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Design Diary: Jim Higgins’ Pre-Fabulous House in Maine

This modern prefab home is the weekend home of Jim Higgins, Boston architect, a principal with PH Partners. I found him through my hunt for dream homes. Although the house didn’t make that issue of the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine (Your Dream Homes), I was able to do a “Designing” column called “Modern, Naturally”, which ran this Sunday.

It’s a modern prefab home, designed by Missouri-based architect Rocio Romero. Higgins first spotted the modern prefab structure in Dwell, and it was love at first sight. He flew down to Missouri to check out Romero’s own home and decided he had to have one for himself. He ordered one for the plot of land he had recently purchased on Spinney Creek in Eliot, Maine. (The original plan had been to design and build a traditional New England house, but this is definitely much more fun.)

Th is an LVL Home from Romero’s LV Series kits of modern prefab homes. The houses are 1,453 square feet, with a kitchen, living room, dining room, three bedrooms and two baths, though he made some changes, such as flipping the plan to better fit the site and take advantage of views and rearranging some interior walls.

If you look at the top photo, which is the back of the house, the rooms are as follows, left to right: master bedroom, guest bedroom, living room, dining room/kitchen. The second photo is the front of the house. The narrow strip of windows on the left are the windows above the kitchen counter, and the little windows on the right are in the bathrooms. Let’s take a tour.

Entry

The exterior is corrugated panel siding called Galvaloom. The walkway (scroll back up to the second photo) is a docking system, so it’s actually a little bridge to the front door. He eventually plans to add a deck out back constructed from the same material.

Living Room

These are the scouting photos Jim sent me initially. (I visited in the dead of winter, on the first snowfall of the season.) The white Petrie sofas are from Crate & Barrel (there’s an outlet in nearby Kittery), as is the red nylon rug, which cost just $99. The floor lamp is CB2. The chairs are the real thing – the Risom Lounge Chair from Knoll, and the marble-topped coffee table is Florence Knoll. The painting is actually a portrait of Jim, done by a friend, Marblehead artist John Bonner.

This shot shows you a better view of the Spinney Creek, which is used as an oyster and clam farm. It’s clean enough to swim in, and he has a dock, as well as a flotilla of kayaks. So pretty.

Kitchen

The stainless steel cabinetry is IKEA. The counters and island are white Caesarstone. The backsplash is a 2×2 white gloss tile. I love the fridge – it’s a white glass front Jenn Air – I’d never seen one before. The three little squares are $29 lights from Lightology, that match the little recessed ones in the ceiling.Stools from Crate & Barrel.

Dining Room

Jim has his eye on a pricey Florence Knoll dining table, but in the meantime uses this outdoor dining set he picked up at an end of season sale from Sears. He hung IKEA tracks for the curtains, which he had made from cheap white material he bought at JoAnn Fabric. The African sculpture in the corner was a gift from his partner’s parents.

The floor looks like planks of pickled oak, or weathered grey shingles, but is actually Italian ceramic tile with a wood grain texture, in a plank design. And it’s toasty – he did radiant heat underneath. (I took this photo – notice the grey day outdoors.)

Interior Entry

The stairs lead to a finished basement. The rail still needed to be built when this picture was taken, so they turned a glossy red IKEA bookcase on its side and topped it with a white cushion, to use as a bench and barrier. You’re looking down the hall, to the master bedroom. Notice the full height doorways, which, at $1,000 each, were a splurge.

Master Bedroom

The bed is IKEA and the bedding from Dwell. The stool is Knoll, but he doesn’t remember where he purchased the marble cubes. In front of the bed there’s a patchwork cowhide rug from Paris. The painting is by Massachusetts artist Mark Allen. Sconces from Lightology.

The sink is open to the room; the shower is to the left, the toilet to the right. The floor to ceiling mirrors are actually IKEA wardrobes that he built in. The sink, cabinetry, hardware, and plain wood-framed mirror are also from IKEA. The tile is the same as the tile in the kitchen.

Take a look at the recessed baseboard, which has a brushed aluminum reveal. It is a white melamine baseboard (durable and no painting required!) from IKEA. Easy and cost effective.

Guest Bedroom

Love the tangerine bedding. Bed and mirrored storage from IKEA. Painting by a French artist, purchased from a furniture store that was going out of business. Sconces from Lightology. There’s a Florence Knoll side table and a Bertoia chair too.

Guest Bathroom

Bathroom cabinetry and hardware from IKEA.

Basement

There’s a full basement, accessed by a custom metal staircase with custom stained ash treads. It’s a large space, great for parties, and movies. Jim hosts a Halloween party with dancing, and a white party in summertime.

Doorbell

I would like a modern prefab home for myself.

Escapes: Hidden Pond, Maine

I first discovered Hidden Pond, an adorable boutique resort/inn in Kennebunkport, on the pages of Met Home (I think). I had the tear tacked to my bulletin board for months. When I got an assignment from Susanne at the Globe magazine for “The Lovers’ Go-To Guide”, I finally checked out their website and chatted with the manager. It’s absolutely lovely. The perfect New England getaway without being overstuffed. It’s sort of South Beach meets Maine meets Brooklyn – cabin chic with an organic twist – and not a scrap of Laura Ashley in sight.

