Wallpaper plays a leading role in the revamp of the Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection, part of designer Celerie Kemble’s vision for a country house escape that resembles a well-appointed home more than a luxury hotel.
Originally built in 1894 as a private school for boys, the 35-room New England hideaway flaunts a number of striking wallcoverings (some found on ceilings) that elicit a “complex puzzle,” says the New York-based Kemble, partner at Kemble Interiors, which also has offices in Palm Beach, Florida and London. “The Paul Montgomery mural feels as though you are under the canopy of a willow tree, so there is a romanticism and whimsy to those rooms, and the Sister Parish dot and stripe is a pattern I love for its softness around the edges and elevating geometry.” There is also the yellow-hued parlor’s “egg-yolk woven silk that looks the way it feels to have a sunbeam warm you,” she adds.
Among greenery and unique finds, the lobby is wrapped in a blue-hued, feather-patterned wallcovering
Mixing 19th-century tinsel art with Pop Art cake paintings by Gary Komarin and handmade paper flowers that reference Connecticut gardens, the parlor reflects “the intersection of artistry and craft, which I felt was appropriate for a New England hotel,” explains Kemble.
The iconic spa has also been refreshed as the Well at Mayflower Inn, the second outpost of the New York holistic health center. Its cofounder Kane Sarhan coveted this locale as the brand’s first retreat given its proximity to the city and that “guests are immediately transported into 55 acres of nature.” Thanks to New York designer Nina Gotlieb, the space now sports “a bright, fresh dressing,” points out Sarhan, who joined forces with New York landscape designer Luz LeStrange to piece together the biophilic thermal pool and its throng of purifying plants that “will continue to grow over time to take over the room.”
Purifying plants, floor-to-ceiling windows, and neutral textures make up the relaxation room at the Well, the holistic health center’s second outpost
Despite these contemporary interventions, the inn is imbued with well-worn charm. Kemble culled characterful treasures like four-poster beds and tea tables from the previous owner’s stash, which now mesh with layers of patterns, gingerbread trim, antique mirrors, cane, and vintage chintz—materials that were chosen, says Kemble, “because of the human fingerprint and the warmth of patina.”
This article originally appeared in HD’s May 2021 issue.
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