The Radical, Asheville, North Carolina
Industrial Grit, Artistic Spirit
Why DNA Hotels Loves It
● A brilliantly reimagined 1923 warehouse that embraces Asheville’s creative identity through fearless design, contemporary art, and industrial heritage.
● Public spaces that function as cultural hubs, seamlessly transforming from relaxed daytime gathering places into vibrant nightlife destinations.
● A hotel that celebrates local artists, makers, and storytellers, making every stay feel like an immersion into Asheville’s thriving creative community.
A Warehouse with Many Lives
The Radical occupies one of Asheville’s most fascinating historic buildings. Constructed in 1923 as a breakfast cereal factory beside the French Broad River, the building later served as a Cold War bomb shelter before falling into abandonment. Today, following an ambitious restoration by Suomi Design Works for Lark Hotels, it has become one of the city’s most distinctive boutique hotels. Rather than erasing its past, the designers embraced every chapter of its history, allowing industrial architecture, graffiti, and cultural references to coexist beneath one roof. The result is bold, playful, and unmistakably Asheville.
An Interior That Refuses to Behave
Stepping inside feels less like entering a hotel than walking into a contemporary art installation. Original brick walls, exposed concrete columns, and industrial ceilings provide the raw framework, softened by oversized rugs, sculptural furniture, velvet seating, dramatic Broadway theatre curtains by I. Weiss, and monumental murals by Asheville artist Ian Wilkinson. Remnants of the building’s earlier lives remain visible throughout, including preserved graffiti and unexpected Cold War references, while carefully curated vintage pieces create an atmosphere that feels simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking. Every corner invites discovery.
Rooms That Keep Evolving
The guestrooms continue the hotel’s artistic narrative. Dramatic canopied beds sit beneath original murals that continue to evolve as artists periodically return to add new layers, ensuring no stay is ever quite the same. Exposed concrete ceilings contrast with warm textiles, handcrafted furniture, brass detailing, stone surfaces, and vintage-inspired curios that reference both Southern heritage and early twentieth-century glamour. It’s industrial design with warmth, personality, and a healthy sense of humour.
A Social Destination
The Radical was designed to be experienced well beyond the guest room. Afterglow begins each morning as a relaxed café before gradually transforming into a lively cocktail bar as evening approaches, complete with a striking suspended DJ booth inspired by the famous Globe of Death motorcycle cage. Golden Hour celebrates wood-fired cooking while taking full advantage of the sunset light pouring through its riverside windows, while The Roof offers panoramic views across Asheville’s River Arts District alongside cocktails and a vibrant social atmosphere. Hidden away is perhaps the hotel’s most unexpected surprise: a secret lounge filled with colourful lighting, graffiti-covered walls, vintage furniture, and an atmosphere that rewards curious explorers.
Connected to Asheville’s Creative Pulse
Located in the River Arts District, The Radical places guests within walking distance of working artist studios, galleries, breweries, and independent workshops. The hotel doesn’t simply showcase local creativity—it actively participates in it, hosting exhibitions, performances, and collaborations that blur the line between hotel, gallery, and community gathering place. It’s a property that feels deeply rooted in its neighbourhood rather than simply overlooking it.
Why It Works
The Radical succeeds because it never settles for being merely stylish. Instead, it embraces contradiction: industrial yet welcoming, rebellious yet refined, playful yet thoughtfully curated. Every design decision reinforces Asheville’s reputation as one of America’s most creative small cities, creating a hotel that feels alive, constantly evolving, and impossible to replicate elsewhere. For travellers seeking authenticity over perfection and creativity over convention, The Radical delivers one of the most memorable stays in the American South.
