British interior designer Nina Campbell is known around the world for her projects that push the envelope of design. Her style is demure and classic while being fluidly contemporary and bold. A chameleon style—one that fits her clients’ lifestyles in Paris, London, and New York. And recently, Maine.
Yes, Nina Campbell’s work in Maine is thrilling to witness unfold. Her latest design book, titled A House in Maine with Giles Kime and photography by Paul Raeside, is filled with pages of one family’s coastal estate. It’s a most unusual project: the original, historic home was torn down, and in its stead came an exact replica of the house. The furniture, all positioned at the same angle, even the windows facing the same view. Except, the new construction is refreshed with Nina’s timeless colors and patterns. Her unexpected choice of purple and pink tones for this coastal home elevates the sprawling house in a soft, bespoke design. Flip through the pages of the book to see how color arrives, and beautifully so. In a regally white and gray kitchen—a mauve convection oven and plushy pink stools peek out from underneath the island. A tented ceiling in a garden room feels like a resurrected room from a European castle. Bunkbeds enveloped in dark, rich wood and concealed in printed fabric carry a strong seaside, or seafaring, motif.
The book takes readers into other spaces besides the main house. We’re afforded a tour inside “The Pool House,” featuring playful prints depicting oversized cans of sardines and caviar; “The Play House” bearing a lavender-painted British phone booth as an entrance to the property’s private nightclub (move over Doctor Who); and a section dedicated to “The Landscape” that walks readers through the abundant gardens that provide food, stunning walking paths, and seating areas.
"We wanted to bring modern comforts to the house but also respect the generations who had lived there before."
Another project that has yet to be revealed involves Bar Harbor’s 2023 Designer Showhouse on Hamilton Hill, where Nina will dramatically transform one of the rooms in the home. Tours of Hamilton Hill will be available in August. ▪
