The Barton family story in Boothbay Harbor traces back five generations. One summer, they drove north from Foxborough, Massachusetts, to vacation on the water—and ever since the family has established deeper roots, building a cluster of cottages so that future generations could relish the delights of the seaside community.
So when Lisa, a member of the family’s fifth generation based in California, learned that a house in her family’s neighborhood was going on the market, she was quick to act.
“It’s our happy place,” Lisa says. For years, she spent summers with siblings, cousins, and friends, falling in love with this unique community and its traditions: tennis lessons on clay courts, days cruising in little whalers. “We’re really connected to each other. This place is so special that it’s solidified our relationships in a whole different way. Even though we don’t see each other all year—some of us are in California, some are on the East Coast—we all look forward to being there.”
“Now, as adults, we’ve reconnected with a lot of those friends that we’ve made when we were teenagers,” she adds. “As we all started to have children, we recognized what a magical place Boothbay is.”
To pass along that magic, Lisa and her family purchased the house and got to work. As Lisa imagined the family’s home, she saw high ceilings, an open concept suited to hosting friends, windows to bring the cove’s natural beauty inside. Builder Bill Dighton navigated the challenges of construction along the coast—siting and setbacks—and designed a more modern home equipped for the summers Lisa has known from her many years in Boothbay. She wanted the house to be suitable for both today and tomorrow: A place that could accommodate generations’ worth of traditions for years to come while remaining functional for her family and two teenage daughters today.
“We wanted to make sure that the home was going to be a place that they would be comfortable with now but also later on in life when they have their own families,” Lisa said.
Her clear vision and strong instincts proved invaluable to the design team at Huffard House as well.
“When we first spoke with Lisa, she shared a lot about her family’s connection to the area,” says design assistant Jacqueline Scott. “The family connection—everyone traveling from one property to the next without boundaries—was important to her. That really influenced the design.”
Drawing from the ocean and the surrounding landscape’s colors, wood tones, and weaves helped Huffard House design a home in dialogue with Boothbay’s environment: Not only would the house look upon nature, but it would be of it, too. The team enhanced this synchronicity using a palette with white, blue, soft pinks, and earth tones.
Working in 2021, they encountered setbacks and slowdowns due to pandemic shortages and supply chain issues. Leveraging Lisa’s vision, Huffard House found a number of creative solutions. One such solution was the dining room table. Lisa knew she wanted a large table that could comfortably seat 10 for their annual lobster roll dinner. The team at Huffard House worked carefully, meticulously measuring to ensure that the table would not eat into the home’s living space. By collaborating with local builder Kyle Kidwell, they found their perfect piece. Kidwell personally delivered it, too, cutting back on the long lead times other vendors were quoting.
For both Lisa and Huffard House, the design process was one of creative harmony. Jacqueline and Bronwyn Huffard, principal and lead designer, appreciated Lisa’s clear instincts and enjoyed developing their sense of her aesthetics. Lisa valued how Huffard truly listened to what she wanted: natural tones, local makers, and bringing family history into the design.
One of the home’s centerpieces can be found in the stairway: A large tapestry designed by Lisa’s grandmother, the late artist Nancy Hemenway Barton.
“It looks like it was made for that space,” Lisa says. The moment felt like an epiphany—the home, its design, and the family’s history all weaving together in homage to their ongoing story in Boothbay.
Though the home promises to be a gathering place for another generation, this fall, while Lisa’s family was in California, the space was used to pay homage to the past. Nancy was known for “bayetage,” an artform combining flower-dyed wool, bayeta yarn, and collage; her artwork was exhibited in museums around the world. This fall, the home became something of an exhibit, her large-format work spread across the first floor so visitors from interested museums across the country could enjoy it in full view from the vantage of the second-floor balcony.
“They’re using our house so they can really visualize her work,” Lisa says. “I think that’s so amazing. This home is helping people see my grandmother’s works. It’s really special.”
