Mansions made for making
These are mansions. Huge rooms for full-group sessions. Individualized studio corners for quiet solo work. Common areas where the group eats together, talks together, and critiques together. Instructors set the agenda. Participants stay the whole time. We handle every operational detail in between — house prep, three meals a day, ground transport, registration if you want it — so the only thing in the room is the work.
Three houses · one atmosphere
The Three Authors compound sits on the Corolla oceanfront — three separate estates engineered to function as a single creative environment. Use one for a focused workshop with breakout space. Use all three when the group is larger or the program needs distinct studio, critique, and quiet zones.
The Mark Twain
Flagship 18-bedroom oceanfront estate · sleeps 40 · double great room with northern light · open kitchen sized for catered group meals · the natural anchor for full-compound workshops.
The Hemingway
Adjacent oceanfront estate · ideal as a dedicated demo and critique house when the workshop runs across the compound · or as the primary residence for smaller, more intimate programs.
The Fitzgerald
Third estate of the compound · works as a quiet-work zone, additional sleeping capacity for larger workshops, or the social house for evening gatherings, wine receptions, and final critiques.
Sample four-day itinerary
The agenda is set by the workshop instructor. What follows is one possible rhythm. Arrive on Day One, depart by noon on Day Four — three full creative days in between.
Three meals a day are served at the compound throughout. Times, sessions, structure, breaks, and content all flex to the instructor's program.
Arrival & welcome
House tour, room assignments, materials drop. Opening reception with the instructor — introductions, a walk along the ocean while the light goes long. Welcome dinner and wine served at the compound. No working sessions on arrival day.
Quiet day · art sessions
A quiet day shaped entirely by the instructor's program — demo, plein air on the dunes, in-studio work at the great room easels, or whatever the day calls for. Light breakfast and lunch served so the work isn't interrupted. The group reconvenes for dinner together in the evening.
Full working day
A second full creative day shaped by the instructor's plan. Most workshops use this day to push deeper — longer studies, more individual feedback, a second location for plein air, or a structured critique block. Evening: final dinner at the compound or a coordinated dinner out.
Closing & departure
Slow morning. Breakfast on the deck. Optional closing critique or short final session at the instructor's discretion. Pack up. Departure by noon — the compound stays available through midday so no one is rushed.
Optional activities & extras
Completely optional — purely à la carte. Pick anything that fits your group. Skip them all for a pure studio retreat. They sit entirely outside the workshop schedule.
- Sunrise beach walks before sessions begin
- Sunset wine reception on the oceanfront deck
- Private chef dinners (welcome and/or closing night)
- Wild horse tour in the Corolla 4×4 zone
- Group yoga or stretch session on the dunes
- Currituck Lighthouse half-day excursion
- Sound-side sunset cruise
- Local artisan studio visits
- Photography of the workshop at work
- Post-workshop framing & shipping coordination
Built for real creative work
Six things we get right every time, so the instructor can focus exclusively on the work in front of them.
Private Compound · No Strangers
The estates are yours for the run of the program. No other guests, no hotel lobby, no shared facilities. Instructor and participants stay under the same roofs the entire time.
Working Light & Working Rooms
Oversized great rooms, oceanfront decks, and northern-light corners across the compound. Set up easels indoors, work plein air on the dunes — both happen inside the property line.
Three Meals a Day
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner served at the compound throughout the workshop. Welcome dinner and wine on arrival night. The food question is handled so participants stay in the program.
Ground Logistics Coordinated
Airport pickups from Norfolk (ORF), 4×4 transport into the Corolla beach zone, grocery runs, and last-mile errands — handled by the operations team.
Workshop Setup & Breakdown
Easels, tables, drying racks, paper, drop cloths, washing stations — pre-set to the instructor's specification. Cleared and reset each day. The instructor arrives to a room that's ready.
Optional Full Registration
When the instructor wants it, we run the entire registration funnel — landing page, payments, participant communications, waitlist, refunds, and on-site check-in.
Two ways to run a workshop with us
Most instructors fall into one of two camps — either they want the venue and nothing else, or they want a fully managed program from registration through closing critique. We've built both paths so the instructor picks the one that fits their business.
Venue partnership
The instructor books the Three Authors — and runs everything else themselves.
- Instructor is our direct client — they reserve the compound for their workshop dates
- Instructor designs the workshop, sets the agenda, and runs all sessions
- Instructor markets and registers their own participants
- Instructor sets all program pricing and collects payments directly
- LuxStay delivers the venue, house prep, three meals a day, and on-site coordination
Best for: Established instructors with their own following, gallery-led programs, art schools running off-site retreats, and instructors who already manage registration through their own systems.
Fully managed workshop
The instructor markets the workshop — LuxStay handles registration, meals, and operations.
- Instructor markets the workshop; LuxStay registers the participants
- LuxStay handles payments, waitlists, refunds, and participant communications
- LuxStay manages the venue, three meals a day, ground transport, and on-site logistics
- We work with the instructor on the full service offering for each workshop
Best for: Instructors who want to teach without operating a business, instructors testing new geographies, and instructors who want a turnkey program with no payment, registration, or logistics overhead.
Workshop FAQ
Painting (oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel), drawing, mixed media, plein air, photography workshops, and writing retreats. The great rooms work for easel setups, the decks work for plein air, and the dunes are a 60-second walk. Programs requiring kilns, large-scale sculpture, or industrial equipment aren't a fit for the property.
Six to twelve months is standard. Peak OBX season (May–September) books earliest. Off-season workshops (October–April) can sometimes be confirmed on 60–90 days notice. Lock the dates first — everything else is built from there.
The instructor sets the materials list. Participants typically bring their own kit.
Three meals a day are included throughout the workshop. Day 1 includes a welcome dinner with wine. From there, the kitchen rhythm is built to match the instructor's program.
Yes. Lodging for an instructor's assistant or co-teacher is included on the instructor side under both models. Beyond two staff, additional lodging is quoted at proposal.
Norfolk International (ORF) is the closest airport — about a 90-minute drive. The Corolla beach zone where the compound sits requires 4×4 access; we coordinate the last-mile transport. Airport pickups and group transport are quoted as an add-on.
