This Designer Wasn’t Looking for a Project Until She Saw the Barn at This 1760s Maine Farmhouse

When interior designer Nicola Manganello purchased her 1760s Colonial farmhouse in Yarmouth, Maine, seven years ago, the historic property was in desperate need of attention. After three renovations, the owner of Nicola’s Home has transformed the once-disjointed house into a warm, welcoming retreat that honors its centuries-old character. Original fireplaces and antique furnishings mingle with soft pinks, blues, and creamy neutrals throughout. “I wanted the home to have a lot more continuity,” she explains. “I wanted it to be brighter.”

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Nowhere is the home’s historic charm more apparent than in the living room, which occupies the original portion of the farmhouse. The room’s enormous original fireplace is flanked by two oversized chaises upholstered in quilts Manganello designed years ago for Garnet Hill, which she considers the most comfortable seats in the house. Among her favorite treasures are a pair of antique lamps she spotted illuminated in a New York City shop window while riding in a cab one evening. “I called them the next day, and they had a pair of them,” she recalls. “I just knew they had to come home with me.”

While the living room is where Manganello unwinds, the kitchen is where her family comes together. “Growing up my dad was always cooking. We were always gathered at the kitchen island,” she recalls, a memory that inspired her to incorporate two large islands into her own kitchen. One features a thick butcher-block surface and a trough sink that doubles as an ice-filled beverage station, while expansive windows flood the space with natural light. Just beyond the kitchen, a three-season screened porch features a hanging swing and an outdoor kitchen complete with a powerful burner for boiling Maine lobster.

When the entertaining is over, Manganello retreats upstairs to the primary bedroom, which she designed as a peaceful escape from her busy days running a design firm. “I wanted it to feel like a bit of a sanctuary for me to come escape,” she says. An original fireplace anchors the room, while pale grasscloth walls and soft pink accents create a tranquil atmosphere. Rather than leaning into traditional florals, she incorporated deeper plum tones and contemporary furnishings to give the historic space a more modern sensibility.

After years of renovations, Manganello has finally reached a point where she feels no desire to change anything about her beloved farmhouse. “What makes my house a home to me is my family and the people that come and enjoy it,” she says. “For me personally, home is the people in it.”