The owners of this new-construction home in Freeport, Maine came to the project with more building experience than most. They are the owners of Performance Building Supply, a Portland company specializing in high-performance, energy-efficient building materials. This husband and wife team wanted a house that was highly efficient, deeply personal, and anything but cookie cutter.

By the time I became involved, they had a basic kitchen layout and lots of ideas. My job wasn't to replace their ideas with mine. It was to help turn a lot of ideas into a kitchen.

We worked through the relationships that would make the room function: where to place the sink and dishwasher, the size and location of the interior window, where the range should go, the space between work zones, and the proportions of the cabinetry. Renderings helped us see not only what individual decisions would look like, but what all of the ideas looked like together.

The clients wanted lots of wood, including lower cabinetry made from old barnwood. As the design developed, upper cabinets with a dark stain, soapstone counters, and an AGA range in Mineral Green joined the mix. I recommended a handmade tile for the backsplash. Its Art Deco-inspired pattern was a bit of a wildcard in a house that wasn't particularly Art Deco, but its color, texture and curves gave the eclectic kitchen something it needed. A much-loved vintage chalkboard and an engraved nautilus shell spanning a concealed door add to the collection of things that could only belong in this particular house.

As construction progressed, my role expanded. The clients served as their own general contractor, and I became a keeper of the kitchen details—helping translate the design into the dimensions and requirements the trades needed to build it.

The finished kitchen feels very much like its owners: warm, modern, independent, and serious about materials and performance. It's a beautifully eclectic kitchen in a high-performance Maine home, made from a very personal collection of materials and ideas.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:  Steve Konstantino, Performance Building Supply (aka the homeowner)

PHOTOGRAPHY:  Jeff Roberts

STYLING:  Danielle McGee