Seven inviting New England houses from our archive
Running along the east coast of the United States north of New York, the six states of New England are an appealing land of white clapboard houses and shingled beach cottages, where generations of city dwellers have built coastal and countryside retreats. Whether they embrace a rustic simplicity or a more sophisticated elegance, these houses have a peculiar charm. We've found our favourite New England houses from Connecticut to Maine.
Dean Hearne1/14Having inherited this house in Salisbury, Connecticut, from her parents, fourth-generation antiques dealer Dana Jennings Rohn and her husband Fritz have made it a space that pays homage to her family traditions while reflecting her own convivial spirit.
Dean Hearne2/14“We collect with complete abandon. One of the greatest pleasures of being an antiques dealer is constantly prowling for beautiful things and being able to take them home with you.” Call it an occupational hazard. Dana and Fritz are the owners of a nearby antiques store, Montage, beloved for its artful and ever changing mix of American, English, and Continental furniture and art. It is natural, then, that collecting art and antiques leads Dana and Fritz’s design impulses. “Our collecting is at the wheel: we are collectors, not interior designers,” she says of their approach.
Photography: Read McKendree | Styling: Mieke Ten Haave3/14This charming Rhode Island beach cottage belongs to interior designer Max Sinsteden, who has created a neutral backdrop against which his collections of ceramics, art and furniture can shine. It is a light, airy beach house, able to withstand the informality of life by the sea: “We embrace the reality that there is sand on your feet and there are wet towels, so it’s OK to sit down on the chairs in a semi-wet swimsuit,” Max explains.
Photography: Read McKendree | Styling: Mieke Ten Haave4/14
Maura McEvoy5/14The Big House in Maine has been home to the same family for six generations. The current owner's grandmother specified the stain for the walls herself—a mix of Prussian blue, yellow ochre, linseed oil, and turpentine—and it has remained untouched since.
Ngoc Minh Ngo7/14Designer James Huniford has breathed new life into this 18th-century farmstead in rural Connecticut, sensitively rearranging and restoring its period interiors to create a restful retreat for a Manhattan-based family. ‘We have always wanted an old house, but also loved the fact that it had grown over time and been added on to,’ says the owner. ‘It felt interesting, as though it had a story and we were adding another layer to that story.'
Ngoc Minh Ngo8/14In the kitchen, Ford exposed the original wooden beams, restored the oak floorboards and replaced a run of Eighties windows with traditional rope-and-weight sash windows. Full of light and enjoying views over the garden, the room is spacious enough to accommodate not just the custom-designed units, but also a breakfast table and a seating area.
Dean Hearne9/14Ceramicist Frances Palmer's house in Weston, Connecticut, is a place where she can spend time with her creative passions, including making beautiful pots and tableware, and growing dahlias in her extensive cutting garden. The large barn studio where Frances works is just a short walk across the garden from her house, which dates from the 19th century; the barn was built more recently using a 1790s timber frame.
Paul Raeside11/14Nina Campbell made her redesign of this coastal house the subject of her most recent book, A House in Maine. Originally a small cottage built at the turn of the 20th century, it has grown into a Federal-style manse at the heart of a small seaside estate.
Paul Raeside12/14Campbell was helped by the owners’ request to indulge their love of purple, lilac, mauve, and lavender. It’s a palette that pervades but doesn’t overwhelm and that mixes well with such neutral hues as taupes, grays, and silver. While not rigidly imposed, it creates a sense of coherence as one moves from room to room and from floor to floor.
Maura McEvoy13/14Photographer and lighting designer Chris Baker and his wife, Odette Heideman, a literary editor and ceramicist, fell for this 1850s Cape and its attachments in Maine several years ago, and moved in with the aim “to make as many of the things that we live with as possible.” The barn, shown here, doubles as guest quarters and a breezy space for summer dinner parties.
