T+L’s Assessment of The Six Bells Countryside Inn

“My thesis was nostalgia,” Audrey Gelman stated, as we sat at a purple corduroy–cushioned nook desk, deviled eggs in hand, a steel horse hanging on the wall in entrance of us, and “Nice Balls of Hearth” flowing by means of the speaker. 

We have been at The Six Bells Countryside Inn—an 11-room property that takes elevated country-kitsch to a brand new degree. And it was opening day for the Hudson Valley retreat. The lodge is an extension of its namesake homeware retailer in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, and the most recent enterprise from Gelman, the founding father of the now-shuttered coworking area for girls, the Wing. The three-story lodge, alongside Roundout Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River, first began welcoming vacationers in 1850 when it opened as The Central Lodge. It has since had many lives, all the time as a lodge or a boarding home.

After I arrived that wet afternoon in June, the very first thing I seen was the hand-painted, map-like mural on the ceiling. It depicts Barrow’s Inexperienced—a completely made-up village that Gelman invented as inspiration when first constructing The Six Bells store in 2022—and now lives on by means of almost each component of the lodge. (Every of the visitor rooms, for instance, are tied to a selected storyline or character of the village.) 

Whereas a fictional world was the inspiration behind Gelman’s idea—a spot that’s “not hokey, but in addition doesn’t take itself so significantly”—the very actual property on Fundamental Road in Rosendale, New York brings her narrative to life.

“I prefer to construct areas that individuals can stroll into and so they really feel like they’re in a distinct actuality,” Gelman stated. And I’d say she, alongside along with her enterprise accomplice Jeremy Selman, a hospitality veteran behind names like Line Lodges, NoMad, and The Ned London, have succeeded.

From the second you stroll into Six Bells, it feels acquainted and heat. Round each nook, there’s a brand new element: a decades-old wardrobes that Gelman hunted for at numerous vintage malls throughout the nation; {custom} quilts that match the colour of the visitor room they stay inside; a dollhouse duplicate within the on-site store with stained-glass home windows that completely match the property’s.

Most of the treasures throughout the lodge can truly be bought, together with the Sabre silverware at on-site restaurant, The Feathers. Whereas some objets d’artwork are thrifted finds, many are {custom} made by artists and producers Gelman has discovered—or who’ve discovered Gelman.

Throughout my two days on the inn, I heard Gelman use a number of descriptors for the place she drew inspiration for this primary of probably many accommodations: the English countryside, Agatha Christie mysteries, Bavarian tradition, resorts in Tyrol, Austria, and Amish tradition in America. Additionally, “kitsch, the concept of high-low experiences, theme accommodations, after which luxurious,” Gelman stated. She and Selman labored with Adam Greco of Greco Deco, a New York-based design agency, to deliver this challenge to life in only one 12 months.

“I’ve freed myself from the constraints of, ‘I’ve to do one factor or the opposite,’” Gelman stated of her transition into hospitality. “It’s extra, you’re doing the stuff you’re doing, and also you’re doing them creatively. I don’t assume the business ought to lead you, the concepts ought to.”

Right here, my full evaluate and every thing you want to find out about The Six Bells Countryside Inn. 

The Rooms

“The hospitality experiences I like have a humorousness about themselves,” Gelman stated when explaining her inspiration behind every of Six Bells’ 11 rooms. All the rooms throughout the 175-year-old constructing inform their very own story—curated fully from Gelman’s creativeness. 

After I arrived at my room, The Ribbon, there was a leather-bound booklet (custom-made in Ukraine for every room) sitting on my four-poster king-size mattress. Inside it, company can examine every of the rooms and the hidden tales inside them. Whether or not it’s Lamplight (Gelman’s favourite), Mildred’s Plum, or the Innkeeper’s Suite, the person personalities shine by means of within the particulars. In Lamplight, for instance, native artist Wally Whitehurst hand-painted a blue mural, and the king-size mattress is tucked behind thick curtains.

Every room has a “purchasing catalogue” that company can flick through. Gadgets inside this booklet embrace a $40 mug and a $99 floral pillow, or furnishings just like the rattan Adelaide Console for $3,250 discovered within the Lamplight room.

Whereas I slept like a child in my all-green room on The Park Mattress ($2,195) designed by Ostermoor, a family-owned firm in Massachusetts, one qualm I had was the dearth of cupboard space. There are three small drawers within the hand-painted wardrobe—that homes a mini-fridge—but when I have been staying on the inn with one other particular person or had extra garments, I might see this posing a problem. 

