ReGILDING A A Bar Harbor Estate is Transformed into a Designer Showcase House PRODUCED BY GAIL RUDDER KENT WRITTEN BY JOYCE DAVIDSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY EUGENE KNOWLES W hat does an enterprising couple do with a gilded cottage when their dream is to own a castle? Rebuild it, regild it, and ensconce an innkeeping couple as chatelaines of the manor, who will run the fiefdom royally. The Breakwater, a majestic, Tudor-style timbered mansion, was built at the turn of the century as a summer home for John Innes Kane, a great-grandson of John Jacob Astor. Today it is the re-creation of Classical Endeavors, a small contracting company in The aura of gracious living is Bangor, Maine, established and run by Bonnie Sawyer, an ex- echoed in the decor of the military nurse - whose husband is, in fact, named Tom. Great Hall, overseen by an Aside from owning a major dumping site, this landfill lord original oil of the owners in period dress, painted by artist can even be found painting - if not a picket fence, at least a V. Knuble. A pair of deep, white balustrade for his flaxen-haired lady. tufted sofas upholstered in woodland tapestry sit oppo- Though not to the manor born, the Sawyers are striving, site a glass-topped cocktail taking the thirty-six-room derelict beauty and bringing it table in front of the fireplace. back in regal style. Their fairytale began when the Break- The mahogany sofa table is intricately carved with vinery water's new innkeepers Katy and Jed Wood, who were that graces its apron and then operating another, less prepossessing bed and cabriole legs. Near the entry- way, set under a built-in mir- breakfast for the Sawyers, heard the oceanfront proper- ror that reflects the spectacu- ty was for sale and suggested that they take a look at lar staircase, a Hepplewhite- style serpentine sideboard is the once stately estate. The rest is legend. embellished with hand-pieced Meanwhile, back in the design studio of Country marquetry in garland and rib- bon designs; solid brass pulls Inns, Editor-in-Chief Gail Rudder Kent was speaking and satinwood inlays add with the team at Drexel Heritage Furniture about further fine detailing. A combining forces to create a showcase inn. Kent, Tabriz Oriental from Master- who had just returned from Bar Harbor, knew looms, handwoven in rich, ruby and taupe tones, high- which house would be the perfect setting to lights the red accents in the accommodate the company's fine line of fur- dark spice-tone sofas. nishings. Working with Drexel Heritage design interior of the house together in record time for its opening in June. coordinator Joey Wilson, the team pulled the "Who could resist," says Kent, "when walking into the Great Hall with its wall of leaded- glass French doors that led onto a piazza, which looked clear out to sea? The columns, the Gothic arches, the winding, three-story staircase, which even had a minstrel's gallery." The COTTAGE A treasure chest, piled high with samples of fab- rics, pillows, china, tas- sels, and the trim that embel- lishes the house, resonates with the jewel tones of the exquisite original Persian car- pet by Masterlooms. Editor-in- Chief Gail Rudder Kent and Drexel Heritage design coordinator Joey Wilson raise their glasses high to the success of the completed job. The billiard room is appointed with a handsome customized table of striped African mahogany designed and built by craftsman Tom Marinke to comple- ment the architectural details of the room. The high tableside pool chairs were craft- ed in the style of the Stickley Arts and Crafts period. Drexel Heritage showroom to begin their royal buying spree. "There was SO much to do in such a short time," says Kent. "It seemed impossible to take six bedrooms, most of them oversized, a dining room that easily seats twenty, and all those common rooms, and put them together SO quickly. I wanted Bonnie to assimilate the furnishings in her mind, to make sure they were what she wanted. It's a lot for someone to take in all at once." But the owners, firm in their tastes, made quick decisions, and with the design expertise of Kent and Wilson, the job was executed in record time for "the season." A summer playground for the old regime during the early 1900's, Bar Harbor is known for its cottages (gilded and otherwise), many of which have since been made into charming A table beautifully bed-and-breakfast inns. Visitors still throng to the seaside town, adorned with linens only six miles in perimeter, during the summer months, to enjoy by Paper White and its coastal pleasures. This is where the sun rises earliest in the East Pfaltzgraff's Tapes- try-pattern china and the Breakwater is well situated to receive its munificent rays stands ready for that stream through the multitude of leaded-glass windows of the the inn's debut. The afternoon tea mansion, flooding every room with light. was catered by Ter- And what rooms they are - large and airy with expansive views ry Marinke and her of on-going blue ocean. Some on the second floor are master suite in staff (inset) from The Porcupine Grill size, with glass-door fireplaces (now converted to gas) flanked by their in Bar Harbor. original built-in benches. The third-floor rooms (the steps in this house 36 COUNTRY INNS JULY/AUGUST 1992 XXXXXX One of the parlor's elegant groupings faces loveseat, a delicate galleried tea table is the pillowed windowseat and a breathtak- accented with Paper White linen and set In the early 1900's, ing ocean view. Elegant reproductions of with Pfaltzgraff's Tapestry pattern china; a eighteenth-century-style camelback stunning entertainment cabinet, crowned Bar Harbor was known loveseats are upholstered in a sage, terra- with a broken scroll pediment, is an adapta- cotta, and gold printed imberline damask, tion of an English breakfront, circa 1790, and surround a tulipwood and ebony inlaid with lovely silk-screened neoclassic floral for its gilded cottages. mahogany cocktail table, whose apron fea- and garland designs. Subtley highlighting tures a shell