At a Scandinavian-inspired house on a peaceful parcel of land in Brunswick, beyond the crisp
design and calm palette, one of the home’s most distinguishing features is something more fluid:
the exchange between what lives indoors and all that dwells outside.
When one of the homeowner’s parents purchased a home on 11 acres of land in Brunswick and
subsequently divided the property, the homeowners, a young couple from out of state, moved to
Maine and began dreaming up their home in the woods.
door to my parents,” said the homeowner. “We liked the location. It feels very much like we’re in
the middle of nowhere, yet we’re so close to town.”
She’s originally from Connecticut. He grew up in St. Louis but was born in Denmark to a Danish
father, a genealogy which traces through the home.
They were inspired by simplicity, decluttering the space, and soaking each room in natural light.
While they imagined the interior aesthetics alongside the teams at Kennebec Co. and N-E
Construction, the surrounding landscape always remained a core influence.
“We were married on the pond overlooking where our house currently is,” says the homeowner.
“We built the house as we were building our lives together. We first sat down to talk about it in
2020. In our minds, we were always planning to have a place where we could have a family that
felt safe and free. We wanted our children to feel like the door was open, and the outside felt very
much part of the inside.”
entertainment for the whole family.
“Their screens are the windows. They stand with their face pressed up to them all the time,
watching the deer. We’ve had these porcupines that have loved coming by every evening. We’ve
been enjoying watching the turtles from the pond and have seen them lay eggs right under our windows.”
Deep consideration for the family’s lifestyle is embedded universally in the home’s design. N-E
Construction worked with a modular design that the family liked and added the firm’s net zero
principles to maximize the home’s efficiency.
“We’ve always built net zero or net zero ready homes,” says Nathan Ellis, owner of N-E
Construction. “It’s more interesting to talk about the envelope, how it’s going to be built, how it’s
oriented, and how the different systems are going to be integrated, from hot water to heat or fresh
air and filtration. It’s all electric. They have battery backup systems and full solar.”
With four children, the family spends a significant amount of time in the kitchen, and Heather
Krausse’s team at Kennebec Co. outfitted the space to their unique needs.
“I love to cook, and food preparation is a big part of what we do as a family,” says the
homeowner. “I didn’t want to feel apart from the family while in the kitchen. We have four
children who are five and under, but as we visioned towards the future too, we imagined using
the island as a place where they can sit down and convene.”
“The kitchen is the center of everything. I feel like I’m standing in front of the stove all day, and
I’m still a part of everything.”
The family opted for the Simply Kennebec line, which drew out the home’s essential
characteristics in this most central location.
“Down to the thirty-second of an inch, we engineer everything,” says Heather Krausse. “The
function of the kitchen for the family is the most complex part of the house. It’s supporting a lot
of different activities, from cooking to preparation, canning, feeding and nutrition, homework,
and laptop work.”
With natural finishes and an open concept, it finds an easy harmony with the rest of this serene
home in the woods of Midcoast Maine.
“The dense pack, double stud houses can be quite quiet,” Nathan says. “All those natural woods
and tones really fit. They’re out in the middle of a big field in the woods in Brunswick.”
Heather adores the home’s serenity as well.
“They have a walking path between the two houses for the grandparents to come down and the
kids to go up,” she says. “It’s beautiful and sets the tone. With the very environmental design,
glass, and Scandinavian approach with the maples, subtle colors, and the simple forms, this one
really wanted to be serene.” ▪
