This Nostalgic Maine Cottage Had Us at Its Sunny Yellow Door

The winding dirt road that leads to “Loon Camp” is home to only two houses. But come summertime, the path’s population grows by leaps and bounds with the visiting friends and family of John Wentworth and Jamie Gluck. Named for its address on secluded Loon Road, the Southern California-based couple’s Madison, Maine, cottage sits just 15 feet from pine tree-lined Lake Wesserunsett. “Since I was a kid, I would visit this lake with a whole host of people I call the ‘fake cousins,’ ” says native Mainer John, whose grandparents owned a house on the lake.

Every summer, John’s “relatives by choice,” who also had cottages there, would hop from camp to camp—a tradition that continues to this day. John and Jamie would typically stay at a local motel for the annual “family” reunions, but about seven years ago, they spotted a “For Sale by Owner” sign that would change their summers forever. “It wasn’t the perfect cottage, but it was the perfect location,” says Jamie.

Built in the 1940s, the 1,800-square-foot house had been renovated in the 1970s, resulting in interiors that—50 years later—left something to be desired. Inspired by the camps of John’s relatives, the couple worked with contractor Steven Dionne and architect Rick Eskelund to bring back the home’s yesteryear feel. Out went the drywall and in came tongue-and-groove pine paneling. Also gone: the popcorn ceilings, replaced with exposed beams, and the ’70s wall- to-wall carpeting, switched out for pine floors with flat-head iron nails. The couple added even more nostalgic charm with reclaimed hardware, antique glass doorknobs, push-button light switches, and a mix of heirloom and newly acquired vintage decor.

But there’s one throwback feature at Loon Camp that’s pretty tough to beat. “My favorite thing is jumping in that lake almost every day, just like I did as a kid,” says John. Leave it to a renovator to know that sometimes diving all in is better than a tentative dip of the toes.