Hotel Wren
Originally a 1940s roadside motel, Hotel Wren is located just a few miles from Joshua Tree National Park in Twentynine Palms, CA. Now, with a full recontextualization of the property by Manola Studio, its next chapter is being written.
Stepping into the property, you are fully immersed into a desert garden oasis and are invited to disconnect and slow down. CLUB was brought on to visually articulate the interior design and feeling of being present.
Output
Identity
Collateral
Wayfinding
Illustration
Photography
Production
Website
Credits
INTERIOR DESIGN
Manola Studio
PHOTOGRAPHY
Megan Rogers
COPYWRITING
Dana Covit
LOBBY ILLUSTRATION
Kim Swift
WEB DEVELOPMENT
Second Story
LAND OF LITTLE RAIN
The desert has always been a place of salvation. The Mojave, native land to the Maara’yam (Serrano), Nüwü (Chemehuevi), Kawiya (Cahuilla), and Aha Macave (Mohave). Although seen as a very harsh climate, its terrain is alive with underground springs creating oases throughout its generous rock formations.
As the desert became an American icon through the writings of Mary Austin, the mining boom came to California. Minerva Hamilton Hoyt, an early American activist, worked to preserve California desert areas and promoted the establishment of Joshua Tree National Park.
At the same time, the Homestead Act started driving veterans and low income families to the desert to claim their land and modern desert life was born.
THE MOTOR LODGE
As cars became an American icon, Route 66 opened its highway for families all across the nation to tour the country. Motor lodges were built for travelers seeking rest in their travels and in the 1940s, the Circle C Lodge was constructed just south of Route 66 for anyone looking to take an alternative route to Los Angeles.
COLOR OF THE DESERT
Each room was designed with an analogous palette dictated by the way sunlight enters the windows. Working with Manola Studio, we defined a brand palette for the hotel that worked with each room and did not distract from the natural world of color surrounding the area.
THE CACTUS WREN
During the rehabilitation of the hotel, cactus wrens became a repeat guest of the chollas in the garden. The wren became a focal point for the hotel as they embody a perfect metaphor of beauty in harsh terrain and are often seen in pairs wherever they go.
LOGOTYPE
Looking through the venerated text of the Mojave, we adapted a Windsor logotype that pays respect to the past and represents its future. This typeface is subtly refined to elevate its form and to represent the space it inhabits.
We adapted humanist, plant-like features for the serifs and terminals to represent the hotel’s mission through simple typographic form.
To compliment the hotel’s tranquility, we created a type family that is inspired by roadside typography in signs, pamphlets, and attractions from the past and present. A system to guide, but not shout.
DESERT VERNACULAR
Rudimentary in its creation, Hotel Wren’s supporting elements were developed to reflect the history of the desert, motor lodge culture, and the wild that cannot be tamed.
A supporting pattern of wren footprints were created as an element to embellish the desert story.
DESERT DESTINATIONS
Working with desert lore, hand-made maps of the area were drawn in the style off-road maps to compliment the down to earth spirit. These maps guide you to the nearest nature preserve for a leisurely hike, or the best place to enjoy a happy hour as the sun sets.
CREATIVE SOLITUDE
In a device-centric world, the hotel invites guests to disconnect. Pick up a pencil and sketch a landscape, or create a list of personal goals on a notepad. Enter the lobby library and pick up a book or discover a new perspective through a conversation at the pool. The design of the property is an ode to space – space to think.
