The Lakes and Mountains region in Western Maine is made up of majestic mountain ranges, hundreds of pristine glacial lakes, and historic towns. An hour north of Portland, and home to Maine’s ski resorts, the region is a year-round destination.

On the site of a former girls summer camp, our clients—a Boston-based professional couple with young children—sought to create a lakefront four-season retreat on their family property. The parents’ existing cottage and our clients’ soon-to-be home would share a common driveway and waterfront and needed to visually relate to one another, while also maintaining their own identity and privacy.

Upon entering the property between stone piers, an alley of 70-year-old white pines leads the way to the waterfront site. Because of the dense tree cover and our clients' desire for daylight and lake views, we worked with a local arborist to site the camp around healthy trees, while removing diseased evergreens. Our site-specific design planned for an open space between the camps on the inland side for family games and interaction.