Paul Chick’s grandparents developed the property, and he remembers all of this and more. “It started out as a grove of fruit trees,” he says. Farming faded into summer rentals when his father and grandfather turned toward carpentry, a talent linked to their boatbuilding lineage. Paul took on odd jobs. “My brothers and I did all the lawn mowing—lots and lots of lawn mowing!” Paul says.

Upkeep wasn’t always a chore. During towel runs, Paul would push an old grocery cart door to door and help kick off the fun. “We’d tell everybody, ‘We’re having a block party. Bring whatever you’ve got,’” he says.

Tim Harrington remembers the cottages from his own Maine summers. The real estate developer watched with sadness as the years took their toll on this seasonal community. “When it became available,” he says, “I knew that I wanted to buy it and create this magical village.”

But Tim realized he couldn’t do it alone. The buildings and landscaping were badly deteriorated. With partners Anne Benedict and John Engel, Tim sought insight from those who knew the cottages best. One local resident, Anne Senece, proposed turning the project into a decorators’ showcase with proceeds to benefit area charities. Tim loved the idea.

Sixteen selected designers began refurbishing the tiny houses. Despite having to cope with mostly dilapidated conditions and modest budgets, the designers took on the challenge with glee. They joined with the developers to overcome zoning constraints. “We couldn’t change the footprint, but we could reconfigure the rooms,” Tim says. Paul’s family had built the houses one at a time over a period of years, so floor plans and square footages vary, and only one is larger than 800 square feet. “They’re like little jewel boxes,” Tim says.

Outside, each residence features shingle siding, a cedar roof, window boxes, and a cupola that lights up at night. “We researched houses in Nantucket, Little Palm Island in Florida, and the Hamptons,” Tim says of his and residential designer John Einsiedler’s aesthetic goals.

For the interiors, the developers asked designers to make the cottages function as real houses with fully operable kitchens and baths, and queen-size beds. “But we wanted to make sure we didn’t have 16 little blue-and-white cottages,” says Tim of his request to review plans. What he got were 16 completely different looks.

Paul, who now runs a fine-carpentry business, believes his grandparents would be pleased with the results. “To preserve what they started and make it even better is wonderful,” he says. “They’re different. But they’re still my cottages.”

For sales information about fully furnished cottages, contact Kennebunk Beach Realty; 207/967-5481 or kennebunkbeachrealty.com.

Sleepy Hollow: Designer Lesa Knowlton

Float In: Designers Andrea Irvine and Rosselle Johnson

Sweet Dreams: Designer Tracey Rapisardi

Harbor Cottage: Designers Louise and Carrie Hurlbutt