Living Well in Wells, Maine

Anthony Catalfano has been decorating and designing the interior of homes out of his Boston-based firm for years. Now, he is embarking on a new adventure - setting up shop in the town of Wells, Maine. Catalfano is no stranger to this northern, sea-bordered state - he spent summers in York, Old Orchard Beach, and Biddeford during his youth, and recently built a Shingle Style cottage overlooking Parsons Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

Catalfano loves Maine and the lifestyle that comes with it - its relaxed pace, naturally rugged terrain, walking along its many beaches, and of course, its legendary lobster rolls. Catalfano also loves entertaining guests in his cottage by the sea - cooking and grilling and preparing his own version of a Maine lobster roll - "loads of lobster meat tossed in fresh herb mayonnaise, atop a grilled and buttered bun," he reveals.

What Catalfano loves most about Wells, however, is how the generously the people of this small seaside town have embraced him and his newly-founded home furnishings shop, Anthony Catalfano Home. During his time spent in the charming New England town, Catalfano has noticed just one thing missing - a town center. Catalfano describes the region as "an artsy area. Kind of like SoHo to Kennebunk." There are numerous antique stores and art galleries, but they're all scattered, with no centralized area for walking, shopping, and meeting. 

Catalfano scoured the region for years, looking for the perfect location to create a consolidated site to reflect his vision of what a town center should be. Catalfano eventually found the perfect site in the property surrounding the Anthony Catalfano Home shop. Catalfano developed a high-end, 13,000-square-foot commercial space that when complete, will house trendy retailers, a bakery, a restaurant, and office space. Catalfano will then handpick tenants that fit his vision and fit in with his sophisticated shop, which is filled with carefully chosen furnishings, textiles, lighting, and home accents found on the designer's many cross-country trips and adventures abroad.

The collection at Anthony Catalfano Home is a tribute to his "living life well" philosophy - it is casual and homey yet incredibly tasteful and of-the-moment. Catalfano loves combining colors and textures for complex and dyanmic interior looks, and this holds true in his shop as well as in his personal home. Some examples of the treasures to be found in Anthony Catalfano home include lush sofas, upholstered chairs, cocktail and accent tables, linens, tableware, glass fixtures and vases, orchids, art and of course, plenty of nautically-themed handcrafted goods. 

Catalfano is receiving incredibly positive feedback on his current project in Wells. He hopes it will fortify the town and bring jobs, tourism, and an elevated style. "I love the shop, I love what I do," the designer gushes.

Photography by Eric Roth and Roger Pelissier