Design Diary: An Airy Kennebunkport Beach Retreat

I wrote about this airy Kennebunkport summer home on Goose Rocks Beach for the Boston Globe Magazine‘s Summer Living issue, published Sunday, June 18, 2017. Rob Whitten of Portland, Maine-based Whitten Architects designed the house and Nicki Bongiorno of Spaces Kennebunkport did the interiors. Photos by Trent Bell. (Some affiliate links included to help you source pieces you might love.)

Modern Beach House In Kennebunkport Maine

The interior is beachy and fresh with clean lines, done in a palette of sand, sea foam, and blues. The pearlized glass backsplash adds a touch of color, without stealing the spotlight from the view. “We tried to keep things blended, so nothing would stand out,” Bongiorno says.

View Of Atlantic Ocean From Maine Beach House

The starting point was to maximize views of the Atlantic Ocean. The hand block printed throw pillow covers are Kyoto by Serena & Lily.

Mudroom WIth Grey Tile And A View In Kennebunkport

Textured tiles by Walter Zanger runs from the front entry  back to the mudroom, in an effort to keep water and sand from straying onto the wood floors in the main living spaces. Shiplap painted in Benjamin Moore White Dove runs throughout.

Modern But Comfortable New England Beach House Living Room

Low-slung RH Modern sectionals are upholstered in Perennials indoor/outdoor fabrics, as are  the cushions on the built-in benches. The fireplace surround is bluestone.

Beach House Dining Room With Oak Table And Turquoise Chandelier

The oak dining table is RH Modern and the chairs are Janus et Cie indoor/outdoor, a perfect blend of modern lines, family friendly function, and comfort. The pair of Mini Diva glass disc pendants by Regina Andrews are the wife’s favorite part of the decor.

Bunk Room In Beach House Kennebunkport Maine

A nautical-style bedroom has two sets of built-in bunk beds trimmed with edge-grain fir with a clear finish.

Game Room With Ping Pong Table

Under the eaves of the table tennis cum, Whitten added built-in trundle beds. Those drawers aren’t for socks, they hold mattresses! The glossy white West Elm console tables with blue acrylic adjustable swivel stools are great for arts & crafts projects on rainy days.

Serene Bedroom WIth Ocean View In Maine

The master bedroom is an oasis that’s all about the ocean. I love the Seema Krish “Mahalaxmi” pillows, block-printed and embroidered by hand in India. (You can read about my visit to Krish’s former Boston studio here.) The soft blue Pine Cone Hill chambray duvet is cozy and doesn’t distract from the view. The raffia dresser is by Serena & Lily.

Neutral Clean Line Bathroom In Maine

The neutral master bath echoes look of the sandy beach. The custom floating oak vanity is topped with an Athens silver cream marble slab. The polished stainless steel Dorenbracht faucets have simple curves, as do the  RH polished chrome sconces. The taupey wall tile is also marble.

Modern Girls Bedroom In Turquoise With Swing

The couple’s seven-year-old daughter wanted a bedroom inspired by seaglass. The turquoise bed and turquoise-fronted nightstand are from Room & Board. It’s a queen size, with a twin-size trundle underneath so adult guests can sleep there. Yes, that’s the Melati hanging chair from Anthropologie, which happens to be on sale right now.

Beach House Boys Room With Ocean View And Lobster Theme

The nine-year-old boy’s requested a lobsters and buoys inspired bedroom. Those are real buoys hung above the bed.

Green & Blue Beach House Guest Bedroom

The guest room bed and nightstand are from Room & Board. An aqua Serena & Lily Pickstitch Matelassé quilt covers the bed.

Seaglass Inspired Beachy Bahroom

The round tiles in the guest bath shower—Glazzio Tile Moonstone Mosaic—were the first thing the homeowners decided on for the house. ir first decision were those round tiles. Seaglass knobs add a beachy touch to the vanity.

Modern House On Goose Rocks Beach In Maine

Whitten insisted on an expansive porch, which he considers the essence of coastal living. The exterior blends classic New England materials (cedar shingles) with contemporary ones (standing-seam metal roof). The homeowners love a contemporary aesthetic, but didn’t want to the house to stand out.

Landscape architect Emma Kelly collaborated with Whitten, adding ample storage under the porch. Lush plantings and a fire pit finish the property perfectly.

•             •            •

ARTmonday: Masquerade-Themed Artworks

I’ve never been to a true masquerade ball. The closest I came is a school fundraising auction I chaired with a Carnivale theme. I have a cute photo of myself and my friend/co-chair, artist Lee Essex Doyle (you can see her Venetian interiors here), but I can’t find it right now. She invited me to a Save Venice masquerade ball, but we skipped it. Oh well, there went my chance.

