A Rocky Island—and the Boat to Get There—Shaped This Maine Cabin

Years ago, before they were married, Cynthia and Edwin hiked across Isle au Haut in Maine. The granite island is accessible only by ferry from the working harbor of Stonington, a seaside town on Deer Isle. On a more recent visit, the couple discovered that 80 acres were up for sale: an expanse of ferns and moss, glacial boulders, sheer cliffs, and sweeping Atlantic views.

The parcel had been lingering on the market when the couple decided to purchase it in 2018. "It’s mostly wooded," Cynthia says. Much of Isle au Haut is protected as part of Acadia National Park, and the land Cynthia and Edwin bought, like much of the island, is "full of spruce, spruce, and more spruce," she says, "with a little smattering of maple and birch, and granite everywhere."

The couple set their sights on creating a four-season retreat on the parcel, a remote escape from their home base in Virginia. An online search led them to Maine architect Eric Reinholdt of 30x40 Design Workshop. His clean-lined work resonated immediately; they were drawn to his Scandinavian-meets-Maine fishing vernacular. It was restrained, purposeful, nature-focused.

Soon after Cynthia and Edwin met Reinholdt, they visited the site together, testing different perches and vantage points in search of the ideal placement for a home. "Part of the challenge initially was figuring out what to do with the 80 acres," Reinholdt says. "Every site has an amazing aspect. How do you choose a place to build? That was a real challenge." But one location stood out to Cynthia. She remembers getting "the feeling" at a granite outcrop overlooking the ocean, a moment that made her stop short. It feels like the house wants to be here, she thought.