Hospitality Design - February 2018 - 101

An intricate ceiling and a simple palette
define the Noelle guestrooms

White oak and salmon and caramel hues at Little
Octopus were informed by the beach at sunset

"With the 2013 opening of the convention center,
downtown became a self-reliant destination."
It started with a dining scene that continues
to add depth to Nashville's cultural offerings.
Take Strategic Hospitality's Henrietta Red,
which opened in Germantown last March. Los
Angeles firm Kathryn Lager Design Studio
outfitted the space in warm blue and green
tones with white accents. Meanwhile, Design,
Bitches, another LA firm, spearheaded Little
Octopus, a richly textured restaurant in the Gulch
that is inspired by "old school Miami and the
Carribean-the curves of Art Deco, the colors of
the beach at sunset, the shifting line where waves
meet the sand," says firm cofounder Rebecca
Rudolph. "The [convention] center begot dining
enhancements, and now hotels are the last part of
our hard work on the brand," Spyridon adds.
Nowhere is the hotel boom more apparent
than on Fourth Street, where a quartet of
adaptive-reuse properties just two blocks from
downtown's celebrated row of honky tonk bars
will be unveiled in the coming months. The 224key Noelle, from operator Makeready and parent
company Rockbridge, and part of Marriott's
Tribute Portfolio, just opened in a 1920s-era hotel
and office building, where designer Nick Dryden
of Nashville-based DAAD took advantage of
original terrazzo floors, pink granite and green
marble walls, and brass hardware. With an outlet
of local coffee bar Drug Store Coffee, a lobby
shop stuffed with merchandise from hometown
designers and artisans, a below-ground restaurant,
and a rooftop bar, the Noelle promises to bring
new life to a once-thriving retail strip. "There's a
vibrant and diverse creative community here,"
says Dryden, "and we wanted to incorporate those
elements into the hotel."
Just down the block in the famed Printers
Alley, the 169-room Dream Nashville, crafted
by New York-based Meyer Davis, will comprise
four buildings: the Utopia Hotel (the notorious
gambling hall, whiskey saloon, and brothel was
built in 1891 and is known for its iconic stone
interior); the 1867-era Climax Saloon, with a
preserved steel stamp façade; and two smaller
buildings. Traditional black and white tilework
will complement artisan glasswork, exotic stones,
wood paneling, brass details, bespoke furnishings,
bold colors, and curated artwork. "It's a playful
juxtaposition between historic and modern, using
form, color, and materials to craft a timeless visual
and evocative experience," explains Dream Hotel
Group CEO Jay Stein.
A short walk south brings visitors to the
trendy SoBro neighborhood, where, alongside
the recently opened 255-room Cambria Hotel
Nashville from Choice Hotels International,
Marriott is making a major commitment. When

Photo by EMILY DORIO and courtesy of DESIGN, BITCHES

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