The New Nautical

With help from an interior designer, a former architect transformed her weathered 1,600-square-foot Maine beach house into a colorful retreat that redefines coastal style.

- ELLA FIELD,MAX KIM-BEE,TORI MELLOTT

When Christina Old and her husband, Christian, toured their South Portland, ME, beach house for the first time, it was a pass. “It wasn’t that pretty—we knew it would need a full gut renovation,” Christina says. “The back addition was questionably done, the ceilings were too low, and the kitchen wasn’t functional at all.” But after months of looking in a market where homes sold quickly for more than asking, the couple toured the 1920s cottage again. This time, they put on their rose-colored glasses: “It had the best vibes, and the light was really nice,” Christina says. “It felt like a happy house.” So the couple took a chance on the cottage just minutes from the beach. Christina, a former architect, started by reimagining the layout: “We were limited by how much of the lot we could build on; it’s a very small, cozy house,” Christina says. Then she turned her focus to the decor. She wanted a fun, vibrant, and coastal look without playing into the more expected navy blues or nautical motifs. In what Christina describes as a twist of fate, she came across a magazine story featuring a home designed by Betsy Wentz—and knew the interior designer could bring the homeowners’ vision to life. “We were able to use colors Christina loved, and I challenged her a bit,” W