Boutique Design - December 2019 - 18

2 0 19 G O L D K E Y AWA R D S

BEST LOBBY UPSCALE
WINNER

CANOPY BY HILTON
MINNEAPOLIS MILL
DISTRICT
MINNESOTA

THE DESIGN FIRM: DLR Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota
THE MUSE: Connection and community-the mainstays
of the Canopy brand. But owners wanted this taken to the
next level with an interweaving of guests and locals and a
link between both groups and the building's history (it was
a manufacturing facility for steam-powered wheat threshers
until the 1930s). "That compelled the team to look beyond the
industrial surface for meaning in its life long ago: the softer
side of agrarian home roots," says Staci Patton, hospitality interiors leader and principal, DLR Group. This was expressed in
a variety of ways, one being the macramé work hung behind
the arrival table. Pieces like this harmonize with the industrial skeleton of brick, steel and timber that surrounds the
Canopy's lobby "hearth." This open, living room space centers
around a large cubed glass fireplace and serves as a "social
activator" with a bar and café that offers an all-day local menu
of an artisanal breakfast display, a ready-made lunch counter
and the chef 's table tastings in the evening.
THE MAGIC: Blowing the definition of "sculpture" wide
open-literally. Patton injected an intimacy that the
lobby atrium was lacking with "Sift," a multi-story artwork
inspired by a black and white photograph of a baker sifting
flour. Meant to embody these falling particles, metal
squares were attached to cables and then suspended from
the top of the atrium, prompting guests to look up and
marvel (rather than squint).
THE MAVERICK MOVE: Hide the entrance in an alleyway.
Visitors get the feeling of exclusivity without giving up the
opportunity to interact with the shoppers and residents
drifting in and out of the retail and apartment offerings
that are part of this full city block development. All eyes are
drawn to the lobby by the glow of the illuminated signature
canopy, window lights, fireplace and the bar's pendants
within. A contemporary art wall also sits across from the
entryway in the alley, further activating the area.
THE MESSAGE: Look beyond the obvious. The DLR Group

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boutiquedesign.com DECEMBER 2019

SOURCES
OWNER/OPERATOR: Sherman Associates, Minneapolis, Minnesota; DESIGN FIRM: DLR Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Staci Patton, hospitality interiors
leader; Edward Wilms, hospitality leader; Alexandria Campbell; Gustavo Ibarra-Lerma; Margaret O'Connor, Haidee Tan, architecture; Monica Coleman,
Stephanie Gearhart, Taylor Hoesley, interior design; ARCHITECT: DLR Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota/Chicago; PURCHASING COMPANY: Atmosphere
Commercial Interiors, Minneapolis, Minnesota; GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Frana Companies Inc., (Alicia-style call on Inc. We're now spelling out Company
and Corporation but have kept Ltd and LLP) Hopkins, Minnesota; DESIGN CONSULTANTS: Schuler Shook, Minneapolis, Minnesota (lighting); DLR Group (MEP);
Kalisher, Carrboro, North Carolina, Trellage-Ferrill Studio, Minneapolis, Minnesota (artwork); ART & ACCESSORIES: Art & Architecture; Faribault Woolen Mill
Company; Kalisher; Trellage-Ferrill Studio; BATH & SPA: Kohler; Sonoma Forge; Symmons; Waterworks Studios; FABRICS: Architex; Fabric Innovations; Pallas
Textiles; Panaz; Pollack; Richloom; Robert Allen; Tiger Leather; Ultra Fabrics; Zavi; FURNITURE: Artifex; Blu Dot; Brand Standards Furnishings; Contraxx;
D'style by Kimball Hospitality; Rypen; TLS By Design; LIGHTING: BDL Lighting; Electric Mirror; Hennipen Made; SIGNAGE: HotelSigns.com (interior); Kieffer
Starlite (exterior); WALLCOVERINGS: DL Couch; Koroseal; MDC Wallcovering; OTHER: Inn Fashion (manufacturing and installation)

K R U G E R I M AG E S

considered not only the building's industrial life, but the
lifestyle of the people who worked there and lived nearby.
That led to the inclusion of Scandinavian influences like
needlework and quilted or woven leathers that embrace a
"let it fray over time" mentality and a warmth found in the
homelife of the farmers who frequented the building in its
previous incarnation.
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Boutique Design - December 2019

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