Meals and Drink

An 18-table tavern, The Feathers, is the one restaurant on the lodge. It is one of many Inn’s fundamental gathering areas, serving a complimentary every day breakfast of soft-boiled eggs, recent trout, and meats and cheeses.

The design is cozy and invitations company to linger. In a single nook, tables with dark-red cushions; close to the bar, a set of gorgeous wood banquettes for 2 diners; and a sunroom-like area adorned with floral-blue wallpaper and floral-red couches, which in some way match.

The Feathers menu was crafted in collaboration with consulting chef Molly Levine and the top chef Larkin Younger; it is going to change seasonally, relying on the produce accessible within the space. Throughout my keep, the Golden Slipper—a cocktail made along with your alternative of vodka or gin (I opted for vodka, as I all the time do), honey, lemon juice, and ginger—rapidly turned my favourite beverage on the inventive listing. Whereas the meals menu is small, the basic American-inspired flavors usually are not. Throughout my two nights on the property, I attempted the chilled buttermilk cucumber soup (Gelman’s favourite), the deviled eggs, the roasted half hen, the oven-poached hake, and the corn fritters. I’m nonetheless dreaming of the latter, which have been paired completely with crispy fried sage that I nibbled on even after there was no fritter left to pair it with.

Outside eating will likely be accessible on the massive wood deck connected to the again of the property, overlooking Roundout Creek. 

Actions and Experiences

Come fall, Gelman will introduce rotating seasonal experiences. “A homicide thriller sequence, positively,” Gelman guarantees. She additionally talked about that company will have the ability to study first-hand from the varied craftsmen and creatives within the space, by means of a cooking class or watercoloring workshop, which will likely be launched later this 12 months. By the tip of the June, based on Gelman, the yard area may have extra seating, firepits, and a hen coop, and there will likely be cabinets stocked with books to peruse on every flooring of the inn.

There’s additionally a small storefront situated on the primary flooring of the property, adjoining to the check-in space. Right here, you may store Six Bells merchandise like tomato-printed tote luggage, hand-painted mugs, or embroidered, tufted pillows. 

The Spa

There is no such thing as a spa at The Six Bells Nation Inn. 

Household-friendly Choices

The Six Bells could be very household pleasant, particularly for toddlers or younger kids, merely because of its imaginative design. For instance, the murals discovered on most of the partitions and ceilings of the frequent areas—hand-painted by Whitehurst—invite a better look. There are two household suites on property, Scrubett’s Ledge and The Innkeeper’s Suite. In each of those visitor rooms, kids can seek for the hidden bells (of which there are six, after all) throughout the murals on the partitions. A kids’s playroom will likely be accomplished subsequent month.

The out of doors space has loads of area for youngsters to play, and the soon-to-come hen coop will solely add to the attraction. Whereas there usually are not many actions on-site for teenagers or older kids, the encompassing space provides lots to see and do. 

Accessibility and Sustainability 

The frequent areas inside The Six Bells Countryside Inn are ADA compliant, and there may be one accessible visitor room on the primary flooring. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the visitor rooms are on the second and third flooring, and there’s no elevator on the property.

Location

Gelman and Selman knew they needed to be within the Hudson Valley. After months of looking out, in the summertime of 2024, they discovered the Six Bells property, set within the city of Rosendale, in Ulster County New York. It is a couple of two-hour drive from New York Metropolis.

“There’s one thing actually particular about it,” Gelman stated of the area, situated proper on Fundamental Road, the place many small boutiques, farm-to-table eating places, and a historic movie show are steps away. When the climate is good, there are numerous riverside trails inside strolling distance to discover.

Rosendale can also be only a 15-minute drive to Kingston, recognized for its antiquing, eating places, and distinctive Dutch structure. Throughout my keep, I spent a couple of hours there, popping from one retailer to the following; mid-shopping, I had a scrumptious BLT on do-it-yourself bread at Rosie Normal. For extra nice eating choices and artwork galleries, company can drive about 45 minutes north to Hudson. 

Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

The Six Bells is just not at present affiliated with any loyalty applications. Nevertheless, breakfast is included for all company. Nightly charges at The Six Bells Countryside Inn begin from $350.

Each T+L lodge evaluate is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed on the property, and every lodge chosen aligns with our core values.