There are 14 two-bedroom cottages, all with a distinctive theme and décor. (I think different designers were hired to do each interior.) Each has a living room, full kitchen, gas fireplace set in river stone, screened porch, outdoor shower, floor-to-ceiling windows (so you can see the gorgeous birch trees), Frette linens and down duvets, flat panel TVs and ipod docks. And, they bring you a morning bakery and newspaper basket.

The grounds include a lodge, a tented spa for facials and massage (so Out of Africa), and an organic farm through which you’re allowed to wander and help yourself. You can get artistic with the resident water colorist, do morning yoga, take a beach safari (they’ll pack you up and bring you to whatever beach setting suits your fancy that day), bike or hike on their nature trails, or hang out at the laid back pool. Or wander into Kennebunkport (hopefully you don’t bump into a Bush).

I’d love to spend a weekend here. My favorite cottage is Day Dream. I like Lucky too. You?

The Lodge

The Pond

The Organic Farm

THE COTTAGES

Day Dream

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Fawn’s Pass

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Lucky

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Andrea’s Gate

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Periwinkle

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Sweet Fern

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First Light

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The Pool

An Outdoor Shower

The Spa Tent

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Grounds Map

Design Diary: Michelle Gubitosa of Phi Design

The newest issue of Stuff Magazine came out today, with “A Sleek City Deck Makes for Cool Summer Entertaining.” – the profile I did about an amazing roof deck (and view) in Dorchester. Although I had to drive out of the city, the interview was lots of fun. The place , a classic triple decker – they’re on the top floor – is owned by Michelle Gubitosa (left), co-owner of Phi Design (a creative consulting firm that uses innovative ideas to transform events, interiors, and people) and her wife, Rebecca Wilson (right), owner of The Urban Hound. Michelle made me a yummy lunch (so nice!) and we chatted about pretty much everything, from how they met (at a party on a roof deck), their recent wedding at Mistral (it was a surprise – none of the guests knew!) and Michelle’s impending 50th birthday party (she’s already booked the D.J.), to their favorite booze (St. Germain, Champagne, and Limona Coronas), Michelle’s hidden cooking talents (pizza from scratch, learned from her dad), and Rebecca’s favorite cookbook (The Moosewood).

Here are some photos of their roof deck and rooms:

Michelle and Becky used to live in the South End, where they also had a roof deck that was all “Mac Daddy’d out.” Friends dubbed it the Starlight Lounge and the name stuck. This deck too, is party central. Check out the grill . . .

They might do fish tacos and Limona Coronas (Corona with white rum), burgers and Champagne (Michelle adores Champagne. She used to be a “Veuve queen” but at “forty bucks a pop”, has taken a liking to Prosecco), or tuna steaks and fillets with cocktails. If the ladies who own Brix Wine Shop visit, Manhattans are the drink of choice. Their friend Xyomie, whose brother used to spin at Studio 54, mixes CDs for the fiestas, though Xyomie is actually a chef and sommelier by trade.

You can see the city, the harbor, and the beloved Boston landmark, the Dorchester gas tank. Fun!

Now step inside . . .

This is the living room. Michelle did the interiors throughout. The place was gutted when they bought it three years ago. These days she’s deriving inspiration from Furniture and Interior Design for the 21st Century. There’s a million yellow stickies in her copy marking ideas she wants to incorporate into the events she designs. (By the way, fashion fans, her partner in Phi Design is Nilda Martin, co-owner of Parlor in the South End. Michelle says, “We’re a hybrid; we handle anything creative.”)

You can see all the yummy food Michelle put out for me. (Thank you again for feeding me lunch Michelle.) The island counter top is Silestone and the glossy white cabinets are IKEA. (Amazing how great IKEA cabinetry looks these days; I’m seeing it everywhere.) There’s a Jenn Air double oven and two wine cellars. One for, you guessed it, Champagne, and the other for red wine. In winter Becky, who’s the cook of the pair, prepares lots of soups – lentil, stews, Asian noodle that takes all day, beef bourguignon. Michelle, who comes from “a family of builders,” just put up bookshelves for all of Becky’s cookbooks. She even made her a cookbook with all their favorite recipes. So sweet!

The dining room. Table, chairs, and mirrors from Crate & Barrel. Alessi bowl on the table, but you knew that already. The black glass chandelier is from one of Michelle’s prop resources, Gallery 484. Notice the photos; they’re Michelle’s. She was a student at the SMFA before going into business as a party planner way back when. These are close up images of crosses on graveyard headstones. Other works of hers are scattered around the house, including super closeups of the backs of lichen-covered headstones, and the floor of Barneys in NYC on which interesting shadows were cast from the racks of clothing. Michelle’s first show opens tonight, May 6th at Enoteca of Via Matta in Park Plaza, Boston.

The bedroom. Artwork by Michelle.

On the color scheme she says, “We’re such earth tone people.”

The dressing room/bathroom opens right off the bedroom, no door. It’s a fab space. This is where the idea for Phi Design was born. Michelle had hired Nilda to prune her closets, and over a glass (or two) of wine, they realized they’d make the perfect creative team.

