above: Three distinct design schemes guide the updated interiors, each featuring a lively interplay of patterns, textures, and hues.
The legendary Watch Hill resort has quietly refined all 49 guest rooms, and the result is stunning.
If you’ve been to Ocean House, you already know. If you haven’t, here’s what you need to understand: This is one of only 14 Forbes Triple Five-Star properties on the planet, Five-Star hotel, Five-Star spa, Five-Star restaurant. It sits on a bluff above a private white sand beach in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, about 90 minutes from Westport, and it has long been the kind of place Fairfield County escapes to when they want to feel genuinely taken care of.
It’s just had a refresh, and it’s truly a game changer.
All 49 guest rooms have been redesigned under the vision of owner Deborah Royce, led by Iliana Moore Interiors. The inspiration: the Gilded Age tradition of florals, brought forward with more vivid, contemporary color. Three distinct palettes: Blue, Pink & Green; Blue, Green & Yellow; and Lavender, Blue & Green, were pulled from sea glass, shoreline botanicals, and sun-washed New England architecture. The goal was for each room to feel less like a hotel and more like a beautifully appointed friend’s cottage on the water.
The details are where it gets interesting. Custom Axminster carpeting, raffia-inspired wall coverings, paneled headboard compositions with custom wallpaper insets, pleated fabric lampshades, rope and tassel accents, two-tone fringe. The paint tones Yonder, Cooking Apple Green, Calluna, Dorset Cream all shift with the natural light throughout the day. Nothing is accidental, and nothing feels overdone.
Even the turndown experience has been elevated, with lighting, textiles and layered bedding designed to extend the ethos of the property’s Ocean & Harvest Spa directly into your room.
For those who haven’t made the pilgrimage: Ocean House also offers COAST, its Forbes Five-Star Relais & Châteaux restaurant;
The Bistro for more casual seasonal dining; beach cabanas; croquet on the lawn; a saltwater lap pool; and seasonal access to the Aphrodite — a restored 1937 yacht that once hosted Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire and President Roosevelt. The Bemelmans Gallery on property houses North America’s largest permanent private collection of Ludwig Bemelmans’ work, the artist behind the beloved Madeline series.
It’s a 90-minute drive from Westport. It’s worth every minute.
Ocean House | Watch Hill, R.I. |
oceanhouseri.com