GRAPHĒ: This Minimalist Home in Maine Channels the Spirit of a Scandinavian Cottage

The home’s trio of streamlined gables shows off its crisp wood finishes.

The first thing you notice upon arriving at Julie and Scott Pelletier’s house outside Portland, Maine, is what you don’t see: a front door. There isn’t one. Which doesn’t mean you can’t figure out how to enter.

Built on a shale ridge with a 35-foot drop-off, Scott and Julie Pelletier’s house in Maine comprises a succession of simple gables.

Photo by Erin Little

You steer up a steep wooded driveway, park, and then ascend via granite slab steps to a slim patio and breezeway that connect the three gabled structures that make up the dwelling. The breezeway offers a game show option: Door Number 1, Door Number 2, or Door Number 3, all of them glass with broad black aluminum frames. Take your pick.

A breezeway complete with swings connects the front and back decks. "We knew we wanted a covered entry, but we left it open to create a larger outdoor space," says Scott, who admits to occasionally using the swings himself. Mud guards are built into the Kebony decking to keep dirt from being tracked inside. The teak chairs are by Skagerak.

Photo by Erin Little

There’s no doorbell or knocker, but sight lines make it clear that the single-level volume off to the left is probably the main house. You enter through a mudroom that opens into a 600-square-foot kitchen and large living/dining area. An opening leads to the second structure, which contains four modestly sized bedrooms off a central hallway.