Boutique Hospitality Rooted in Place
The Foreside Inn reimagines a historic hospitality site in the heart of Kittery Foreside, celebrating the area’s creative spirit and coastal character while offering a thoughtfully curated stay for the modern traveler. Inspired by the working waterfront and local arts community, the boutique inn blends modern comfort with local character—designed to feel personal, relaxed, and rooted in place. The project transforms a long-neglected bed and breakfast through a carefully considered site strategy shaped by zoning constraints, resulting in two closely related buildings that share parking, are each limited to twelve guest rooms, and include an innkeeper residence in both structures.
The architectural approach embraces a transitional design language that bridges past and present. The building on the right is a new construction informed by the form, scale, and character of the original historic inn, while the building on the left adopts a similar massing to a structure lost to fire decades ago, re-establishing the site’s historic footprint. Together, the buildings create a cohesive guest experience while allowing each to tell a distinct story. WINTER HOLBEN led the project’s architecture, interior design, and integrated experience design, shaping guest rooms and shared spaces that reflect the Foreside Inn’s ethos of style, simplicity, and location, along with the naming and branding that unify the project as a welcoming, design-driven Maine Coast retreat.
“We have been invested in Kittery Foreside for a long time and are excited to develop a boutique inn that offers a different level of experience than is currently available in the market”
-Taylor McMaster, Madbury Real Estate Managing Partner
Design Features:
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Transitional architectural design bridging historic references and contemporary detailing
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Two-building site strategy shaped by zoning constraints and historic site patterns
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New construction informed by the original historic inn’s form, scale, and character
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Massing derived from a former structure lost to fire, re-establishing the site footprint
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Cohesive guest experience across distinct architectural identities
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Guest rooms and common spaces designed for comfort, simplicity, and authenticity
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Materials and detailing responsive to Kittery Foreside’s coastal and working waterfront context
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Integrated architecture, interiors, branding, and experience design
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Naming and identity inspired by local character, creativity, and place
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