Seeking a Charming Inn Without the Florals and Lace

April 23, 2011 10:25 AM

Any suggestions for inns or small hotels that incorporate modern/minimalist design? I'm trying to avoid the Victorian, lace, floral aesthetic. I'm particularly interested in the New England/East Coast area.

There's certainly a time and place for a traditional B&B, but I'm looking for a getaway in a pretty, nature-filled location, that involves less of that "staying at grandma's house" feeling. In other words, not so much with the quilts and antiques.

We recently spent a few days in Sonoma at the H2 Hotel in Healdsburg and that fit the bill pretty nicely. We live in NYC, so I'm looking for a nice non-floral place that's within driving distance for a long weekend. (But I'd definitely be curious about places in other regions, too!)

It's strangely difficult to search for this online because the term "modern" is used in so many ways. I'm looking for a chic, minimal, IKEA-ish aesthetic. When I use these kinds of keywords, I get Holiday Inns and Hiltons. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

posted by pourtant to travel & transportation (10 answers total)

Probably a good bet that you can find something through tablethotels.com. Not everything on there is modern design, but it certainly seems to tend towards it.
posted by Joh at 11:30 AM on April 23, 2011

not quite minimal modern chic, but this place might fit the bill. not so many doilies and as a bonus, its quite close to MASS MoCA.
posted by ps_im_awesome at 11:38 AM on April 23, 2011

The Country Squire in Hudson, NY is a very nice B&B sans chintz and lace.
posted by sulaine at 11:44 AM on April 23, 2011

The Guest House at Field Farm, in Williamstown, MA, can't be beat for all mod cons in a nature setting. Love, love, love it. From the website: "Edwin Goodell, Jr. designed the 1948 Bauhaus-inspired house. The house itself is almost a museum of modern furnishings, featuring reproduced Eileen Gray tables and George Nelson saucer pendant lamps in the Master bedroom, and a Noguchi coffee table, Kagan sofas, and an original Eames chair in the living room. ... The Guest House is situated in the middle of Field Farm, 316 acres of conserved land with four miles of trails that can be enjoyed by foot or cross-country ski."
posted by cocoagirl at 12:18 PM on April 23, 2011

I'm not entirely sure it fits the bill, as it's more retro than minimalist, but definitely not Grandma and lacy - Kate Pierson of the B-52s has a B&B in the Catskills, www.lazymeadow.com. I always thought it looked like a fun place to check out.
posted by Neely O'Hara at 1:01 PM on April 23, 2011

These are great suggestions so far. I'm not picky about the minimalist thing, I'd just prefer not to have ruffles all over everything!

Neely O'Hara, I've been seriously considering that place, but the TripAdvisor reviews are a bit mixed, so now I'm not sure.
posted by pourtant at 1:15 PM on April 23, 2011

Very much outside New England, but if you're ever out in Minnesota, I had a fantastic time last spring at the Solglimt Guest House in Duluth. It's on the sandbar that reaches out into Lake Superior, so stunning views, and the overall decorating style is comfortable and welcoming without being anything like ruffles.

I stayed in the Harbor View, which I loved, but they let me peek in the others too since I was the only guest (mid-week in March) and the other suites are just like their pictures too. The food was great, and it's very convenient both to stuff in Duluth, and for things like driving further up Lake Superior for a day trip, hiking, etc.
posted by modernhypatia at 1:23 PM on April 23, 2011

Here are a couple of small hotels at the Jersey shore that might interest you: Bungalow and the Virginia Hotel. The latter looks like an old-school chintz and lace B&B on the exterior, but the interior has been updated in a very cool way; it's not Ikea-minimalist, more sort of modern Art Deco, but it might appeal. The restaurant in the hotel is also fabulous.
posted by katie at 3:17 PM on April 23, 2011

You probably also want to use the word "boutique" in your searches. Boutique hotels tend to have that H2 aesthetic vs. ruffles and doilies.
posted by judith at 6:57 PM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

Thanks everyone. Made a reservation at The Porches for a birthday getaway with my boyfriend, but I now have more places on my list for future adventures.

Judith, great tip on the word "boutique."
posted by pourtant at 6:37 PM on April 29, 2011