The interiors of The Loutrel, a new 4-story, 50-room boutique hotel in Charleston’s historic French Quarter, were inspired by the city’s traditional architecture and gardens. Its namesake, the renowned garden designer Loutrel Briggs (1893-1977), not only contributed to the new profession of landscape architecture but also designed Charleston’s public landscape and 100 gardens in the historic district. The naming thus pays homage to the city’s history and creates a memorable story for this new hotel serving not only its guests but also local residents seeking a special destination for casual gatherings.
The hotel’s main ground floor space, the garden-inspired lobby lounge known as the Veranda, uses a green color palette and plants along with décor that simulates a Southern porch moved inside. It even includes a porch swing. Throughout public spaces and guestrooms, the décor reinterprets local traditional architecture in a modern way – with dark woods, trellises and screens juxtaposed with contemporary furniture and distinctive light fixtures. A wall-sized painting by a local artist implies the type of open landscape found throughout the region.
