Remember our new place in Maine? I’m thrilled to say we’ll be moving furniture up very soon 🙂

If you are a new reader, first of all, welcome, and please allow me to catch you up to speed. After an extensive search for a vacation home, Tom and I finally found – thanks to realtor Karen Koos of Saltmeadow Properties – a historic gem in Castine, Maine. Maintenance had unfortunately lapsed on our 1804 home. The last few years were unkind and especially harsh – much TLC was needed. Well, it’s been just over four months since closing, and the house already looks much better thanks to an amazing team.

Before I show the work of these talented craftsmen, I’d like to share a special book I received from the worldly Timothy Corrigan via a giveaway hosted by Jennifer of The Pink Pagoda. Many thanks to Timothy and Jennifer!

An Invitation to Chateau du Grand-Luce is an exclusive and personal tour of designer Timothy’s magnificent chateau in the Loire Valley of France. Marvel at the grand architecture and the best-of-the-best in custom furniture, period antiques and important art. Here’s my signed copy at our shop:

 

BTW, are you familiar with The Pink Pagoda’s online store featuring stylish prints, original art and gracious home accessories? Don’t miss the lovely collection of Chinoiserie blue-and-white pieces. My favorites are the ginger jars.

Now let’s check out the progress at Castine.

ABOVE: All the walls and trim in this guestroom were in desperate need of a good scrubbing and fresh coat of paint. Even the pine floors looked a bit yellowy.
Newly painted! I chose Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray for the walls – a soothing mid-tone gray. The trim is Benjamin Moore 75% White Dove in satin impervo low lustre.
Floor is a custom color with a glossy sheen. Our wonderful and meticulous painter, Dan Bergin, applied the paint with a roller and, then immediately, brushed it out so we wouldn’t have that roller texture. Dan and his crew at Bergin Painting did an incredible job throughout the house. Have you ever painted a 210 year old house? It’s no easy task. Tom and I couldn’t be more pleased with the awesome work by Dan and his team!
Here is another bedroom with the same color scheme. Wickham Gray looks historic yet fresh and relevant. Its neutral spirit is a lovely backdrop for gilt, whether gold (below) or silver (see first photo at top).

For another bedroom, the walls are painted Benjamin Moore Gray Sky – a true sky blue. This room gets endless sunshine so the blue is tempered by the bright light. On cloudy days it can read a bit pastel, which is fine because we want it to always feel cheerful and summery.

ABOVE: A “before” photo showing the family and breakfast rooms – notice the back staircase dividing them. This staircase was concealed in a closet, and had been abandoned (covered over) by the previous owners. Tom and I decided to have it removed to open these rooms.

Two work in progress photos.

BELOW: Ta-da! Staircase gone; floors patched; trim matched; and surfaces freshly painted. Because this is an old house, I chose a soft white that’s easy on the eye. Walls are in Benjamin Moore White Dove and trim is 75% White Dove.

Please meet the very skillful, detail oriented and resourceful Mark Maltezos. Mark is our carpenter / contractor extraordinaire! He removed that back staircase, matched existing moldings, installed flooring, hung window shutters, replaced rotted doors, etc. This Mainer can do anything! Contact Mark at

Mark Maltezos Carpentry
Penobscot, Maine
markmaltezoscarpentry@yahoo.com

ABOVE: A “before” photo of the yellow living room with an arched over-mantel niche. BELOW: The living room now without that fanciful niche – simple and clean.

I chose a tone-on-tone color palette here: Benjamin Moore 100% Classic Gray for walls and 50% Classic Gray for trim. Floors are a custom gray and, once again, in gloss. It all seems very gray, but color is coming – I promise 🙂

Oh, BTW, we told everyone not to touch the crusty surface on this mantel – it’s just the way we like it 🙂

We’re keeping the window treatments very simple: half shutters on the bottom throughout the first floor. The wider windows received two sets of bi-folds (BELOW) while the narrower ones (ABOVE) were fitted with two single shutters.

Just like kitchen cabinet doors, I prefer recessed paneling with a simple bead to keep it from looking too Shaker. And, I always insist on the bottom rails be stacked / weighted.

It was quite a challenge to hang the shutters as the windows had settled so unevenly. For the shallow-depth windows, carpenter Mark Maltezos compensated with a clever molding strip attached to the stiles. Great work, Mark!

All the window shutters were custom made by the talented Fred Mitchell of Shutter Works in Lewiston, Maine. We love our shutters, Fred. They turned out really nice. Below is Fred with a pair of custom shutters for another client – now those are cool! I’d love to see them in situ. BTW, Shutter Works will ship out of state.

Tom and I would like to thank Dan, Mark and Fred for their fine work. We are grateful to each of them!
Gotta run and help Tom pack – wish us luck!!
Loi