Here There&

Come Fly With Me

Grounded in the forest while simultaneously soaring above the sea, this modern marvel in Maine is rooted in the now.

BY ERIKA AYN FINCH

Frank Sinatra once said being modern isn’t about the future; it’s about the present. And the team that designed this 5,500-square-foot, two-story, orthogonal home in mid-coast Maine went to great lengths to make sure nothing distracts their client from being present. Save for a thoughtfully curated art collection, the immediacy of the landscape—and the occasionally dramatic coastal weather— is in the pilot’s seat.

The home’s upper level utilizes wood-fiber-and-resin composite Trespa panels for a lofty feeling. “The Trespa panels are used across a wide array of construction genres, but this was our first experience using the product in a residential application,” says builder Ken Hough. “Our craftsmen found that working with the Trespa was straightforward and required the same skills and tooling that are needed to work with hardwood and large sheet stock.”

“Design like this fosters an uncluttered mind and sense of calm,” says interior designer Tracy Davis.

Nature drove most of the design decisions, explains project architect JT Loomis, in both subtle and obvious ways. There are the expanses of glass, of course, that frame are-you-kidding-me views of the ocean. In one of several nods to the trees on the three-and-ahalf-acre parcel of land, builder Ken Hough used hemlock planks to achieve the right texture for the board-formed concrete that clads the lower level. Loomis points to the galvanized-steel columns that support the upper level. “Some are angled, and some are plumb,” he explains. “Not only does that reinforce the structure’s lightness, it also relates to the landscape. Trees

ABOVE: A Lumina suspension lamp hangs above a smoked-glass dining table that expands to seat ten thanks to a concealed mechanized rack system, says interior designer Tracy Davis. BELOW: Guests enter the home via sliding-glass doors sheltered by the upper level. There’s a glimpse of the home’s roofdeck, accessible from the second-floor landing, in the upper left.

THE ONLY THING THAT HAS MORE INTEGRITY THAN THE HOMES WE BUILD ARE THE PEOPLE WHO BUILD THEM.

This is Kenneth. He’s been building extraordinary homes for the past 35 years. They’re not just built with the finest craftsmanship, or the best materials available, they’re built with values, by a team who respects everyone they work with, who never takes a shortcut, who gives 100%, 100% of the time. Because that’s as important to Ken as the shingles, the foundation, and the plumbing. In fact, it’s why he built a whole new company — to go back to the values he began his career with. He wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither should you.