Inn-ternational Indulgences - Melange Bed and Breakfast

"Inn-ternational Indulgences" by L.A. Jackson, September 2008
It is not hard to find good ol’ southern hospitality at a bed and breakfast in our state,
but there are some inns that enhance this regional cordiality with unique friendliness
only found in faraway lands. These special retreats call North Carolina home, but
they also call upon the customs and comforts of other countries to provide guests
with memorable experiences that show, when sincerely said, the warmth in the word
"Welcome!" knows no borders.
The Mélange Inn is all about threes. Mehmet Ozelsel, a native of Istanbul, Turkey,
lived temporarily in Hendersonville three times, and on the third stay, he and his wife
Lale, decided to settle down for good in the town. And in doing so, they established
a bed and breakfast that spans across three cultures. Mehmet Ozelsel explains his
wandering ways, “In my job, I crisscrossed the Atlantic several times between
DuPont plants for extended assignments and projects during 23 years with the
company. DuPont had a plant in Brevard, and we lived in Hendersonville. In all, I
was transferred three times to the area. Following the last transfer, we wanted to
settle in the USA. It worked out wonderfully—I was in the right place at the right
time.” After they chose to live in Hendersonville, the Ozelsels had to decide where

to stay, and eventually found a 7500-square-foot Colonial-Georgian style house in
the downtown area. That’s where fate stepped in. Mehmet Ozelsel remembers, “At
the time we bought the house, there were two stately homes across the street, and
both were inns. (Now they are private homes!) It was the real estate agent’s sales
pitch that this house, too, could be turned into a bed and breakfast. Lale jumped on
the idea, but I was skeptical at the start. As naïve and unreal as it sounded, she said
she could make the bed and breakfast work as a business. We had a bet going for
two years, and at the end of the period, I lost and took early retirement to devote
both of us in this new page of our lives.”
Although at times the Ozelsels’ project to turn the
home into an inn closely resembled the Tom Hanks
movie “The Money Pit” in both time and expense,
they did have an interesting structure to work with.
It was built in 1920 by famous N.C. architect Erle G.
Stillwell as a summer home for a wealthy New
England family. In 1962, it was presented to Tom
and Virginia Moore as a wedding present. The
Moores were lovers of all things from France and
proceeded to add a definite French touch to the
house. In addition to incorporating Empire-style
wallpapers, crystal chandeliers from Vienna, hand-painted porcelain sinks from Italy
and marble mantles from Paris, the Moores decided to add a little bit of Versailles to
their Hendersonville home. Ozelsel says, “It must have been some undertaking to
transform the formal living room into a small copy of Versailles’ Gallery of Mirrors.
The design of the wood parquet floor was taken from the original Versailles plan.
They even added a false door to imitate French interior symmetry. There are gilded
mirrors in each direction to generate an endless depth feeling. The large marble
fireplace, crystal chandeliers with candles and window dressing complete the
setting.” Even with—or perhaps because of—the elaborate additions by the Moores,
it took time to convert the home into an inn. Ozelsel notes, “We started with

enovations on Christmas Day, 1994, moved in mid-1995 and officially opened in
May, 1996. Lale and our daughter Amina came up with the name Mélange. The
name fits literally to what the house has now become—a little bit of that, a little bit
of this to make a blend.” Into this blend, the Ozelsels added a Mediterranean
influence from their own heritage, which is most obvious in the Inn’s secluded 1.5
acres of landscape. Ozelsel says this includes fountains, running water, lots of roses,
and a combimation of brick, wrought iron, and tile in the gardens.
Typical of this transformation is the Mediterranean Court, of which Ozelsel notes,
“We copied a traditional brick wall design with arches seen from Moorish Spain to
Southern Turkey in a two-tone color stone inlay. Together with an iron gazebo, it is
reminiscent of our ‘old country.’ Lale and I can sit there hours reading and sipping
coffee or wine. The venue has become popular for
private candlelight dinners.” The Ozelsels also
included their own Turkish touch to the inside of
the Inn, but it is a light stroke. Mehmet Ozelsel
notes, “We wanted the interior decoration to be easy
going, elegant yet comfortable. There are small
carpets that do not dominate the hardwood floors
as well as antique lamps, frames and pictures, which
accent but don’t overwhelm the setting, and plenty
of sunlight in the rooms.” Sunlight plays a big part
in the Cinnamon Room, Ozelsel favorite of the
Inn’s five rooms. He says, “Because it was originally the sun room in the house, it
has banks of windows on both sides of the room. Now that the trees have grown,
you might also say you have a tree house feeling. We also added a new section and
made a bathroom with a large Jacuzzi tub under a skylight.” Lale Ozelsel is partial to
what she calls the “girlish” feel of the large Scarlet Room with its king size sleigh
bed and the outdoor setting of its private porch. Plus, she adds, “I don’t care as
much about Jacuzzi tubs as Mehmet does!” When it comes to breakfast, Mehmet
Ozelsel also cared enough about his guests to the point of enrolling in a culinary

school to fine-tune his skills. Now, he describes a typical breakfast at the inn like a
seasoned chef: “The emphasis is, of course, on taste, but also on presentation,
where, as they say in Turkish, ‘The heart did not accept what the eye has seen.’ For
starters, a fresh fruit course may be a muesli parfait, a pear poached in prune juice, a
stuffed baked apple in puff pastry or fresh pineapples over caramelized sweet potato
soufflé.
An egg entrée may be a traditional quiche Lorraine, a cheese and turkey omelet in
baguette or a bird nest sandwich (A tasty blend of sliced turkey breast, eggs, cheese
and tomatoes on sourdough bread.). We are also as at home presenting a Germanstyle
Bauern Fruehstueck or Aegean-style eggs and vegetables baked in clay pots.
Although I have to say that, when our children and grandchildren visit us from
abroad, they only want pancakes, waffles and scrambled eggs with bacon!” Ozelsel’s
culinary skills extend beyond breakfast, as the Inn also offers private dinners. They
are usually five-course meals presenting traditional international favorites and fusion
food. Such dinners are often served outdoor, complete with fine linens and antique
china as well as silver and crystal ware. America, France, Turkey—the Mélange Inn
offers some of the best of these three worlds. It was all brought together by the
efforts of Mehmet and Lale Ozelsel, who realized a dream through hard work and
by showing their guests that hospitality is a universal custom. L.A. Jackson writes
inn-teresting articles from his home in Apex.