Studio 11 Design has completed its latest Nashville design endeavour with the newly renovated Hotel Indigo at the Countrypolitan Downtown Nashville with a design that reflects both its country music roots and the contemporary arts…
Studio 11 Design’s striking reimagination of the public spaces in Hotel Indigo seamlessly preserves the structure’s singular pre-war details while modernising it for today’s traveller in celebration of the organic relationship between art, design and music. Converted from an old bank building, the boutique property was originally designed to reflect its storied past.
“This is our second project in Nashville and I am so proud of the work Studio 11 Design’s team did to transform this boutique hotel,” said Kellie Sirna, principal of Studio 11 Design. “Greer May, Associate Principal of Studio 11 Design was a crucial part of the team as the lead designer and project manager for the Hotel Indigo from beginning to end.”
Image credit: Jordan Powers
Nashville is known as Music City, but over the years has developed a flourishing art scene. Reflective of this, Studio 11 Design collaborated with acclaimed musician Chris Coleman, who has been quietly building momentum and recognition for his burgeoning art career. Coleman first became involved in the art world while using the creative outlet as a form of therapy. Upon realising his artistic talents were not limited to the stage he began to more seriously explore his talent in the visual arts. With the encouragement and support of his singer-songwriter wife Holly Williams, he began developing his second calling as an artist.
“The icing on the cake in this project was having the opportunity to collaborate with the multi-talented Chris Coleman on the focal artwork in Hotel Indigo’s central lounge area,” said Sirna.”Chris signifies country music royalty in Nashville and I could not think of a more perfect artist to capture the spirit of Printers Alley and the countrypolitan music genre.”
Image credit: Jordan Powers
The musical genre countrypolitan emerged in the 70’s from the smooth sound of lush string instruments, or what is typically known as ‘The Nashville Sound’ as it is a category of music developed to help country artists cross over into the pop market. Coleman went into his studio and opted to create a custom artwork on a large piece of glass rather than canvas as he wanted the piece to interact with the dynamic lighting in the space and glass allows the art to play with the light.
“The piece is a whimsical depiction of a man casually standing next to a woman at a bar,” explained Coleman. “It is a snapshot look into the country music scene with a lot of drinking and smoking. The team at Studio 11 Design gave me a lot of artistic freedom and space to create. It was a dream collaboration. The firm understood my artistic process and allowed the story to unfold.”
Image credit: Jordan Powers
The location and history of the neighbourhood was an integral part of Studio 11 Design’s overarching vision for Hotel Indigo and Hotel Indigo’s new lobby and additional common spaces pay homage to the building’s roots and location. The name ‘Printers Alley’ was coined from the late 1800’s when the newspaper publishing and printing industries took off. Cafes, saloons, gambling parlours and speakeasies started popping up as industry took hold in the area, making it more populated and traversed. Printers Alley has an exuberant history and Studio 11 Design leaned into this contextual industrial aesthetic through the use of opulent lighting and extravagant accents that are seen in velvet jewel tone textures and plush rugs. The colour palette is retro-inspired, featuring deep clementine, mustard, peacock green and plums set into a backdrop of warm woods, rich tones and welcoming neutrals.
Main image credit: Jordan Powers
