CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- It will be a fashionable block party from 4 to 11 p.m. May 12 on West Street when the new look of the Inn of Chagrin Falls is unveiled to the public.
Trendy New York City designer Christian Siriano and his team were hired in March to do a makeover of the venerable 15-room inn, where the legendary Crane’s Canary Cottage and restaurant once stood.
Crane’s served the likes of Charles Lindberg, John D. Rockefeller and real-life food critic Duncan Hines.
Today’s innkeeper and managing partner Molly Gebler declined to put a figure on the makeover cost, stating that it was a moving target, as things keep getting added to the list.
Changes include new flooring, paint and wall treatments, along with new furnishings. The look is intended to evoke a sense of being comfortably lived in, while feeling innovative and fresh.
You can book a room and stay there for about $195 to $225 a night when it reopens.
“We are having to pivot with supply chain issues and we are working to source goods locally, as well,” Gebler said. “The overall design will be classic with a blend of new colors and custom furnishings, with some refinished and reupholstered furniture that has been here and stood the test of time.
“We definitely are moving away from the green and burgundy ‘hunt club’ look from the 1980s, when it was last refurbished. The look will be old meets new.”
Each room will have its own individual character while blending into the new vibe.
Chef Art Pour Restaurant Group purchased the block-long property and redesigned the other existing buildings into the Sushi Junki and M Bevy restaurants. The inn is the last building to be revamped.
Siriano, 36, is known for his whimsical runway fashions and early inclusion of fashion for diverse-size models. At 21, he joined the Project Runway TV show as its youngest winning designer.
He recently dressed Oscars host Wanda Sykes and presenter Rosie Perez, and has dressed other A-listers such as Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie.
Entering the interior design market, Siriano lists a hotel in Los Angeles, a home in Connecticut and an apartment in New York City as recent projects.
The selection of Siriano to do the makeover for the Inn of Chagrin Falls was an easy one for Gebler: Her daughter, Emily, lives in New York City and works for Siriano.
A graduate of Kent State University’s School of Fashion, the younger Gebler did her student internship with Siriano as one of his first assistants. Three days after her graduation, she was hired on permanently.
“I wasn’t sure he would accept the assignment, but I contacted him and did Zoom meetings,” Molly Gebler said. “He became intrigued by the inn’s history and fell in love with the Village of Chagrin Falls.”
According to documents at the Chagrin Falls Historical Museum, Clarence Arthur Crane converted three properties into one country home on the site and opened a restaurant there in 1927. Rooms were available for lodging in the large home.
It became known as the place to bring visitors, and had a room where ladies could rent a table for playing cards.
The Cranes also owned and operated a candy store in Cleveland. Crane’s son, Hart Crane, the well known modernist poet, lived at the “cottage,” as it was known, from 1929-1931. The restaurant was open April through November and was known for its use of local produce and maple syrup, as well as chocolates, which Gebler hopes to add to a charcuterie plate for guests.
Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun.
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