Riverbend is a residence situated at the end of a quiet lane on a bend of the Bagaduce River, located on Maine’s coast between Belfast and Bar Harbor. It’s another beauty by OPAL, the architects behind the winning New Modern Cottage in our 2025 YMC Design Awards Competition.

Riverbend by Opal, a house along Maine's coast

The home rests atop a low ridge to capture views up and down the river. Built on a site that had been previously disturbed, the owners have worked diligently to heal the site, re-establishing and enhancing native plantings to provide habitat for nesting birds and other wildlife.

The owners are accomplished woodworkers, and an important aspect of the design brief was to create an accessible home that provides an interior connection between the primary living spaces and a workshop and storage area for year-round projects.

House with stained eastern white cedar and Corten steel panels

The 3,790-square-foot home was designed to knit together the different functional areas of the home— garage, living, and workshop—into a single, efficient articulated building form rather than a series of separate volumes. A centralized home office space and screened porch function as a bridge between the workshop areas and the home.

The home is built with a Passive House approach to the building shell with high levels of biogenic insulation, air-sealing, triple-glazed European windows and doors, and heat recovery ventilation. Areas of glazing are sized and placed carefully based on orientation and to capture views. Solar studies were used to understand shadow patterns throughout the day and seasonally.

living areas with a bright interior palette of white oak casework and flooring

A dark exterior palette of stained eastern white cedar and Corten steel panels contrasts with a bright interior palette of white oak casework and flooring.

Keep scrolling to see more Interior pics and watch video, which beautifully showcases Riverbend.