The smart planning, simple details, and basic functionality of this Portland, Maine farmhouse add up to a home with a real sense of place. Whitten Architects created this sustainable farmhouse for an empty-nester couple (and their dog) to enjoy the calmly spectacular site.
This big stone patio and outdoor fireplace looks like a great place to hang out on cool summer evenings. We’re sure that flannel blanket gets a lot of use! This close up view also shows the simple detailing of the porch posts, and how the shingle siding wraps the corner, instead of using corner boards.
One of the things that makes this house work so well is the massing – rather than making one big house/garage box, they’ve broken the house and garage into two distinct pieces, making each piece feel smaller and more “human” scaled. So what if you have to walk a few steps outside to get to your car?
On the way back in from the garage, you enter a nice big mudroom with a tiled floor, bench seat, and dog wash, before the floors change to hardwood on the way to the kitchen.
That’s a very big fireplace – just perfect for this cozy living room, where an entire wall of built-in bookshelves is all the “decorating” this room needs.
There are almost too many perfect farmhouse details to admire in this wonderful kitchen – the apron-front sink, the full-height cabinets that use up all of the wall space for storage, the classic light fixtures…and the windows, set right at the countertop height so not an inch of view is wasted. Even the modern stainless steel hood and marble mosaic tile fit right in.
Looking back from the kitchen towards the mudroom, a pair of sliding barn doors opens to reveal a big walk-in pantry.
Just off the kitchen, the casual dining area opens up to the views, letting light pour into the house.
A small home office, just off the first floor master bedroom, also has a wall of glass that opens into a screened porch.
The modest details of the master bedroom and bath fit the sustainable farmhouse aesthetic.
Here’s the screened porch – it’s tiny, but this is a house for two people and a dog, remember?
Another view of the front of this wonderful little home, and the warm glow that cozy modest mansions always seem to show!
Hi there!! I have ADMIRED your home for a very long time. I have a Pinterest board “barndo” that I started 3 years ago and this home is the first house on there for inspiration and I just can’t get it out of my head. It is stunning. I was wondering if you could tell me the square footage of the home and the square footage of the garage?