St. Francisville’s Shadetree Inn takes its natural next step

Perched on a lush hilltop in St. Francisville, Shadetree Inn has attracted visitors for decades with its serene style and unfettered access to the natural environment.

But its debut, like many a restoration project, was spurred on not entirely by a desire to design, but out of necessity.

Back in 1993, Ellen Kennon and the late Kenwood Kennon were expecting their first child, Alexandra. With all the excitement surrounding the new baby, the couple realized they needed a place for visiting grandparents.

Kenwood, a conservationist and fixture in the St. Francisville community, had already converted a property in the woods a few minutes from downtown into an antiques shop with a bachelor pad above it in the 1970s. With the help of Ellen, an interior designer who’d recently swapped the frenetic pace of New York City for the quiet charm of small-town living, the two would transform the lofted space into a quiet, Adirondack-inspired retreat.

It wasn’t long before Ellen and Kenwood realized they had much more than a mother-in-law suite on their hands, so they opened the space to travelers. Within the first year, the bed-and-breakfast was featured in Southern Living, and about five years later, the couple closed up the antiques shop to fully convert the property into what’s now known as Shadetree Inn.

Over the decades, Shadetree maintained its essence as a secluded nature-filled escape, blending Kenwood’s rustic south Louisiana flair with Ellen’s elegant and astute attention to detail. Still, the property has continued to evolve.

Some of the most significant changes to Shadetree have taken place in the last few years.

In 2023, a tornado ripped through the area and toppled the property’s central pecan tree. Shadetree’s loft took the brunt of the hit, but today has been restored. The 10-foot-tall cathedral ceilings remain the stars of the space and are now lined with Louisiana red heart cypress pulled from the original home’s exterior. A new blue, red and green plaid carpet and a private deck play into the space’s cabin-like vibes, which Ellen says have drawn numerous honeymooners over the years.

“It’s cozy up there,” Ellen says. “It’s not as big as the other spaces, but it’s very romantic.”

Shadetree’s Sun Porch suite, the second space added to the B&B, was also revamped. Originally divided off from the home’s front porch, today the glass-enclosed dining space is filled with natural light and a wraparound banquet. Ellen’s “Moutarde” paint color from her custom Full Spectrum Paints line saturates the walls, which are trimmed out in her “Peridot” green.

A modern-day, fully renovated bathroom is a new perk here, plus access to the expansive treetop deck through a “hobbit door,” originally built by Kenwood.

Around the same time of the renovations, Shadetree partnered with Louisiana Hospitality Group, which manages other local properties like the St. Francisville Inn and Hotel Toussaint, allowing the Kennons and their patrons to reap the benefits of a full-time staff, housekeepers and the Inn’s Michelin-recognized restaurant, The Saint.

Shadetree also expanded, taking in a space Ellen was using to run Full Spectrum Paints to create the Governor’s Suite. Named in honor of Kenwood’s father, Robert Floyd Kennon, who served as Louisiana’s governor in the 1950s, the space presents a more stately and luxurious style.

Ellen enveloped the suite in a special greenish-blue color, dubbed “High Maintenance,” created with local designer Heather Melancon. Blue brocade fabric lines the upholstered headboard and drapes the walls in matching panels separating the bedroom from a book-lined library.

Still, the most significant change to Shadetree in recent years has been the loss of Kenwood himself.

In the later phase of his life, Kenwood resided in what’s now known as the Gardener’s Cottage. He moved offsite in 2025, but the charming abode stands as a capsule of his legacy.

A homey front porch, where regulars would often find Kenwood taking in the views or watching the birds, is adorned with twinkling string lights and stripped-down rocking chairs. Inside, light pours through 13 salvaged stained-glass windows. Ellen’s “Moutarde” and “Peridot” drench the living spaces, intended, she says, to invoke ideas of spirituality, positivity and healing. The snug bedroom is wrapped in a green leafy wallpaper, signaling to the canopy outdoors.

“It was so magical,” Ellen says of working on the Gardener’s Suite. “I have to say, that whole project, it was as if angels were helping us.”

Following Kenwood’s death in January, Alexandra, the impetus for the project, has come on board as owner. Working alongside her mom, and with the help of Louisiana Hospitality Group, she hopes to usher Shadetree into a new but not-so-different season.

“[We are] ensuring that Shadetree keeps that original DNA of this whimsy and this magic and this love for Louisiana and the local environment, putting that at the forefront of the experience,” Alexandra says. “That is so much of what Shadetree is for me.”