Exploring the Cliffside Inn in Newport

The Lark Suite features a private courtyard entrance and cozy reading nook in the bay window. Photography by Read McKendree

If artist Beatrice Turner lived at the Cliffside Inn today, what room would she have slept in? In which nook would she have read her books? Where would she have painted? 

The St. George’s Suite is named for the Middletown prep school that once called this property home. Photography by Read McKendree

The answers to these questions were the genesis for a transformation of the property several years ago with new management, Lark Hospitality, and owners Anne and Chuck Hajjar, as well as interior designer Rachel Reider of Reider & Co. in Newport, Boston and New Hampshire. 

What they revealed about Turner’s history with this property, and in Newport itself, remains a bit of a mystery. While she summered here between 1907 and 1948 when her family owned the inn — she moved in when she was eighteen — she led a quiet lifestyle and retreated to its safe shelter to paint self-portraits. The historic Victorian manor house, built in 1876 as a summer home named Swann Villa for Maryland governor and congressman Thomas Swann, certainly afforded her plenty of opportunity for creativity. And the views of the Cliff Walk and Easton’s Beach would have been an idyllic muse.

“That was our starting point for developing this story about what her life would have been like in this house,” Reider says. “There would have been traditional elements, but she was definitely ahead of her time, and there was a little bit of that bohemian artist lifestyle.”

The Beatrice room. Photography by Read McKendree

A spiral staircase in the Garden Suite. Photography by Read McKendree

It was these surroundings, as well as the moody jewel tones that Turner used in her paintings, that inspired Reider to infuse color into the sixteen rooms and living spaces. Incorporating antique furniture inherited from the previous owner, including four-poster mahogany beds, armoires and dressers, Reider developed her own rich palette of deep jade green and aquamarine, warm maroon, and amber hues paired with chestnut, charcoal and other neutrals to enliven the space. 

Textures add depth, from velvet to warm woods, wool and silk area rugs, and infusions of brass and glass light fixtures emit vintage sparkle.

“From there came this mixing of traditional elements with modern, bold details,” she says. “The house was painted black at one time, which was unusual, and that avant-garde lifestyle is where you see some of these darker tones. It’s a little moody while still being very warm, inviting and approachable.”

A salon on the main floor. Photography by Read McKendree

A salon on the main floor, where one of Beatrice’s portraits overlooks guests relaxing in the velvet couches and antique chairs. Photography by Read McKendree

Eye-catching wallcoverings in each room create distinct dispositions with texture and pattern, too. Modern and bright floral manifestations in the Garden Suite and vibrant zebra-patterned Brunschwig & Fils wallcovering in the Swann Room embody this marriage, as well as a contemporary chinoiserie or silk charcoal to create visual interest.

The modest Turner may have preferred what is now Adele’s Room, named for her mother, a prominent Philadelphia socialite. The sophisticated space is now wrapped in Cole & Son orchid wallpaper, which might represent Adele’s favorite flower, paired with an art deco-inspired upholstered bed. Makkas Workroom in Sudbury, Massachusetts, created delightful draperies from Kravet fabric and Samuel & Sons trim, as well as Schumacher linen pillows emblazoned with a Japanese Lotus Garden pattern featuring egrets and poppies.

The Beatrice room, however, may be the most understated yet regal space, which appropriately amplifies the artist’s legacy. A bay window with Kravet Roman shades and Romo throw pillows, both made by Makkas Workroom, presents a dreamy alcove to alight with a sketchpad, while the velvet-upholstered antique bed creates an evening respite of the most refined taste. 

A cheerful bed upholstered in saffron velvet is a standout in the Turner Suite. Photography by Read McKendree

Reider says she took inspiration from Turner’s work, and tried to “create a lush, rich atmosphere in keeping with the home’s history, to be approachable in all seasons, and feel very cozy, warm and inviting, like it was somebody’s house still,” she says.

“Everything from bay windows with window seats to the Tower Suite have unique features, and because it’s a mansard-style home, there are fun roof lines with slanted eaves, so all the rooms have unique elements,” Reider says. “I would hope we made (Beatrice) proud. I think as an artist, she would love the colors and textures and patterns. Hopefully, she would feel like it was a good representation of her.” larkhotels.com/hotels/the-cliffside-inn