Nestled atop Ox Hill in Seal Harbor, Maine, the shingle-style cottage known as Passage West has been a cherished part of designer Kate Davis’s family’s history since its construction in 1922. As a child, she spent idyllic summers there, forging memories that would later inspire her career in interior design. When the opportunity arose to reacquire the home, Davis embraced the chance to restore it, honoring its storied past while infusing it with renewed vitality. The comprehensive renovation involved meticulous preservation of original elements like wavy-glass windows and reclaimed maple floors, alongside thoughtful updates to accommodate modern living. This labor of love reflects a deep commitment to blending historical integrity with contemporary comfort.

“Anyone else would have torn it down,” Keith Higgins of EL Higgins Building and Remodeling told Maine Home + Design. Higgins and his team worked with Davis in saving the home along with architectural designer Todd Stanley, founder of Downeast Home Design.

“I knew I could bring it back to the home I remembered from my childhood,” said Davis, who feels passionately about saving old houses. Let’s take a peek inside with photography by Emily Gilbert.

Anchored by lobster-print wallpaper from Abnormals Anonymous, the dining room reflects coastal Maine nostalgia. Gold fretwork chairs nod to Chinese Chippendale design, while a lacquered table with bamboo legs (Miles Redd for Ballard Designs) blends classic style with approachable fun.

A lively teal trim (Farrow & Ball’s “Vardo”) adds freshness to this original space. An antique chair was reupholstered in raspberry crosshatch fabric, and a Hilary Winfield abstract painting introduces modern flair. Original pieces like Asian-imported lamps and side tables were retained for their heritage value.

The kitchen was the heart of the transformation. A formerly awkward layout was reworked to include a new central island, granite countertops from nearby Swans Island, and simple white cabinetry. Urban Electric pendants hang above the island with a canopy in Farrow & Ball’s “Blue Ground,” tying the space to the surrounding landscape.

The designer preserved the kitchen’s tiny breakfast nook.

The bedrooms are filled with playful patterns and personal touches like an iris painting Kate created at age 12. Wallpaper choices include “Tibet Tiger” and a whimsical dog and stripe pattern by Clarence House  Also featured is Schumacher x Johnson Hartig’s delightful “Plates & Platters” wallpaper.

In her childhood bedroom, Davis paired a dresser pulled from storage with an original jug lamp.

A Slim Aarons photo infuses old-fashioned glamour into another second-floor bedroom suite.

Davis restored the cast-iron tubs, including the one in the third-floor hall bathroom; “Every tub has different feet,” she says.

Ginger jar shades and ikat cushions with Schumacher wallpaper picturing trompe l’oeil transferware.

A third-floor bedroom became a bathroom with a new clawfoot tub. Davis played with squares, using a painterly lattice wallpaper against a marble mosaic tile floor.

True to its past, the sunroom houses original furnishings and even the same faded books from your childhood summers, keeping the soul of the space intact. An original lamp and side table lend warmth and authenticity.

Model ships sit on the same windowsills in the sunroom as they did in Davis’s youth.

You can read more about this spectacular restoration via Maine Home + Design. Please visit Davis Designs for additional information, and follow @davisdesign on Instagram for ongoing information.

Also, check out Kate’s tennis clothing and accessories company, Love All Tennis, which she founded after graduating from Harvard Business School and seeing the need for high quality, chic vintage-inspired tennis designs. Love All Tennis also launched a darling capsule collection with Target this spring that you won’t want to miss!