written by Lauren Kramer | photography by The GG
When twin sisters Karrie Blumenthal Dutton and Connie Blumenthal purchased the Green Gables Inn in 2021, the 115-year-old home needed some dramatic redecorating to lift it into modernity. Combining their complementary passions and many talents, the pair transformed the historic five-room home into a bright, whimsical inn filled with their lifelong, eclectic collections.
Step inside and you’re surrounded by interesting art, the largest private collection of Louis Vuitton trunks (one of them dating to 1871), vintage lunch boxes, antique decanters, bright, chic furnishings and a multitude of objets d’art that hold the attention for hours. The inn is luxurious, warm and welcoming, its decor a tribute to the sisters’ vibrant personalities. This wonderfully comfortable getaway just a mile from Walla Walla’s historic Main Street feels like a genuine home away from home.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The inn has five rooms in the main house, each with private bathrooms and antique furnishings complemented by vibrant colors and wonderfully comfortable king beds and linens. With high ceilings, elegant crown moldings and original light fixtures, the rooms are fun, inviting spaces with a selection of original art on the walls. An outside cabana with decor and wallpaper fashioned after The Beverly Hills Hotel offers an additional two bedrooms.
AMENITIES
Each room has a flat-screen television, Nespresso machine and kettle for morning beverages. In the bathrooms there are hair elastics, shower caps, curling irons, contact lens solution and luxury bathing products, and some rooms have outdoor patios with comfy loungers. There are lots of communal spaces at the inn perfect for socializing. Guests can gather around the outdoor fire pit or head into the basement, where there’s a pool table and a living room decorated like a 1920s speakeasy. The wraparound patio is an inviting space to enjoy the serenity of the tree-lined neighborhood, and the “smoking porch,” a bug-screened lounge above the cabana, is a perfect respite on a hot summer’s night.
DINING
Overnight stays include a light, homemade breakfast in the exquisitely decorated dining room, where the table settings, some laid with Versace dishes, are fit for royalty. The hosts greet guests with champagne and a complimentary bottle of wine upon arrival. In-room refrigerators are stocked with their favorite wine, and bowls of nuts (also complimentary) are located in each of the bedrooms for snacking.
HISTORY
Built for $7,000 in 1909, The GG began as a private home and later became a nurses’ residence for staff working at the Walla Walla General Hospital, at that time located across the street. In 1990, the home was updated and transformed into an inn, but most of its historical features were left intact, including its elegant stairways and chandeliers.
922 BONSELLA ST.
WALLA WALLA
www.theggwallawalla.com
