Little worlds are contained behind front doors of Maine homes, concealing stories of the people who live there and have lived there. Details like paint choices, finger smudges from little hands, and patinated dinner tables rich with chinks and cup stains invite us into those stories. One quirky, colorful Maine house in Cape Neddick shares the history of a world-traveling couple who has found their own corner of the world in this quiet coastal town.
Emily Peterson and her husband met at the age of 14, years before they started dating, and would reconnect later in life when he was living in England. Their romance brought Emily to England, where she studied fashion merchandising. When a job change brought the couple back to the U.S., New England felt like a familiar version of the life they were leaving overseas.
“I’ve always loved old houses,” says Emily. “My parents are big antique people, and I grew up visiting presidents’ houses and Amish country.” The house search commenced in 2019, but it would take three years before finding an 18th century house with history and charm that fit Emily’s vision. The couple had married in York, a place that felt significant to their love story. Emily hoped to find home near the area out of sentiment and a desire to be close to the water. When their future home came on the market, it wasn’t in the best shape, and far from what Emily’s tender touch has molded it to be today. The yard was overgrown, and the interiors needed a refresh—but beneath the disrepair and clunky renovations done in the 1990s, Emily admired the main house’s bones, its detached garage, and a separate poetry cottage.
“Walking into the home was like stepping into the ‘90s,” Emily laughs. “It felt old and not much had been touched. Wood beams, slanted floors, molding on the walls, butter yellow and powder everywhere. It felt like a ‘90s coastal Maine home.” Despite some of the outdated elements, she loved the custom cabinets and carvings in the kitchen. Stepping outside into the gardens transported her back to England. Statues, vines, pathways that lead down to the river felt romantic, like a secret garden. When she discovered a stairwell down to the river, she was sold.
Their previous home was a new build and hadn’t needed any “tough love.” Entering the world of renovation and hands-on home repairs was new to Emily, but of course, she was still an artist at heart. The home became a canvas, and tools became her paintbrush. “In the primary bedroom, there were staple padded walls, and I pulled out thousands of staples with a hand stapler,” Emily recalls.
Though she had never painted as much as a wall, she got to work. The vision for the home was clear in her mind, arriving to her as she walked through each of the rooms. “I wanted to create a moody, cozy, coastal home with a European flair,” says Emily. “I picked out the paint colors before we even moved in. The house spoke to me. I knew what it wanted to be.” Emily repainted every inch of the house, including all the woodwork, walls, and ceilings.
Beautiful, wide pine floors, wooden beams, and original molding reveal the home’s character, built in 1775 and renovated over the years. Walking from room to room after Emily’s additions, each has a distinct personality and season to it. The Game Room is a smaller, cozy space where the couple plays games with their kids and is a favorite in the winter. Deep navy walls and a red velvet couch make the room feel like a “warm hug,” as Emily says. The Moody Room is a TV-less lounge where guests gather to chat in a pub-like atmosphere. A green couch matches the green walls for a cohesive color scheme. Moving towards the back of the house, the Great Room, with beige paint, is the lightest room that is a summertime space that fills with sunshine. The kitchen has a monochromatic palette with different sheens on the cabinets, ceiling, and walls. Modeled after an Old-World French country kitchen, antique chandeliers, a 17th century Italian wooden table, and Chinoiserie as decor are mixed with modern elements to give the space some freshness.
After moving into the home, her own art followed another drastic shift. “I started to paint again after a hiatus,” says Emily. “In high school, I focused on still lifes, and then I gravitated towards abstract art following my return from England. When I moved into this home, I started painting moody, impressionistic seascapes and florals with a vintage, dreamlike feeling.” When Emily’s not tending to the gardens outside or enjoying the layered intimacy of the main home, she loves to spend time in her art studio, painted in a rich brown color, unlike many a classic sterile white studio. She dreams of filling her studio with sculptures, furniture, and trinkets—maybe even adding a pottery wheel and kiln to explore a new avenue for creativity.
more, but the image of the moody interiors, one-of-a-kind antiques, art, and life
remains. ▪
