The Seven Hills Inn is slated to reopen this spring in the Berkshires town of Lenox, Mass., following a renovation project that intended to keep the property’s 1911 Gilded Age legacy intact. The renovation was overseen by the property's owner, The Wardman Group, and Scout Hotel & Resort Management, which started operating the 57-room hotel last June.
Miami-based Bigtime Design Studios blended old and new design elements for the inn, updating the property's exteriors and landscaping, enhancing the swimming pool area, adding new furnishings and textiles, updating the guest bathrooms and fully renovating the common areas. The two main meeting rooms are also being outfitted to accommodate events.
Upon completion, the public spaces will have a color scheme of gray, slate and deep royal blue with amethyst accents and wood floors. Groupings of couches and chairs in a mix of velvet and leather upholstery will also be available. The antique millwork pieces and furnishings of the Spencer Room (formerly the Parlor) will remain alongside more contemporary furniture selections to broaden the appeal of the hotel.
In the guestrooms, tones of charcoal and blue will be accented with touches of mustard. Upholstered headboards will frame beds draped in a down-alternative blanket and will be topped with a decorative sheet and yellow bolster pillow. New baths will have showers or tub-shower combinations, marble-topped sinks with dark wood bases, and hexagon and subway tiles. The new one-bedroom presidential suite will have a separate soaker tub and rain shower.
Seven Hills’ roots extend back to the 18th century when it opened as a farmhouse, which was expanded in 1885 by Robert Chapin to become Norwood, the first of the Berkshire Cottages. In 1911, Bostonian Emily Spencer undertook an extensive renovation that doubled its size and gave it the name Shipton Court. The mansion was converted to an inn and given its current name in 1951. The property is set on 27 acres of lawns and gardens in the Berkshire town of Lenox.
In total, Seven Hill has 57 guest accommodations, all with private baths and Wi-Fi access, in three buildings—the original Manor House, the Carriage House, and the Terrace Building. It has 5,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
Photo credit: Scout Hotel & Resort Management