The recent renovation of the Hutton Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., points to an important trend: using design to create a distinctive sense of place.
Music City has experienced a hotel construction boom in recent years, making for a more competitive market. The owners of the Hutton, a downtown boutique hotel, remodeled some common areas to appeal to prominent musician clientele.
As part of the project, two Writers Rooms were added to the hotel grounds, just steps from the main building.
The two spaces, at 379 sf and 422 sf, share kitchen and dining areas and can host up to 15 people at a time. The rooms are decked out with studio recording equipment so that visiting musicians can tinker with new songs and record them. It’s an ideal situation for a musician spending several days or more in the city.
Studio 11 Design collaborated with Red Light Management and singer/songwriters Dierks Bentley and Ryan Tedder on the project. Bentley, drawing from his Arizona roots, suggested Saltillo tile, refined rustic elements, and layered Navajo area rugs for one of the rooms. Tedder’s contribution included natural materials, a loft-style feel, and unobstructed daylight for the other room.
The hotel also added a 300-person performance space, for intimate shows.
Curated artwork and antique furnishings throughout the hotel reflect country music luminaries and local history.
This type of authentic regional flavor is something travelers are looking for, says Kellie Sirna, Principal and Co-founder, Studio 11 Design. Accordingly, employees will have another duty: “Hotel staff members are going to become storytellers as they provide background on the various pieces,” says Sirna.
Related Stories
| Mar 14, 2013
25 cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings
Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago top EPA's list of the U.S. cities with the greatest number of Energy Star certified buildings in 2012.
| Mar 7, 2013
Vegas rebound: Genting Group acquires assets of stalled Vegas casino-resort
International hospitality giant Genting Group has announced a deal with Boyd Gaming Corp. to purchase the land and assets, including partially built structures, of the stalled Echelon casino-resort in Las Vegas.
| Mar 6, 2013
Hospital project pioneers BIM/VDC-based integrated project delivery
The Marlborough (Mass.) Hospital Cancer Pavilion is one of the first healthcare projects to use BIM/VDC-based integrated project delivery.
| Mar 4, 2013
Gehry unveils design for Santa Monica hotel-condo tower
If all goes as planned, Frank Gehry will design the first building in his hometown in some 25 years.
| Mar 3, 2013
Hines acquires Archstone's interest in $700 million CityCenterDC project
The Washington D.C. office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced the acquisition of the ownership interest of their partner, Archstone, in the mixed-use CityCenterDC project that is currently under construction in downtown Washington, D.C.
| Feb 25, 2013
10 U.S. cities with the best urban forests
Charlotte, Denver, and Milwaukee are among 10 U.S. cities ranked recently by the conservation organization American Forests for having quality urban forest programs.
| Feb 18, 2013
Top 10 kitchen and bath design trends for 2013
Gray color schemes and transitional styles are among the top trends identified by more than 300 kitchen and bath design experts surveyed by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA).
| Feb 6, 2013
George W. Bush Presidential Center among award-winning roofing projects honored by Sika Sarnafil
Winners of the 2012 Contractor Project of the Year Competition were announced this week by Sika Sarnafil. The annual competition highlights excellence in roofing installation. Roofing contractors are judged based on project complexity, design uniqueness, craftsmanship, and creative problem solving.
| Feb 5, 2013
5 forces driving hotel investment
Jones Lang LaSalle’s Hotels & Hospitality Group believes that signs point to an on-going uptick in Americas hotel transactions activity sooner rather than later. They identify the five forces that will drive the hotel investment market during the next five years.
| Feb 3, 2013
Electronic surveying improves accuracy on BIM-driven hospital project
A mechanical contractor combines an electronic surveying tool with a BIM model to make significant productivity gains in a large-scale hospital project.