Room of the Week: A Guest Cottage in New England Mixes Old With New
This adorable guesthouse came close to destruction, but is now a dreamy rustic hideaway in the Maine countryside
Before Gail Landry bought Flanagan Farm in 2011, the local fire department was planning to burn the place down as a training exercise. But Landry intervened and transformed the Maine property into a rural haven steeped in contemporary country charm.
‘Gail wanted it to be like a men’s guest cottage,’ says Nastasi. He had the interior pressure-washed to remove all the old paint, dirt and bat droppings, then replaced the windows, painted the exterior cladding and added new skirting.
The designers had the interior sprayed with diluted white paint from top to bottom to approximate the look of whitewash. ‘We wanted to keep it rough and rustic, and to let the wood and grain show through,’ says Nastasi. New pine floors were paired with a spare selection of designer furnishings for a look that suggests old family pieces collected over time.
Headboad: Phillips Scott; bedding: John Robshaw; shades: Hunter Douglas
Explore 10 homes that mix old with new
Headboad: Phillips Scott; bedding: John Robshaw; shades: Hunter Douglas
Explore 10 homes that mix old with new
The pale wood walls are a perfect backdrop for a linen-covered wing chair Landry already owned. The bed and chair face a field that’s so rural, Nastasi says, it’s easy to forget where you are. 'It’s a very peaceful place to stay,' he notes. Landry uses the property as a personal retreat and also rents it out for weddings.
The bronze and granite tables flanking the bed are from Global Views. They’re accessorised with custom lamps designed by Nostalgia Lighting.
Get some inspiration for mixing up your styles
Get some inspiration for mixing up your styles
A mirror from Jamie Young hangs over a Sarreid chest in the corner. The pairing of rustic and refined gives the guesthouse character, assuring a memorable stay for all.
Landry turned this old 9ft x 12ft shed, once used for selling eggs, into a guesthouse. The initial problem: the shed was hidden in a thicket of brambles, and the interior was filled with so much junk, you could barely get through the door. Undaunted, Landry cleared the brambles and cleaned out the shed, then turned it over to interior designers David Nastasi and Kate Vail of Nastasi Vail Design in Brooklyn, New York.
Photography by Brea McDonald
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Photography by Brea McDonald
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