Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection, a country retreat set on 58 acres in Washington, CT, has debuted updates for its centennial year. New York-based designer Celerie Kemble led the redesign, which encompasses guestrooms and suites and the entirety of the Inn’s historic main house, including the Mayflower's new fine dining restaurant, The Garden Room, as well as the Tap Room and Parlor.
While keeping pieces such as Mayflower’s signature four-poster beds, the rooms have been transformed with custom furnishings, sisal carpets, Turkish rugs, hand-crafted ceramics and wicker. Giving each guest room its own persona, Kemble traded damasks, crystal lamps and French influences for eclectic furnishings and “artful layering.”
To complement the redesign, the property has launched a new program called “Friends of the Mayflower.” The series of ongoing residencies includes guest chefs, local artist collaborations, fashion partnerships, events and more. This fall, chef April Bloomfield joins the property as the second artist in the creative series. As chef-in-residence, the James Beard award-winning chef will oversee all dining outlets at the Inn through the end of 2020, including the Garden Room and The Tap Room, harking back to her British roots serving hearty, reimagined pub-style fare in a tavern-like setting.
Chef Bloomfield begins her residency in conjunction with the unveiling of The Garden Room, a new upscale restaurant. The Garden Room menu will include ingredients from local Connecticut farms. This fall, the highlight of the Garden Room is Bloomfield’s four-course Garden Supper tasting menu, offered Thursday through Saturday evenings.
Auberge Resorts Collection is bringing Mayflower’s expansive gardens and grounds alive with new, immersive guest experiences. Options include outdoor yoga sessions in the resort’s Shakespeare Garden, enjoying a craft cocktail-making class, or roasting chestnuts and s’mores over the Inn’s new fire pits.
For those craving literary inspiration, the Inn has created an exclusive partnership with local rare book purveyor, Johnnycake Books. Owner Dan Dwyer has sourced a collection of both new and vintage books encompassing design, entertaining, gardening and other notable quirky genres. Guests are invited to enjoy this selection of books in the Parlor and can also purchase them through reception.
Other amenities available to guests include canoes and rowboats to use on the Mayflower pond; binoculars and booklets on birds in the area are; and plantings in the garden for kids.
In addition to the new interiors, Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection debuts a Sperry Tent outdoor venue. The 3,500-square-foot tent will accommodate 150 guests seated and up to 300 standing.