildren who visit frequently—so an iridescent color palette enhances the eclectic atmosphere. “The inspiration for the playful and vibrant pantry is a green, vintage map of MDI,” says Leandra. “To give the pantry a personality of its own, we used a fabric pattern from Galbraith & Paul and requested it be made into a custom-colored wallpaper.” The cabinetry is coated in Benjamin Moore’s “Gumdrop” to match the verdant walls and decor.
In the latter project, the North Shore Cottage, Leandra opted for warmer tones that cross over from summertime lightness into functional, four-season formality. Whereas a powder room in the Westacre cottage features a grasscloth pagoda print wallpaper in sea glass to capture Somes Sound’s surrounding waters, this home’s powder room is decked in warm, red tones. While still bright and cheerful with a Galbraith & Paul hand blocked wallpaper, the warmth of the custom-designed, black gunstock walnut vanity, designed by Leandra, feels more elegant and formal.
North Shore Cottage’s dining room falls on the shady side of this shingle style, so Leandra relied on energetic colors to enliven the space. Schumacher’s Shantung Silhouette Sisal wallpaper in a shade of goldenrod-yellow is an immediate focal point. Against the wallpaper, Maine artist Robert S. Neuman’s Lame Deer piece pops in red, blue, and yellow hues. While the exteriors of the two homes are not remarkably different, Leandra creates a rich, inner world that sets the stage for the varying needs and lifestyles of these two families. She tells the story of the homes from hardware to wallpaper. You can just imagine the way the chairs in the Northeast Harbor home move, pushed around with young children running around in swimsuits; adults playing games in the living room overlooking Acadia National Park.
Enter the Design Lab
Susie Smith Coughlin’s latest endeavor makes home decor and design consulting more accessible than ever
Photos by Carley Rudd
Designer Susie Smith Coughlin is bringing an exciting scheme to Falmouth. Think interior-design-lab-meets-home-goods-store, where shoppers are encouraged to consult staff about their design choices and hopes. The new store, Le Marchande, is an extension of her current work. A background in full-renovation design has helped Susie accrue years of experience that she’s ready to share with homeowners across Southern Maine—no appointment necessary.
“The design part of the store is heavily focused on decorating,” says Susie. “My passion is pillows, accents, and furniture. You can find everything you need to decorate a home at the store, minus a full-on renovation.” She will also be able to provide custom furniture to her customers and is more than happy to give advice.
If you walk into Le Marchande off the street, you’ll notice two distinct sections. One serves as the perfect place to buy home decor, hostess favors, and birthday gifts that feel bespoke and personal. The second functions as the design space, full of swatches and samples for clients to play with and create their own stories. “Here, people can customize their own dream space,” Susie says. “I want customers to feel encouraged to ask for help. I’m more than happy to give advice for their projects. Our model at the store is that we don’t charge for these consultations.”
Le Marchande is an accessible option for people of varying budgets who want a transparent, upfront cost without sacrificing elevated, high-end decor and style. Susie’s ethos is that design shouldn’t feel out of reach—she wants more people to live beautifully at home, whether it’s as simple as finding a wallpaper to match their couch or tackling a full-on refresh.
As for her style, look out for bright, extravagant patterns, luxurious textiles, and patinaed antiques. “It’s an exciting time in the design world,” says Susie, whose style is bold and unexpected. She encourages her clients to take risks, mix old and new, and never shy away from color. At home, she’s recently been loving a Thonet hat stand from the turn of the century. “I placed it in my bathroom as a towel holder,” says Susie, “but it’s such a timeless, chameleon piece, I like to move it around the house.”
Get ready for the newest design store on the block, sure to add to the landscape of Maine decor and introduce a fresh take on homeware.
Psychology of Design
Ariana Fischer feels at home mixing natural elements into her design
Photos by Liz Daly
Perhaps there isn’t a scientific connection between psychology and interior design, but Ariana Fischer proves that understanding behavior and what makes people tick is an unexpected boon to her practice. Ariana, an interior designer for more than 25 years, initially thought her career would be in psychology and had not imagined her life’s vocation would be interior design.
Coming from a long lineage of architects, artists, and collectors, Ariana was immersed in the aesthetic realm; her family traveled, spent a lot of time skiing and on boats, and entertaining with friends and family. Any free time was spent at their beloved island off the coast of Maine, enjoying nature. In other words, Ariana grew up observing how people experience life and how they related to the elements around them. In 1997, Ariana continued her family’s legacy of creative endeavors when she opened her first high-end furnishings boutique in Rockland, Maine. Her unique design aesthetic quickly drew in customers, who began hiring her to design their homes. With a fast-growing reputation as a tastemaker, Ariana decided to go it full-time and opened her interior design studio in the heart of downtown Portland.