I started noticing a lot of photography featuring people with elaborate rubber animal masks, which I’ve been putting aside for a later post. Enjoy these masquerade themed artworks; perhaps you’ll find inspiration for your own year-end celebration.

mask-jennifer-ament-serena-and-lily

Jennifer Ament  •  Mask  •  Serena & Lily

Masquerade Ball Artwork At Society 6

 Courtneeeee  •  Masquerade  •  Society 6

Masquerade Ball Portrait Affordable Artwork

Five Foot Three Photography  •  Masquerade  •  Society 6

Masquerade Ball Masked People Painting

Ann Devito •  Masquerade  •  Saatchi Art

Masquerade Ball Portrait Affordable Artwork

Antonio Jose Guzman  •  Nancy  •  Saatchi Art

Masquerade Ball Portrait Photography

Azarii Gorchakov  •  Mask Graza  •  Saatchi Art

Masquerade Ball Portrait Affordable Artwork

Anna Ullman  •  Woman In Mask  •  Artfully Walls

ARTmonday: Views of America

It’s a long weekend at our house with everybody off for Columbus Day. Not that it’s identified as such, with Columbus now recognized as the savage man he was. Rather, our schools tend to label this national holiday as “fall break.” Works for me. History and politics aside, it’s nevertheless appropriate to look at some scenes of our country, views of America. Here are some American landscapes.

views-of-america-balloons-20x200

Untitled (Balloons)  •  Ruben Natal-San Miguel  •  20×200

views-of-america-oregon-society6

Oregon  •  Luke Gram  •  Society6

views-of-america-upstream-s&l

Upstream #1    Nick Allen    Serena & Lily

views-of-america-umbrellas-artfully-walls

Yellow Umbrellas I, South Beach  •  Claudia Chloe  •  Artfully Walls

views-of-america-traffic-jam-minted

Traffic Jam  •  Gail Schechter  •  Minted 

views-of-america-freeman-saatchi

Gun Store, Vernon TX  •  Ed Freeman  •  Saatchi Art

SONY DSC

Light and Air  •  Megan Donnelly    Serena & Lily

views-of-america-lifeguard-stand-s&l

Lifeguard Stand    Stephanie Sherman    Serena & Lily 

views-of-america-measures-saatchi

All 50  •  Jon Measures  •  Saatchi Art

views-of-america-street-walker-society6

Street Walker   Kevin Russ    Society6

american-views-silber-delerive-saatchi

Eastern Washington, cul-de-sac  •  Toni Silber-Delerive    Saatchi Art

Just In: My Top 16 Picks from the Serena & Lily Summer Sale

We’re heading into the second half of summer, and yes that’s reason to lament. However. . . there’s an upside, and not just a proverbial silver lining. Something (or rather somethings) really, really, good. S A L E S pretty much everywhere, including some top StyleCarrot partners. From the half-yearly Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (my 25 must-haves here — just five days left by the way; prices go back up on Monday) to a Stockroom Sale at West Elm, it’s a good time for online shopping for new clothes and home stuff.

One of my favorite online sources for bedding (baby, kids, and grownups), bar stools, beds and headboards, and artwork (I love their pretty abstracts)  is Serena & Lily. Right now Serena & Lily is having a “Private Sale” (meaning you just have to pop in an email address) with discounts up to 60 percent.

There are some pieces that you have been probably meaning to purchase—new sheets to refresh your bed, wallpaper for the powder room.  a cozy throw as a hostess gift, more bar stools for your beach house, brightly colored baskets for your kids toys. I did some preliminary scouting for you. Here are my top 16 home furnishings finds from the Serena & Lily sale.

serena-&-lily-summer-sale-1

serena-&-lily-summer-sale-2

S H O P P I N G 

1 Gobi Embroidered Sheet Set 

2  Feather Wallpaper 

3  Gobi Bath Towel 

4  Schoolhouse Letter Pillow

5  Cambridge Bed 

6  Brahms Mount Windowpane Baby Blanket 

7  Brasserie Stools  

8  Broad Stripe Dhurrie

9  Brahms Mount Banded Herringbone Throw 

10  Buchanan Clip Rings

11  Border Frame Duvet Cover

12  Cabin Quilt

13  Mercado Baskets

14  Parisian Bar Cart 

15  Skylake Toile Euro Sham  

16  Chevron Riviera Backless Stools

•             •            •

Shop Serena & Lily >

Serena & Lily Home Furnishings & Accessories In Every Color

Get the Look: 60 Modern Grey Sofas

Monage: 54 Living rooms with Gray Sofas is by far the most popular post on this blog, with twice the number of page views as the second most popular, Montage: 57 Plywood Rooms. Although I’ve recently updated the links for its companion post—Get the Look: 22 Modern Grey Sofas—it’s been over two years since I originally created it, so another post on modern grey sofas is in order.

We have a modern grey sofa in the family room, and although it may not be as fashion forward as I’d like, it’s got clean lines, durable fabric, and big comfy cushions. It’s so long all four of us can watch television on it. We actually kind of built the room around it, insisting to our designer that the door to the study be extra narrow. (He wasn’t happy but obliged.)