motif - an old English symbol the furnishings is a rare Oriental rug, an orig- of health and happiness; backing the inal Persian Tabriz from Masterlooms. COUNTRY INNS JULY/AUGUST 1992 37 Mrs. Kane's Room (named for the wife of the Astor descendant who built the house) is a sumptuous aerie of pol- ished woods and damask and Aubus- son tapestry fabrics. The rice-carved, fluted posts on the mahogany canopy bed are a symbol of plantation wealth. A tea table with a pull-out serving shelf, holding a liqueur and bedtime treat, sits behind a tufted chaise, which is covered in a rosetta silk blend and faces the converted gas fireplace. A trompe l'oeil book stack serves as a charming accent table and houses a secret compartment. (Inset) A gleam- ing mahogany bombé chest (two serve as night tables) is beautifully detailed with ball and claw feet, shell carvings, and brass appointments. (Right) Another of the loveliest guest quar- ters, Mrs. Alsop's Room, is named for Mrs. Kane's daughter, who now lives in Washington and fondly recalls the house. The suite is furnished with a Chateau bed of walnut and pecan with neoclassic lines, which is outfitted lux- uriously with Canon's Court of Ver- sailles linens. The fluffy-as-down pil- lows are a new hypo-allergenic fiber developed for Pillowtex by Dupont. (inset) A Rococo-style escritoire sits nearby in a corner of the window wall. The soft impressionist colors of the room are repeated on the French chair and ottoman sitting under the window and the cushioned fireside benches. O are luxuriously broad with shallow risers), are equally appealing, their sloped ceilings nestled under the leaves, and range from the spacious Ambassador Jay Suite with a window-side sitting area to the more intimate and charmingly furnished Nanny's Room and the This castle-by-the-sea smaller Nursery next door, all with ocean views. Drexel Heritage's stunning and versatile period reproduction pieces are was too filled with light to be naturals in this opulent setting: antique linen presses are adapted into armoires; an escritoire in the rococo style of the eighteenth century acts as somnambulant for long. a dressing table; bombé and serpentine chests have exquisitely matched grains and inlay motifs. Deliciously plump loveseats, tufted chaises, and queen-size beds with high posts or canopies, detailed with classic fluting and rice carvings, are lavished with Drexel Heritage's lush fabrics. Each bed is beautifully outfitted with a handmade spread in coordinated fabrics and lovingly stitched by Sandy McKeen, the talented seamstress who lent COUNTRY INNS JULY/AUGUST 1992 39 DIAL AMENITIES OFFER QUALITY AND SELECTION. ial can provide the ideal D amenities package for your guests and your budget. For example: White Marble, our most popu- lar and economical line, delivers exceptional value with your choice of our brand name products in classic white marble packaging. The Custom Collection is (Top) Photographed her gifted hands to the task without SO much designed to your specifications, in its heyday, as pricking a finger and falling asleep for one hun- Breakwater is a using the highest quality soaps, 1904 English Tudor dred years. For this castle-by-the-sea was too filled with light to have been conditioners, lotions and acces- mansion; it lay sonambulant for long. abandoned for years The proprietors wanted a place which would recall the grandeur of the sories - each wrapped with your until it was pur- chased in 1991. period in which it was built, yet be informal enough to relax in. Luxury distinctive patterns and logo. Even New owner Bonnie and comfort were key words to the Sawyers, and the Great Hall, which Sawyer (center), the scent, color and shape of bars who orchestrated leads to the piazza at the back of the house, is where those desired attrib- and bottles can be uniquely yours. the renovation with utes meet in a splendid setting. Once the beauty of the spectacular stair- her band of merry case is absorbed, the eye travels to what would once have been the recep- The Canterbury Collection workmen, takes a coffee break on the tion area. Here, a pair of invitingly deep sofas flank the fireplace, whose features a gracious design reminis- minstrel's gallery at focal point is a portrait of the owners dressed in period clothing. cent of an old English country- the staircase landing. The best Extending on opposite sides of the hall are the dining room, with its side. These delicately scented materials were enormous, custom-made pale oak table and marble-topped sideboard and used throughout the parlor, at once formal and cozy, with an engraved tin ceiling. The lotions, soaps, conditioners and the house, includ- ing copper plumb- house goes on and on, and includes a second-floor, wicker-filled sitting bath gels offer the look of custom ing and magnificent room with a balcony overlooking the view, a billiard room, and the piazza, amenities, at a competitive price. Baldwin brass which runs the length of the back of the house - where afternoons can fittings. For more information on any of be spent just gazing into the sea. Dial's Guest Amenity Packages, After months of hard work, Bonnie is asked if she'll sit back on that piazza and enjoy her castle-by-the-sea. But she shakes her head and or to order, call 1-800-253-DIAL. smiles demurely as she lets you know that someday she wants a real castle - one she can build from the ground up. Indeed, this is no delicate princess and the pea - this is a lady who wears a hard hat for a crown. Know any other royal land grants around? THE Breakwater, 45 Hancock Street, P.O. Box 448, Bar Harbor, ME 04609; 800/238-6309 or DIAL CORP. 207/288-2313. Six rooms, all w/private baths. Rates from $175 to $250, including full Guest Amenities Division breakfast. Cancellation policy. No smoking. AX, MC, Visa. For further information on Bar Harbor and its bed and breakfasts, write to the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 158, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 or call 207/288-5103. 40 COUNTRY INNS JULY/AUGUST 1992