WHEN IT CAME TIME TO RENOVATE her home on the shores of Lake Sunapee, Deborah Coffin had one thought in mind: Maybe it was possible to go home again.

The three-story home, which has been in the family since it was originally built around 1900, had undergone a few changes in the 1970s and was in need of some upgrades.

Rather than create an unrecognizable structure where the home known as “Two Pines” stands, Coffin saw a chance to return the house to the much-loved place she knew in her childhood. Some of her earliest memories include summers on the water—catching a bass from the family’s boathouse and spending time along the 400 feet of waterfront.

The mission, then: to renovate while honoring her family’s past by retaining the soul of the home.

“From the very beginning, my goal was to maintain the integrity of the house and its age no matter what I did,” Coffin says. “It was my opportunity to take care of all the things that Dad never got around to and make it mine. We used to spend the month of August here when I was a child. We’d come up every summer—my mother, my brothers and I—and be here with my grandparents.

I have incredibly fond memories of being here. Dad would join us on the weekends so we could all spend time with my grandparents. It was really a family place and everyone enjoyed being here and being on the water.”

To help with the effort, she reached out to longtime friend and designer Annie Ballin, of Annie Ballin & Co. in New London, who shared her vision.“The guiding principle in all the decisions we made was to retain the original feel,” says Ballin, who served as principal designer on what would become a multiyear project. “The trend is to tear down these lake houses and rebuild. For a variety of reasons, there are times when it’s necessary and the right thing to do. Without doubt some of these rebuilds are stunning. Deb just didn’t want to do that. We all felt that it would have been a shame if Two Pines had been demolished.”

When work first began, the idea was to give things a refresh. But once the pair rolled up their sleeves, possibilities began to reveal themselves. A number of design iterations were considered, concepts were discussed and the idea of reaching out to skilled craftsmen was broached. The next step: bring in Brent Stocker, of Stocker Woodworks in Sunapee. A fourth-generation builder, Brent—and the Stocker family—is intimately familiar with the area, its structures, its history and what the lake means to those who call it home.

“When Brent walked in, he said, ‘I have a feeling my grandfather worked on this original house.’” Ballin says. “There was a cool energy. All of a sudden, the creativity started percolating. It was so exciting. He came on board with his son, Josh, and his crew. From there, it was such a happy, happy project. The energy in the house was always good.” The team of Coffin, Ballin and Stocker began collaborating on ideas for the original lake house. The classic old New Hampshire feel was already “gorgeous,” Stocker says, with a clean look of no moldings, trim only around the doors and windows, and eye-catching bead board covering the timber frame. But the creativity was flowing, and the scope of the project grew.

Addressing the St. Charles Kitchen, installed in the 1970s, was among the first projects. Sue Booth, of Vintage Kitchens in Concord, joined the team, helping to decide what changes could be made, how the kitchen could be returned to its original look and feel, and how flow and convenience could be improved. The wish list included a new door, two dishwashers, an electric cooktop, plenty of storage and a custombuilt island.

“She was a perfect complement to the team,” Ballin says of Booth. “She’s so talented. She, Brent, Josh, Deb and I spent a lot of time figuring out how the kitchen was going to work.”

The original kitchen had only one door, so a second one was added, which improved access and allowed in more natural light.

“The kitchen is still in its original footprint,” Coffin says.

“My intention was to make it similar to the kitchen I remembered as a kid and to the place where I spent time with my grandmother. We painted the cabinets the same color they were back in the day, and we did open it up. It used to be chopped up, somewhat, and now it’s wide open. It’s pretty spectacular.”

Booth provided an island and drawers, and Stocker built a custom top from white oak. There were no beams in the old kitchen ceiling, yet Stocker was able to add some and tie them with those in the adjoining rooms, maintaining continuity and giving the impression the new kitchen beams were original.

“He married the old parts and the new parts of the house seamlessly, and he did the same thing in the entryway,” Ballin says.

The dining room jogs to the left, and opens into a great room that was in the old summer room, which now houses couches, a piano, and a staircase up to the second and third floors. There, bedrooms feature original shutter doors, and a honeymoon room with a view of the water connects to the children’s room, which now holds a particularly notable piece of Coffin family history.

“We found some great things in the attic,” Ballin says.

“Deb’s grandmother was the first female to get a pilot’s license in the state of Connecticut. She had a seaplane that she flew to Two Pines from Connecticut. We found a beautiful old wooden propeller that we suspected would’ve been hers. Deb and I decided the children’s room should be designed with her grandmother, Betty Coffin, in mind.

The décor centered around her various talents. The walls are adorned with the propeller, and found photographs of Betty and the many planes she flew. Another interesting find we incorporated were her original oil paintings of different planes she owned.”