Since everyone still seems to want to buy a grey sofa, here are 60 modern grey sofas you can shop for at 27 different stores (some StyleCarrot partners), from minimalist modern styles to more classic tufted chesterfield sofas, with a few gray sleeper sofas thrown in. Price points vary, with ten styles under $1000 and many falling in the mid-range.

shop-grey-sofas-1

1 Carmichael Loft Sofa by Gus*Modern, $1,999 at 2Modern.

2 Jacksonville Convertible Sofa II by Gold Sparrow, $360.99 at AllModern.

3 Sterling Sofa by BD Fine, $1,985 at Burke Decor

4 Boyd Sofa by Pinch, $5,110 at The Future Perfect. 

5 Avec Tweed Sofa, $1,399 at CB2.  

6 El Rey Sofa by Haute House, $4,399 at Horchow

shop-grey-sofas-2

7 Livingston Sofa, $1,299 at West Elm

8 Morgan Sofa by Bensen, $3,811 at Lekker. 

9 Folding Sleeper Loveseat, $479 at Urban Outfitters.

10 Bryson Sofa by Klausner, $928.37 at PureHome

11 Bram Grey Leather Sofa, $3,799 at Room & Board

12 Bradley Loveseat by International Design, $919.99 at Wayfair.

13 Capri Convertible Sofa by Lifestyle Solutions, $599.99 at Bluefly. 

shop-grey-sofas-3

14 Alicia Charcoal Velvet Sofa, $2,792 at Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams. 

15 City Gym Sofa  in Faribault Wool Blankets, $6,100 at Matter.  

16 Vera Sofa, $2,898 at Lillian August.

17 Madison Sofa by Moe’s Home Collection, $793.99 at Wayfair

18 Larkin Sofa, $2059 at Ballard Designs. 

19 Lampert Sofa, $3,895 at Jonathan Adler

shop-grey-sofas-4

20 Rue Apartment Sofa, $999 at CB2. 

21 Finn Sofa, $899 at West Elm

22 Spruce Street Sofa, $2,450 at Serena & Lily.  

23 Swept Sofa by BluDot, $1,899 at YLiving

24 Spencer Sofa, $2,234 at Ballard Designs. 

25 Ploum Sofa by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec at Ligne Roset.

shop-grey-sofas-5

26 Patrick European Velvet Button-Tufted Sofa, $1,839.99 at Overstock.

27 Sophia Sofa by Moss Studio, $3,198 at PureHome

28 Anderson Sofa, $769 at Urban Outfitters.

29 Hunter Lounge, $1,912 at Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams.

30 Kensington Sofa, $3,795 at Jonathan Adler

31 Arden Sofa, $2,800 at Jonathan Adler.

shop-grey-sofas-6

32 Chester Tufted Sofa, $1,199 at West Elm

33 South Beach Sofa, $1,877.99 at Overstock.

34 Foliage Sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Kartell, $3,850 at YLiving

35 Archive Sofa by Gus*Modern, $2,413.95 at Burke Decor

36 Velvet Settee Loveseat I by Skyline Furniture, $556.99 at Wayfair.

37 Belem Sofa by Didier Gomez at Ligne Roset.

38 Parlour Sofa, $1,699 at CB2

shop-grey-sofas-7

39 Grey Leather Tufted Chesterfield Renaissance Sofa, $3,359.99 at Wayfair.

40 Silvertone Sofa, $2,499 at Horchow

41 Limbo Sofa by Pianca $3,596 at YLiving

42 Halsten Sofa, $3,850 at Serena & Lily.   

43 Mikayla Granite Grey Stone Wash Linen Sofa,$1,288.79 at Overstock.

44 Carol Grey Velvet Sofa by BD Fine, $2,050 at Burke Decor

shop-grey-sofas-8

45 Ciudad Sofa, $1,199 at CB2.  

46 Nolee Folding Sofa Bed, $699.99 at World Market

47 Twilight Sleeper Sofa by Flemming Busk for Softline, $2,100 at DWR.

48 Pennie Sofa by Bethan Gray, $899 at Crate & Barrel.

49 Wireframe Sofa by Sam Hecht for Herman Miller, $5,149 at YLiving.

50 Miramar Slipcovered Sofa, $3,750 at Serena & Lily

shop-grey-sofas-9

51 Chateau d’Ax Positano Leather Sofa, $4,200 at Bloomingdale’s. 

52 Bonnie Studio Sofa by BluDot, $1,399 at 2Modern

53 Brooklyn Grey Suede Nailhead Sofa, $2,099 at Pottery Barn

54 Pacific Heights Sofa by Zuo, $2,490 at Bluefly. 

55 Oslo Sofa by Muuto, $4,195 at YLiving.  

56 Playground Daybed by Eilersen, $2,499 at YLiving

57 Hanover Sofa, $3,550 at Serena & Lily

shop-grey-sofas-10

58 Nyle Sofa, $899.95 at Pier 1

59 Windsor Sofa by Irving Place, $3,995 at ABC Carpet & Home.

60 Harbord Sofa by Gus*Modern $1,999 at YLiving

•           •            •