By Emma Bouthillette
Staff Writer
Nestled in the woods on Goose Rocks Road in Kennebunkport, a new summer resort promises an artistic twist to visitors and guests. Covering 60 acres of former forest, Kennebunk real estate developer Tim Harrington created Cottages at Hidden Pond, a 14-cottage resort, with a main lodge, community garden and nature trails.
The cottages, one-story capes or two story colonials, are dispersed throughout the 60 acres, a peaceful and private setting for a vacation. Each designer was assigned a cottage to create a Maine retreat. From the outside, they look like simple Maine cottages with a porch, but inside, designers have produced 14 different living spaces for resort guests.
In 2006, Harrington renovated and created a designer showcase out of the Kennebunkport Cottages at Cabot Cove. He is repeating a similar showcase for the Cottages at Hidden Pond.
In fall 2007, Harrington asked a group of New England designers to present an interior design plan for a Maine cottage. A jury selected the 14 best designers, and each received a $20,000 stipend and a cottage to completely decorate.
After nine months of planning and labor, and before the cottages are open for rental, there is a resort showcase through July 9. The showcase gives the designers a chance to display their talents and raise money for three charitable causes. Tickets to view the designer showcase are $20 and all proceeds benefit the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust, Child Abuse Prevention Council and River Tree Center for the Arts.
Lucy Levenson, board member for both the Child Abuse Prevention Council and River Tree Center for the Arts, has volunteered to guide cottage tours.
“Tim gave all the designers a chance for interpretation. He wanted it to grow into something personal for them,” Levenson said.
She said one of the few directions Harrington gave designers was to create places for people to gather around a table.
Of the 14 designers, 10 are from Maine. The Maine designers are from Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, York, Wells, Gorham and Yarmouth.
Krista Stokes, owner of Favela Chic in Kennebunkport, designed “Lazy Days.”
“I think the best advice Tim gave us was ‘Rooms that feel like porches and porches that feel like rooms.’ I took Maine by the elements and seasons to integrate that into my design,” Stokes said.
The front door brings you right into the living room of the cottage with a vibrant shag rug that resemble autumn leaves.
The screened in porch has a couch and two hanging hammock chairs, a perfect place to take a nap, Stokes said.
She said the majority of art Stokes used to decorate the cottage is from commissioned local artists. This includes work of Tim Coppinger of Kennebunk, who designed the slate headboard for the master bed and a muscle shell mosaic surrounding the mirror in one of the bathrooms.
Laura Savard, Coppinger’s wife, painted two canvases for each bathroom, using lobsters to convey the Maine theme. Stokes also commissioned Nadine Schoepsle, Susan Inoue, Alex Miller, Brian Fairfield, and Mike Lepiesto for other design aspects of the cottage.
Mike Spiker, owner of One Damned Designer in Kennebunk, said he used lime green dining chairs as inspiration for his cottage.
“I tried to juxtapose the other cottages with something different. Day Dream is city upscale. It is kind of like Soho meets Southern Maine,” Spiker said.
The “Day Dream” cottage has a mix of materials to create a whimsy and fancy look, Spiker said. Some of Spiker’s materials are two cattle hides as carpets on the living room floor and corrugated metal panels as wall pieces and a headboard.
Brett Johnson, owner of Maine Street Designs in Gorham, said he wanted visitors to feel at home in the “Firefly” cottage.
“The furnishings are very comfortable, slightly casual, but luxurious at the same time. The strongest feature is the colors. I used bright reds and beeswax yellows, as well as other nature inspired colors,” Johnson said.
 “It is such an eclectic group of designers, giving each cottage its own feel,” Levenson said.
Each cottage has one or two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an outdoor shower, and screened-in porch. All are equipped with a full kitchen and washer and dryer. Some cottages have twin beds in the second bedroom, while others have a second queen size bed.
Services for guests include a pool and health center at the main lodge, bicycle rentals, in-house chefs, if desired, and a community garden guests can harvest for meals.
“They are the perfect size for a family, two couples or parents with their child and in-law,” Levenson said.
After July 9, the cottages will be rented during the summer for $595 per night for a one-bedroom cottage and $695 per night for a two-bedroom cottage. The different cottages can be viewed online at www.hiddenpondmaine.com.
“It is a full-on luxurious resort, with privacy that some inns don’t offer,” Levenson said.
The designer showcase is open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. through July 9. For more information on the Cottages at Hidden Pond, call 967-9015.