The Hotel Portsmouth Gets a Modern Americana Redesign

In one guest room, striped wallcovering sheaths part of the wall, while the rest is painted Benjamin Moore’s “Heritage Red.” / Photo by Read McKendree

This article is from the fall 2024 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

Built in 1881 by a wealthy ship merchant, the Queen Anne Victorian–style Hotel Portsmouth served as one of New Hampshire’s first lodging establishments. The hotel’s original architectural details—crown moldings, working fireplaces, extensive carved woodwork—were among the most alluring aspects of the property to Lark Hotels president Rob Blood, who purchased it in 2014.

Original oak paneling takes center stage in the hotel’s foyer and main stairwell. / Photo by Read McKendree

Photo by Read McKendree

And when it came to the hotel’s recent refresh, maintaining those design elements was paramount. “We were excited to reimagine the hotel within its original context,” says Megan Kennedy, Lark Hotels creative director and principal of design firm Elder & Ash. The team’s vision was to tell the story of the hotel’s New England roots while incorporating Portsmouth’s current incarnation. Steeped in maritime tradition and surrounded by historic landmarks, the city also has a burgeoning contemporary arts and culture scene with venues like Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club and Seacoast Repertory Theatre.

“We went with a bold Americana theme. There’s a lot of red, white, and blue,” says Kennedy, noting that the approach was to express Americana throughout the hotel as a technique more so than a visual picture. “Modern Americana design for this project was much more than stars, stripes, and patchwork quilts (while there are still many of those); it was about noticing how multiple patterns, textures, and colors come to feel like ‘Americana.’ Tribal mud cloths work harmoniously with Greek key motifs, and while some would argue about heritage, we saw it as an opportunity to emulate the melting pot,” she notes.

Slim Aarons photographs, like the one above this denim sofa, are displayed throughout the hotel. / Photo by Read McKendree

Photo by Read McKendree

Nearly 150-year-old mahogany woodwork gleams in the common spaces, and crown molding, chair rails, and picture molding were added to the guest rooms in a later addition, so every space feels ornate and authentic to the historic main building. Taking cues from the rich, layered spaces of Ralph Lauren and Jonathan Adler, Kennedy notes that the décor “is very pattern on pattern. The layering creates a very homey feel that is modern and playful, too.”

First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Fall 2024 issue, with the headline “Modern Heritage.” 

Photo by Read McKendree