Timeless elegance at Charleston’s 86 Cannon
September 28, 2024
86 Cannon, a 10-room boutique hotel, boasts impeccable design in the heart of Charleston’s burgeoning foodie enclave.
by Cathy Martin
“It’s not very often you can design something over a series of eight years, and you still love it,” says Betsy Berry, the interior designer behind 86 Cannon in Charleston, South Carolina’s trendy Cannonborough Elliotborough neighborhood.
It just goes to show she nailed the assignment at this charming 10-room inn, which was completed earlier this year with the addition of a picturesque pink bungalow housing a tropic-inspired suite overlooking a razor-edge, saltwater pool.
“The vision was to create this elevated-but-classic, timeless space for guests to come and experience as part of the neighborhood and part of Charleston,” says Berry, who finished the project in phases as owners Marion and Lori Hawkins assembled a trio of parcels to complete the buildout of the adults-only hotel.
The boutique inn has come a long way since the Hawkins purchased the first house, which dates to the 1860s, and its adjacent “kitchen” cottage.
Photographs courtesy 86 Cannon
“When I first saw the space, the piazza on the second floor was collapsing,” Berry says. “The house was very old and essentially in disrepair.” The Charleston designer worked closely with the couple (Marion has an architecture degree from Clemson) and a preservation architect to restore and reimagine the property. Throughout the renovation, the design team approached the project with a light touch, maintaining the character of the original home while elevating the design.
Now, the space gleams, with vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, hand-stenciled accents, period fixtures and bespoke furnishings. That once-crumbling piazza is now a sun-filled spot for guests to enjoy morning coffee, just steps from the “café,” where a self-serve continental breakfast (homemade yogurt, pastries, quiche from a local bakery) and afternoon wine and cheese are available to guests. An attic-like nook on the third floor is now a cozy-but-elegant library, with an honor bar and comfortable seating for settling in with a book or gathering for drinks before dinner.
The hotel’s six rooms and four suites vary in size and style. In the Grand King, meticulously hand-stenciled walls mimic a botanical wallpaper pattern the designer envisioned for the space. The kitchen cottage was transformed into a 900-square-foot, two-story suite with heart-pine floors, a large first-floor living room, a king bedroom upstairs, and an en-suite bathroom with a built-in armoire. Each of two spacious Garden Suites also offer room to relax, with a sitting room with a wet bar, elegant marble shower, large dressing area and convenient access to the courtyard, where a serene fountain muffles the sounds of the city as you nod off to sleep.
Little touches like a Champagne welcome, nightly truffles, Frette linens and Drybar blow dryers make a stay here feel special, while the layout of the property, a gated compound spread across multiple buildings, allows for privacy.
When it’s time to explore, hop on one of the complimentary Linus bikes or set out on foot. This once-modest neighborhood (by Charleston standards) is now home to some of the city’s buzziest restaurants and is bordered on the east by King Street, the city’s main shopping thoroughfare.
Clockwise from top left: Bungalow Suite, Piazza, Garden Suite (2 photographs by Katie Charlotte), Marion and Lori Hawkins. Photographs courtesy 86 Cannon.
A few blocks away is Vern’s, a bustling neighborhood spot with expertly crafted cocktails and handmade seasonal fare. Start with the charred sourdough with allium butter or the tuna, served tartar-style with Calabrian chili and lemon; follow with a pasta like the rabbit campanelli, a dish so popular it’s been on the menu since the restaurant debuted in 2022.
Chubby Fish is a must — if you can snag a table. The intimate corner restaurant serving some of the best fresh-caught seafood around doesn’t take reservations; diners line up outside before the eatery opens to get their names on the list. The wait is worth it at this unstuffy establishment with mismatched plates, a funky playlist and a chalkboard-style menu (that ranked No. 7 on Food & Wine’s 2024 Best Restaurants list). Sit at the back counter and watch chefs prepare seasonal dishes like snapper ceviche with jalapeno and avocado; cobia tataki with melon, black sesame and mint; or snowy grouper with tomato butter, field peas and peppers.
For a low-key lunch or dinner with an Asian twist, head just around the corner to Xiao Bao Biscuit. This unpretentious spot in an old gas station has a right-sized menu ranging from dumplings to som tum (papaya salad) with black-bean fried chicken to okonomiyaki, a Japanese cabbage pancake.
For an afternoon pick-me-up, try a shaken iced coffee from Babas on Cannon or a sweet treat from Sugar Bakeshop. The pocket-sized bakery just steps from 86 Cannon sells cookies, doughnuts and pies, but the real draw is the cupcakes — baked fresh daily with classic and seasonal flavors like peach cobbler, lavender-blueberry, hummingbird and chocolate gingerbread. SP
