The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville is set to open new food-and-beverage spaces amid a hotel-wide redesign. The 122-room property will unveil two new dining outlets as part of a top-to-bottom design refresh of guestrooms and public spaces beginning in late October.
Drusie & Darr
The centerpiece of the multiyear project is Drusie & Darr, a the first Southern restaurant and bar from chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who will oversee the direction of all culinary aspects of the hotel. The hotel’s former Capitol Grille dining room and bar are undergoing an update from interior designer Thomas Juul-Hansen, who has developed the interiors of all Vongerichten’s restaurants. The redesign will maintain the restaurant’s architectural details. Juul-Hansen will use a palette of natural materials—metal, wood, leather and stone—complemented by lighting from L’Observatoire International that will illuminate the restaurant’s arched ceilings. All furnishings, from the mother-of-pearl pendant lamps to the seating, tables and curved banquettes, will be entirely bespoke to Drusie & Darr. A new, dedicated restaurant entrance will be directly accessible from Sixth Avenue.
The Pink Hermit
In late fall on the corner of Union and Sixth Avenue, the hotel team will open the Pink Hermit in a collaboration with Vongerichten and The Hermitage Hotel team and designed by Juul-Hansen. Its name is derived from the definition of hermitage as a “secluded retreat.” The intimate space is clad in pale pink and gray marble has indoor and outdoor seating. The café’s concept will evolve throughout the day, from a coffee bar serving pastries in the morning, to a casual take-away for lunch, and later, a wine bar serving small bites, Champagne and craft cocktails in the evening.
The Ladies' Room
In an answer to the hotel’s 1930s-era Art Deco men’s room, the hotel will add a new ladies’ room. Taking its cue from the men’s room’s horizontal tilework in stripes of lime green and black, the new ladies’ room will be decorated with striped walls of variegated pink marble, inlaid marble flooring, arched doorways and rose gold-framed mirrors.
The Lobby
The Beaux Arts lobby of The Hermitage Hotel has been restored and updated. The original 1910 painted glass ceiling, ornamental plaster details and Tennessee marble, all designed by Tennessee architect James E.R. Carpenter, have been preserved, while the entire space got an updated color palette and new furnishings in textured shades of blue and silver. Nearly completed, the lobby refresh has all-new seating, lighting and case goods. Interior design firm ForrestPerkins is overseeing all design updates of the lobby, adjacent ballroom and all guestrooms and suites. The Hermitage Hotel Ballroom will be refreshed with new carpeting, updated lighting and artwork, all selected to complement the room’s Circassian walnut paneling.
Guestroom Redesign
The Hermitage Hotel’s guestrooms are getting a décor update for a residential feel. Desks will be replaced with tables that can double as workspaces or be used for in-room dining, and new millwork will conceal updated minibars and other amenities. Deep jewel tones will be replaced with a new neutral color palette, and layers of texture will replace patterns. Artwork is being sourced locally and will take inspiration from the history of the hotel and nature-inspired elements from the region. All guestrooms and suites will get Dux beds from Duxiana. Redesigned guestrooms will be available by late 2021. The hotel’s three executive suites and the presidential suite will complete design updates in early 2022.