House Tour

Welcome to the Glamp Camp

That’s how these homeowners characterize their comfy new gathering spot in the Bethel woods.
Molly and Eric LaCroix's 2,500-square-foot camp in Bethel, known as #themaineglamp on Molly’s Instagram

ABOVE Molly and Eric LaCroix, pictured with their vizsla, Tiller, designed the 2,500-square-foot camp, known as #themaineglamp on Molly’s Instagram, with Jeremy Morin, of Gilead’s Jerbeck Construction, to supplement a smaller place Eric’s grandparents purchased in the 1980s. Though it was built for parties, the home’s exterior is intentionally discreet, with Jacobean-stained pine siding and an orientation away from the road.

TEXT BY SARA ANNE DONNELLY
PHOTOGRAPHED BY HEIDI KIRN

From the September 2021 issue of Down East magazine

Starting in 2006, most winter weekends and much of the summer found Eric and Molly LaCroix packing a half-dozen friends into Eric’s dad’s 1970s trailer on Bethel’s Songo Pond. They slept on the floor, sofa, and recliners, but as the crew grew to include spouses and kids, “it was getting to be too much,” says Molly, a photographer. “At some point, we were like, ‘We’re too old. We need to figure this out.’”

When a parcel next door came up for sale in 2017, Molly and Eric, who live in Massachusetts, pounced and began planning a four-bedroom, three-bath home. With rich-brown pine siding that blends into a thicket, it has an open plan so that “we’re all within earshot of each other,” says Eric, a business consultant. On their first Thanksgiving there, a group gathered around the table. “My dad gave a little, ‘Isn’t this awesome we’re all here, look how far we’ve come,’” Eric says. “And he got a little choked up.”

The LaCroixs worked closely with Bethel Kitchen Designs to outfit the cookspace, which features cabinetry in Jack Pine by Benjamin Moore

KITCHEN

The LaCroixs worked closely with Bethel Kitchen Designs to outfit the cookspace, which features cabinetry in Jack Pine by Benjamin Moore, inspired by the surrounding woods where Eric played as a child. (A lean-to he built against a boulder the family calls “Jumbo Rock” still stands.) A farmhouse sink and white-quartz countertops from Stone Surface, in Naples, parry rustic, darker elements, like pine trim and floating shelves and an industrial-style pendant from Wayfair.

Eric’s father, David LaCroix, built the pine farmhouse table and benches, upholstered in Pendleton wool by a friend.

DINING AREA

Eric’s father, David LaCroix, built the pine farmhouse table and benches, upholstered in Pendleton wool by a friend. A Capital Lighting chandelier dangling from the pine cathedral ceiling, stained Jacobean like the rest of the woodwork, adds a medieval flourish. “I was adamant about not having light pine,” Molly says. “I wanted it to be more industrial-chic-camp.”

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The main floor’s focal point is a gas stove with a Delgado stone-veneer surround by Casco’s J&T Masonry that gets plenty of use during ski season.

LIVING AREA

The main floor’s focal point is a gas stove with a Delgado stone-veneer surround by Casco’s J&T Masonry that gets plenty of use during ski season. Its rough-cut pine mantel was sourced from the property by Morin. Walls in Designer White by Benjamin Moore counter the moody effect of the dark woodwork and oak flooring.

The couple requested an organized drop zone that Jeremy Morin achieved with a Jacobean-stained pine bench and cubbies.

MUDROOM

There’s no mudroom in Eric’s dad’s place, “so people would dump stuff in the living space,” says Molly, who requested an organized drop zone that Morin achieved with a Jacobean-stained pine bench and cubbies. The slate flooring, from Bethel Kitchen Designs, is durable and easy to clean.

The glamping vibe is alive in the guest room

BEDROOM

The glamping vibe is alive in this guest room, where a vintage Hudson Bay wool blanket inherited from Eric’s grandparents and plentiful pillows from Target and HomeSense adorn a metal platform bed. “I’m a pillow hoarder,” Molly says. A photo of a steer adds personality to the shiplap backdrop.

The primary bath combines a vanity, mirror, and sconce from Wayfair with the home’s recurring green-and-white palette — and privacy.

BATH

The primary bath combines a vanity, mirror, and sconce from Wayfair with the home’s recurring green-and-white palette — and privacy. One of the limitations of the family’s original camp is a single bath that ensured “we all got really close, really fast,” Eric jokes.

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Molly and Eric LaCroix in the camp's living area

HAPPY COUPLE

A balcony off the bedrooms overlooks the living area, furnished with a sectional from Jordan’s Furniture the couple loves to pack with guests, including Molly’s parents and two sets of Eric’s aunts and uncles who have summer homes nearby. One Christmas, their friend crew exchanged “ugly pajamas” here. “We’re trying to carry on a family legacy in our own unique way,” Eric says.