An Inside Look at the Dunlin, a Stunning New Hotel Along the Kiawah River

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the Dunlin—the newly opened Auberge Resorts Collection destination along the Kiawah River on Johns Island, South Carolina—is that the experience felt more like entering a comfortable, welcoming house than crossing the threshold of a formal hotel. 

That’s intentional: Dunlin designer Amanda Lindroth and her Bahamian-based team are known for conjuring a spirit of ease and a sense of place. Take Lindroth’s charming work on the Dunmore, on Harbour Island in the Bahamas, and the Wilderness Country Club in Naples, Florida. “We go into these projects hoping to bring a layered, residential feel,” Lindroth says. 

Inside the Dunlin, the color scheme consists of a blood-pressure-lowering medley of greens and whites that reflect the Lowcountry panorama just beyond its doors. “We dreamed about the DNA of the Dunlin being akin to a 1920s beach house,” Lindroth says, and she knew she wanted the paint to reference the surrounding “lush, centuries-old” live oaks and the river itself. Her team most often used Breakfast Room Green, by Farrow & Ball, to bolster that connection.

Each room features a (naturally, green) soaking tub that faces this stunning vista, and canopies adorn the beds. Plush sofas and reading lamps also invoke the feeling of being a guest in a friendly home. 

In the resort’s public spaces—most notably in the lobby bar, called the Willet Room, and at Linnette’s restaurant—other inviting details include lively checkerboard floors, the soft (and often ruffled or scalloped) seating options, lots of rattan and potted palm trees, and expansive screened porches. “The floors are four colors of linoleum,” Lindroth explains. “I love linoleum in old house kitchens. Those floors were in the grandest and most humble houses, and they just felt right.” Even the art feels neighborly—the resin botanicals throughout are the work of the Lowcountry artist Mary Margaret Monsees.

Linnette’s also features the resort’s most showstopping element: a birdcage-esque bar. “The frame was made in powder-coated metal, and the rattan came in sheets,” Lindroth says. “There was a moment of panic on our team’s side, when applying it appeared challenging. But Mimi Whelan, our project manager, persevered and found the talent and solutions to get it across the finish line.” 

Lindroth and her team are well-versed at pulling off decorating miracles. Even if you aren’t able to visit the Dunlin soon to witness this latest feat in person, you can still peruse and get inspired by Lindroth’s beautiful work through her latest book, Island Dreaming, which debuts in October and is available for preorder now.

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