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Outbuilding of the Week: A 190-Square-Foot Writer’s Studio in Maine

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Outbuilding of the Week: A 190-Square-Foot Writer’s Studio in Maine

August 14, 2015

It is certainly possible to write a great novel while sitting in a tiny writer’s studio in Maine, looking out a window that overlooks a landscape of blue, blue water. (Charlotte’s Web comes to mind.)

Can it be done again? We’re eager to read the book, after visiting this stylish 190-square-foot writer’s studio a couple of hours’ drive south of where E.B. White used to live.

In the meantime, let’s look around at the built-in bookshelves and clever louvered windows in the workspace designed by New York-based architects Cheng + Snyder:

Photography courtesy Cheng + Snyder.

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Above: With a peaked roof and built-in canoe storage, the writer’s studio sits at the edge of the Sheepscot River on Westport Island in Maine.

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Above: Louvered windows act as sun shades, filtering bright light when necessary.

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Above: “The monolithic form with concealed corner doors and punctured corner windows adds a mysterious quality to this tranquil retreat,” the architects say.

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Above: The door folds open, shed-style, to welcome breezes.

writers-studio-boat-house-outbuilding-maine-gardenista-4Above: Inside, the built-in shelves have plenty of room for books including, one hopes, a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White and a bargain at $5.18 from Amazon.

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Above: “The windows and awning are arranged to maximize views and allow passive heating and cooling,” the architects say.

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Above: Legroom and canoe room co-exist under the desk.

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Above: Doing double duty as a boathouse and writing studio, the tiny building’s two functions blend seamlessly.

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Above: Two salt-water rivers separate Westport Island from the mainland.

For more of our favorite spots in Maine, see:

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