Festina Lente | Kittery, ME

Restaurant identity and interior design

Festina Lente is a gem in the heart of the amazing restaurant scene in the Kittery Foreside—where we are thankful every day to be a part of the neighborhood and community. So naturally, when Sam Ostrow asked us if we could help transform a somewhat small and awkward space into an inviting rustic Italian restaurant—we were excited about the challenge!

Sam had a very clear vision for the vibe and the cuisine and our job was to bring it to life.

We started out with an ideation phase where we gathered all the facts and inspiration to come up with different big ideas around the experience:

• Branding
• Look and feel
• Space planning

Sam was involved in the design process early on, ensuring that we would land on a finished product which best reflected the experience he wanted to bring to his customers.  

Ultimately we created the identity system:

• Logo/branding
• Menus
• Exterior Signage
• Mural graphics 

As well as the interior design:

• Renovation
• Finishes 
• Bar design
• Lighting
• Millwork

This resulted in a cohesive and memorable restaurant experience. This project represents a close collaboration with our client as well as a collaboration of design disciplines in our studio, all working together to bring Festina Lente to life.  

Sam Ostrow, Owner & Chef commented after the project was complete “…the team really helped me with honing in on my decisions and giving me the tools I needed to make them. The branding is the perfect example of this. Clean lines, simplicity, diversity of materials. I am still so happy every day when I walk through the door with how that space looks.”