Another mid-century modern building has become a boutique hotel, this time in New Orleans, where Nicole Cota Studio has used troweled concrete and colourful tiles to refresh a former motel.
The Drifter Hotel recently opened in New Orleans’ Mid-City neighbourhood, close to the French Quarter, with exterior work completed by Joel Ross of Concordia Architecture and interiors renovated by Nicole Cota Studio.
“Inspired by the Beat Generation and footloose spirit of postwar America, the Drifter hotel combines streamline modernism and eclectic design, creating a playful new enclave on an industrial stretch of Tulane Avenue in New Orleans,” said the hotel, which is the first from trio Jayson Seidman, Zach Kupperman, and Alex Ramirez.
Nicole Cota Studio, which has offices in New Orleans and New York, used roughly troweled concrete and tiles sourced from Oaxaca to update the hotel’s 20 rooms. Accommodation options include king, queen and bunk rooms, all with beds made from dark-wood boards and including custom furniture pieces.
The same timber panels are used behind the cafe counter, where other wall surfaces are decorated with patterns of tropical leaves in pink and green.
Furniture appropriate to the period provides additional colour here and in the adjacent lobby space.
Comfy chairs and sofas are arranged beneath globe-shaped pendant lamps hung from the wooden ceiling, while foliage blocks some of the light from the large windows.
A bar in the lobby has a counter wrapped in small white tiles, which also cover thin pillars that reach up to the ceiling.
“The hotel’s interiors are a vibrant showcase of tropical colours and textures,” said the team.
At the back, a pool area with a brick terrace is used for relaxing and hosting events. Features include a giant disco ball, an indoor/outdoor bar and a wall designed to reference the work of Mexican architect Luis Barragán.
The Drifter opened last month and recently became part of the Design Hotels curated collection of getaway spots.
The hotel is the latest in a string of mid-century renovations in the US, as popularity for the architectural style continues. Other boutique options that have opened in motels and motor lodges from the period include properties in Austin, California, Wyoming and New York’s Catksills.
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