This Maine home is a mid-century time capsule
Scarborough – Averyl Hill has spent 17 years turning a modest 1,220‑square‑foot house into a living museum of mid‑century design, filling every room with items she found for a few dollars at estate sales, thrift stores and flea markets.
Hill, 58, an author and veteran picker who sells vintage finds on eBay, bought the 1950 modified ranch for $190,000 in 2009 after a previous sale collapsed because other buyers thought the property “too campy” and in need of major renovations. The asking price had been $225,000.
“I found my dream home,” Hill said. “I knew it wasn’t for everyone, but it was for me.”
The house, tucked into a quiet Scarborough neighborhood, still shows the hallmarks of its era: honey‑toned birch kitchen cabinets with copper knobs and hinges, knotty pine paneling, scalloped window trim and a divided picture window framed by slate siding on the exterior. A 1968 addition expanded the kitchen and added a third bedroom, bringing the home’s layout into the late‑1960s style that Hill prizes.
She has preserved features that many homeowners would have painted over or torn out. In the kitchen, a bright yellow Armstrong sheet‑vinyl floor—installed during the 1968 expansion—remains immaculate despite its age and the likelihood that its backing contains asbestos. Hill keeps her shoes in the adjacent sunroom rather than risk damaging the floor.
“The floor is beautiful,” Hill said. “Some people would say it’s ugly, but I love it.”
The sunroom itself was once a carport; the original owners, Leonard and Lorraine Libby, converted it into a three‑season entryway. After purchasing the house, Hill located the Libbys, who still lived nearby, and invited them over. The couple brought photo albums that showed the house under construction, family gatherings and holiday celebrations.
“The best part of the visit was when we all sat down at my chrome dinette set in the kitchen with the large stack of photo albums they had brought over,” Hill recalled. “I saw pictures of my house being built, family pictures taken inside the house throughout the years, bridge games played in my living room and my favorite, Christmastime.”
Hill’s passion for vintage extends far beyond the house’s bones. She has amassed a collection of furniture, linens, lamps, artwork, jewelry, record albums and animal figurines spanning the 1950s through the 1970s. A 1950s blonde‑wood and Formica bedroom set cost her $75 at a Saco estate sale. A 1960s wood‑and‑brass sunburst wall clock above the brick fireplace was just $3 at a Cape Elizabeth sale. A bright yellow, wall‑mounted 1970s telephone in the kitchen—part of a subtle yellow color scheme—set her back a mere $2 at another Saco sale.
“I surround myself with things that make me happy,” Hill said. “It’s a kind of therapy for me. This house for me is very grounding.”
She also inherited an antique curio cabinet from her grandmother, which sits alongside newer pieces such as a white wall oven that matches the vintage cooktop and range hood that came with the house. She has left the floral wallpaper and painted woodwork added by the second owner untouched, preferring authenticity over uniformity.
Hill shares her thrifty living adventures on Instagram under the handle SimpleLivingNewEngland and on her personal blog, where she writes about hunting for bargains, the history of her finds and the philosophy behind simple living. She is also the author of several books.
“I want other people to know you don’t have to be rich to have a good life and enjoy your home,” Hill said. “You don’t have to get rid of things just because they’re old, especially since old things are often better made.”
Her husband, Wayne Johnson, a former boat builder now working as a service writer at Portland Yacht Services, supports her vision. “He loves how much I love it because he knows it makes me happy,” Hill said. “He also appreciates that I’m a homemaker. I cook from scratch and I have dinner on the table every night. And we save a lot of money.”
Hill’s own background fuels her outlook. She grew up in New York City’s subsidized housing, survived childhood trauma and has been sober for 32 years. She attended a private high school on scholarship, an experience that exposed her to both poverty and wealth. She moved to Maine in 1986 to study at the University of Maine, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English.
“Maine has been good to me,” Hill said. “I have learned to live simply here, within my means, and with an appreciation for what I have.”
She sees her approach as both economical and environmentally conscious. With housing costs climbing beyond reach for many, Hill believes that embracing vintage and reusing furnishings could become more attractive.
“The trend toward sustainability, reducing, reusing and recycling is growing,” she noted. “I think vintage is poised for a golden moment.”
In a market where new construction often prioritizes uniformity, Hill’s home stands out as a testament to the value of preserving the past while living comfortably in the present. For her, every bargain‑priced lamp, every modestly priced piece of furniture tells a story—and that narrative is what makes a house a home.
—“Maine News Now” • August 2026
