In the best retreat house tradition, the Overlook creates a place of refuge after the owners have been outside—in this case skiing, hiking, and biking. While its hard shell withstands the cold alpine climate, “the interior is softer, even sculptural, more about resting and regenerating,” says Tom Lane, AIA. With an emphasis on all things local, the fireplace hearthstone came from the site and was used as a color reference for the interior finishes and furnishings. Eastern white pine, a Maine commodity, covers the floors, walls, and ceilings, while minimal window trim detailing erodes the division between inside and out. A local craftsman built the walnut kitchen cabinets and the island with fluted wood detailing. The plaster kitchen wall’s purposeful curve draws you into the living area from the top of the steps, a technique used elsewhere as a subtle directional cue. “The interiors are spare but lovely, and the tone-on-tone pops it,” a judge said.
The lower level porte cochère, too, embodies the design’s pronounced sense of shelter. “They can drive the snowmobile right in, offload equipment, and get out of the weather,” says Russ Tyson, AIA. Sliding doors block the winter wind or open to summer breezes. “The homeowners often set themselves up to enjoy the sun there,” adds project designer Drew Bortles. “Two Adirondack chairs live in there at different times.”
Citation
Architectural Interiors
Whitten Architects
The Overlook
Kingfield, Maine
Project Credits
Architect: Whitten Architects, Portland, Maine
Builder: Sebastian Tooker, Sebastian Tooker Construction, Kingfield, Maine
Interior designer: Heidi Lachapelle Interiors, Portland
Landscape architect: Soren Deniord Landscape Studio, Portland
Project size: 6,500 square feet
Site size: 309 acres
Construction cost: Withheld
Photography: Trent Bell Photography
Key Products
Acoustic: ROCKWOOL Safe ’n Sound. ROXUL
Cladding: Eastern white cedar and western red cedar
Cooking vent hood: Zephyr
Dishwasher: Bosch
Entry doors and hardware: Marvin
Faucets: Kallista
HVAC systems: Mitsubishi
Lighting: Allied Maker, Worley’s Lighting, Workstead
Lighting control systems: Lutron HomeWorks
Paints/stains/coatings: Valhalla LifeTime wood treatment, Watco
Radiant heating: Veissman
Range: Wolf
Refrigerator: Liebherr
Sinks: Kraus, Kallista, Kast
Toilets: TOTO
Towel heaters: Rejuvenation
Tubs: Kohler
Washer/dryer: LG
Windows: Marvin