With a focus on old-fashioned service and fresh contemporary style, places like Zero George and the Dewberry have changed the hotel game in Charleston. The fashion-forward trend continues at 86 Cannon. The Holy City’s newest boutique inn is housed in a circa-1860 single-house in Charleston’s hip Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood. “I wanted to stay true to the original bones of the house through classic architectural detailing, but move into present day with modern furniture forms and unique finishes,” says Betsy Berry, the design mastermind behind 86 Cannon’s look.
To that end, the Charleston designer, whose resume includes projects like the D.C. St. Regis and the Connaught Hotel in London, enlisted the local decorative painter Suzanne Allen to help produce one-of-a-kind design details throughout the space. Allen hand-painted the walls in two of the sumptuously restored inn’s five guest rooms. (Don’t worry; each bedroom has its own thoroughly modern bath.) She also lent her talents to the Venetian plaster walls in the second floor café, where guests will find a European-style breakfast spread and nightly wine and cheese service. In the salon, Berry papered the walls with a luxurious indigo grasscloth and sourced contemporary light fixtures from the Savannah-based Circa Lighting. If it’s happy hour—no need to venture out—you can pour yourself two fingers of bourbon from the third-floor library’s honor bar, where Berry went for bold prints in warm reds and pinks that make for a surprisingly cozy space. Rooms can be rented individually, and guests can also let the entire property, including the original backhouse, outfitted with a commercial kitchen for catering or guest chefs.
