Move over, Thomas Moser: Meet the young female furniture maker revitalizing the tired furniture scene on the coast of Maine. From her house and studio “in a small, wooded homestead” in Rockport, Heide Martin—who started her career in landscape architecture and urban planning before moving to Maine and training at a furniture school—builds simple, hard-wood furniture that draws on a long tradition of New England sensibility. Here’s a look at her Shaker-like designs. Above: Martin designs and builds all of the furniture herself in Rockport, Maine. Shown here: the Shaker-influenced Splint Peg Cabinet, which hangs from a Shaker peg rail.…

Maury Island, in Washington’s Puget Sound, is small. You’ve likely never heard of it before, but you may have heard of its larger neighbor, Vashon Island, to which it’s connected via an isthmus built by local homeowners in 1913. (Before then, the two islands were linked only during low tide.) Both are accessible only by ferry, the inconvenience of which has kept commercial growth at bay—and that’s how its residents like it, including designer Tim Pfeiffer (of Seattle-based architecture and interiors firm Hoedemaker Pfeiffer) and his partner, Matt Carvalho. The two had been searching for a vacation home on the…

The last time I chose a paint color I was twelve. It’s a story that might sound familiar: After much campaigning, my parents let me paint a wall of my bedroom in a color of my choosing (so long as it was light enough to paint over eventually). As this story often goes, I picked a color I liked—a sunny yellow—and spent an afternoon rolling it on, slap-dash, with a friend. What I failed to consider is that liking a color and choosing a paint color for a room are two entirely different things. The yellow was almost completely absorbed…

More than a few of you compared choosing a favorite from the TOH gang to being asked to pick among your children, but you weren’t shy about sharing your appreciation for the entire This Old House team.“Norm Abram is the best example of what teaching should be. He’s a consummate professional, with incredible patience and the willingness to share his vast knowledge. It’s so evident he truly loves what he does, and it’s a love that is infectious.”—WILLIAM, VIA INSIDER “All my friends worship Tom Silva. We talk about our current projects and bounce ideas off of each other, but…

Advises architect (and shiplap enthusiast) Sheila Bonnell: “Because it creates texture in such a clean, unfussy way, it can work just as well in a contemporary setting. In fact, one of the things I love about shiplap is that it works both ways. Because it is handcrafted, it can add warmth to what might be a more austere modern setting. Or, conversely, because it has a very clean line, particularly when painted, it can be used to make a historical setting feel more contemporary.” Read more about the many ways to use shiplap in Expert Advice: The Enduring Appeal of Shiplap.…

Last summer Julie and Justine stopped into a Cape Cod beach house reimagined by college roommates Tei Carpenter (an architect) and Victoria Birch (an interior designer), inspired by the Belafonte, Steve Zissou’s boat in The Life Aquatic. The kitchen is filled with design ideas to steal; let’s zoom in closer. Photography by Justine Hand for Remodelista. Above: The light fixtures are all vintage; a double sconce from Amsterdam and a red barn light from 1st Dibs (for something similar, look to Barn Light Electric). The countertops are oak finished with a marine varnish. On the white electric range sits a Kaiko One-Handle…