Spaces

New Life Down an Old Road

SPACES-September 2011

by Susan Grisanti | Photography Trent Bell

A 1959 Chevrolet Viking short bus is tenderly restored from the chassis up

Design & the Deep End

pools

SPACES-August 2011

by Sophie Nelson | Photography Scott Dorrance

Pools that merge with Maine landscapes

Back in the Race

bolero2

SPACES-October 2010

by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Billy Black

After a year and a half of restoration, the famous Sparkman and Stephens racing yawl, Bolero, made her grand return to the water

A Spirit of Home

SPACES-August 2010

by Dan MacNaughton
Photography Alison Langley

Tradition, modern technology, and style come together in a sailing yacht

The Heart of the Home

SPACES-Nov/Dec 2009

by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Irvin Serrano

Putting historic elements to work in a remodeled kitchen

Now We’re Cooking!

SPACES-May 2009

by Debra Spark

The transformation of unworkable kitchens into beautiful spaces

Being the winner of the “Ugly Kitchen” contest seems like an unfortunate honor. Right up there with starring in the Shag Carpet Follies or landing in the Lawn Ornament Hall of Fame. But the biannual contest—which is run by the Maine Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA)—is actually about transformation, the remodeling of an unworkable space into something beautiful. This year, the prize for best overall design went to Elaine Murdoch, CKD, CBD* of Boothbay Harbor’s Knickerbocker Group, who converted a dark, cramped kitchen in a 1980s Southport home into an elegant, light-filled space. With its unattractive oak cabinets and vinyl flooring, the original kitchen was outdated, boxed off from the home’s adjoining living room, and created a traffic pattern that was, according to Murdoch, “totally bizarre.” The first step was to take down the kitchen’s two interior walls and visually open up the space—a complicated task given that a post hidden in one of the interior walls provided structural support for the home. The solution was a room divider that, in addition to holding up the second floor, sections off the kitchen from the rest of the first. Consisting of a counter topped by two glassed-in cabinets, the room divider allows one to look out of (and into) the kitchen without the appearance, as Murdoch says, “of a mess hall.” The room divider has the additional virtue of offering more storage space. Shelves, a microwave, and a cabinet with wine rack are tucked underneath the counter, while drawers for keys and mail hide the otherwise ubiquitous kitchen clutter pile.

That’s Entertainment!

SPACES-March 2009

by Candace Karu
Photography Trent Bell

Stay home in style with movies, music, television, and more

Technology is changing the way we live in dramatic ways, and nowhere is this transformation more evident than in our homes. From a simple speaker dock for MP3 players to an integrated, multipurpose home-theater and entertainment system, there is an audio and video technology solution for every family and every budget.
We talked to Maine’s leading audio/video experts about some of their most interesting projects and products. We also asked them to tell us about their favorite solutions for making sophisticated new technologies both user-friendly and affordable.