Boutique Design - January/February 2019 - 40

2 An accent wall provides
a clutter-free way to add
a dramatic accent to
rooms. Multiple wood
tones layer the effect.

boutiquedesign.com JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2019

to take an aggressive approach to minimizing waste. That didn't
just mean keeping the cast iron bathtubs and granite tile in the
bathrooms (pretty much the only usable items in the hotel at the
time they started the redo). It meant just saying no to products
that likely would be added to a landfill in the long run. That minimalist philosophy made industrial ceilings, exposed brick walls
and polished concrete flooring a perfect framework.
Even adding texture to the space and bringing in a more
welcoming vibe had to be done in a nontraditional way. Wood might
be a typical choice to humanize an interior, but the gray-blue tone of
beetle kill pine is not only distinctive but an especially sustainable
choice in the Colorado Rockies, where there are three million acres
of it. Ellis found a local manufacturer who could transform the wood
into custom guestroom furniture and doors. In the public spaces,
plants do heavy lifting on several fronts: they improve air quality,
create better acoustics and bring organic shapes and colors into the
space. "We often under-utilize plants as filters," says Ellis. "So, we
incorporated two living walls on the property. We've used snake
plant, Golden Pothos, English ivy and others to purify the air."
Another 650 plants make up the second (exterior) living wall.
The flora isn't the only part of SCP that looks set to grow into
new shapes and forms. Once the hotel brand is established (another
hotel in Oregon is underway as of press time), Cruse plans to make
SCP a brand whose fitness centers, hotels and coworking spaces can
each be standalone venues. Perfect for travelers who don't want to
leave their wellness habits behind when they walk out of the gym,
end their run or turn off the workout app. "Individuals make
purchases that they believe help to define who they are or who they
aspire to be," Cruse says. Meet the new cool kids or be one of them,
because this in-crowd is self-selecting. £

KELLI ELLIS
KELLI ELLIS INTERIORS, INC.

KEN CRUSE
SOUL COMMUNITY PLANET,
LLC/ALPHA WAVE INVESTORS

PROJECT
PARTICIPANTS
OWNER
Alpha Wave Investors
OPERATOR
SCP Hotels
DESIGN FIRM
Kelli Ellis Interiors, Inc.
FURNITURE
Azure Furniture Co.

C O U R T E S Y O F S O U L C O M M U N I T Y P L A N E T, L L C ( C R U S E , E L L I S , S C P H O T E L )

The purchase price is a fraction of a newbuild, as well as being
far more eco-conscious than ground-up construction. For the
Colorado Springs hotel, the purchase price was equated to the land
value, due to the property's condition and poor operating standards (witness the 1-star Yelp reviews before its conversion to SCP).
Conveniently, of course, shorter renovation timelines also make
projects less liable to increasing construction costs or tariffs.
Each project's CapEx varies somewhat for SCP, but the bulk of
the budget typically goes to fire-life safety upgrades and new
energy-efficient systems. "Our renovations will typically average
less than $50,000 per key for an entire building retrofit (including
adding SCP Fit fitness space, SCP Commons creative coworking
spaces, new energy-efficient systems, solar, water-saving fixtures,
etc.)," says Cruse.
Think of the Colorado Springs property as a case study: $9
million and nine months had to radically transform a former
nightmare hotel into a cutting-edge healthy, green, aspirational
environment. A full gut renovation was inescapable. That's always
cool to designer Kelli Ellis, president, Kelli Ellis Interiors, Inc. "For
me, when we (in this case, Ellis' firm) really have to tear into the
structure it's exciting because I know we can make big changes. I
prefer to start with a clean slate and build the design from the
ground up," she says. Ellis was in the right place. Ripping off
drywall and battered ceiling tile had been Cruse's plan all along,
both to remove the material itself and to get a closer look at any
structural work required.
Revealing the architectural shell also created a beautiful
frame for the industrial vibe Ellis envisioned. But Cruse was clear
on the need for SCP to feel "hand-crafted" and not cold. The
owner and the designer found their common ground in the need

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