Historic Interior Design in Portland, Maine (Part 1)

Warning-will be directly quoting history books :)

I was asked to help prepare the Francis Fassett house in Portland for sale. It was quite an honor considering the prestige and history of the property.

Francis Henry Fassett (June 25, 1823 - November 1, 1908) was an American architect in Maine who built as many as 400 homes and buildings throughout the state... he especially influenced the look of Portland.

He built this duplex in 1876. The right side was for his son, Edward, and the left side was for himself.

Let me show you why he kept the left side...

The light! Oh what glorious light this home has. I began working on it in snowy February. What a fabulous setting in which to be creative and inspired. The challenge was to show the home without distracting from the features. Clean, elegant, non-competitive. :)

The home is on the Historic Register in Portland, so I tried to bring in elegant but timeless touches.

Note the original decorative painted accents throughout the house.

Can anyone else imagine the parties in the roaring twenties? Double Foyers are spacious. If these walls could talk..

I particularly love the enclosed sun room. All of the windows open, there is a radiator to heat the room during winter months...more celebration of light. How appropriate.

During the 1870s, Fassett was the leading architect in both the city and state. I consider it a bit of a miracle (and a testament to the Maine Historical Society) that this house was not torn down in favor of condos. They simply don't build houses this solid anymore.

MLS Listing #1006259 or view it here.