“My favorite Maine activity is swimming, hands down,” says writer Zinzi Edmundson, who lives in Owls Head with her husband, Jesse, and their sons, James and Russ. “The ocean is cold, but once you get over the shock, it has a minerality that feels amazing. Luckily for us, we’re a five-minute drive from the beach.” Today, Zinzi invites us inside her home…
Rolled up seat: made by Zinzi.
On hand-me-downs: The previous homeowners left behind this fish doormat for us. For some reason, my husband thought no one really cared, so he ordered a new one. Immediately, the kids said, ‘But what about the fish?!’ Jesse asked, ‘You guys like the fish?’ I told him, ‘Everyone loves the fish.’ He’d chosen a great mat, but the fish is here to stay.
KITCHEN
Wall paint: Benjamin Moore’s Alabaster White. Cabinet paint: Farrow & Ball’s Studio Green. Candle holder: Fredericks and Mae.
On crowd-pleasing dinners: Before having children, I was ambitious in the kitchen. But daily kid-friendly cooking is my kryptonite — it’s tough! Thankfully, we can all agree on poke bowls. We have a great fish market nearby, and we’ll use marinated yellowfin, sushi rice, and slices of mango and avocado.
Pendant: Hay. Dining table: made by a friend. Chairs: Hay. Stools: Rejuvenation.
On the local attitude: There’s very much a ‘do it yourself’ mentality here because Maine have a relatively small workforce. If something breaks, there’s not always someone who can come fix it. When we first moved in, a drawer broke and I realized I was the one who had to figure it out. So, I took apart the drawer that wasn’t broken to see how the pieces fit together. Once I fixed it, I felt so empowered.
On countertop heroes: A friend recently made me chicken thighs in her air fryer, and they blew my mind — they were crispy but juicy. Now I’m an air fryer believer and use mine all the time for tofu and frozen burritos. The frozen burritos come out *way* better than they do in the microwave.
On a wall of memories: This used to be an accent wall, but after I painted the room white, it looked stark and lifeless. So, I went into old boxes and grabbed photos and ephemera to hang up. Adding both photos and items makes it feel more balanced and visually interesting.
Stove: Jøtul. Sofa and armchair: Ikea hand-me-downs. Rug: Vermont Country Store.
On cozy corners: I like coming down here before everyone else wakes up, so I can sneak in a few moments to myself. One routine that made parenting hard for me was abruptly waking up to demands before I was even fully conscious. Nowadays, this nook is where I’ll drink my coffee and write my morning pages. In the winter, I’ll start a fire and enjoy the silence.
LIVING ROOM
Sofa: Ikea. Sofa cover: Bemz. Coffee table: Urban Outfitters.
On making your own adventures: I feel like every town in Maine has six great places to either eat, shop or go to for entertainment, and that’s it. So, you have to drive around to explore other towns. Some people see that as a drawback, but I like to reframe our hour-long drives as mini adventures, and we make a day of it. The other day, we went to Belfast, so the boys could use gift certificates at their toy store. Then we hiked at a land trust, and ended the day eating at a good café. There’s a lot to see and explore in this state, if you’re willing to get in your car.
Black chair: antique. Ken Price poster: LACMA.
On recital songs: My youngest, Russ, is taking piano lessons and played a rendition of Bad Bunny’s La Mudanza at his last recital. He’s also into the Peanuts, and the characters are constantly talking about Beethoven and playing Für Elise. So, he’s now been working on Für Elise, too!
On long-time loves: I met Jesse my first year of college. A bunch of our friends went to The Getty, and Jesse bought a Rice Krispies treat that was the size of his head. To this day, he has such an innate curiosity and interest in other people. He’s also very funny, which lends a helpful levity to our family life.
On that epic bookcase: My stepdad built these shelves for us. Before that, I’d seen photos of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that went over a doorway and always thought they were so cool. Walking by it in our home every day feels like a dream come true.
On favorite teams: These figures are from the Starting Lineup toy series. Jesse’s dad has a whole collection of them, so he gave this grouping to me. I’m a big Red Sox fan and grew up watching them.
JAMES’S BEDROOM
Paint: Portola Paints’s Duet. Bunk bed: Ikea. Sofa: Nugget. Ship kite: Haptic Lab.
On parenting preteens: I sometimes miss the snuggly, visceral babyness of the early years, but when your kids hit their tween years, you have someone you can really talk and relate to. James is serious but chatty — when we go out to get dinner or ice cream, I always learn something new. He’s thinking deeply about stuff he never did before, which is sometimes hard and sometimes cool and sometimes both. Connecting with him in this new way has been one of my favorite parts of parenting.