Ariana’s work can be characterized as sophisticated and harmonious, often mirroring her own whimsical nature. A major element in her designs is balance. Where there is stone, she may add a natural wood accent for warmth. If there are windows on one side of a room, she’s already thinking of how to balance the shadows cast on the opposing wall. “I work a lot with natural elements,” she says. “They are grounding, tactile, and relaxing.” But perhaps at the heart of Ariana’s design philosophy is the deep-rooted belief that our surroundings, whether consciously or unconsciously, profoundly influence our inner harmony.
While it may be peculiar to think of design as a form of therapy, Ariana brings a deep appreciation of humanity to her practice. “I’m always thinking about how my clients’ space will affect their daily lives, and I believe great style comes from living a full life,” she says.
A Bold Angle
Interior designer Alexandra Angle is not afraid to mix different eras of design
Photos by Lucas Allen
Antique paintings of ships filling the light blue shiplap bathroom walls and a navy tub; a soft white dining room with accents of yellow on gridded dining chairs and modern art; a living room lined with art, wood cabinetry, complete with velvety turquoise chairs and light gray walls. These are just a taste of the contrasts in Alexandra Angle’s work, showing off the breadth of her two-decade interior design career.
Alexandra has worn many hats in her life, from financial services marketing to the head of operations at a tech company. But all along, she has been a constant and consummate host, her homes always brimming with fabulous people and fantastic fare. When she dropped everything and moved to LA, she mined those experiences to launch an event design company. While preparing a party honoring the mayor of Los Angeles, she reorganized the client’s home for the evening. That night, a party guest who loved how she’d styled the space asked her to redesign her home. Within a year, Alexandra was a fully-fledged designer, starting in LA and then moving the business to New York and now expanded to Portland, Maine.
Like the winding path that led her to a long-standing design career, her projects can each be vastly different. She doesn’t characterize her work as any single style and instead focuses on the client’s taste, the architecture, and the setting of the project. “I try and reflect the intricacies of real life by mixing historic, modern, and contemporary styles,” says Alexandra. She will pair antique pieces with a bright contemporary wallpaper, or gingham drapes with minimalistic furniture, and often adds custom furniture of her own, creating an idiosyncratic design to what could have been too formal a setting.
Alexandra’s work shines thanks to her chameleon lens. She gets to know a client, learning to anticipate their needs and blend their aesthetics with practicality, plus an element of je ne sais quoi with her eclectic touch. To work with her is to have access to a deep catalog of projects across the board—an invaluable resource for anyone wanting a transformative redesign of their space.
A Studio Project
Alexandra Angle and Ariana Fischer, interior designers and sister-duo extraordinaire, have joined forces for an exciting new venture they call A Studio Project.
After countless clients expressed the need for a design consultation without the full interior design production, the sisters answered the call. Through A Studio Project, they provide guidance to clients in the process of designing or updating their homes, in addition to smaller projects, such as remodeling a single room or creating color and finish palettes. A project takes about four to six weeks, and each client will walk away with a custom roadmap for their design needs. Voila!
Away to Seal Harbor
Keeler and Co. bring a worldly touch to Maine style through their complex yet comfortable designs
Photos by Sean Litchfield
When Laura Pierce opened her design business, Keeler and Co., in 2017, she and her husband, Vassar, wanted to branch out of Boston and expand into Maine. They loved Mount Desert Island (MDI) from years of vacationing there, choosing Seal Harbor for the location of a second office and design store, Rusticator.
Laura is drawn to MDI for its history: “I love seeing the way routine has shaped architecture on the island during different periods of time. The special moments and quotidian life; the patterns of summer on MDI. Architecture serves as a backdrop to these historical figures, where they recreated and spent moments with their family.” She attributes an early appreciation for the role of design in history to her childhood memories of visiting the UK, where she spent a lot of time, thanks to her British parents. “The UK cherishes its architectural history. This is the lens I bring to my work in America.”
One particular project that she loved started with a frequent client at Rusticator, a couple who had come into the shop many times to purchase furniture. The salesperson recognized the couple and referred them to Laura for a more holistic design rather than a few odd pieces here and there.
The project was primarily focused on decorating with a small touch of renovation—adding a bar area that had previously been a media cabinet. In the family room and office, they wanted the focus to be on comfort. Laura took note of the views beyond the windows, pulling them inside with a Phillip Jeffries grasscloth for the walls. “By opting for no window treatments, it keeps the room open to the landscape. There’s just enough texture on the walls to give it a little attention without being too loud. In rooms covered in grasscloth, it almost feels like the walls are giving you a hug.”
