Stephanie Mahaney and her family traded palm trees for pine trees when they moved from South Florida to Falmouth Foreside and landed in one of the region’s classic John Calvin Stevens-designed homes.
Built in 1925 as a classic Shingle Style summer home and dubbed “Fairways” for its proximity to Portland Country Club’s links, the property was in great shape but required thoughtful updates to work for their family of five. For Stephanie, the founder and head designer of Stephanie Rae Interiors, it was a hole-in-one.
A New York City native, Stephanie spent her youth moving around Bronxville in a series of homes that her mother, a psychologist with a passion for design, renovated and sold. “I remember as a kid going to all the antique shops. I’m the youngest of five so at that point, my mom was just taking me around with her everywhere,” she says with a laugh. Stephanie, a former lead designer at Kemble Interiors of Palm Beach, launched Stephanie Rae Interiors in 2014.
Her husband Chris, a Bangor native, acts as CEO, and is also the co-founder of Bloom Building & Construction. Together, they have created a full-service design and build company. Between projects that span from snowy Maine to sunny Florida, the pair have applied the same attention to detail in bringing their century-old home back to its former shine.
Stephanie notes that clients in Palm Beach generally favor patterns over the pared-back style of New England, and in designing her own home, strikes a balance between stylish and sedate. “In a way, moving to Maine has broadened my views on interior design. Living in Florida, the seasons don’t change. It looks basically the same out every day unless it’s raining. Whereas in Maine, you have to think about how the seasons affect your design. Will this color feel good in the summer? Will it feel cheerful in the winter?”
Well-maintained over the years, the home required little restructuring. “It’s an old house, but it was nice we came into it not needing to do a full gut renovation,” Stephanie admits. “One day we might replace the windows, but right now it works for us, and there’s a beauty to it.”
With thoughtful updates, they made the space their own. “The architecture is so beautiful. I didn’t want to take away from it by adding a lot of color. I lean towards a light palette.” Stephanie brightened the interior with Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace, recentering the focus on the original millwork and spaciousness of the rooms. She kept the furnishings classic, with warm neutrals and natural materials. “We redid all the floors,” Stephanie continues. “They’re the original birch wood floors, and we sanded them down to their natural color because they turn orange over time. We put a clear, very strong finish on top, for children who like to ride scooters in the house!”
Ceramic tile, sisal rugs, grass cloth wall coverings and rattan furnishings feel true to the space and its natural surroundings. “I don’t have a ton of wallpaper and patterns because I do that all day long,” she notes. “I love to use patterns for my clients, but in my own house I prefer more texture and lean toward solid colors and letting the outside in.” To foster the connection to the outdoors, the couple also added a wrap-around porch.
Known for luxe, contemporary touches, Stephanie created a jewel-like kitchen nook with a custom purple banquette and striped chairs from Coley Home. In the dining room, a burnished brass chandelier from Visual Comfort hangs above a scallop-edged table and clear acrylic chairs softened by sheepskins. Throughout, pops of ochre and slate upholstered accents keep things lively. A powder room wallpapered in clay red is a little gem.
“I would never do a deep red bathroom in Florida,” Stephanie muses. Trading in Florida’s hot-hotter-hottest for four distinct seasons, she keeps the changing weather on her mind when designing for herself or her Maine clients. “It’s new materials, new textures, new patterns that I wouldn’t have used before. I also think about, well, is this going to last? I don’t want it to feel like a winter mountain house when it’s the middle of summer and it’s light out for 20 hours a day.”
A tranquil home is paramount to the busy designer. The bedrooms are serene pastels, in blue, green, and pink for their daughters, with matching twin canopy beds. Their son now occupies the original primary, with the largest closet and ensuite bath, but Stephanie and Chris chose a smaller bedroom for its verdant view of the Penobscot River just past the country club fairways. Set on just over four acres down a winding path, Fairways is now surrounded by mountain bike paths and walking trails the Mahaneys created for their active family, as well as a sauna and cold plunge, a chicken coop, and a treehouse for the children.
