Eclectic Home Tour – Molly in Maine

Two of their kids went to college in Maine and that’s when she fell in love with the state, its people and way of life. Today’s Eclectic Home Tour is the stunning coastal home of Molly in Maine. She says, “we bought a view with two tiny rundown seasonal cottages attached to it!” She’s turned those rundown cottages into a feels-like-it’s-always-been-there home that reflects her love of coastal style, casual living, and the color blue. Get ready to see some of the most stunning antique collections, thrifted finds and a collected over time look.

Eclectic Home Tour Molly in Maine - love this stunning farmhouse kitchen with wood lower cabinets and white uppers plus the hanging pot rack and antique corbels kellyelko.com

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Says Molly, “When I retired from my career with the federal government  in 2017 we sold that home and moved to Maine. I have always loved interior design and this home has been my crowning achievement! The colors and many of the accessories in the home were chosen to reflect the natural views out the many large windows. This house is all about the water view!”

A complete gut renovation of the 450 square foot guest cottage was the starting point and when that was finished, Molly made it her temporary living quarters, with her two dogs and cats, for six months until they could move into the new house.

Stunning coastal Maine home on the water surrounded by lupines kellyelko.com

“It’s no secret that I love a good collection. Or that one of my favorite pastimes is perusing antique stores or spending the morning at an auction, hoping to score a new “treasure” to add another layer to my home. But all this is really not about things, but about feelings. I want to create a home with warmth and depth — one that welcomes and embraces. A haven during these difficult times. A place that reminds me of family and friends”, says Molly.

Cottage foyer with stained glass door and blue and white plate collection kellyelko.com

Molly says some of her favorite things in the foyer include “A mirror gifted to me by my children which brings back memories of happy family vacations on Nantucket. Beach stones I collected topping the posts on the stairs. Spring branches atop a blue painted chest. The treasured collection of antique blue and white transferware I inherited from my mom.”

One of Molly’s favorite things about the house is being able to see straight to the water when you walk through the front door.

Huge antique map of Maine kellyelko.com

An antique map dating to 1910 fits perfectly in this Maine home.

Blue and white family room with wood ceiling beams kellyelko.com

Molly says, “I was really fortunate to acquire some antique furniture and accessories from my parents’ home when they downsized. I love to go to antique stores and shows and local estate auctions and have found some unique pieces for the home. I love coastal style, casual living, and the color blue.”

Coastal living room in blue and white kellyelko.com

This light filled family room is awash in natural light.

Antique shell art and a huge dough bowl filled with shells and coral in this coastal home kellyelko.com

Molly says, “I have a thing for whimsically painted antique cottage furniture. So it was obviously love at first sight for me when I saw this piece, with its faux wood grain paint and sweet pastoral scenes, at a local auction. I didn’t care that it is missing a knob on one drawer. Well, I guess not everyone shares my love for this kind of furniture — or more accurately no one does. I was the only bidder and walked out of there with this special piece for only $30!”

Coastal cottage with blue and white furniture and a stone fireplace kellyelko.com

“The see-through stone gas fireplace that anchors the downstairs living and dining areas was made from locally quarried stone that was used for fill and unearthed when the basement was dug.  It is a work of art and the old stone has such character,” says Molly.

Double sided stone fireplace kellyelko.com

Pine beams, bead board ceiling in the kitchen, and tongue and groove paneling in several areas of the house give this new house an old home feel.

Farmhouse kitchen with natural wood cabinets with white upper cabinets kellyelko.com

The pot rack hanging over the stove was made from plumbing fittings.

Farmhouse kitchen with industrial pot rack kellyelko.com

“I have no background in interior design”, says Molly, “but it is something that I have always loved. Color and pattern make me happy and I am always game to look for antique and vintage treasures!”

Beautiful blue stove in this classic coastal kitchen kellyelko.com

The blue pantry cabinet was painted the same color as the sapphire blue range (which Molly named BlueBelle)!

Love this collection of antique fish moulds hung as a gallery wall kellyelko.com

A unique collection of vintage fish moulds is displayed on a kitchen wall.

Cottage style - love the wood ceiling beams, statement chandelier and pine table with bistro chairs kellyelko.com

The reclaimed pine table in the dining area was made by a local craftsman and pairs nicely with blue and white French bistro chairs.

Antique fish plate gallery wall kellyelko.com

A collection of fish plates creates a whimsical plate wall that wraps around the corner of the dining room.

Another stunning collection of fish plates is tucked into an antique pine hutch.

It’s all about the view!

Blue penny tile and bold Serena and Lily wallpaper add a modern touch to this blue and white bathroom complete with antique pew and mirror.

Eclectic Home Tour Molly in Maine kellyelko.com - love the dog washing station and vintage art

One of Molly’s favorite areas of the house is the dog washing station. She says, “this dog shower allows Maddie and Cisco to live their best Maine lives — romping through the field and down by the water — while I am able to maintain a clean house and my sanity!”

Cottage decor - love the pine cabinet and antique stocking stretcher kellyelko.com

Cottage mudroom kellyelko.com

Upstairs, a bold patterned floral wallpaper adds a graphic punch against darker blue walls.

Floral wallpaper adds a graphic pop to these antique architectural pieces kellyelko.com

The master bedroom is filled with some of Molly’s favorite things including a painting of one of her dogs.

