Larger Photos:
Bristol Farmhouse on Muscongus Bay
A couple planning to retire on a waterfront site in the picturesque village of Round Pond, located on the Bristol, Maine peninsula, hired Phelps Architects, Inc. to design their new coastal home with design elements reminiscent of a Maine farm house. The owners imagined a garage and studio located in the barn, porches were a must, reading areas, and space for two accomplished musicians to play their piano and cello with a view. The design began with building forms and proportions based on historic Maine farmsteads in order to capture their spirit of place. Elements of Shingle Style residential architecture form a natural bridge between the farm house concept and coastal cottages scattered within view of the distant islands. The house was carefully placed set back from the deep water shore access to allow existing sloping finish grades to be leveraged and step around the building form creating a less assuming and grounded transition.
Indoor and outdoor relationships resonate throughout the design. A spacious screen room, accessed from the kitchen and dining room, creates a pivot point and wraps the corner from which to enjoy the views while still offering the ability for unobstructed water views from the kitchen, dining and great room. The second floor master suite and guest room include balconies with open diagonal pattern railings set within the apron roof lines to enjoy the outdoors, increase light, views and breezes into the bedrooms.
Covered porches wrap the residence and flared shingle walls above entry doors offer shelter or a place to enjoy whatever weather may come. Even the basement doors are covered for protection and allow a convenient storage access point with a direct walking path to the dock side activities and adjacent stone steps to the upper deck.
The design may borrow from the past, but also incorporates many refinements for modern living. Some examples include an elevator to the spacious second floor master suite, open plan concept for flexibility of use, ample built-in cabinetry for increased storage through-out, a convenient large mudroom comprising the majority of the ell housing seasonal gear at the owner’s fingertips. The barn includes a multi-use work room for gardening tasks or for dog care and washing, with convenient access to the mudroom and studio. When completed, the homeowners will have a place to call home that provides accommodations for all their daily functions juxtaposed with spaces that inspire and offer relaxation.
- PROJECT ARCHITECT: Phelps Architects
- Location: Bristol, ME