Explore Maine's ‘Matchstick House,' a slender contemporary design built on a narrow lot
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Rather than aligning the front of the home with its neighbors, the team, which includes Bud Angst, Johan Kinnucan, and Coleman Motley, pushed it deep into the lot. The positioning meets setback regulations for the stormwater line, which cuts across the front of the property, and provides the couple with a buffer from the busy road. It also grants them privacy on both sides because the windows look to the yards beyond the neighbors' homes instead of at the dwellings themselves.
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It's three steps up to the home's dark blue door from a walkway of horizontal concrete pavers, then one step down into the slate-tiled entry. The space is modeled on a traditional Japanese entryway called a genkan which is typically a step lower than the rest of the house. 'We use that quite a bit in our work,' Morris says. 'It helps prevent debris from being tracked into the main part of the house.'
The sightline from the front door extends to the far end of the living room, its modern woodstove pulling the eye through the bright white interior with white oak floors. A slider at the left opens onto a deck that hugs the south side of the house, and a walnut island anchors the kitchen with blue floor-to-ceiling cabinetry at the right.
The owners wanted the cooktop in the island, a request that Morris initially pushed back on. Turns out, the clients' instincts were correct. 'We would have lost a lot of glass if we had to add a hood to the sink wall,' the architect says. 'Every room has light and views on both sides to visually expand the perception of space.'
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A woodburning stove takes up less space than a fireplace, is less expensive to build, and better for building performance.
Trent Bell
Whenever possible, Morris dropped the windows to the floor to help the spaces feel bigger. The tall, skinny window on the front façade which belongs to the pantry — even a typically windowless room is filled with light in this home — shows off the floating stair. 'An open, architectural stair was one of the first things the client mentioned in the design process,' the architect says. 'It allows for the continuous open feel from front-to-back because you can see through it.' The stair leads to an office loft, along with two guest bedrooms and a full bath.
The living room pushes 5 feet beyond the main body of the building into the landscape, its glassy corner providing an expansive connection to the outdoors. 'The close relationship to the light, grass, and trees makes it so you have no real understanding that that the house is only 16-feet wide,' Morris says. That the vaulted ceiling reaches 21½-feet high expands the volume too.
The primary suite, complete with windowed walk-in closet, is tucked behind the living space. 'The rooms become progressively more private as you move toward the back,' Morris points out. The bedroom enjoys southern and western exposures, as well as a northern one when the pocket door between it and the generous bath disappears into the wall.
Morris is tickled by the comments the home prompts.
'Why is it so skinny?' and 'Does it feel tight?' are two common ones. 'It feels bigger than you could ever believe,' he answers. 'It's a real magic trick of a house and I couldn't be more proud of it.'
The pantry has a tall street-facing window, storage on two sides, and the washer/dryer. Artwork by Matthew Langley from KW Contemporary Art in Kennebunk.
Trent Bell
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Architecture and Contractor:
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Landscape Architect:
David Maynes Studio,
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'We call it Matchstick House because it's so long and skinny,' architect David Duncan Morris says.
Trent Bell
The 85-square-foot entryway has windows on two sides and a nicely sized coat closet.
Trent Bell
The width gained from the living room bump-out allowed for a generous passageway beside the stair.
Trent Bell
The primary suite has a vaulted ceiling that reaches 12½-feet high.
Trent Bell
Marni Elyse Katz is a contributing editor to the Globe Magazine. Follow her on Instagram
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