Here is a smidgen of information Barry Werner shares with visitors to his home, which doubles as a business: As a child, he used to play a game of "bed and breakfast" with his grandmother.
"I have always wanted to be an innkeeper," he said with the matter-of-fact tone of a man who achieved his lifelong aspiration.
Werner and his partner (in business and life), Jeff Finlay, happened upon Scarborough Fair in the heart of Federal Hill. A historic property, it had been on the market for three years, its owners having turned three separate, brick Colonial rowhouse dwellings, circa 1801, into an inn. Very much a turn-key operation, all the inn needed was innkeepers.
On the morning of June 29, 2007, Werner and Finlay signed the final paperwork; by noon, they were literally checking people in, supported by Claudette McDonald, the assistant innkeeper, who came along with the business and has stayed to this day.
The large, 19-room property (six of which are guest rooms with private baths) was sold with approximately 85 percent of its furnishings. The two men filled in the gaps with Federal-style and Queen Anne pieces, some authentic to the period. Accents throughout the home include an early-19th-century quilt hung over the brass bed in one of the guest rooms, and delicate Delft-style china in the home's largest open area, the dining room. Alongside the brochure rack in the reception room, an oak barrister's bookcase contains new and old volumes for the guests' reading pleasure.
Aside from framed names on the suite doors, required lit exit signs and discreetly posted information such as the daily breakfast menu, there is little indication of a business operation.
Werner admits to being spoiled by McDonald's fine breakfasts every morning, which he enjoys in the dining room after the guests have eaten. McDonald particularly enjoys sharing recipes with frequent visitors.
"This is our home," said Werner. "The only difference is we share it with 300 people throughout the year."
Making a dream home
Dream element:: Historic Federal Hill amid 19th-century houses, brick walkways and small shops and services, and intimate cafes.
Design inspiration:: The brick home, whose north section dates to 1801, contains furniture of the period, Federal and Empire in design, original and fine reproductions. These include four-poster and brass beds, carved oak side tables with marble tops and comfy wing chairs of leather and fabric.
Surprise feature:: The couple's first change upon moving in was to create an "Edgar Allan Poe Suite." There, the furnishings are elegantly relaxed. Paneled walls are soothing shades of plum and gray, as are velvet and satin curtains and bed coverings. Ornately framed prints of Poe and Virginia Clemm adorn the walls, while a bronze raven looks down from the mantel of a working fireplace.
Personal touch:: Barry Werner has created a small but welcoming courtyard beyond wrought-iron gates. There, the B&B's entrance features two large urns of colorful summer flowers and a wooden bench painted the same shade of aqua as the trim and shutters against the property's rose-colored brick. Jeff Finlay has filled the home with personal treasures, including historic tapestries, prints and an antique mandolin hung on the dining room wall.
