Houzz Tour: A Modern Farmhouse Opens to the Coast
Just 15 minutes from Portland, Maine, a home offers a connection with nature from every room
Ocean, sky, wetlands, tidal pools, arboreal forest — nature beckons from every room of this custom house on the site of a former “saltwater farm” in Maine. “From the beginning, the clients said, ‘We want this to feel like a summer camp for our kids,’” says Russell Tyson, who designed the home with architect and business partner Rob Whitten. “They wanted a direct relationship to the landscape.”
That desire led to a sprawling home spread across the site, with direct access to the outdoors from every room, including the bedrooms.
That desire led to a sprawling home spread across the site, with direct access to the outdoors from every room, including the bedrooms.
The master bedroom sits at the farthest end of the house for maximum privacy. Every bedroom has large lift-and-slide doors leading to a covered porch. Each bedroom also includes a small loft area under the dormers for reading or studying. The large dormer shown here houses a small office space above the master bedroom; the other dormers contain a loft reading and play area for each of the kids’ bedrooms.
The living area — 20 feet wide by 50 feet long — is meant to feel “like a big tent at the edge of the field,” Tyson says. The beams are Douglas fir from the Pacific Northwest; almost all the other materials are local. “We don’t have a high-grade wood like that in Maine that’s as rot-resistant as good Douglas fir,” he says.
The half staircase on the left leads up to a mudroom (the cubbies are visible through the window above the fridge) and a landing with doors to the car barn and the front of the house.
The half staircase on the left leads up to a mudroom (the cubbies are visible through the window above the fridge) and a landing with doors to the car barn and the front of the house.
A local mason built the fireplace using fieldstone from the area. A local blacksmith forged the custom steel fireplace surround.
A skylight above the fireplace allows light to graze the south-facing wall. The floors are an Eastern granite called Virginia Mist.
The homeowners didn’t want TV to be a focus here, so they tucked the television onto a rolling cart against the wall. They can pull out the cart and plug in the TV when the family wants to watch a movie. Just beyond the fireplace is the screened-in porch.
A skylight above the fireplace allows light to graze the south-facing wall. The floors are an Eastern granite called Virginia Mist.
The homeowners didn’t want TV to be a focus here, so they tucked the television onto a rolling cart against the wall. They can pull out the cart and plug in the TV when the family wants to watch a movie. Just beyond the fireplace is the screened-in porch.
When the large lift-and-slide glass doors are open, large rolling screen doors can be pulled over to keep out bugs and squirrels.
Doors: Duratherm Corp.
Doors: Duratherm Corp.
Custom-made white oak planks top the kitchen island. The cabinets are also white oak, and the countertops are soapstone. The walls are “nickel cap"—tongue-and-groove boards that leave a gap about the size of a nickel when fitted together.
The large window over the sink is a direct glaze window to provide the most glass possible (and a view of the pitch pine just beyond). The smaller window to the left opens to catch the breeze.
The large window over the sink is a direct glaze window to provide the most glass possible (and a view of the pitch pine just beyond). The smaller window to the left opens to catch the breeze.
“The big idea was to have the main living space fronted on two sides by two very different outdoor living areas,” Tyson says. The eastern side faces the ocean, and has sun and big wide-open views; the western side is an intimate, shaded stone terrace protected from the winds.
Large pitch pines planted in the courtyard further connect the building to the surrounding landscape.
Large pitch pines planted in the courtyard further connect the building to the surrounding landscape.
A glass walkway connects the main living space to the bedroom wing — four bedrooms, three full baths. The interior courtyard catches summer breezes but is protected from ocean winds. “In the afternoon, the winds can really pick up,” Tyson says. “The courtyard is protected from the heavy winds from the ocean, but you can still see the water through the glass hall and the windows in the living room.”
“When you have a house that looks out on the ocean, there can be a significant amount of glare, especially if you’re facing south,” Tyson says. “We wanted to provide light from multiple sides of the room to knock down the glare.”
The lattice wall allows light to pour in from the dormers above. The stairs behind the lattice wall lead to a small loft study. The flooring is roasted red birch.
Floors: A.E. Sampson and Son
The lattice wall allows light to pour in from the dormers above. The stairs behind the lattice wall lead to a small loft study. The flooring is roasted red birch.
Floors: A.E. Sampson and Son
A large glass window overlooking the ocean fills one wall of the shower in the master bathroom. Plantings outside will grow to partially screen the shower.
The shower floor is slate tile. Local Maine granite covers the rest of the bathroom floor.
The shower floor is slate tile. Local Maine granite covers the rest of the bathroom floor.
Doors in one of the children’s rooms lead to a small, grassy play yard. The ladder goes up to a little loft with a dormer window overlooking the ocean.
“It’s meant to be like a little treehouse up there,” Tyson says.
The lofts in the children’s bedrooms feature window seats and storage.
“I wanted to create a spot they could retreat to that would be their own intimate space,” Tyson says. “A place to read a book, watch a boat on the ocean with binoculars, or whatever.”
“I wanted to create a spot they could retreat to that would be their own intimate space,” Tyson says. “A place to read a book, watch a boat on the ocean with binoculars, or whatever.”
The two kids’ bedrooms share a bathroom.
The screened-in porch lies at the southern end of the main living area. The fireplace wall connects the outdoor and indoor spaces, with fireplaces on both sides.
All the stone is local flagstone. From the fire pit, there is a 180-degree view of the ocean.
Above the car barn, an open loft (with three bunks) and a bedroom and bath offer a private space for guests.
This site plan shows how the designers set the buildings of the house as close as possible to the wooded area to the west.
General contractor: Wright-Ryan Homes
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General contractor: Wright-Ryan Homes
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Houzz at Glance
Who lives here: A New York City-based couple and their two young children
Location: 15 minutes outside Portland, Maine
Size: Four bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms in the main house, plus guest quarters with a full bath above the garage
Designers: Russell Tyson and Rob Whitten of Whitten Architects; Todd Richardson and David Maynes of Richardson & Associates (landscape architects); Nadine Cole of Cole Design (interior designer)
General contractor: Wright-Ryan Homes
A “saltwater farm” is a local term for a coastal farm that’s vulnerable to being coated in saltwater by a big wave or storm. Tyson guesses that previous farm owners once grew hay in the large cleared fields.
The house comprises two separate buildings. The main living space, which includes the kitchen, living and dining areas, stretches north and south, facing large open fields and across the water to the headlands. A large car barn is visible just beyond the main living building. A guest room (and bunk room) and full bath fill the top floor of the car barn.