Riverfront Charm

A perfectly positioned home is designed and built for easy living.  

Situated on a jutting peninsula in beautiful northern New England is a newly built shingle-style home that, with seamless synergy, maximizes well appointed living spaces with iconic river views. The project, led by Betsy Bassett Interiors in collaboration with Tucker Associates, TMS Architects, and Jewett Farms + Co., was an exercise in expertise and teamwork from inception to completion.

Aligning early in the process, the team set out to create a sophisticated yet relaxed home for their clients. “Working together on space planning early on is important because you need to get the fundamentals right,” says Betsy Bassett, Owner of Betsy Bassett Interiors. “And then we get to embellish with the beautiful details.”

(Photography: Greg Premru)

Michael Del Sesto, Owner of Tucker Associates, echoes that ethos. "We like to be brought in early in the design process, alongside the interior designer and architect, to work through details, and outline design elements together."

The home blends northern New England coastal and traditional elements, featuring a charming gambrel roofline and a peaceful landscape that allows the natural gradient of the land to meld effortlessly with riverbanks beyond.

(Photography: Greg Premru)

“As you walk through the front door, a magnificent view of the river unfolds in front of you,” says Del Sesto. “The home is really beautifully situated, and every room captures the best view it possibly can.”

On the interiors, an open floor plan balances clean lines with traditional finishes that elevate the highly livable home, designed with gathering in mind. “We designed it with a sense of day-to-day elegance that would also be relaxed enough for when their children and grandchildren come to visit,” says Bassett. “The house lives bigger than it is. It's intimate enough for just the two of them, but when family comes, it still feels spacious and comfortable.”

A palette of calming blue tones, bespoke fabric selections, textured wallpaper, and custom finishes imbue the home with personality and timelessness. “I like my designs to be transitional, and also have some staying power so it’s not just a design of the moment,” Bassett emphasizes.

(Photography: Greg Premru)

The kitchen and pantry, with cabinetry custom designed by the Bassett team and crafted by design/build firm Jewett Farms + Co., share matching quartzite countertops and hexagon tile backsplashes. The brilliant blue pantry—often the place to be at parties and gatherings—features brass hardware, metallic grasscloth wallpaper, and a Mercury glass geometric light fixture. With each room capturing the best view possible, Bassett’s nuanced palette encapsulates a distinctively northern New England coastal ambiance.

(Photography: Greg Premru)

Quality cabinetry was a major part of the design not only in the kitchen and pantry areas but also throughout the rest of the home. “We feel honored to have been part of the project and take great pride in creating spaces where a family’s most important moments take place,” shares Mike Myers, Owner and Principal of Jewett Farms + Co.

The living room and adjacent sun room, a sea of serene blue, taupe, and pearl, features hand blocked drapes and a raffia wrapped coffee table. Bassett’s trick to cohesive interiors is knowing where to start. “We like to find individual pieces that are artisanal, interesting, and nuanced, and use those as a starting point in creating the overall palette for each room,” Bassett notes.

(Photography: Greg Premru)

"Collaboration," Del Sesto reflects. "That's the best part of the whole thing." A seamless synergy from beginning to end, the project symbolizes the magic of teamwork and a new chapter for the happy homeowners. 

(Architect: TMS Architects, Builder: Tucker Associates, Interior Designer: Betsy Bassett Interiors, Cabinetmaker: Jewett Farms + Co., Photography: Greg Premru)