History of Mélange
Western North Carolina's famous architect Erle G.
Stillwell was commissioned by the Hobbs family of New England to build their summer home in Hendersonville. Stillwell’s landmark projects included St. James Episcopal Church, City Hall, M. Pardee Hospital, Former Jewish Temple, State Bank Building, Hendersonville High School as well as stately Tudor homes in Hendersonville and Asheville. The house was completed in 1920 standing on over 2 acres of Fourth and Fifth Avenue frontage. It was the time when the 5. Avenue was lined with big homes and streetcar operated between Downtown and popular Laurel Park. Hobbs’ tenure in Hendersonville was short; he was hit hard by the Stock Market Crash and never returned. The fully furnished estate was sold to the Buchanan’s from Hendersonville, Nashville, Atlanta and Sylva.
Buchanan was a lawyer and state senator. The large family literally filled the house for over 30 years and added the south wing above the kitchens. The first grand wedding on the premises was hosted during their ownership...
In 1962, her father bought the house as a wedding present to Virginia Moore when she married and moved from Seattle to Hendersonville. Moore owned a cornucopia of businesses in Henderson County. The couple was a lover of French style lavish decoration. They attempted to transform tthe first floor into a setting of traditional, opulent French symmetry. The oak floor of the living room was inspired after the Gallery of Mirrors of 
Versailles Palace in Paris. Gilded mirrors hung in all formal rooms to manipulate lighting and perception of depth. From their various trips to Europe, they broought Empire style wall papers and marble mantels from Paris, crystal chandeliers from Vienna, and hand-painted porcelain sinks from Italy. Friends and neighbours remember Moore's term with extravagant parties, splendid Christmas decorations and social activities on the paddleball court.
In 1994 Lale and Mehmet Ozelsel purchased the main house with the dream of turning it into a bed and breakfast. During a loving two-year restoration, contemporary bathroom comfort was added to all bedrooms; porches and fireplaces restored and the kitchen gutted. For a while it looked like scenes from "The Money Pit". The couple has retired from corporate world and Mehmet enrolled in a culinary school. Most furnishings were obtained in time across America. The Ozelsel’s transformed the gardens in line with their Mediterranean heritage mix and added fountains. The name Mélange was chosen to represent the blend of architectural styles and cultural nuanaces that are reflected after three changes in ownership.
Eleven foot plaster ceilings, stained glass windows, vintage curtains and wall coverings, and an open mahogany staircase still remain as elegant trappings of the old grandeur. Against this background, an eclectic decor with comfortable couches, oriental carpets, ornate lamps , and wonderful food now underscore a cosmopolitan mindset.
As the inn started to get established, the third floor was redone as the Rose Suite in 1997, Cinnamon Room added in 1998, Tile Pavilion built in 1999 for weddings and receptions, West Porch was enclosed as teh Greenhouse breakfast room in 2000, and commercial kitchen enlarged in 2003. In 2002, Mélange was recorded in the National Register of Historic Places in Hendersonville and incorporated in 2007.