And, finally, the tub.

The End.

Woof.

ARTmonday: Caroline Moore

I happened upon these photos on Etsy by Caroline Moore (aka “sixhours”) last week when I was browsing for child-appropriate pieces I could buy as baby gifts. Obviously, these don’t fall into that category. However, they caught my eye because they remind me of a short story by A.M. Homes in The Safety of Objects. In the story, if I remember correctly, a teenage boy dismembers his sister’s Barbies and does bizarre (sexual) things with them.

I read it over 10 years ago, after reading The End of Alice for a book club and becoming obsessed. (I loved it…. especially because the pearl-wearing girls who comprised the club were appalled by it. It’s narrated by a pedophile in jail, and also involves a young girl experimenting with the boy she babysits.) If you are not familiar with her work, she is an excellent writer, never dull, and often compellingly offensive.

I wonder if the photographer is familiar with the story?

Design Diary: Chef Lydia Shire’s Kitchen Collections

Photo courtesy of Boston Globe.

Earlier this year I visited chef Lydia Shire at her home in Weston, Mass., to write a story about her kitchen, and more importantly, her overflowing collections of kitchen paraphernalia. The piece “A Cook’s Collection” was published last weekend in the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. (If you’re not acquainted, Lydia owns the restaurants Scampo and Locke-Ober in Boston and Blue Sky in York, Maine.) She’s a colorful character, as her home attests…

Outside, the house is a quietly pretty, traditional New England clapboard colonial/farmhouse. As you can see, it was a snowy day when I visited. Unfortunately, Lydia was dealing with some type of flooding that occurred the night before; there were all sorts of workmen there. (Hence, the Chevy pickup.)

Inside, it’s bright, cheerful, loud, decked out in an abundance of color and kitsch. The photos I shot of her living room are too blurry to post, but here’s a great one of her fantastic dining room.

The kitchen is amazing. It’s at the back of the house. The entire back wall is glass, with red steel windows, and a door that opens to the patio and field. (The property was a farm way back.) Lydia’s daughter, Lisa Shire, designed the renovations it as her first project out of architecture school, after everyone Lydia brought to see the house told her not to buy it because it was too run down. I wish I had a better photo, but this will have to do. Just be sure to imagine that the window frames are bright red, as is the Venetian glass chandelier. The table, which she got at Brimfield, has a copper top.

The floor is concrete. Here’s the story Lydia told me about how it came to be:

“I saved money to do the house over. I had X dollars, and you usually go over and scramble at the end. I didn’t know what kind of floor I wanted here; the rest of the house has quarter sawn oak. I started looking at limestone and other stones, but they were all so expensive would have sent my budget reeling. I had gone to this restaurant in Seattle that had colored, poured concrete floors, so I suggested it to my contractor. We did this for $3,000. It’s poured, polished concrete, with no color, because I didn’t want it fake. It’s perfect with the fieldstone.”

Here’s a photo that her publicist, the wonderful Jo Swani of the The Moxie Agency, sent me of the patio in summer:

Here’s the area of the kitchen where the cooking happens. It’s on the smaller side, considering how large the room is, but that’s the way Lydia likes it. She has this to say:

“The great thing is this kitchen could not be better. I love the small workspace. I don’t have gadgets. To me, cooking is a pan, an instrument in your hand, it’s a cutting board, your refrigerator your stove. I don’t know why people make these massive things. For what?”

Her favorite part of the kitchen is the red stove.

Here’s Lydia’s stove story:

“It’s Chambers; probably made in the late ’40s, maybe ’48, the year I was born. It’s America’s answer to the Aga stove, though it’s gas. My aunt had one in Newton when I was a little girl growing up. I loved it. It was an old fashioned green. I was in California in ’86; I went to Antique Stove Heaven and I saw this. It was in perfect mint condition, so I bought it for a little over $1,000 and had it shipped to Boston. My meat purveyor stored for it me. I didn’t have a house, no place to put. I finally got it out when I moved in here.”

The stove has a built-in mashed potato cooker, and a broiler that opens from the top of the stove, in which she she cooks chicken legs quite a lot. But her favorite use for the Chambers stove seems to be chocolate cake…

“It makes chocolate cake better than my Gagganeau, which is so well insulated that the heat is very uniform, so it bakes the cake slowly, whereas in this one, the heat is more intense, so the cake gets crusty on the outside and gooey inside. I always make chocolate in my old oven, progress is not always good. I could make the same cake in both ovens and you’d like the one from my red one better.”

Just a few more pics before we get to the collections…

This is Lydia’s butcher block. It’s old, though the stand is newish. It came from England. She says, “”I’m an incurable carnivore,” she says. “I love to think of all the happy carcasses that met their demise here.”

She’s especially fond of pigs.

Lydia is just as much a collector as she is a chef. She says her husband calls her stuff junk, but actually most of the stuff is pretty special. She stores/displays most of the items in the pantry, a room within her kitchen with walls made from two-ply laminated glass sandwiching a layer of mesh, so they’re sheer but still provide some cover.

Finally, here is a sampling of her stuff!

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