SUOMI DESIGN WORKS BLENDS OLD AND NEW FOR ADAPTIVE RE-USE PROJECT
Firm Designs The Radical Hotel in the River Arts District of Asheville, North Carolina

| Asheville, NC - July 9, 2024 | The award-winning interior design firm Suomi Design Works is thrilled to announce the opening of its newest interior design project, The Radical Hotel. Located in the River Arts District of Asheville, North Carolina, the 70-key boutique hotel is the conversion of a 1920s warehouse inspired by the unique history of the building and the revival of the local community. Owned by Hatteras Sky and operated by Lark Hotels, The Radical is a premier destination for visitors and locals alike with four food and beverage venues and additional event spaces.

The warehouse, built in 1923, is named the Kent Building after successful southern businessman Fred Kent. While originally constructed to house Kent’s breakfast cereal company, its long history includes a range of tenants and even acting as the area’s designated bomb shelter during the Cold War before being abandoned. The resulting exterior facade tells the intricate history, with faded painted advertisements overlapped with recent graffiti covering every wall. 

Embracing adaptive reuse of this forgotten ruin, the design team took inspiration from the warehouse’s industrial roots, previous functions, and art-covered walls while intertwining southern charm to design the property as it would have looked like if used by the Kent family as their residence. Unifying the guest experience through a collaborative branding effort with Might & Main, the local moniker for the creative-driven River Arts District, RAD, was adapted into a complex yet approachable concept. Evolving from day to night, the public areas go through astonishing transformations, coming alive to be the center of socialization and activity with colorful lighting, live entertainment, and a rooftop designed with nighttime festivities. 

To carry out the multi-faceted design, Soumi assembled a team of diverse creatives, including movie set designer Kris Moran who is known for her work on Wes Anderson films including The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom, and most recently the 2019 award-winning Joker. Ian Wilkinson, a mural artist based out of Asheville, along with numerous other local artists completed the large-scale artwork throughout the common spaces and guestrooms. To carry out the hotel’s custom-designed furnishings and lighting, Suomi Design Works utilized local artists and fabricators.

In the lobby, exposed concrete and brick act as the base for the walls, floors, and columns. A bold color palette is introduced via area rugs and upholstered seating to tie in the pop and street-style artwork. In the center of the room, art-covered pillars frame plush circular booth seating with an oversized chandelier placed overhead. Working alongside Broadway stage curtain fabricator I. Weiss, the design team added theater-inspired curtains along the walls to juxtapose the existing industrial finishes and cleverly enhance the existing layout through spaces that must be discovered or explored. Additional layers of color and texture are introduced by neon and fluorescent lighting and eclectic furnishings. 

“The building's history was our starting point when crafting the hotel’s design story,” adds Michael Suomi. “When we first visited the warehouse, we could see all the graffiti and old advertisements painted onto the wall– new and old side by side. Our design pays homage to the building's past while updating it for modern-day use.”  

The building’s original street-style art inspires the luxury-level guestrooms to continue the bold colors and rich layering from the lobby. Large sculptural furniture imitating the Kent family’s heirlooms add touches of southern hospitality while high-touch finishes contrast the exposed concrete ceilings. Artwork unique to each room gives each guestroom a distinct look while maintaining a homogenous feel. Cold War era-inspired details including dramatic art-forward canopied beds, vintage bath caddies, and Lucite curio cabinets displaying additional antiques are included throughout. In the bathrooms, smooth surfaces, stone countertops and tiles, and brass details add opulence to replicate baths of the early 1920s. 

The Radicals’ four food and beverage venues, created in partnership with renowned Asheville chef Jacob Sessoms, intermix bold artwork with elements unique to each venue. Afterglow acts as a cozy coffee bar during the day before transitioning into a cocktail lounge with a down-tempo vibe in the evening. Taking center stage, a large suspended cage repurposing the ‘Globe of Death’ design frequently seen at circuses to house a DJ booth for live music at night. The hotel's signature restaurant, Golden Hour, is a wood-fire chophouse that serves up classic Southern dishes with a modern twist. The restaurant's design features industrial details that nod to the building's heritage, including exposed brick walls and high ceilings. The racetrack bar and open kitchen featuring a custom-made, wood-fired grill fuel the buzz of the restaurant. Sharing the rooftop is the aptly named restaurant, The Roof. With stunning views over the French Broad River, open views of the night sky, music and room for dancing, The Roof provides an upbeat space to enjoy Sessom’s acclaimed dishes. The final venue, a ‘green room’ inspired secret bar, carries the same sense of discovery which is seen in the lobby and is accessible via the rooftop. Originally ideated as a smoke room, the space features eclectic furnishings, colorful grow lighting, graffiti-style art, and artificial marijuana plants. 

“The Radical will provide a new access point to the RAD for people traveling to Asheville while giving RAD residents new amenities and creative outlets,” said Amy Kelly, founding partner and principal at Hatteras Sky. “The program we have created with the help of local partners focuses on the RAD’s rich history and vibrant arts.”

About Suomi Design Works
Suomi Design Works, a Manhattan-based design firm, was founded by Michael Suomi in 2019 in order to meet the industry’s ever-expanding need for a high level of creativity combined with deep expertise. With more than 30 years of architectural and interior design experience, Suomi has become well-known for his strong conceptual narrative approach to design for owners, developers, and legacy properties with vision. The firm's highly creative hotel concepts are grounded in a deep understanding of each property’s local, cultural, and industrial histories. By actively seeking out design catalysts to infuse each project with out-of-industry innovations from the worlds of fashion, technology, and cinema, Suomi Design Works creates completely custom hotels that are crafted through an exceptionally personalized process.

About Hatteras Sky
Hatteras Sky is a commercial real estate firm focused on multifamily and hospitality development in high-growth American markets. In addition to ground-up new construction developments, we renovate, restore, and reactivate our historic buildings. We pride ourselves on our ability to identify unique opportunities that deliver long-term value to our team, our investors, and the communities we serve. While maintaining an entrepreneurial approach, we strive to adhere to the highest standards of integrity, quality, and partnership. We aim to create structures and communities that will be useful, beautiful, and strong for generations. For more information about the firm, its team, and additional projects, please visit the Hatteras Sky website.