A Modern Barn, Made for Maine

I didn’t find this house first — I found the town.

Jorge and I were introduced to Kennebunkport through friends, and almost immediately it felt different. There was a rhythm to it that stayed with us. The beaches were beautiful but unpretentious. The restaurants felt thoughtful. And the seasonal rituals — especially Prelude each winter — gave the town a sense of return. It felt like the kind of place where memories accumulate naturally, year after year.

When we came across the house online, I knew right away it had potential. From the exterior, it read more like a barn than a traditional coastal home, and that’s what drew us in. It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t precious. But it felt honest.

Once inside, the reality set in quickly. The bathroom layout was, frankly, strange — the shower wasn’t even connected to the bathroom and was attached to the primary bedroom. The house relied on a pellet stove for heat, with no conventional system and little insulation in the attic. Outside, the garden needed serious work. It was clearly a project.

But the wood told a different story.

Much of the home had been built using salvaged barn wood from northern Maine, carefully treated and repurposed by the original owner. You could feel the care in the structure itself. The texture, the warmth, the sense that this place had been made — not just assembled. Once I saw that, I knew we didn’t want to erase anything. We wanted to build on what was already there.

From the beginning, our vision was to create a modern barn house that reflected both of us. My style tends to be more traditional; Jorge’s is more contemporary. The challenge — and the fun — was finding the balance between the two. The house had great bones, and we trusted that if we stayed restrained, it would guide us.
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"Living in Kennebunkport slows down time. The pace here lets you notice the light on the water, the rhythm of the tides, and the simple joy of just being present."

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We didn’t approach the design with a fixed master plan. Instead, we let it evolve. We bought pieces instinctively, often second-hand — if we saw something that felt right, we brought it home, knowing we could always edit later. And we did. We’re still editing. There are things I’d love to do one day — finishing the attic, maybe even adding an auxiliary dwelling — but for now, the house feels settled.

More than anything, I wanted the space to feel calm. When guests walk in, I want them to feel like they’re in Maine immediately. Clean. Simple. Low effort. This is a place to slow down, not manage.

That intention shows up in the details. The barn wood is still the most meaningful material in the house — it’s the soul of the space. Outside, we completely reworked the garden: leveling the yard, adding a shell driveway, a bluestone patio in the front, and a fire pit in the back. Guests mention it all the time. Inside, there’s a staircase off the dining room that you can’t actually use, but people love it anyway — especially kids, who are endlessly curious about it. I like that it exists purely as a moment.

The biggest transformation happened upstairs. Renovating the second-floor bathroom changed everything. Adding a double vanity, a large shower, simple subway tile, and gray cement finishes turned the entire floor into something that feels closer to a suite than a guest room. It brought modern comfort into a historic shell without overwhelming it — an approach that later caught the attention of Decor Maine, who featured the home for its thoughtful balance of old and new.

Kennebunkport itself was always part of the design. We never wanted the house to feel like a city apartment dropped into a coastal town. It needed to belong here. I hope staying here encourages people to step outside — to bike through town, walk the beaches, and move at the pace the village sets.

Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful we took this on. It was a lot of work, but it taught us so much—about design, about hosting, and about what it really takes to create a thoughtful short-term rental. It’s a home we love, and it’s also something that supports our family in a very real way. That balance—between care and practicality, between design and comfort—is what makes this place special. It’s not perfect. But it’s intentional. And that’s exactly what we hoped for.

Justin and Jorge partner with property manager Dominic to offer short-term leases that help travelers avoid platform fees. Discover the space and plan your stay here: Kennebunkport
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Photography by James Reed