Beach House Portland, ME Featured in Better Homes & Gardens August 2026
We have some exciting news to share from the coast of Maine!
Our Portland beach house project is featured in Better Homes & Gardens in a story called This Charming Beach House Gives Coastal Style a Colorful Makeover.
You can see the full feature on BHG.com with photography by Max Kimbee.
This little house holds a special place in our hearts. It's a 1920s cottage just minutes from the beach in a historic fishing community, sitting on a very small lot. When our clients first found it, it needed everything — low ceilings, a kitchen that didn't work, and an addition that had seen better days.
But the light was incredible. And it felt like a happy house.
Our client is a former architect, which made this such a fun collaboration. She reimagined the entire layout herself to make every square foot count. The house is only 1,600 square feet with three bedrooms, yet it sleeps eight. We kept one original gem — the screened porch — and it's now everyone's favorite spot to curl up with a book.
She wanted coastal without the cliché. No navy and anchors. She wanted something vibrant, fun, and full of personality.
So we started the way I love to start — with one thing you love and letting it lead the way.
In the kitchen, that was citron yellow tile. We ran it all the way to the ceiling and kept the cabinets crisp white so the color could really sing. We laid slate floors to stand up to sandy feet and paws. Simple, happy, and durable.
In the dining room, a statement light and soft cloud wallpaper set the tone. In the lounge, we designed around a beloved art print she has had for ten years, layering in bright, patterned textiles.
In the primary bedroom, we put the wallpaper on the ceiling for a fun, unexpected moment when you look up.
And because this is truly a beach house for the whole family — dogs included — the powder room has a custom soapstone dog wash that doubles as the sink. The pups can hop right in after the beach.
We also needed everything to work hard. In several rooms we used vinyl grass cloth instead of paint. It adds that beautiful texture, reads as a neutral, and you can wipe it right down. The white paneled walls in the loft were inspired by traditional ship quarters, and those custom built-in bunks add the sweetest nostalgic warmth.
It's the perfect pairing of color and restraint, and exactly what she envisioned from the start: rainbow unicorn meets cottage.
We are so grateful to Better Homes & Gardens for featuring this happy little house.
Thank You - Thank you to Ella Field and the whole Better Homes & Gardens team. To Max Kim-Bee for the gorgeous photography, and to Christina and Christian for trusting us with this happy house. It was the perfect pairing.
Want to see more?
Read the full article: Better Homes and Gardens
See the Project: Beach House — Portland, Maine