This 80.9 hectare home is located in Maine and has a fascinating past. The sprawling mansion, which was once the home of the late American philanthropist and social darling Brooke Astor, has been named August Moon. In the 1960s, inspired by Chinese architecture, she commissioned American architect and landscape architect Robert Patterson to build a variety of buildings.

Following Brooke Astor's death, August Moon now belongs to a couple in New York City. While there are many theories behind Astor's naming of the estate, the truth remains a "mystery." Span Architecture was commissioned by the current owners to renovate and construct the building. But the Chinese aesthetic Brooke Astor left behind reflects Ms. Astor's fascination with Chinese culture and her travels around Asia as a child.

The client asked the design studio to restore the Astor-era Chinese tea pavilion and cottage. They also want architects to build a 5,750-square-foot six-bedroom, six-bathroom family home, as well as add an additional guesthouse bedroom. This process took 15 years. Patterson and Astor's background was extensively researched by the design studio as the client sought to preserve as much of the original as possible.

Karen Stonely, co-principal of Span Architecture, said the studio was inspired by Patterson's love of nature and conservation and Astor's fascination with the natural world. She and Pelsinski, the studio's other principal, worked hard to adapt the building to its landscape.

The master bedroom is on the top floor of the house and enjoys a wraparound terrace overlooking other outdoor Spaces. Full-height glass walls on three sides create a home that completely immerses itself in the lush surroundings of the site. SPAN also chose to use local materials, such as cedar, Douglas fir and stone from an early building quarry, throughout the interior.