Art Deco Meets Southwestern Miami

I had promised you a glimpse at the hotel we were in for nearly a month when we first arrived in the US.

The hubs kept referring to it as “an oldie but a goldie.”  And the more time I spent in it, the more I fell in love with it in a bizarre and historic kind of way.  The staff was great. The rooms had  a small kitchenette with microwave that helped make our transition more comfortable.  All our needs were met. 

It’s really just the design that I’ve got to share with you guys!

Art Deco was the predominate feel, especially in the lighting.  And for whatever reason, there were also ceramic tiles all over the place!  And not just any tile.  The tiles were glossy jet black with touches of a miami palette: baby blue, power pink, green and white.  The complimentary colors were in flat and s atin tiles which meant not only a dramatic color contrast happening but also mixed-up finishes! 

There were all these odd half-walled paths that were landscaped with a mix of both real and fake plants.  I have never seen anything like it and the only way I can describe it was like being inside some sort of human-sized terrarium! 

There was a groovy fountain in the middle of sectioned seating areas and when you sat down it really felt like Sammy Davis Jr. or Old Blue Eyes might walk in at any moment.  They even had a black player piano, although it was over by the front desk. 

There were six floors laid out in an open plan where you could see the opposite hallways across the entire floor.  There were iron railings along the inner perimeter so you could look down into the tiled pathways below. The rooms had long windows next to the front doors with curtains in them which made it seem like being at an old fashioned outdoor motel except for the fact that it was inside a downtown building!

Everything was pattern on top of pattern. Argyle wallpaper up against tiger print curtains.  Furniture painted in metallic bronze paint with flat gray stripes.  (I am amazed how much I like these colors together).  The carpet added more pattern and even the privacy curtains had to get in on the act with their swirls. 

The elevators were glass, and the track that they rode up and down on had bold black diamonds painted behind them.  There were big globular Hollywood style white light bulbs reflecting in the brass finishes of the lifts.  All that was missing were poles in the middle with go-go dancers.

The absolutely coolest thing was that they used the perfect font on the room numbers as well as the signage in the hallways.  I was very impressed by this little touch and it sort of made up for the weirdly stenciled ceiling. 

One stranger said to me in passing, "well you don't see them like this anymore!  Maybe only in Vegas." And that was exactly it. Only Vegas and Hollywood have this kind of groovy interior magic anymore.  And so does the Comfort Suites, downtown Minneapolis.

Anyway, this little layover in our lives absolutely had to get documented in my art journal.  There is no way I could be around this kind of visual stimuli and not get a little something down onto paper!  So here are my journal pages as well as my little numeric study.

Comments

[Janet]

I don't think I've ever seen anything like that! It must have been a weird combination of beautiful and tacky and strange all mixed up together. At least you got some great journal pages out of the experience! Love the numbers!

[TJ]

Janet - you're not kidding. It was certainly umm let's say "special."

We've stayed in so many various hotels over the years and the big test for me is cleanliness and then good quality linens/comfy bed. This hotel totally passed... and it was fascinating.

Plus I connected with a lot of the staff. They were lovely and really good to our kid. It made our life better during a big change!

[fiona]

Oh, I love it! I love hotels that have a bit of personality, and that place looks like it has loads. Gorgeous details.

[TJ]

Fiona - I suspect it may have been a case of multiple personalities, or full blown schizophrenia. But in a fun and groovy sort of way... it was certainly better than staying somewhere boring.