The Kelby Offers Scandinavian Solace in The Granite State
At the foot of the White Mountains, a freshly re-envisioned motel offers the comfortable feeling of home.
Nestled into the hillside, overlooking Newfound Lake in Hebron, The Kelby Boutique Motel embraces a simple Nordic vibe. George Gray Architecture & Design Photography
You don’t often see shearling rugs in a hotel room. Or a lofted bedroom reached by a ladder. A cozy Norwegian-inspired kaffe is pretty rare too, especially one with a vintage velvet couch, board games, organic teas and books to snuggle up with on a cold winter morning.
The myriad moments like these at The Kelby Boutique Motel make you realize this is not a typical accommodation. Nestled into the hillside overlooking Newfound Lake in Hebron, the completely remodeled motel embraces a simple Nordic vibe with a feeling of contentment and coziness in simple pleasures.
“This doesn’t feel like a motel. It feels like the kind of place where you want to have a coffee and stay a while,” says The Kelby’s co-owner Anna Hattendorf about the public gathering spaces. George Gray Architecture & Design Photography
The result is a serene home away from home, where natural-fiber materials in neutral tones like honeycomb are accented by bolder hues like persimmon and peppercorn, and where low lighting and low-tech spaces allow you to unplug and truly relax.
“This doesn’t feel like a motel. It feels like the kind of place where you want to have a coffee and stay a while,” says co-owner Anna Hattendorf, who has two art degrees, worked in restoration and taught art and design. “Having a chance to bring my design background here was exciting and personal,” says Hattendorf. Her modern, Scandi-sleek style embraces simple, clean lines and a neutral palette.
She and her husband, Frank Doyle, who manages food and beverage service at nearby Tenney Mountain, are former restaurateurs who bought, renovated and now manage this motel and property. You might catch a glimpse of their three young children on the grounds.
Climb up the ladder to the lofted space above the bedroom and snuggle into its private sanctuary. George Gray Architecture & Design Photography
The property had previously been reborn eight times during its near century of life, including as the Whip-O-Whil Motel, in the 1950s, and The Blue Moon Motel, in 2013. That legacy and its natural environment influenced the couple’s name choice and design preferences, Anna says.
Kelby, a Gaelic and Norse term that means “dwelling by the spring,” marries the Doyles’ lineage — Frank is Irish and Anna is half Swedish — to Newfound Lake’s seven natural springs. During construction, they salvaged boulders and rocks from the property’s 19.5 acres to use in hardscaping the front patio and rear parking areas.
George Gray Architecture & Design Photography
Instead of large televisions and bulky furnishings in the rooms, streamlined settees and kitchenettes optimize guests’ comfort. Rattan platform beds, organic cotton linens and cowhides lend a feeling of rustic luxury, while wooden benches, satin black faucets and clothes hooks, and industrial pipes provide organizational structure. As for the art selections, they are reminiscent of the past while nodding to the future. The Blue Moon Motel signs and vintage snowshoes adorning the walls blend with works from artists like Howard Newman and Chris Wyllie, who exhibit at the Smithsonian and Whitney museums.
The motel’s public spaces, a café and shop, offer sheepskin rugs and a cozy velvet couch, the tastiest hot cocoa, and darling books, board games and décor to take home as a vacation memento. Meanwhile, each of the 10 rooms has a private patio with water-view seats, so this year-round retreat is poised to usher in its own respite-seeking generation of guests.
“I wanted this space to be cozy, comfortable, minimal and to have roots in Nordic style, but a little different, with a pop of color on the door, an accent pillow or blanket,” says Anna. “Relax and refresh is the whole idea here; get away and unplug. That’s why there aren’t TVs everywhere. It’s meant to be quiet, and the style embodies that.”
For more information, visit thekelby.com.
A kitchenette in each suite allows guests to prepare their own quick breakfast or snack before heading out to enjoy the area’s activities. George Gray Architecture & Design Photography