Laura relies on layers of texture and fabric patterns to set the atmosphere of a home. The skirted silhouette of the sofa in the family room adds femininity to balance the room’s masculine edge. A geometric pattern on the sofa pairs well with the grasscloth and the natural world outside through brown, beige, and green tones.
The wet bar embraces a nautical approach—think maritime-inspired sconces—without going “overboard.” Brass shelving crafted by Nate Hicks at Fishbone Metalworks adds a handsomeness that juxtaposes the teak and holly-inspired wood countertop. The sea scene on the wall from Artemis Gallery in Northeast Harbor exemplifies how locally procured art can enhance the views beyond the window and ground a project in place.
In addition to transformative interior design through Keeler and Co., Laura and Vassar are launching a new program in the shop called Rusticator Decorating. “Not everyone needs a high-level design renovation,” says Laura. “Rusticator Decorating guides our clients through a small piece of the design process, be it finishing a dining room, updating a color palette, or finding the right custom piece.” This new venture makes their trusted expertise accessible to those needing a specific service. Subtle changes in decor can have large impacts on atmosphere and serenity in any room of the house.
Color and Texture in Focus
Interior designer Louise Hurlbutt wields a vast knowledge of fabric, color, and upholstery that she uses to transform her clients’ spaces
Photos by Neil Landino
Growing up, Louise Hurlbutt of Hurlbutt Designs was often in the tow of her mother, going from antique shop to antique auction. This sparked an early fascination with quality furniture and fabric. She followed this passion and attended the New York School of Design, later starting her own design business.
When considering the repertoire of places Louise has resided, it’s no wonder her work possesses an innate, worldly style. During her time in London, she had the opportunity to study the art of reupholstering furniture and drapery making. “They don’t teach these things in design school today,” says Louise. “I recognize the opportunity I had was so rare. When my children went to school, I’d be out looking at furniture around the city.” She took courses at the Inchbald School of Design and refined her business for the six years they lived across the pond. “England is the epitome of Old-World design,” she says. “The antiques shops and fabric houses there are unparalleled.”
In addition to London, Louise and her family also lived in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and New York before settling in Maine. “While living in Afghanistan for two years, I combed the oriental rug market every Sunday and learned so much about the intricate weaving of oriental rugs. In Tokyo, I learned about blue and white porcelain. In Hong Kong, I studied Chinese furniture. In England, I was captivated by antiques and fabrics. These years of living abroad proved the most vital design education.”
Since returning to Maine 22 years ago, she has been doing interior design work through her business, Hurlbutt Designs. However, Louise feels like it’s not quite “work”—bringing a client’s vision to life with fabric and color is just what she loves to do. “I want design and furniture that will endure for my clients,” she says. “I want to understand them and create their sacred space.”
She has had many repeat clients, including one couple that has called on Louise time and time again, including the renovation of a Kennebunkport beach house. These clients were fond of the classic New England feel, and they wanted to continue the blue-and-white color palette for their most recent renovation project in Bryn Mawr. The colors and patterns Louise selected for this project are layered and call upon each other from room to room. She says, “Notice the bordered carpet in the living room, the front entry hall, staircase, and dining room. They are all different geometric patterns but woven together with the same-colored yarns.” The borders on the staircase’s rug are all hand-sewn by a local rug installer.
In the kitchen, a Blue Star Range and hood inspired a subtle blue on the cabinets, in keeping with the traditional color palette. Every room in the home incorporates blue, antiques, exquisite detailing, and high-end furniture. Look to Hurlbutt Designs for a bespoke space filled with one-of-a-kind pieces and furniture that is sourced from in-the-know manufacturers.
From Showhouse to Chicago
Interior designer Brett Johnson’s style is infused with a sense of place, having grown up on a small island
Photos by Jeff Roberts & François Gagné
Interior designer Brett Johnson, a 17th-generation Mainer, grew up on Orr’s Island in Harpswell. “Everyone knew everything,” he laughs, reminiscing on the small island that was his home for many years. During his youth, Brett emulated the function of tight-knit community in a semi-rural area, paying close attention to the people and landscapes around him. It is evident how his youthful observations now wind up in his designs. “My grandfather was a lobsterman who studied philosophy and religion at Bates College. My sister graduated from the University of Maine. My family has a longstanding history of fishing and high education, and this juxtaposition of ways of being inspired me throughout my life.”
