This grand white frame house, much enlarged from the original farmhouse, sits serenely at the edge of the Miles River, as it has since 1810. Much of the decor of the Inn at Perry Cabin is pure Laura Ashley, which is only fitting, since this, the first Ashley Inn, is owned by Sir Bernard Ashley, husband of the late designer.
The reception rooms have been done a la English country-house hotel, and from time to time Sir Bernard and Lady Ash-ley would swoop down on St. Michael’s, bringing new furniture and decorations (not really new, of course, but brought from their house in the Bahamas or from the antiques emporiums of the world). Every object has been chosen with care, and most of them are antique—from the Colonial American chests of drawers, highboys, and bedside tables that came with the house to the mirrors, lamps, pictures, and the Oriental rugs spread everywhere you look. All of the bedrooms are done in antiques, and all are completely Laura Ashley—fabrics, wallpapers, sprig-decorated tables, and beds with spiral posts.
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