World map: Omy. Desk: old Ikea. Chairs: Ikea.
On old-school pastimes: James loves talking on his tin-can phone. He’ll be bored and then say, ‘I’m gonna go call so-and-so.’ I think it’s so great.
RUSS’S ROOM
Paint: Benjamin Moore’s Galapagos Green. Space mobile: Djeco. Salamander poster: Maine Big Night.
On a makeshift room: When we first moved in, we tried having the boys share a room, but it was a disaster. No one ever slept. So, we moved Russ’s crib into this walk-in closet, and it fit. I recently asked Russ if he wanted to move into the guest room, but he said, ‘No, I like it here.’ He’s all about that teeny tiny room life.
Dog house: “made by my stepdad.” Dresser: vintage. Bean bag: West Elm Kids.
On comic relief: Russ loves indoor activities, like LEGO and Brain Quest workbooks, and he’s also super funny. I’ll always remember, when he was a baby, he was in his high chair acting super goofy. I started laughing and realized, ‘Wait a minute! I’m laughing at legitimate comedy. This kid’s hilarious!’
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Paint: Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster. Gray lamp: vintage. Bedside table: Schoolhouse.
On favorite books: My honors thesis in college was on The Odyssey, and I’ve read it more than a dozen times, in eight different translations. So, I obviously saw the movie, and now, I’m thinking: Should I read The Odyssey again?
Garland: “Russ made it for us when we were coming home from a trip.” Gingham pillow cases: Piglet in Bed. Stripped pillow case: old H&M, similar.
On remembering yourself: Our bedroom was last on the list of things I gave my attention to. At first, we were sleeping on an old metal frame. Then one day, my husband asked, ‘Would you ever do our room a little bit now?’ So, when he went on his next work trip, I decided to surprise him and painted the whole room while he was gone. That was my way of saying, ‘Look, I care about us, too.’
Rocking chair: reupholstered by Zinzi. Jute rug: Revival. Floor lamp: similar.
On a new rhythm: After Russ was born, I had postpartum depression. A friend recommended I try The Artist’s Way, and it was so helpful. One exercise asks you to rate the different areas of your life, so you get a visual sense of how balanced your life is. When I did that exercise the first time, it was super jagged — seeing the imbalance was shocking. But years later, I went through the book again, and everything looked balanced. Now that my kids are older, I feel like I’m finally in a place where I have the space and autonomy to write and create and invest in friendship, without it feeling stressful and squished into little time pockets.
On lost loves: My aunt made this pillow for us after my first dog died. I had her before I even lived with Jesse. She was my original roommate, and I miss her so much.
On dog types: After Ruby died, I tracked down Juniper at a rescue in Rhode Island. I’m crazy for hound dogs. They’re so energetic and particular and funny. When she comes in for a cuddle, she loves to circle up and get extremely close to you in a way where she’s almost body slamming you.
BATHROOM
Paint: Farrow & Ball’s Black Blue. Wallpaper: Nickey Kehoe.
On childhood inspirations: Growing up, my best friend had a tiny powder room in her home. But it felt layered and cozy with moody wallpaper. I thought about it a lot when working on this bathroom. My stepdad was a house painter, so he helped me make the paneling. I wanted the planks to be on the wider side because it felt intentional, but not too fancy. We’re not in Manhattan.
SUNROOM
Seat cushions: made by Zinzi’s mom. Table: old West Elm, painted by Zinzi. Rug: a painted floor cloth, made by Zinzi.
On sweet neighbors: We love hanging out in our sunroom when friends are visiting. It’s only eight feet from the forest’s edge, so we see wildlife up close all the time. The other day, I saw a deer eating pears off the ground.
GARDEN
On annual rituals: I love my garden. It’s the only hobby that I’ve done consistently, year over year over year. I don’t naturally have a green thumb, but I keep showing up. This year, I tried to integrate flowers like zinnias and nasturtiums into the vegetable beds. You can actually eat nasturtiums, and I’ll sometimes throw them in a salad.
On fun flower names: These are called cupcake cosmos, they’re extra floofy.
Thank you so much, Zinzi! You can find her on Instagram, if you’d like.
P.S. More house tours, including a Massachusetts home peppered with reading nooks and the 350-square-foot studio that’s a DIY dream.
(Photos by Greta Rybus for Cup of Jo.)