Later in life, Brett found himself interning as an apprentice to a theater set designer, where he started to realize this passion for design, color, and movement. He describes his career as an interior designer as one that is “happenstance.” Over 25 years ago, after helping a friend redecorate a home, Brett was inspired to start a design firm, pulling from his years of knowledge as a set designer.
Brett’s style is infused with Maine, childhood memories honeyed in time. “Maine has a way of sticking with you,” Brett says. He has lived in several different places all over the world, including Puerto Rico, but Maine has always called him back home. “My style is traditional with a twist. Heritage, tradition, and people’s stories are at the forefront of my work.”
At Mere Point in Brunswick, he transformed a house to reflect Maine’s coast in a contemporary way. The home has four fireplaces, two wood and two gas, all made from a type of granite sourced in the midcoast called freshwater pearl. “Even the fabrics are reminiscent of the coast,” says Brett. “They look like oyster shells, waves, and topographical features.”
Brett is also no stranger to high-profile clients, having designed a farmhouse and guest house on Bartlett Island for a great American family. “The younger generations have collected family heirlooms and are committed to honoring that history. You wouldn’t believe the art and antiques.” The “unbelievable” art collection includes pieces by Bernard Langlais, a folk artist from Maine whose work has become iconic. To instill a sense of place, Brett utilized local carpenters from Mount Desert Island to make new furniture for the home.
Another example of Brett’s work can be found at Heritage Restaurant and Caviar Bar in Chicago—a design collaboration with friends. Though located in the Midwest, this project speaks to Maine through additions sourced from the state, like the light fixtures in the main dining room that were salvaged from a cathedral in Portland.
What unites these three different projects is how they all center on friendship, family, and spaces for people to gather and share a meal. Brett hopes the future of design will find a more grounded center around these principles: “I hope that we can return to a place where there isn’t so much excess. What really matters is we keep each other and our care for one another close—I hope to keep designing intentional spaces that support this.”
Lost and Found
You’ll never guess where interior designer Mara Burnett sources her decor (Hint: there’s a story behind every item)
Photos by Don Lappin, Oliver Thom & Bruce Baker
Sometimes, designers are drawn to an aesthetic: midcentury modern, maximalist, modern farmhouse, earthy, etc. Mara Burnett of Stated Design finds inspiration from light, how it interacts in a space and fills the room. “I like to think of the work of my design as a process to highlight and feature what’s already there,” she says. How Mara sources her art and decor also adds a one-of-a-kind flair to each of her designs: she often works with found materials that she comes across in the wild. At a recent York Harbor home dating back to 1680, she knew she was working with a gem. She suspects that the home belonged to a ship captain due to large, airy ceilings and sizable rooms, both uncommon features of the period. “I loved the rusty patches in the kitchen,” she says. “It just felt so Maine. The entire home was the perfect canvas in terms of its scale, location, and layout.”
The floorboards, a quirky and uneven width, were painted a charcoal gray to contrast white walls. “The walls capture the glorious light of the harbor just steps outside the window,” says Mara.
She layered coastal touches, such as sisal rugs and hurricane candles to give the four-season home a summer vacation feel year-round. To account for the winter season, Mara selected fabric, art, and warm decor, like an antique armchair in custom upholstery paired with a vintage, hand-embroidered European linen pillow. Reclaimed books sourced from Books by the Foot are arranged with several collections of antique titles from her own collection to enhance the cozy feel of the office space. Another unique touch of Mara’s: “I always have a mobile in all of my projects as a signature of sorts. The ones in this project are sourced from artist Corie Humble of Circle & Line.”
Moving from the Maine coast to the Connecticut countryside, the Darien Pastures project had the boon of being surrounded by acres of horse pastures with old split rail fences and a view of a hunting club. Mara says, “When I first saw the house, it was riddled with low-quality, over-the-top work. Think plastic shutters; a round, illusory Palladian window above the front door; and an overly ornate staircase. Everything had to go.” To accomplish her desired look, she replaced the windows to orient the views towards the horses out back, taking advantage of the pastoral setting. Mara designed a custom dining table, using wood from a local beech tree felled in a storm. She discovered the wood in person and had it kiln-dried by Armster Reclaimed Wood. Tucker Robbins perfected the table with butterflies, an oiled finish, and acacia wood base pedestals. Along with sourcing a variety of original artwork, other found items include rusty tree guards used to fill the challenging alcoves on either side of the custom reclaimed barnwood fireplace design. Mara’s ability to imagine new life for overlooked artifacts aligns with the storied, distinctive spaces she returns to time and time again.
