Houston’s Montrose has gained a brand new saint. Lengthy related to luxuriously quaint boutique properties, the anxiously awaited enlargement of the Austin-based group Bunkhouse Lodges to Houston has lastly arrived. The undeniably stylish Resort Saint Augustine could also be sparkly and new, however with the succinct efforts that went into its seamless introduction within the neighborhood, it’s purposefully tough to note.
San Antonians is perhaps acquainted with Bunkhouse, which operates San Antonio’s Resort Havana, recognized for its ethereal River Stroll lounge and eating places, Ocho.
Fortunately, Resort Saint Augustine lacks what all Bunkhouse properties lack — the gaudiness and unapproachability sometimes related to excessive profile luxurious motels. It’s cozy. Situated close to what’s arguably one of the serene and lauded museum parks within the nation, The Menil Assortment, Resort Saint Augustine’s buildout is so efficiently unassuming that the road of which property is an amenity to the opposite begins to blur — and that’s the aim.
“Within the design of Resort Saint Augustine, we have been impressed by each the adjoining Menil Assortment and the encompassing neighborhood. The structure of the lodge references the grey palette of the Menil Assortment and the low-rise, residential scale of Montrose,” Lake|Flato associate Chris Krajcer tells CultureMap. “Drawing inspiration from the early modernist homes of Louis Khan and Rudolph Schindler, the structure may be very quiet in spirit, balancing a composition of solids and voids. We crafted the positioning as a succession of buildings ordered round a collection of courtyards, in order that the visitor expertise is considered one of being immersed in an inviting backyard.”
Unfold out over two acres, 5 buildings, and expertly curated inexperienced areas, Resort Saint Augustine makes use of muted brick, uncooked wooden, and black metal, catwalk-style elevated walkways. These components permit the property to really feel like an extension of its neighbors: The Menil Assortment and The College of Saint Thomas.
Upon passing by way of the primary entrance into the courtyard, guests will discover aromatic Douglas fir clads the underside of all overhead constructions, permeating the air throughout any time spent on the property.
Notably, the courtyard and Augustine Lounge are open and accessible to the general public — you don’t should be a visitor to indicate up and hang around. The aforementioned Augustine Lounge is comprised of a large number of seated gathering areas, together with an elongated frequent desk with seating to match. This area, together with all others throughout the lounge, has been designed with an intention for precise utility—it isn’t for present.
Comfortably upholstered classic lounge furnishings populates areas round work areas, one-on-one seated desk nooks, and a walk-up lounge bar; plus, 70s-era seating beneath an ambiance-setting, reel-to-reel tape deck confirms that the Augustine Lounge is a reputable “third place” for the neighborhood. The vibe is decidedly a superb, old style throwback to the unique Montrose mantra: show-up, get comfy, keep awhile.
“For us, Resort Saint Augustine gives an opportunity to develop into a part of a neighborhood that deeply aligns with the Bunkhouse ethos,” Bunkhouse senior VP of design and growth Tenaya Hills says. “Montrose, and by extension, the Museum District and Houston at massive, foster an unimaginable sense of group, of creativity, of previous world and new. We wished to create a spot the place everybody may come and really feel as welcome and impressed. As the subsequent iteration of our Saint motels, we intention to offer the identical distinctive feeling of seclusion, of permission to be indulgent, and, most of all, fully comfortable.”
Bunkhouse enlisted architectural agency Lake|Flato for this undertaking, accompanied by New York and Wyoming-based Put up Firm for inside design, with Ten Eyck taking cost of the landscaping.
Award-winning Houston chef Aaron Bludorn is on the helm of the extremely anticipated Perseid restaurant, which will likely be open all day, seven days per week starting in January, and also will accommodate Augustine Lounge and in-room eating. Whereas the lodge is especially named in honor of the patron saint of printing and sits throughout the road from the Menil Drawing Institute, Perseid is aptly named after the annual meteor bathe that peaks throughout — you guessed it — the month of August.
The structure of Resort Saint Augustine displays the rules of famed Houston architect Philip Johnson, who labored on the College of Saint Thomas and served as the non-public architect to John and Dominique De Menil. The lodge’s inside is a really intentional nod to the De Menil’s private inside designer Charles James. Johnson and James have been famously as fond of each other as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. But, right here they’re, paired as soon as once more.
Friends of the 71-room lodge could also be delighted to study that greater than 50 % of the principally courtyard-facing rooms and suites have both balcony or terrace areas, full with ceiling followers for Houston’s oftentimes stagnant summer season days. Talking of summer season days, the quaint round pool will be cooled in addition to heated.
Rooms and suites (beginning at $429 per night time) provide opulently upholstered velvet beds with crisply pressed and embroidered white linens. Whimsically upholstered furnishings solidify the comfy ambiance all through the remainder of the property.
Bogs flip moody with the introduction of shiny, deep-green tiles, bullnosed marble, and glistening chrome {hardware} fixtures. Marquee-style self-importance lighting deliberately mimics that of the first toilet of Dominique de Menil, whereas thoughtfully wall-hung shelving is supplied for storing private objects. Elegantly refined in scent, in-room spa merchandise are by the Los Angeles-based, woman-owned Klur.
Apart from the furnishings and the seamlessly built-in minibar and fridge, visitor rooms are noticeably stark in hopes of participating a visitor’s unconscious — go discover.
Perched above the longer term Perseid sits the treehouse-like ballroom. Along with its 1,850 sq. toes, there’s a 1,200-square-foot pre-event area in addition to a 260-square-foot balcony. In whole, the ballroom can accommodate 130 seated or 250 standing friends. The principally glassed-in area gives courtyard views.
Panorama architects at Ten Eyck labored alongside Hempstead’s The John Fairey Backyard for years, cultivating principally native crops that can present lush views yr spherical. Nobody ought to fear concerning the massive pecan tree that vastly predates the lodge; it stays in what’s now the courtyard and is poised to gather a completely new technology of followers.
The well-curated retail and check-in area of Resort Saint Augustine’s foyer is designed in juxtaposition to the opposite public-facing areas. Brilliant purple, high-gloss, cubist shelving encapsulates the expertly mitered Calacatta Viola marble desk that’s central to the room. Alongside the considerably anticipated choices of espresso desk books and branded accoutrements lie gilded packing containers of jewellery, attention-grabbing equipment and objets, in addition to branded, brilliant blue tennis balls for any very welcome four-legged lodge friends to get pleasure from.
Resort Saint Augustine selected Louisville-based Miscellaneous Items Firm to offer “Grayhaven,” which would be the signature scent for the lodge. The incense is a mixture of moss, pine, and saltwater scents that lend themselves to a decidedly “wealthy man library” vibe. The very best half about this very singular scent is that when greeting mates for a meal at Perseid, one gained’t have to share that they’ve simply strolled over from pre-drinks at Augustine Lounge — they’ll already know.
