Hotel Saint George

Utilizing an existing building in Marfa, HKS has designed Hotel Saint George to be a central gathering spot for the West Texan art hub’s galleries, museums, and annual art and music festivals.

Firm
  • rooms 55
  • Year 2016
  • Location Marfa, Texas, United States,
  • Type Hotel,

    • The Challenge
    Working with the bones of an existing building in Marfa’s remote desert location, the interiors team needed to ensure that the new design would remain true to Marfa’s West Texas character, as well as its unique notoriety in the circles of the art world globally. Every decision had to be thoughtfully considered for the new hotel to be embraced by Marfa’s permanent residents and a wide variety of visitors alike.

    The Design Solution
    The design accentuates reused elements from the original building to create a refined yet unpretentious design, defining the hotel’s modern minimalist interior. Reclaimed brick, marble and wood offer a warm juxtaposition to industrial finishes, including cold-rolled steel and concrete flooring, lending the interiors a distinctive character. Blending vintage and contemporary, the hotel lobby is situated within the site’s original columns, with a core element dividing the space clad in dark, lustrous steel. Vintage furnishings are juxtaposed with striking industrial pieces, including a custom designed mahogany and steel reception desk. Marfa’s beloved cultural anchor, the Marfa Book Company – a nationally-celebrated independent bookstore offering a wide variety of art, literature and design tomes and unique, curated retail products – has a new home on the site of its original location inside the hotel lobby.

    The Design Impact
    Marrying the vast desert landscape with Marfa’s thriving arts scene in the heart of downtown, the reimagined Hotel Saint George was quickly adopted as a central gathering spot for locals and tourists alike, attracting guests drawn to west Texas’ natural beauty and Marfa’s many galleries, museums, and annual art and music festivals. Evoking the special spirit of authentic Marfa in the town’s first full-service hotel, the updated Hotel Saint George reflects its place in the world with minimalist sophistication, blending contemporary finishes with vintage fittings to create a gathering place and living room for the community and all its visitors.)

    Interior Design: HKS
    Photography: Casey Dunn