Designing The Heirloom: A Dream Years in the Making
It still feels a little surreal to say out loud, but I’ve been dreaming about The Heirloom Hotel for nearly a decade.
Back in 2016, when I dipped my toe into the world of hosting with our first short-term rentals (The Laurel Cottages) I fell head over heels. There was something about preparing a space for someone else to enjoy, to rest in, to make memories in, that just lit something in me. Almost immediately, I knew: one day, I wanted to open a boutique hotel in downtown Laurel. I didn’t know when or how, or even exactly where, but the vision was crystal clear.
Since then, we’ve welcomed more than 3,800 overnight guests into our little collection of cottages. They’ve come from all over the world — Home Town fans, U.S. Senators, artists, authors, families on road trips and couples celebrating anniversaries. Our guestbook tells the kind of story I’ll never get tired of reading. And while The Laurel Cottages were always meant to be warm and welcoming, they were never the final stop. They were a starting place, a placeholder for something we’ve long believed our downtown needed: a thoughtfully restored, historic hotel with heart.
For years, we dreamed. We made pitch decks, shared our vision with investors, developers, hoteliers — anyone we thought might believe in the dream alongside us. No one bit.
Eventually, we realized: if this hotel was ever going to happen, we’d have to be the ones to do it.
And that’s exactly what we’re doing.
Over the past 18 months, we’ve poured our hearts into the most ambitious project of our lives: the transformation of Laurel’s historic 25,000-square-foot Kress department store. When it’s complete, this beautiful old building will become The Heirloom Hotel — a 30-room boutique hotel, a retail store filled with our favorite Scotsman kitchen goods, and a cooking school built to create lasting experiences for locals and visitors alike.
We chose the name “Heirloom” intentionally. It’s our way of honoring the men and women who built our hometown — the ones who laid the bricks and ran the shops and raised their children on these very streets. An heirloom doesn’t have to be expensive to be valuable. What makes it meaningful is the way it’s been loved and cared for, passed down with intention. That’s what we want The Heirloom to be: a place rooted in story, history, and heart.
That same spirit guided every part of the design process.
We didn’t want The Heirloom to feel like just another hotel. Our vision was to create something that feels a bit more personal— like stepping into a well-loved family home that’s been thoughtfully curated over generations. We wanted every room, every hallway, every corner to carry the quiet charm of a space where time slows down a little. Where things feel familiar, even if it’s your first time there.
That design philosophy, that it should feel like home, is something I’ve carried with me since day one at Laurel Cottages. I always say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And honestly? That mindset has never steered me wrong.
What’s Next: Sneak Peeks, Stories & Southern Charm
Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing more behind-the-scenes looks into the design of The Heirloom Hotel — the color palettes, the textures, the vintage finds we’ve tucked into each room. We’ll walk you through how we’re honoring the building’s original character, while also adding in all the creature comforts you’d want in a stay.
Until then, just know this: we’re not just building a hotel. We’re building a love letter to Laurel — one room at a time.
And we can’t wait for you to walk through the doors and feel right at home.
-Mallorie Rasberry
