sneak peek susan williams of swans island

i’m a huge fan of swans island handwoven blankets and i spend a lot of time drooling over the gorgeous images on their website. the company’s commitment to local artisans and craftspeople extends to a section on their retail site that they’ve devoted to highlighting like-minded designers and artists. through that list, i discovered photographer sarah szwajkos of damn rabbit studios and was blown away by her project “personal space ~ photographic portraits of private places,” in which she creates commissioned “portraits” of interior spaces. for this set of portraits, sarah drove up to rockport, maine to the home of swans island creative director susan williams and her husband rufus, also an artist and swans island partner. additional images here! {thanks susan, rufus and sarah!}     –amy a

[Susan and Rufus built their home several years ago on a large plot of land that borders the Beech Hill Preserve in Rockport, Maine. Set well back from the road, the house and studio buildings  emerge at the end of a long, winding drive, amid stone-walled fields with glimpses of the ocean in the distance. Here is a sneak peek at some of my images of their Personal Space.  –Sarah]

Inside the mudroom: a quintessential feature of Maine farmhouses. The mat is from Art Matters and the boots are made by the French company, Le Chameau.

In a corner of the kitchen, opposite the counters and stove, the big farm table entices guests to sit and relax among many pillows, which mix antique French tapestry patterns with bold, modern block prints. We found the wooden bench at the Union antique fair in Union, Maine. The block print pillows were bought locally at 412 in Rockland, Maine. The grey pillows are made from recycled Brunschwig et Fils drapes.

CLICK HERE for the rest of the peek after the jump!

Rufus’ watercolor is of a bald eagle he spied on sitting on Long Ledge, Mt. Desert, Maine. An odd assortment of boxes, including a Japanese lacquered wedding present, sit on a small dresser.

In keeping with the rest of my house, the kitchen is an assortment of things. The counter tops are black granite, the handmade subway titles are from Urban Archaeology, the maple shelves are from Ikea, there is a viking stove, and other than 3 shelves, there are no upper cabinets. Rufus and I designed the lower ones.

I moved here 7 years ago with 10+ years worth of self curated shopping bags- I had to something with them! They’re so beautiful- being a native New Yorker, I recreated a tiny urban experience for myself.