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
| Aug 11, 2010
Skanska, Turner most active in U.S. hotel construction, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Hotel Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
McCarthy, Skanska among nation's largest healthcare contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Healthcare Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
AECOM, Arup, Gensler most active in commercial building design, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 100 Commercial Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
New book provides energy efficiency guidance for hotels
Recommendations on achieving 30% energy savings over minimum code requirements are contained in the newly published Advanced Energy Design Guide for Highway Lodging. The energy savings guidance for design of new hotels provides a first step toward achieving a net-zero-energy building.
| Aug 11, 2010
Perkins+Will master plans Vedanta University teaching hospital in India
Working together with the Anil Agarwal Foundation, Perkins+Will developed the master plan for the Medical Precinct of a new teaching hospital in a remote section of Puri, Orissa, India. The hospital is part of an ambitious plan to develop this rural area into a global center of education and healthcare that would be on par with Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford.
| Aug 11, 2010
Turner Building Cost Index dips nearly 4% in second quarter 2009
Turner Construction Company announced that the second quarter 2009 Turner Building Cost Index, which measures nonresidential building construction costs in the U.S., has decreased 3.35% from the first quarter 2009 and is 8.92% lower than its peak in the second quarter of 2008. The Turner Building Cost Index number for second quarter 2009 is 837.
| Aug 11, 2010
AGC unveils comprehensive plan to revive the construction industry
The Associated General Contractors of America unveiled a new plan today designed to revive the nation’s construction industry. The plan, “Build Now for the Future: A Blueprint for Economic Growth,” is designed to reverse predictions that construction activity will continue to shrink through 2010, crippling broader economic growth.
