Private Summer House Design On A Remote Waterfront Property On The Maine Coastline

The Maine coast line, its appearance both lush and craggy, hides a secret gem. That secret, an escape from the city, a private retreat, both abundant in history, restored and updated is August Moon. Situated on a waterfront property overlooking Maine’s Western Bay, August Moon was originally the summer camp of the late Brooke Astor. Named by her after the Chinese mid-autumn harvest festival, the two original structures – a separate glass teahouse and a small cottage with pool – were designed by the architect, Robert Patterson in the 1960’s. The craftsman detailed cottage has a hovering, conic roof with Blue Hill mountain visible in the distance beyond. Both structures have been meticulously researched, restored, and modernized to complement a new program for a young family. For the restoration and new builds, we sought to find original materials used by Patterson, coming across original design documents at the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, which informed our concepts. The new r