How Do You Turn a Maine Barn into a Fireside Pickleball Court?

Boston Home

The Challenge

The homeowner, who’d spent summers on Mount Desert Island for decades, dreamed of a more spacious retreat for his large family. A new barn on a 4-acre property straddling the rocky coast offered just the place he’d envisioned for his clan to gather and share adventures. But to accomplish that, the space needed a beautiful but functional great room equally suited for lobster dinners, indoor pickleball matches, and fireside evenings.

The Solution

The project team—architects from Lake Flato, builder Chris Mahaney, and his wife, interior designer Stephanie Mahaney—conceived the space as a soaring yet welcoming hub. A cathedral ceiling of single-plank fir with exposed beams plays against the raw concrete floor, balancing warmth and durability. At its center, a 34-foot-tall granite fireplace commands attention—a sculptural composition of boulders, none smaller than 2 square feet, surrounding a single 14-foot-long reclaimed granite hearth. A 15-person dining table rolls aside (or through 12-foot-tall steel doors to the patio) to make way for the indoor pickleball court, while teak sofas invite fireside relaxation. The result is a space that feels both enduring and exuberant: a Maine barn that serves as a year-round family playground.