the talented Laurie Hadlock, an artist

Is there someone you think is exceptionally talented? Laurie Hadlock is one of those people for Maine Cottage. We’ve loved working with Laurie over the years on nearly every creative aspect of our company’s marketing efforts. This included the design, layout and editing of our first Colorbooks and initial foray onto the world wide web. Her photography, drawings, handwriting and copywriting in our printed advertising have been invaluable – including our beloved Maine Cottage logo. Most recently, she has styled our room setting photography. Modest and good-humored, Laurie’s adept eye for color, placement and style has been essential in developing our Maine Cottage brand’s spirited personality. Here’s a clip from our 1998 Colorbook (left) done by Laurie and Carol Bass in lower tech times when we showed products as line drawings (below) and made layouts with scissors and glue!

Maine Cottage product line drawings by Laurie circa 1990s

Laurie “in action” at our photo shoots

Laurie’s life outside of Maine Cottage is rich with her own artwork. With a style reminiscent of American artists Milton Avery and Fairfield Porter, we love the simplicity of Laurie’s coastal landscapes and her more abstract studies of color and pattern. A perennial customer (and Maine Cottage crew) favorite in our stores, Laurie works primarily with oil and acrylic paints, but also does beautiful printmaking and black & white photography. Below are a few recent 6×6 paintings shown on her “Friday Painting Posts” blog. Visit her blog and website: www.lauriehadlock.com, to see the full breadth of her beautiful work. Enjoy!

Dance Study

After Rain 2

After Rain

Dusk Study

Two Study

Afternoon Study

Alice Kirkpatrick, Maine artist

The paintings of Alice Kirkpatrick fit into our Maine Cottage store room setting “vignettes” beautifully. Alice likes to capture quiet places in Maine that reveal more about the human spirit by their emptiness than those that bustle with human activity. She is inspired by light, and the power it holds to move us, whether inside our own private spaces, or out in the world. Alice works primarily in acrylic, preferring its immediacy and the ability it gives her to work quickly and intuitively. See more: www.alicekirkpatrick.com.

Morning Light

Between Meals

a Masterful Maine Cottage Bedroom: before & after

What better way to see the dramatic changes that took place in the recent designer showhouse Master Bedroom suite. Does anyone remember the *1970s Prell shampoo ad? Telling us how their product made you go from “flat” to “fluffy”? Well, the transformation here is kind of like that – except without any “fluff”. Every element was thoughtfully selected and beautifully placed in this room. We turned an ordinary space into extraordinary Maine Cottage bedroom.

Master Bedroom “after”

Master Bedroom “before”

Take a tour by viewing this 360° “virtual” room photography of the Master Bedroom. Click and drag with your your mouse to move around the room, including up and down. Click and ZOOM in by using your mouse wheel or right side of your laptop touchpad. A friendly reminder to move slowly to take it all in. Call us for details about the pieces, colors, fabrics and accessories shown in the room. We carry everything, and we mean EVERYTHING, shown in this room.

(*By the way, does anyone want to watch that 1977 Prell ad on YouTube for a laugh? Those of us who grew up in the 70’s TV generation will most likely remember it well…)

Sarah Look, Maine artist

Sarah Look

Daisies, acrylic/oil

Maine artist and local resident Sarah Look creates lyrical florals in an abstract expressionism style with watercolor, goauche, or a mix of acrylic and oil pastel. Through the study and research of plant and floral life subjects, Sarah has gained mastery in the art of botanical painting. Her favorite is working on large canvases where she can move over the surface in layer upon layer of color and thought using paint, oil pastel and inks. The end results are flowers, gardens and landscapes which envelope the viewer and draw them in to see the subjects visible and not so visible anew. “Daisies” (above) is a beautiful example of her wonderful colors and style. Her paintings were included in the recent Charleston Designer Showhouse and now may be seen in person at our stores.

like a Farmer's Market

What do Maine Cottage and a farmer’s market have in common? Fresh colorful furniture and fresh colorful food – all made or grown locally and abundant with beauty and good taste.

Maine Cottage products originate in New England and North Carolina where we use the best, most delicious colors, fabrics and renewable resources to create our furniture. Each piece is benchmade and finished by hand to order. This method has the added benefit of being “greener” than goods (or food) imported from overseas with less fuel consumption, sustainability and lasting quality.

Is this all a little far-fetched? Perhaps. But we want you to know we share the same appreciation and dedication to providing extraordinary goods as your local farmer’s market. One big difference? We’re always in season.

a Maine Cottage Story

Today Maine Cottage is all about colorful furnishings for the whole home. But how did it begin? There was a time back in the late 80’s when we offered only painted wood furniture – classic and eclectic pieces reclaimed from summer cottages, yard sales and antique shops up and down the coast of Maine. As our popularity grew, we began producing our own designs here in New England, then custom finishing them to order one-at-a-time in 12, then 32, and now 40 color choices.

Russell sprays color by hand

Simon sands every nook and cranny

Today we have a full assortment of home furnishings made and custom-finished to order here in New England and North Carolina. And yet we remain true to our roots and still hand finish furniture in our hometown of Yarmouth, Maine. We call it the “Paint Shop”. It’s the place where we expertly give our furniture that stunning Maine Cottage color treatment (hand spray, hand sand, hand spray, hand sand and pack it up). Here are a few photos of our very skilled Paint Shop crew.

Dave sanding a dresser before its final coat of color

Hand sanding by Mimi

Camille Chair is Spot On

Casual Camille is a curvaceous rattan chair that looks fabulous in your choice of 40 Maine Cottage colors and +200 fabrics. Pick up a copy of the June 2010 issue of Country Living to see our Camille Reading Chair in Hotty Dotty fabric. The summery ocean color (Porch) complemented by lively dotted seat cushions makes Camille a playful, vintage beauty. Click here to view page in Country Living (PDF).

Family Room in the Round

Just in! 360 degree “virtual” room photography of the Family Room at the recent Charleston Designer Showhouse. Click and drag to move around the room, including up and down. And a word of warning – move around slowly to prevent dizziness! Enjoy.

that Wicker Chair in This Old House

Wicker and rattan are among the most beloved and versatile materials for casual furniture inside and out on a (very) well-covered porch. Intricate and geometric weaving patterns in classic styles have a wonderfully recognizable familiarity. One that goes well with iced tea and the Sunday paper. The June 2010 issue of This Old House magazine mentions our Maine Cottage Stella Armchair in this context as a modern day example of that relaxed, vintage summer porch look. Maine Cottage Celadon is an attractive garden green. We also have 39 other colors and +200 fabrics to choose from. View This Old House article (PDF) or pick it up at your local market.

Grand Mum's the Word

Our bold, graphic Grand Mum fabric celebrates the joy of flowers. A source of color and texture in patterns and surface design dating back to Renaissance Europe (and beyond), flowers were typical in wallpapers, textiles and tilework. Fresh, original Maine Cottage Grand Mum artwork gives a nod to history, but takes it up a notch with modern day pluck. Who can resist its happy profusion of colorful blooms?

Audrey Sofa in Sun Grand Mum

Historic decorative floral patterns