Coastal bedroom with Sailor's Valentines and four poster bed kellyelko.com

“The antique painted cottage headboard is part of a set I found at a local antiques store. I had it made into a queen-size bed by adding the posts,” says Molly.

Sailor's Valentines - love them grouped together on a wall of this coastal bedroom kellyelko.com

Molly says, “My collection of Sailor’s Valentines was the very first thing I hung on the walls of our home here in Maine. These are all made by contemporary artists and were purchased for the most part on Nantucket. This art form dates to the late 18th century, though, when sailors would buy them primarily in Barbados as souvenirs after being away at sea to bring home to their loved ones. The intricate designs are made out of tiny shells! They are one of my most treasured collections.”

Coastal bedroom with four poster bed and wicker furniture kellyelko.com

Coastal bedroom with painted wicker furniture and whimsical art kellyelko.com

The mirror was one of the first purchases made for the house, long before the house was complete, and Molly loves using antique mirrors in bathrooms.

Antique mirror in the bathroom with vanity built to match kellyelko.com

Coastal bedroom with ship gallery wall kellyelko.com

A gallery wall of vintage ship paintings continue the coastal theme into one of the bedrooms.

Beautiful blue and white bathroom with marble vanity and blue wood painted floors kellyelko.com

Wood floors were painted blue in this classic coastal bathroom.

Classic blue and white bathroom with blue painted wood floors kellyelko.com

Love this stunning coastal home and guest cottage kellyelko.com

The original run down house was knocked down to make room for the new house while the little guest house on the right got an interior makeover.

Adorable little blue guest house kellyelko.com

Says Molly, “Our guest cottage is just 450 square feet of one room living. I used furniture groupings grounded by area rugs to delineate the different functional spaces. That is the small dining area in the left corner with a table that also doubles as a desk. The sleeping nook is in the opposite corner, and the kitchenette behind the sofa.”

One room guest house - charming coastal home in Maine kellyelko.com

Sunsets on the water create breathtaking colors.

Stunning coastal home at sunset with a row of limelight hydrangeas kellyelko.com

Molly is an amateur gardener and has been learning as she goes. She planted 20 Limelight hydrangeas surrounding the back deck as well as a wildflower meadow  and a lower lawn area with a stone fire pit bordered with marsh grass next to the water and says, “Each year I tackle a different area of the property — there are years of work ahead of me!”

Coastal porch with adirondack chairs and wicker furniture kellyelko.com

“This outdoor area is all about keeping things natural — cedar furniture , an old lobster trap table, and a table made from a piece of driftwood. The oar above the window washed up on our shoreline, and I found the shutters at a local antiques mall”, says Molly.

Coastal deck set for dinner kellyelko.com

Molly says, “The list of accomplishments is long. But so is the list of things yet to be done. So I will keep laboring, in love, to achieve the dream I had in my minds eye when I first saw this place I now oh-so-gratefully call home.”

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32 Comments

  1. There is so much I love about this home I don’t even know where to start! The view is amazing and I love the blue painted floor and the light fixture in the dining room. The blue stove is so unique! Great tour! 💙

  2. I’ve been following Molly in Maine on Instagram for a while now. Everything about her home, from the collections of antiques, the blue decor, the breathtaking ocean views and of course, her pups is inspiring. I look forward to seeing her posts every day!

  3. Molly in Maine is one of my favorite accounts on IG. I have a deep love for Maine and her dream was also mine but I ended up on a different path and that’s okay because accounts like Molly’s allow me to see the beauty of my very favorite state, other than my home state of Georgia. Her finesse with the myriad shades of blue is spectacular and coordinates perfectly with the unique colors and lights of outdoor Maine. Thank you, Kelly, for taking us a little deeper into the details of the beauty of Molly in Maine!

  4. Dreamy! I love the warm tone of the woods chosen in contrast with the coastal blues! That kitchen! I love the haint ceiling too.

  5. Thank you for such a complete tour! I’ve been following Molly for a few years and she is a favorite. The cohesiveness of the photo collection was a treat. Her collections and views are something not to be missed. Thanks again.

  6. It’s a wonderful home, she’s made it so pretty and cozy. This was one of those tours you wish and dream about, so enjoyed what she’s done.

  7. Wow, this has been so fun to look at and I’m going to go back and look again. Thank you so much for sharing this. I love this series you do, keep it up, it’s wonderful!

  8. Love this beautiful home, as always Kelly, you let us peak into some lovely homes and provide the most enjoyable tours!!

  9. Dear Kelly,

    PLEASE STOP with these gorgeous home tours!! (just kidding) I am stuck indoors in true Upstate/Central NY- it was 15 below recently and now the wind has picked up- so I am online looking at so many ideas, yearning for my dream home, so many beautiful options, so many ideas about what I could do in the home I have now…
    Making me crazy!!

  10. What a truly lovely home tour and beautifully developed narrative of her home. Thank you for this post! Loved every picture and especially how her dog featured in each room. Can’t you just imagine THAT photo shoot. How sweet!

  11. If I woke up one morning in this home, I would have to assume that I had died and gone to heaven. I absolutely love EVERYTHING about this home.

  12. Thank you Molly for sharing your beautiful home and thank you Kelly for being the conduit for us on your blog. Sooooo much to enjoy when we are invited in to such amazing spaces. It makes all the crazy distancing not feel so hard. God bless!

  13. Absolutely beautiful and cozy. I love the collections of fish molds, fish plates and those wonderful sailor’s valentines. Every room is a joy to look at.

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