First Look: The Restoration Asheville

Asheville’s buzzy River Arts District, popular restaurant scene, and Blue Ridge Mountain views provided Anders Anderson a deep well of inspiration as he created the design, menu, and outdoor programming at the new Restoration Hotel Asheville. “We kept coming back to both the Biltmore Estate and the Grove Park Inn,” says Anderson, the Restoration’s owner and creative director. “The Biltmore Estate brought all of these wonderful European architects and artisans to Asheville who ended up settling in the region and influencing some of the early architecture of the downtown district.” The modern building rises above downtown’s Pritchard Park and nods to regional treasures—for example, the lobby’s curving archways reflect the influential style of Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino, who visited and remained in Asheville after crafting an elaborate tiled vault for the Biltmore Estate in the early 1890s. Murals from local painter Scott Allred decorate two of the three Restoration restaurants, and a rotating artist-in-residence program debuts with the images of Charleston, South Carolina, photographer Gately Williams. “We want to create as many connections with local artists as we can,” Anderson says. “And the Restoration’s artist-in-residence program is one way to celebrate visionaries.”