On the third floor, a large hallway with two oversized closets leads to a twin room with iron beds and an archive room, where much of the family's history, photos, movie reels and trinkets were discovered. Much of what was found needed expert preservation and attention. Deb and Annie relied on the talents of David Putnam, of Claremont Custom Framing, to assist with all these details.

The entire house was updated, and the foyer got a makeover—putting another important family heirloom frontand-center. Guests are now greeted at the front door by the original “Two Pines” sign.

“The original two pines fell down in the hurricane of 1938 and are no longer with us,” Coffin says of the direct link with the past. “But this is one of the original signs.”

Just to the right of that front door is the new garage, and above it, Coffin's studio—an open, welcoming space bursting with creative spirit. Cross over a covered bridge walkway, above landscaped gardens and stone walls, and into the studio proper. Fabric and materials of every color and pattern line shelves, and a central table and desk serve as a hub for this skilled quiltmaker. To date, Coffin and a handful of like-minded craftspeople have made and donated more than 500 quilts to Turning Points Network in Claremont.

“We get some pretty amazing letters back from people who are grateful to have something to snuggle up in during a tough time,” she says.

Stone pillars replaced wooden supports under the front porch, and Stocker began eyeing the small crawlspace under the house. He pitched an idea to Coffin that would solve access issues, make it even more useful year-round and provide some much-needed additional space: It was time to add a basement.

“My dad always wanted to do that,” Coffin says. “But at that point, he was in his 80s and didn’t have the energy to go through with it, so I did. And it has made life so much easier. The only access to the furnace was from the outside of the house through snowbanks or what have you. Now, I have a full basement. I think it’s been the most worthwhile money I’ve put into this house. Also, all the windows look out over the lake. If you have to be in a basement, it’s a really nice one.”

If there is a soul to Two Pines, it may reside in the office.

It’s Coffin’s favorite room, and it’s where she spends the majority of her time.

“It was my dad’s office,” she says. “A long time ago, it was the original entrance to the house. When my dad made renovations, he changed that and walled it off. But it gives me a view of the property from two, very large windows. It’s command central for me, and because it was my dad’s space, it’s kind of special.”

However, the stunning porch, which has a broad view of the lake and boathouse below, is her favorite warmweather spot.

The house—which sits atop an emerald lawn that slopes down to the waterfront of Sunapee Harbor, not far from Dewey Beach—was previously a sage green. It was given an entirely new look thanks to a custom color—Coffin Blue. It serves as an appropriate touch to an ongoing journey to a family’s past.

“It’s a privilege to be a part of this historical project— not simply for all the wonderful design elements, but for the opportunity to infuse my work with the work of a very talented team of professionals and Deb,” Ballin says. “A house is a place for bodies and objects to reside. A home is a place for your body and spirit to thrive. Two Pines is a home and will be for generations to come.”

RESOURCES

Annie Ballin & Co., New London • annieballin.com

Claremont Custom Framing and Art Restoration • (603) 543-9992 claremontcustomframing.com

Little River Oriental Rugs, Concord • (603) 225-5512 • nhrugs.com

Nor’East Architectural Antiques, South Hampton • (603) 394-0006 • noreast1.com

Prospect Hill Antiques, Sunapee • (603) 763-9676 • prospecthillantiques.com

Stocker Woodworks, Sunapee • (603) 763-2410 • stockerwoodworks@comcast.net

Vintage Kitchens, Concord • (603) 224-2854 • vintagekitchens.com

Treasure Hunting

Adding to and renovating Two Pines presented a creative challenge: filling it with appointments, fixtures and furniture that would fit the feel and the vibe of this much-loved generational home.

The core team of homeowner Deborah Coffin, designer Annie Ballin and builder Brent Stocker took their search on the road.

“We did a lot of salvage and antique shopping,” Coffin says. “We spent a lot of time at Nor’East Architectural Antiques in South Hampton. We found lots of treasures there.”

A bed for the master bedroom was located at Prospect Hill Antiques in Sunapee. “On one of our trips, Deb spotted a stunning antique bed. She loved it, but it had to be transformed into a king size,” Ballin says. “A local craftsman, Max Brown, did an amazing job replicating exactly all those carvings.”

The trio took their search from Sunapee to destinations around New England and beyond.

“We had an absolute blast going to salvage places in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, just looking for old pieces we could reuse,” Stocker says. “We reused a lot of old furniture and doors. Two of the stained-glass doors in the bedroom came from Staten Island, New York.”

While the Two Pines project is not quite done—the boat house is in need of repairs and will get a makeover next year—the team intends to stay together to see it through.

“Normally, every project has a dam, but this project went so smoothly. I can’t think of one thing, not one hurdle that we ran into that slowed it down or impaired us at all. The chemistry was good; we were all on the same page,” Stocker says.

“And one nice thing about Deb is she could make a decision instantly,” he adds. “If you have a question for her, just give her a few options and she’ll have an answer for you. We were never waiting on decisions, and those decisions were never incorrect. It all worked out perfectly.”