My husband gifted me a Kit-Cat clock soon after we were married. We hung it in our tiny Brooklyn apartment’s kitchen, and its kitschy design worked well with the rest of the space. The thing is, I felt like it was constantly watching me with its huge, moving side eyes; it almost seemed to be judging how I was using my time. The big smile and wagging tail didn’t help either. The Kit-Cat clock (or Klock as the manufacturer spells it) has been an iconic piece of pop culture for over 90 years. The animated feline was designed in 1932 by designer Earl Arnault (1904–1971) at the height of the Great ..read more

Professional organizer Stephanie Treantos poses near the window of a closet organization project she completed for a busy mom and professional. How did you become a professional organizer? I grew up in a household that didn’t prioritize organization, so it wasn’t something that felt important until I moved out on my own; as I got older, I realized that my habits were causing me to feel stressed within my home. I slowly became more intentional with what I bought and made simple organizational systems to get through my day-to-day. I realized these new habits were something I could share with oth ..read more

Enter the lush embrace of the Garden of Eden. Allow these fresh botanical flavors to transport you and your partner to a paradise of love, temptation, and pure bliss. INGREDIENTS ⅓ cup peeled and chopped English cucumber, plus lengthwise cucumber slices for garnish 1 ounce fresh lime juice ½ ounce simple syrup 4 large (or 6 medium) basil leaves 3 ounces gin 2 ounces elderflower liqueur INSTRUCTIONS If desired, chill two coupe glasses in the freezer for 20 minutes. In a cocktail shaker, combine the chopped cucumber, lime juice, and simple syrup. Muddle to extract as much of the liquid from t ..read more

Originally planned as a second-floor addition and renovation to an existing Cape-style house, this entirely new construction on piers boasts a nearly 360-degree view of the surrounding coastline. A focus on traditional, natural finishes drove the materials selection for both the interior and exterior of the house, while a sleek, modern design approach was taken for the overall form and layout of the program.  Having lived in the house formely on the site, the clients had a deep understanding of what they wanted to improve with their new build: conformity with local regulations, preparati ..read more

When you picture a printer in your mind, chances are you imagine something the size of a toaster oven, made of hard plastic with a few little buttons on the top. You turn it on, press a button, and out comes your image. But Emma Sampson’s machine is nothing like that.  “People assume you can throw a roll of paper in and let it print,” she says. “But there’s a lot of fine-tuning involved. It’s temperamental. It’s a bit like a dog: you have to feed it regularly, and you can’t let it sit idle every day.” It needs to have a dust-free environment, as well as the right humidity. It needs a watc ..read more

What if, as you were daydreaming and plotting your new home, you thought not about the building but its ruins? What if you imagined what had stood before—and how good it was while it lasted? Caleb Johnson did this while creating his pocket-sized family home in coastal Biddeford. For the lifelong architect-builder, a conversation with materials is the point, and his home is proof of that perspective: it’s cedar and oak, walnut and wrought iron. Johnson loves materials, the old-fashioned kind—he isn’t stalking trade shows for plastic-laced composite stone that promises lasting performance. His i ..read more

Perhaps it’s not surprising that a pair of creative professionals would share a “good eye.” “We’re completely mad about antiquing, finding the right things,” says Chris Ross, describing how he and his wife, Alice, have furnished their Portland home with treasures culled from antique shops, Facebook Marketplace, and roadside castoffs. But, beyond seeing beauty in the old, they also seem to be able to spot good ideas ahead of the crowd. In 2014, well before the COVID lockdown sent New Yorkers scrambling for Maine real estate, the Rosses and their two children had left Brooklyn to live and work r ..read more

It was three in the morning when Matt Herrington first saw the building that would become his family’s Maine home. From the pictures online, he could tell the coastal structure was in bad shape, but he could also see its immense potential. “It was unlike any other listing,” he recalls. “It was an American ruin. There was no water, no electricity, and the floors weren’t connected.” And yet the old yacht club was clearly “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” He ran upstairs and woke up his wife, Shannon Hart Herrington. “We’re flying to Bangor on Saturday,” he said.  At the time, the couple ..read more

Gardening in Maine requires some fortitude. You must get used to harsh conditions, extreme weather, and a relatively short growing season. People who didn’t grow up here often have trouble figuring out what will thrive in Maine, and seasonal residents look for those elusive plants that can survive benign neglect. One way to ensure success is to look to nature for inspiration: native plants, ones that have grown in the region for millennia, are much more likely to thrive than those imported from far away. These indigenous plants are adapted to local conditions and are more resilient to drought ..read more

“Breweries are often heavy and industrial, but with this project we wanted to go in the opposite direction: light, bright, and almost residential. Because of the name—Orange Bike—and owner Tom Ruff’s stylistic preferences, we began thinking about the space as a compact Fiat, focusing on Italian and midcentury modern elements, with some chrome and a generally tight design without too much fluff. The goal is always for the feeling of the interior to match the product and its branding, so we worked with Jonathan and Melissa Motzkin at Makewell, who developed the brewery’s packaging. They created ..read more