photography: Timothy Street-Porter
A huge maple tree towers over the
1900 cottage, which
overlooks Casco Bay.
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Have you heard the one about the lawyer, the real estate agent, the decorator, and the architect who spent the weekend at a summer rental in Maine? Sounds like the beginning of a well-worn joke, but this is a true story: The cottage next door just happened to be for sale, so they took a peek inside and two of them made an offer on the spot. "We really had no intention of buying it," says Michael Bell (the decorator) of the 1900 cottage he owns in Peaks Island, Maine, with Rafael Gonzalez (the architect), "but of course we fell in love with it. Plus, our friends were egging us on." While a spontaneous house purchase might give some people buyer's remorse, Michael and Rafael knew it was fate. "We've always had a love affair with Maine," Michael says. From childhood summer camp to vacations on the coast, he and Rafael both have fond memories of this whole area, but tiny Peaks Island was where they put down roots. "We love Peaks—it's funky, laid-back, and family-friendly," Rafael says. "You feel so secluded here on the island, but it's only a 20-minute ferry ride to Portland with nice restaurants and shopping. And it sits right on the beautiful Casco Bay." The Power of Paint
photography: Timothy Street-Porter
Before remodeling, the wood paneling was dark and uninviting. |
photography: Timothy Street-Porter
Armed with 47(!) gallons of white and sky blue paint, Michael and Rafael transformed their Maine cottage. They covered dark wood paneling with white semigloss paint to add sheen and gave the floors a sleek look with a durable, soft blue high-gloss finish. Good-bye dark cave, hello sunlight! |
Though the location is postcard-worthy, the cottage's interior was dark and dated. Built as a summer house, it needed heat, air-conditioning, and a complete update. "It was simple construction but solid, so we knew we had something to work with," Michael says. "We started renovating over the winter with 6 feet of snow. We gutted the kitchen, remodeled the master bedroom, and made cosmetic changes on both baths."
photography: Timothy Street-Porter
An 8-foot-long table in the dining room, a gathering spot
at mealtime, doubles as a workspace for Michael's interior design business.
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photography: Timothy Street-Porter
Michael and Rafael reserved a liberal use of color for their kitchen. The apple green cabinets feature open shelving
to keep guests from "having to open every cabinet just to find a water glass," Rafael says. |
However, the major makeover occurred on the walls, ceilings, and floors. The whole interior was dark-stained vertical beaded board. "We wanted the outside and the view of the water to be the focus, so we painted everything white—our goal was to keep it really simple," Michael says. After a whopping 24 gallons of primer and 42 gallons of paint, all of the walls, ceilings, and trim glistened with a fresh new look. In another brilliant move, the wood floors received 5 more gallons of high-gloss porch paint in a soft blue. "Choosing the white paint was easy, but picking the color for the floors was like childbirth," Michael says wryly. "But the whole house is so refreshing now. It's like living in the clouds."To continue the easy, breezy feel, the couple furnished the house with simple yet stylish pieces designed to withstand use from frequent
houseguests—friends, family, and kids with sandy feet. "We wanted things that were slip-covered and scuffed up from the start so people could come in from the beach and flop down on the sofa," Rafael says.
photography: Timothy Street-Porter
To keep an
all-white look from going flat, Michael suggests mixing in textural materials like leather, lacquered wood, and seagrass.
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For Michael, the challenge was to keep an all-white palette exciting. "When you use a lot of white, pieces become very sculptural and you begin to appreciate different textures so much more." For that reason, he used durable seagrass rugs throughout the cottage and mixed in accessories made from leather, wood, metal, and even plastic. He also combined decorating styles, pairing traditional elements with modern pieces "to make it unexpected." |
