When a couple wanted to downsize they sold everything except their Moser furniture. We sat down with their designer, Marcye Philbrook, and asked her how she artfully designed and integrated elements of their existing Moser pieces to create a contemporary home.
Read MoreA Place to Retire:
English Charm meets California coastal
When we think of our dream home, we make an exhaustive list of all our wants and eventually stack them against our needs and a humble sprinkling of reality. As we begin to assemble the elements of our life and derive inspiration from color swatches, magazine clippings, and tile samples, soon these pieces begin to fall into place.
For one couple in early retirement, after years of dreaming, their perfect home came to fruition. When they started planning, they knew it must include a first-floor bedroom suite, an open kitchen that melted into the dining area, and a picturesque setting near the Maine coast. Of course, finding a ready-made home with these three cornerstones proved challenging. Their solution, look for an ideal parcel of land that felt like home. When they first found their pastoral field, complete with roaming chickens, they knew this was the spot. In 2017, they purchased the land and began building their dream home.
Kitchen & Dining
A top priority for the home was a well-appointed kitchen. The easy layout of the kitchen with a central island allows for entertaining or casual breakfast for two perched atop Crescent High Stools by Thos. Moser. Custom cabinetry from Crown Point Cabinetry perfectly pairs with the couples’ aesthetic. The mix of open shelving and a stepback cupboard with antique glass, floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, and glide-out drawers keep everything a chef needs easily accessible and neatly tucked away. And no chef’s kitchen would be complete without a full butler’s pantry concealed behind elegant French doors.
The ambiance for this side of the house is set by floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the entire length creating an open and airy feeling to the room. The warmth of the cherry Boat Top Table and Eastward Chairs mimic the wooden beams and open shelving of the kitchen and blend into the living area where playful patterns are matched with comforting neutrals. This formal living area overlooks a rolling meadow resplendent with Maine wildflowers.
The homeowners wanted their primary suite to be a sanctuary. The crisp white walls, cool blues, and neutral carpeting allow the natural light to reflect and enliven the room. The Pencil Post Bed, by Thos. Moser reflects the simplicity and purpose of the room, balancing the warmth of wood and intentional design, providing the perfect respite for a peaceful night’s rest.
There is an intertwining of cool blues and warm wooden tones throughout the house, a nod to the ocean and Maine woods. Natural elements like wool carpeting, a fieldstone fireplace, slate flooring, iron fixtures, and large windows allow the beauty of the landscape to filter inward to create a welcoming oasis that allows them to take a deep breath and watch the worries of the world drift away.
You May Also Enjoy…
A Designer’s Dream Kitchen
If you could design your dream kitchen, what would it look like? For Betsy Barmat Stires, owner of DC-based design firm Frog Hill Designs, the opportunity to create a showhouse where she was the client allowed her to transform a blank canvas into an elevated space with refined details.
Read More