Influenced by Europe
Abigail Shea wants her clients to feel calm and soothed in her European-inspired spaces
Photos by Erin Little
Do you want to feel energized and excited in your space, or calm and soothed? Interior designer Abigail Shea of Studio Eastman poses this very question to all new clients. If you mentally chose the latter, you’d be in good company—she says all of her clients tend to answer that way.
To create a bespoke place for her clients to feel at peace, she turns to earthy colors, neutral tones, and organic materials. You won’t find pops of color or nautical motifs in Abigail’s designs. Her design inspiration draws from Belgium, Japan, and California for an alternative approach to Maine aesthetics. Even the vintage furniture retail part of her business, aattic, sources decor from all over the world, drawing heavily from Europe. (Don’t miss her next drop—a can’t-miss, in-person shopping event complete with refreshments!)
Abigail proves that going minimalist isn’t a lack of something, but rather a restrained layering of a common theme. For example, she likes to layer different shades of one color rather than introducing multiple colors or a bold pattern. “You can have a striking reaction to a space, even when the colors are simple.” Her goal is to provide a truly custom space that reflects the personality of the client, so that when they go into the kitchen in the morning for coffee, they feel at home. She brings the soft touch to a space that shows a client something they didn’t even know they needed: that extra layer that makes a home home.
Location plays an integral role in her approach. “I want our projects to feel like they belong in the state,” says Abigail. “Sometimes design in New England feels a bit on the nose. We prefer to pull in the colors of a home’s setting to make it feel grounded in place. In one particular project, a Blue Hill Belgian Farmhouse, an olive green that echoes the surrounding forest is pulled onto the kitchen cabinets. A gorgeous granite countertop with blues and greens adds to the grounded-in-place feel. The house sits in the middle of the woods, and large, exposed beams enhance the surrounding forest. Built in the 1990s, the home blends a bit of Maine with a European vibe. “It was an interesting challenge to incorporate all of these elements,” says Abigail. But that’s precisely where her expertise rests—in bringing the unexpected together in a harmonious, calming blend.
Queen of the East
Interior designer Melanie Millner’s design work spans the East Coast from Georgia to Maine
Photos by Emily Followill
From the Southeast to the Northeast, interior designer Melanie Millner of The Design Atelier leaves a trail of sophistication in her wake. Melanie has been a designer for over thirty years since starting her own business at age 25. She first fell in love with design when her best friend’s family renovated a farmhouse in Texas using reclaimed materials sourced from New England. “The New England spirit captivated me,” says Melanie.
As a designer, her style is classic and edited—she doesn’t overuse pattern and is drawn to soothing, rich tones. “Comfort is the first and foremost important feature of my interiors,” she says. Take one of her projects at Lake Burton in North Georgia. These clients were empty nesters seeking a getaway for the family to gather—both children and grandchildren. Melanie and one of her lead designers pulled hues of the surrounding lake and sky with blue curtains framing floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lake Burton. “We chose this color for the curtains because we didn’t want to put something on the windows that would stop the eye. It blends with the surrounding colors and enhances the view instead of detracting from it.”
At another Lake Burton project, her clients had an existing home that had stood for over 30 years. Instead of tearing down the original architecture and building anew, they decided to renovate the structure. “It went from being an old lake cabin to a warm, revitalized home that has space to host three generations.” The kitchen is layered with stunning white oak and Pecky cypress ceilings, and white painted walls match the Taj Mahal quartzite countertops. The peaceful scene is washed in natural light from the expansive windows that shifts with the progression of the day.
Contrasting the more laid-back feel of these two projects, another example of Melanie’s work is a renovation project in Atlanta that made the most of existing elements. A wet bar with a vintage mirror backsplash is tucked into an old elevator shaft. The doors open to the client’s terrace, where they entertain guests frequently. “We were thinking, the clients have this space that’s essentially a closet: what can we do with it?” Though a confined space, the mirror reflects the outdoors to make it feel much larger than it is. In the husband’s office, Melanie added greys and warm woods to balance the blue walls and the Southwestern-style art, making the office feel fresh yet masculine.
A common thread in Melanie’s work is designing generational family homes that stand the test of time. Throughout Melanie’s work is the value of comfort and making the most of every square inch of a home. Looking ahead to the next year, Melanie anticipates the growth of Maine design. “It seems like it’s moving in a more sophisticated direction,” she says. “People are infusing their personalities and not just opting for that cabin or rustic feel.” At the end of the day, her work is founded on this principle: A home should be something that comes from within.
