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In the shower, the Japanese porcelain tiles are all a slightly different finish, creating a shimmering effect. "It feels like movement," says Andrew.

Vibrant splashes of color continue in the main living room, located on the second level just steps from the kitchen.

A custom reclaimed wood and car jack coffee table and an Eames LCW chair.

A hallway provides access to the bathroom (along the left-hand side), as well as the main entrance straight ahead.

While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

Atwater Hideaway floor plan

Another perspective of the living area shows the adjacent kitchen and dining room, which feature cedar cladding along the ceiling to visually unite all of the spaces.

Reflecting the diversity of the Maine forest, the kitchen island and floors are maple and the stools are oak. A colorful painting by Jenny Prinn provides contrast.

When Klein Agency reorganized the kitchen plan, they carved out room for a new half bath. Walls are coated in pink Roman Clay plaster.

After, the exterior is painted Regent Green by Benjamin Moore.

Wise maintained the footprint of the kitchen, which is roughly 125 square feet, then maxed out the storage. "Our goal here was to create a sleek and minimal kitchen respectful to the era of the home that was hyper-functional in a small space," says Wise. The black stools are from IKEA.

The firm enlisted their Parisian carpenter to make the cabinets in the "Frey style and color"—stained maple topped with cream-colored quartz. Appliances are all Bertazzoni except for the refrigerator and freezer, which is a Frigidaire Professional. The brick wall would not have been original, but the firm kept it and hand-painted the surface in the style of Le Corbusier’s Parisian apartment.

This midcentury kitchen was well-positioned so the updates maintained its original footprint, adding plenty of storage space for all the family's cooking and dining essentials.

Portland-based pastry chef Andrea Nicholas purchased a 1953 midcentury ranch whose 2,500 square feet needed "a lot of TLC." Nicholas hired architect Risa Boyer to design the renovation, which involved opening up the kitchen to the dining room and creating a contemporary open-plan living space.

Amy worked with Josh Tomlinson of Tomlinson Woodworks to craft the island, which is as much of a showpiece as it is for storage. He also did the cabinetry.

"We wanted to update the fixtures and finishes to reflect how we live," Amy says.

The kitchen countertops are soapstone and the faucet is by Axor.